Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a lead sponsor of the Green New Deal, on Tuesday critized the Democratic presidential debate moderators for not asking any climate crisis-related questions. (Photo: Senate Democrats/flickr/cc)
'Horrifying': AOC, Green Groups Criticize Debate Moderators for Asking Zero Climate Questions
It's "honestly shocking that CBS, in the final Democratic debate before Super Tuesday, didn't ask a single question about the defining issue of our lives," said the Sunrise Movement.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took issue with the moderators of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, calling their failure to ask the candidates a single question about the climate crisis "horrifying."
Tuesday's debate in Charleston, South Carolina was the 10th time Democratic hopefuls faced off. It was moderated by CBS's Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett, and Bill Whitaker, and could have been an opportunity for the seven candidates on stage--frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren--to address their plans for tackling the planetary emergency.
It wasn't.
Climate action advocates joined Ocasio-Cortez, a Sanders campaign surrogate, in criticizing the moderators' failure to ask about the crisis.
In "more than two hours of debate--in a city that is already facing the consequences of the crisis--not a single question was asked on climate change. This is unacceptable," Sierra Club said Tuesday night. "The voters have demanded action, and the public deserves plans."
"We cannot afford four more years of Trump's deadly and dangerous inaction while communities like Charleston are experiencing what happens when the president ignores climate change," the environmental group continued. "Every Democratic debate must demand answers on how the candidates will address the climate crisis."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took issue with the moderators of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, calling their failure to ask the candidates a single question about the climate crisis "horrifying."
Tuesday's debate in Charleston, South Carolina was the 10th time Democratic hopefuls faced off. It was moderated by CBS's Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett, and Bill Whitaker, and could have been an opportunity for the seven candidates on stage--frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren--to address their plans for tackling the planetary emergency.
It wasn't.
Climate action advocates joined Ocasio-Cortez, a Sanders campaign surrogate, in criticizing the moderators' failure to ask about the crisis.
In "more than two hours of debate--in a city that is already facing the consequences of the crisis--not a single question was asked on climate change. This is unacceptable," Sierra Club said Tuesday night. "The voters have demanded action, and the public deserves plans."
"We cannot afford four more years of Trump's deadly and dangerous inaction while communities like Charleston are experiencing what happens when the president ignores climate change," the environmental group continued. "Every Democratic debate must demand answers on how the candidates will address the climate crisis."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took issue with the moderators of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, calling their failure to ask the candidates a single question about the climate crisis "horrifying."
Tuesday's debate in Charleston, South Carolina was the 10th time Democratic hopefuls faced off. It was moderated by CBS's Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett, and Bill Whitaker, and could have been an opportunity for the seven candidates on stage--frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren--to address their plans for tackling the planetary emergency.
It wasn't.
Climate action advocates joined Ocasio-Cortez, a Sanders campaign surrogate, in criticizing the moderators' failure to ask about the crisis.
In "more than two hours of debate--in a city that is already facing the consequences of the crisis--not a single question was asked on climate change. This is unacceptable," Sierra Club said Tuesday night. "The voters have demanded action, and the public deserves plans."
"We cannot afford four more years of Trump's deadly and dangerous inaction while communities like Charleston are experiencing what happens when the president ignores climate change," the environmental group continued. "Every Democratic debate must demand answers on how the candidates will address the climate crisis."