As young people from around the world are marching in the streets and calling on adults and elected leaders to act urgently to address runaway global warming and the climate crisis, this video of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) explaining to youth activists in her office on Friday why she won't back the joint congressional resolution on the Green New Deal has to be seen in order to be believed.
"This is a fight for our generation's survival. Her reaction is why young people desperately want new leadership in Congress." —Sunrise MovementPosted to Twitter by the Sunrise Movement, which had organized the office visit as part of its campaign to garner support for the resolution, the video shows Feinstein responding with "smugness and disrespect" when the group explains that while their futures are the ones that will be impacted the most the scientific community has said there is just 12 years for radical transformation to take place.
According to Sunrise:
Children as young as 7 reminded Senator Feinstein that their generation will be most impacted by the effects of climate change and that she must stand with her constituents.
The Senator responded by asking for their ages, stating: "Well, you did not vote for me."
"I’ve been doing this for 30 years," Feinstein says in the video. "You come in here and say it has to be my way or the highway. I don't respond to that...I know what I'm doing. Maybe people should listen a little bit."
Watch it:
This is how @SenFeinstein reacted to children asking her to support the #GreenNewDeal resolution -- with smugness + disrespect.
This is a fight for our generation's survival. Her reaction is why young people desperately want new leadership in Congress. pic.twitter.com/0zAkaxruMI
— Sunrise Movement (@sunrisemvmt) February 22, 2019
"Everyone needs to watch this video of @SenFeinstein disparaging literal children from @SunriseMvmt calling on her to support @AOC and @SenMarkey’s Green New Deal," said Waleed Shahid of the Justice Democrats.
In the wake of the video, Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive of the Sunrise Movement, let it be known how disgusted she was with the way Feinstein treated the young activists in her office:
“I think that one day you should run for Senate. Then you do it your way”
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We have 12 years to transform our entire fucking economy to stop climate change.
The child Feinstein was talking to won’t be old enough to run for Senate by the time her future will be condemned to chaos.
— Varshini Prakash (@VarshPrakash) February 23, 2019
Author and activist Naomi Klein also reposted the video and simply said: "Everyone. Needs. To. Watch. It."
Updated (2/23):
In response to some people criticizing the original video the group tweeted as being a selectively-editing version, Sunrise later issued this tweet along with a link to the full video:
2 - FACT: Sunrise put out the full video ourselves! We’ve never hidden the full video because the full version is also bad. You can check it yourself here: https://t.co/oSIkbnJuQi.
— Varshini Prakash (@VarshPrakash) February 23, 2019
Watch the full 15-minute video for yourself below:
And on Saturday, Prakash posted this subsequent message further reflecting on the encounter with Feinstein:
My thoughts on the visit to @SenFeinstein's office. We can't afford to wait another 30 yrs. We're fighting for a #GreenNewDeal because we're fighting for our lives. It's time to #ListenToTheKids.
Join @sunrisemvmt next week as we take further action: https://t.co/7abtYaQDM4 pic.twitter.com/LzZvtY3CZ8— Varshini Prakash (@VarshPrakash) February 23, 2019
