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I’m a climate activist and a campaign veteran. I believe that tackling climate change is the most urgent issue we face nationally and globally. And I know that climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color.
Inaction is not an option, it is a death sentence.
But if we’re going to make any progress and save our planet, we need to put a Democrat in the White House – and that means motivating voters from as many backgrounds and on as many issues as possible.
The Democratic National Committee and their media partners have now hosted two debates over the course of four nights covering the entire spectrum of issues we face as a nation. But some continue to criticize the DNC for refusing to host a single-issue debate on climate change.
I disagree with the critics.
The DNC promised impartiality at the beginning of this process, and they’re keeping to their word. As DNC Chair Tom Perez points out, if the Democratic Party were to sanction one single-issue debate, they’d have no grounds to deny other campaigns, candidates and organizations who request debates focused on their own signature issues. In fact, the DNC has already received more than 50 requests from campaigns and advocacy groups to host issue-specific debates.
Those pushing for a climate change debate argue that it wouldn’t really be a single-issue debate because climate change is deeply intertwined with health care, income inequality, social justice and many other critical topics.
They’re right — but ask any organizer devoted to alleviating poverty, fighting for women’s health care, the Black Lives Matter movement or those working to reform our campaign finance system and you’ll hear the same arguments about their particular issue area.
What those pushing for a climate change debate are really asking the DNC to do is elevate their issue over every other issue. Democrats are right to reject that and maintain our commitment to neutrality.
To defeat Donald Trump, our Democratic nominee must be able to attract a wide and deep coalition of voters. That means voters who care about an issue like sea-level rise, but also those who are passionate about gun safety legislation, trade policy or retirement security. Our debates must offer voters an opportunity to hear about a wide range of issues and ensure our nominee has the confidence to speak to the variety of challenges they would face as president.
Over the course of all four debate nights so far, the candidates have had several substantive discussions on climate change. They’ve used the word “climate” nearly 100 times. And they’ll have plenty of opportunities over the next 10 Democratic primary debates to discuss it again.
Multiple televised climate issue forums have also been scheduled, which provide our candidates the opportunity for a longer, more comprehensive conversation about this issue. And there are several other issue-specific forums being held across the country. Democratic candidates are encouraged to participate in events like these to reach more voters.
There’s no question that any one of the current Democratic candidates would be a better leader than Trump on the issue of climate. But if we win the public over on climate change, then lose on every other issue, it’ll be déjà vu on Election Day. What’s more, it would risk repeating the same mistake of 2016 by creating the perception that the DNC put its thumb on the scale.
Young activists have poured their energy into peaceful demonstrations designed to attract more attention to this issue. And I hope even more people, young and old, join this cause. But we need to be wary of where we aim our energy. We need to stay unified to win. We need liberals and progressives, moderates and reformed Republicans, activists and organizers of every background to unite around the party platform and turn their districts blue.
Then, when we win back the White House and Senate, Democrats will lead once again on the world stage and take action on climate change.
I already know who I’ll be voting for in 2020: the Democrat.
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Quentin James is Co-Founder and COO of Vestige Strategies, a Washington, DC based consulting firm that specializes in grassroots community and civic engagement strategies. From 2011-2013, he served as the Director of the Sierra Club’s Sierra Student Coalition – the nation’s oldest and largest youth environmental organization. He started his career as a field organizer and Deputy Youth Vote Director for Obama for America.
