The heckling took place at a town hall meeting in Dover, New Hampshire on Thursday. (Photo: Screenshot/C-SPAN)
Jul 17, 2015
Responding to a weak statement on fossil fuel extraction from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday, protesters at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Thursday demanded the former secretary of state "act on climate" if she wants their votes.
Clinton was questioned about her stance on banning fossil fuel extraction on public land, something she said she couldn't support "until we get alternatives into place," according to CNN.
In response, an audience member stood up and asked of Clinton: "Is your answer, and your refusal to take leadership on climate change, due to the fact that you have contributions from the fossil fuel industry in your campaign?"
Bloomberg reported Friday that lobbyists for big companies including ExxonMobil raised money for the Clinton campaign.
In fact, Paul Blumenthal and Kate Sheppard of the Huffington Postwrote on Friday, "[n]early all of the lobbyists bundling contributions for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign have at one time or another worked for the fossil fuel industry."
The Democratic frontrunner--whose progressive rival Bernie Sanders has noted the candidates' divergence on the urgency of climate change--denied that her stances on climate-related issues were based on campaign contributions.
She said that while she knew that the "right answer in terms of getting votes" would have been to say, "You bet I will ban extraction on public lands," such an answer would be meaningless without a concrete plan for getting it done in Congress.
As she continued to respond, a number of agitated audience members began chanting: "Act on climate." Elsewhere in the audience, two people held up a sign that read, "Ban extraction on public land."
"That's OK, that's OK, that's OK," Clinton said as they chanted. "I am all in favor of acting on climate."
Watch the full exchange below:
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Responding to a weak statement on fossil fuel extraction from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday, protesters at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Thursday demanded the former secretary of state "act on climate" if she wants their votes.
Clinton was questioned about her stance on banning fossil fuel extraction on public land, something she said she couldn't support "until we get alternatives into place," according to CNN.
In response, an audience member stood up and asked of Clinton: "Is your answer, and your refusal to take leadership on climate change, due to the fact that you have contributions from the fossil fuel industry in your campaign?"
Bloomberg reported Friday that lobbyists for big companies including ExxonMobil raised money for the Clinton campaign.
In fact, Paul Blumenthal and Kate Sheppard of the Huffington Postwrote on Friday, "[n]early all of the lobbyists bundling contributions for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign have at one time or another worked for the fossil fuel industry."
The Democratic frontrunner--whose progressive rival Bernie Sanders has noted the candidates' divergence on the urgency of climate change--denied that her stances on climate-related issues were based on campaign contributions.
She said that while she knew that the "right answer in terms of getting votes" would have been to say, "You bet I will ban extraction on public lands," such an answer would be meaningless without a concrete plan for getting it done in Congress.
As she continued to respond, a number of agitated audience members began chanting: "Act on climate." Elsewhere in the audience, two people held up a sign that read, "Ban extraction on public land."
"That's OK, that's OK, that's OK," Clinton said as they chanted. "I am all in favor of acting on climate."
Watch the full exchange below:
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Responding to a weak statement on fossil fuel extraction from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday, protesters at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Thursday demanded the former secretary of state "act on climate" if she wants their votes.
Clinton was questioned about her stance on banning fossil fuel extraction on public land, something she said she couldn't support "until we get alternatives into place," according to CNN.
In response, an audience member stood up and asked of Clinton: "Is your answer, and your refusal to take leadership on climate change, due to the fact that you have contributions from the fossil fuel industry in your campaign?"
Bloomberg reported Friday that lobbyists for big companies including ExxonMobil raised money for the Clinton campaign.
In fact, Paul Blumenthal and Kate Sheppard of the Huffington Postwrote on Friday, "[n]early all of the lobbyists bundling contributions for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign have at one time or another worked for the fossil fuel industry."
The Democratic frontrunner--whose progressive rival Bernie Sanders has noted the candidates' divergence on the urgency of climate change--denied that her stances on climate-related issues were based on campaign contributions.
She said that while she knew that the "right answer in terms of getting votes" would have been to say, "You bet I will ban extraction on public lands," such an answer would be meaningless without a concrete plan for getting it done in Congress.
As she continued to respond, a number of agitated audience members began chanting: "Act on climate." Elsewhere in the audience, two people held up a sign that read, "Ban extraction on public land."
"That's OK, that's OK, that's OK," Clinton said as they chanted. "I am all in favor of acting on climate."
Watch the full exchange below:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.