Green Privilege – noun: The set of social, economic and media advantages granted to public officials by virtue of announced support of extreme environmental positions. Holders are granted a blind eye from media for financial conflicts of interests and all hypocritical behavior.
Questioning a politician on the purity of their motives is fair game, especially as it relates to their own financial wheeling and dealing. Voters have, rightfully, come to distrust many in public office today, which makes sense given the rampant crony capitalism of the Clinton Foundation and Hunter Biden. But the double-standard really stands out for anyone – even Democrats – who dare to oppose the mainstream media’s preferred point of view.
Consider last week’s New York Times expose headlined “How One Senator Doomed the Democrats’ Climate Plan” targeting West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin. Instead of “Democrat Plan faces bipartisan opposition” or “Democrat climate plan has doubters within own party,” we see a headline that places Sen. Manchin outside his own party as he “doomed” their plans.
Here's a thought: perhaps Biden’s inability to pass a climate plan by members of his own party speaks more to the misguided policies than it does any one senator. But I digress.
The long knives are out for Senator Manchin because his predictions of economic disaster have come true. Energy prices are at a record high, fueling once-in-a-generation inflation. Meanwhile, the predictions of the climate community are more appropriately filed under “failed doomsday cult” status. If there’s one thing the eco-left media really hates, it is when someone has the audacity to make accurate predictions. After all, here we are over 30 years later, and the Maldives still aren’t underwater.
Manchin’s real sin, in the eyes of the eco-left, is his support of the fossil fuel industry. Like many of us, it appears Sen. Manchin has become addicted to hot water and air conditioning, so he supports fuels that not only power modern convivences, but also our way of life. The Times hit piece questions Manchin’s campaign donations for oil and gas along with his ties to the coal industry. These are the same tired arguments that Manchin has faced since he was first elected to the Senate 12 years ago. Yet, it appears the people of West Virginia are happy with their Senator, as surprising as that may be to the experts at the New York Times.
For the record, Senator Manchin’s approval is skyrocketing almost as high as Biden’s inflation, while the President, champion of the climate plan cherished by The Times, currently has an approval rating of 33 percent according to…The New York Times.
Within The Times’ hit job on Manchin, we learn Biden’s climate plan includes $300 billion in climate credits, including money for electric vehicles. They call it the “largest single expenditure” to fight climate change and also the largest example of “green privilege.” Shockingly, with billions earmarked for electric vehicles, the article doesn’t feel the need to mention that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband recently purchased a huge amount of Tesla stock. Pelosi’s office tried to spin the glaring conflict of interest by claiming there’s no problem since the stock purchase was done by her husband and not the Speaker herself. For their point of view, perhaps it’s a welcome distraction from the ongoing storyline involving Mr. Pelosi’s DUI charges, but again, I digress.
For those keeping score, according to the eco-left, Senator Manchin is the scourge for the Democrats’ failed agenda and Speaker Pelosi’s potential financial interest in that same agenda doesn’t merit a mention. Green privilege: membership certainly has its advantages.
Also missing from The Times article is any mention of Senator Manchin’s many votes in favor of Biden’s climate agenda. Specifically, Manchin was a key vote in confirming Biden Interior Deb Haaland, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone Manning, each of those nominees has fought an all-out war against American energy independence. So, if Senator Manchin is the slam-dunk vote for the fossil fuel industry the eco-left would have you believe, it looks like he failed when he voted to put Biden’s green radicals into cabinet positions.
Finally, Senator Manchin signaled an openness to revisit the climate discussions after July’s inflation numbers became public. Manchin described inflation as “absolutely killing many, many people,” and was sensibly calling for a pause on pouring more kerosene on a raging fire.
But the story had its intended effect. Manchin’s Senate colleague, Bernie Sanders, flogged him for “intentionally sabotaging the President's agenda,” taking him to task for being a “major recipient of fossil fuel money.”
President Biden spent the last week begging Saudi Arabia for more oil. Since taking office, Joe Biden has begged not on the Saudis, but OPEC and Venezuela to produce more as well. Nearly one year after he cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, he worked overtime to make sure Vladimir Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline could move forward. Each of these actions to promote fossil fuel development outside the United States was met with deafening silence from the environmental community. You see, “green privilege” dictates that only American energy development is bad for the Earth.
Scrutiny of our elected officials is fair game, but the application by the media is far from fair. As our families pay record energy prices and our economy moves closer to the brink of a recession, we can no longer afford to pay the price of “green privilege.”
Larry Behrens is the Communications Director for Power The Future, a non-profit that advocates for America’s energy workers. You can find him on Twitter @larrybehrens or you can email him: larry@powerthefuture.com
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