Energy Secretary Rick Perry, an aggressive champion for oil and gas, has said he’s “absolutely” willing to have a “thoughtful and polite” conversation about the Green New Deal with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I think having a conversation about the Green New Deal is a good thing — and to do it in a thoughtful and a polite and a respectful way,” Perry said during a panel discussion on Wednesday.
The former Texas governor said it would be “wise” for conservatives to engage in a discussion about the ambitious Democratic proposal to decarbonize the US economy and transition away from fossil fuels.
The Green New Deal is essentially a road map for future legislation, which includes calls for both a transition to 100% renewable energy and the implementation of ambitious social programs, including a federal jobs guarantee.
“Just because someone doesn’t agree with what I believe in, or I don’t agree with their take, doesn’t mean we don’t need to continue to have a conversation,” Perry said, according to CNBC. “I think it’s wise to have those.”
Perry’s comments stand in contrast to those of other prominent Republicans. President Donald Trump has slammed the Green New Deal as a “socialist nightmare.”
“No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing that’s the end of your electric,” Trump said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month. “Darling, is the wind blowing today? I’d like to watch television, darling.”
In an attempt to force moderate Democrats into a corner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced last month that he planned to bring the resolution to vote on the Senate floor.
A recent poll of Iowa voters found 65% support for the Green New Deal. And an INSIDER poll last month found that more than 80% of Americans supported nearly all of the proposals in the Green New Deal, which includes universal healthcare and housing.
“I don’t think that the representative should be castigated and pushed aside just on the face of her comments relative to that she wants to live in a place where there’s clean air and clean water,” Perry said. “So do I.”
Perry, who has flown largely under the radar in Washington, was sharply critical of Trump during the 2016 election, calling his candidacy “a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense” and “a cancer on conservatism.”
But he aligns with Trump on energy-related issues, calling himself a “skeptic” on global warming and slamming opposition to the fossil-fuel industry.
from Viral Newses https://ift.tt/2XZ6aDG
via IFTTT
0 Comments