Did you watch Colbert last night?
http://www.colbertnation.com/...
I just wanted to make the observation that Colbert's
lead story last night.....boiled down to its essence....is
Colbert pulling a KXL pipeline comedy version of what
the Ed Schultz show was selling over the last few days.
Note also the Colbert Report's mention of "the nation's best pipefitters" and
Ed's specific mention of unions.....and this all occurring with
AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka's full throat support of the
KXL Pipeline announced today:
http://inthesetimes.com/...
My fundamental point is that the KXL pipeline matter has been, is and
ever more will be a republican wedge issue against Democrats, and particularly against
progressive Democrats. The recent Ed Show segments and Colbert's segment is
the opposition coming back at anti-KXL camp. From a PR/communications/visibility campaign standpoint of what the opposition is doing, I'd suggest that these 3 events in pro-KXL camp mean that we should expect more such visibility shortly.
My further fundamental point is that this circumstance of being on the
receiving end of a wedge issue by republicans in which environmental Democrats are separated from portions of the union labor community is a damn tough circumstance.
In such circumstances in anti-KXL camp, it means that focus is required more than ever to address what pro-KXL advocacy is saying by directly responding to it in a sensitive but resolute manner, and absolute clarity is required over all issues relating to the national interest of the United States as to the KXL Presidential Permit approval/denial decision.
What you're seeing now with the AFL-CIO position, the Ed Show segments and Colbert's piece which almost looked like a product placement by pipefitters is the social engineering and communication of a social/political support case for building KXL.
In anti-KXL camp, the only way to win is to give President Obama an absolutely defensible and strong environmental case that there should be no additional tar sands crude oil import pipelines constructed into the United States.
The foreign import/border crossing aspect of the pipeline combined with the high greenhouse gas emission intensity of tar sands crude and the fact that any approval decision just makes the United States more dependent on tar sands sources as a tri-part matter are really the only three issues worth addressing in present circumstances on the pipeline denial portion of anti-KXL environmental advocacy.
[which leaves the pipeline stewardship portion of anti-KXL advocacy be another diary.]
8:05 PM PT: Anyone who thinks that Stephen Colbert uttering the words - "the nation's best pipefitters" - this week in a KXL segment with this timing in relation to other events is just an accident or coincidence is probably pretty naive about just how effective AFL-CIO building/construction trade union officers can be in prosecuting their job search activities for their union members.
9:39 PM PT: Here's an important story from January in which AFL-CIO stays on the same side as environmentalists on the issue of retaining the existing ban on crude oil exports from the United States:
http://www.eenews.net/...
9:43 PM PT: Another interesting story....
While AFL-CIO announced support for natural gas export terminals this week, there is a big chunk of the chemical industry which opposes natural gas export terminals.
Also, independent petroleum refiners along with AFL-CIO are opposing efforts by the largest oil industry firms to relax the United States ban on exporting domestic crude oil.