Recently McCain was asked how he is different from Bush; he said that he was different on the environment. And after he spoke to the employees about alternative energy sources at the Vestas, Wind Technology plant in Portland, Oregon on May 12th; there where many articles online explaining "McCain’s Break from Bush on the Environment"
McCain is taking the "Green Vote" seriously enough that his campaign is providing McCains Eco- Friendly items on his website.
In my opinion, McCain is not just using the environment to persuade voters to look at him as a green candidate but also to distance himself from Bush. The "Green" brand might also make him seem more contemporary and modern to young voters that might have reservations about Obama.
With that I will list five reasons why Obama should get the "Green Vote" over Obama? Since this is a comparison, the reasons based on past work on environment are in no particular order are either against McCain or for Obama.
In 2007, Sen. McCain missed all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate and thus received "0" on League of Conservation Voters 2007 Scorecard. Source
- Sen. McCain was only Senator to not vote on a measure move the United States toward greater energy. A critical bill titled ‘independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers, to increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, and to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.’ The vote was about whether to close a href="3 billion in tax loophole for major oil & gas companies to invest in new clean energy technologies. Sixty votes were required for the bill to pass and the motion was rejected 59-40. His vote would have made a huge difference. Source
- Sen. Obama the first three years in the Illinois Senate introduced and or co-sponsored 115 bills of which 24 passed and became law. Source book From Promise to Power, by David Mendell:on Environment p.126-127
- Sen. Obama is the Primary cosponsor of the bipartisan Fuel Economy Reform Act, which would raise vehicle fuel-efficiency standards by 4 percent, or approximately one mile per gallon, each year. The measure includes tax incentives to help automakers retool their factories toward the goal.
- Obama spent three months working for a Ralph Nader offshoot project on recycling. Source from Dreams from My Father p.129 "I spent three months working for a Ralph Nader offshoot up in Harlem, trying to convince the minority students at City College about the importance of recycling. Then a week passing out flyers for an assemblyman's race in Brooklyn - the candidate lost and I never did get paid."