Last week, the Greenfield Democratic Town Committee voted for a presidential candidate debate focussed solely on the climate crisis. This is a controversial position. The Greenfield Democratic Town Committee recognized that because these debates claim national attention, there is a moral imperative to use that platform to say, “The climate crisis is real. If we don’t make systemic changes now, we guarantee catastrophic changes later for our children and grandchildren.”
The leaders of the National Democratic Party have publicly opposed a Climate Crisis Debate up to now. Tom Perez, Nancy Pelosi (and famously harshly to children, Dianne Feinstein) call the climate crisis just one of many issues, and deem a commensurate response like the Green New Deal not politically feasible, so not worth discussing. However, their underlying logic is clear: it is not a winning issue at the polls. If party leaders call it bad strategy, who are we to push back?
We are the parents of children and grandchildren who deserve a future. We are citizens of a country that has never been kind or just to citizens of color or the poor, who will suffer far worse than the privileged and wealthy if we do not take drastic action now. We are Democrats who believe that leaders must respond to the voice of the majority — not just to swing voters. Please join the Greenfield Democratic Town Committee in asking the nine National Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts Democratic Party to vote for a presidential candidate debate on a response to the climate crisis when they meet on Aug. 25.
Martin Bram Moreinis
Greenfield