Tag Archives: trump

John Stoehr on the 2020 Presidential Election

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In a little over 10 weeks, every American citizen will have the opportunity to have their vote counted to either elect a new president or to keep the current president in place. Or that’s what’s supposed to happen in theory, anyway. In reality, the principle of “one person, one vote” is violated in American electoral practices. This week on Sea Change Radio, we talk to political writer John Stoehr of The Editorial Board about the upcoming American presidential election, and about the gross inequities built into the electoral college system. We also discuss whether the goal of unifying the country should take a backseat to advancing truth, justice, and equity. And we contemplate what Donald Trump’s end game is for this election — is he truly driven by a desire to lead the country for four more years, or is he mostly just thinking being president is the best way to stay out of prison?

Andrew Winston: Sustainability in 2020

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In optometry 2020 means normal visual acuity. But what will 2020 mean for the rest of us in the coming year? What sustainability trends might take flight as we close out the second decade of the new millennium? This week on Sea Change Radio, we take a glimpse into the future with author, speaker and corporate sustainability consultant, Andrew Winston. We discuss the need for decreased consumerism in the fashion industry, the coming boom in water technology, and how the specter of the November election looms over it all.

John Stoehr: Evangelicals and the Orange Menace

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Has it ever struck you as odd how white evangelicals in this country consistently and enthusiastically back a president with a verifiable history of strikingly lewd behavior? From multiple divorces to bragging about grabbing women by the genitals, from public affairs with porn stars to the suggestion that he’d like to date his own daughter, the man’s moral compass swings wildly away from due North. The evangelical right is historically famous for linking personal morality with fitness to govern. They attacked Bill Clinton unmercifully, for example, for his extra-marital concerns in the 1990s. But when it comes to Donald Trump, white evangelicals seem willing to reconsider this linkage, supporting him in record numbers. What’s behind this mysterious hypocrisy? This week on Sea Change Radio we speak with Editorial Board Founder and Publisher John Stoehr, a journalist who spent his childhood among white fundamentalist Christians. He applies his insights and posits that an authoritarian cosmology and nihilism about the environment enable white evangelical Christians to abandon the Golden Rule in favor of the Orange Menace.

Bruce Bartlett: The Roots of Wreckage

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Today on Sea Change Radio we take a little timeout from all things sustainability to analyze how the Republican Party has led us to some very uncertain and dangerous times with a white supremacist occupying the White House. To help us dissect the roots of modern Republicanism, we hear from author and economist Bruce Bartlett, who worked for both the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations before defecting from the Party in 2003. We learn about Bartlett’s own political journey, debate the legacy of Ronald Reagan and discuss how this country’s conservative party has squandered an opportunity by not being the party of conservationism.

Daniel Kammen Spells Relief I-M-P-E-A-C-H

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Recently, in response to the 45th president’s shameful mishandling of the incidents in Charlottesville, Virgina, UC Berkeley Energy Professor Daniel Kammen resigned as a State Dept.  Science Envoy. His resignation letter picked up national attention — in part because the first letter of each paragraph spelled out the word “IMPEACH.” This week on Sea Change Radio, we hear from Prof. Kammen, learn more about his role of special envoy, how it changed under the current administration, and some of the reasons why he felt the need to leave the post. Then, we reach back to our 2015 discussion with Prof. Kammen and hear about the strides that are being made to provide electricity to the 20% of the world’s population that doesn’t currently have access to it.

Trump on Energy: A Collection Of Contradictions

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Even the most astute followers of the news may have missed that the Trump Administration is touting a series of self-proclaimed focal areas. With compelling revelations of lying, collusion, and treason coming out almost daily, it’s understandable if absurd, toothless initiatives like “Energy Week,” or “Workforce Development Week” flew under your radar. Today on Sea Change Radio, we try to decipher what the actual energy policies of the current administration are with the help of Axios energy reporter, Amy Harder. We dissect Harder’s piece, “What Trump gets wrong about coal, natural gas and carbon,” analyze the divides within various federal agencies, and try to make heads or tails of what she dubs “a collection of contradictions.”

Ted Nordhaus: U.S. Leaves Paris

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Are the cries for a complete transition to renewable energy from environmentalists like Bill McKibben actually undermining the work to combat climate change? That is the position of our guest today on Sea Change Radio. Ted Nordhaus is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Breakthrough Institute, an Oakland-based think tank which focuses on energy issues. We discuss Nordhaus’s recent piece in Foreign Policy magazine, assess the damage that climate change denialism in the US has wrought on the planet, and examine the methods used by both pro-environment and anti-environment activists.

Alex Gilbert: Environmental Roots of a Scandal

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It has been a bit difficult to keep up with the news since January. Every few hours it seems like there is a new revelation in the global political wreckage that is the Trump administration. Whether you’re more interested in how ties to Putin will lead to impeachment, how Donald Trump is systematically alienating the US’s closest allies, or the possibility of the US pulling out of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, it’s hard to deny that the international political scene is roiling. And with every international political churn, there are environmental causes and implications. This week on Sea Change Radio we speak with energy consultant, Alex Gilbert, who provides a clear recap of the past 10 years in US international relations. He connects the dots and shows how political alliances among nations, policies like fracking, and environmental conditions like drought have helped to create turmoil in countries like Syria, Turkey, Russia, and even the good old US of A.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Part I

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gavin-newsom1Many believe Gavin Newsom will be the next Governor of the most populous state in the union. Today, in his first in-depth interview since the election, he is our guest here on Sea Change Radio. The former Mayor of San Francisco, and current Lieutenant Governor of California,  Newsom is a nationally recognized pioneer in gay rights, a champion for the environment, and a consistently progressive Democrat. This week, in Part 1 of a two-part series with the Lieutenant Governor, Newsom and host Alex Wise discuss what the result of the recent presidential election might mean for the country, for the Democratic Party, and for the environment. We also talk about California’s energy future, including the decision to shut down the state’s last nuclear power plant and its ambition to achieve a 55% renewable electric grid.

Carolyn Lochhead on the Politics of Water

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carolynlochheadAn issue that didn’t come up in Monday’s presidential debate, and unfortunately may not show up in subsequent debates either, is, “What are the candidates’ water policies?” It is one of the most vital issues for all Americans, and for the globe, and yet it is almost never mentioned on the national political debate stage. But if you look for them, you’ll find that each of the two major party candidates for president do have positions on water — well, one has actual proposals, and the other one has a set of ill-conceived opinions that could theoretically inform policy. This week on Sea Change Radio, we hear from the Washington correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, Carolyn Lochhead, to compare Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on water. We will discuss the preposterous supposition advanced by one candidate that the California drought is just a figment of our collective imaginations ginned up by liberals, the idea that it is wasteful to allow rivers to flow to the sea, and Clinton’s vision for collaborative stewardship. Stay tuned as we dive deep into the politics of water.