A detailed report on why cap and trade legislation failed in congress (specifically the Senate), in particular compared to health care reform which succeeded. Key points:
Need for strong, broad popular support behind carbon-control legislation, including broad geographic support (not just in purple regions). “Here, then, is the bottom line: The political tide can be turned over the next decade only by the creation of a climate-change politics that includes broad popular mobilization on the center left. That is what it will take to counter the recently jelled combination of free-market elite opposition and right-wing popular mobilization against global warming remedies.”
Need for realism about level of potential support from Republican senators, particularly of seemingly “moderate” senators (e.g. McCain of 2006); also recognition of difficulties of garnering support from centrist Democrats who come from states highly dependent on fossil fuels
Need for coordinated, joint efforts between regional and national organizations working on climate change
Don’t put all your eggs in one legislative basket
https://scholars.org/sites/scholars/files/skocpol_captrade_report_january_2013_0.pdf
Follow RSS/Atom feed for updates.