Thread by @evanlweber

A lot of ppl saying that @sunrisemvmt is dividing @TheDemocrats for sharing the video of @SenFeinstein.

It’s actually @SenFeinstein who is being divisive. Incredibly, unbelievable, outrageously divisive. A thread:

First of all, it’s true: after @sunrisebayarea posted the full interaction w/ @SenFeinstein online, @sunrisemvmt also posted a tweetable shorter version that went viral. It included some of the most morally outrageous statements.

What the edited version didn’t include is much much much more damning, for those of you on this website whose chief concern is keeping @TheDemocrats united.

(Sidenote: my personal main concern is making climate change an urgent political priority, which imo necessitates demanding more from politicians of all parties b/c almost no one is taking this crisis as seriously as they need to be)

What the full video of @SenFeinstein & @sunrisebayarea, @Y_Vs_A, & @earthguardianz shows is @SenFeinstein bashing @SenMarkey’s #GreenNewDeal resolution and announcing that she would be introducing her own, alternative GND resolution.

To me, this was the most shocking & baffling.

@SenMarkey is @SenateDems senior leader on climate.

He’s:
✅ the chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force.
✅ the former chair of @SpeakerPelosi’s ‘07 climate committee.
✅ the author of @TheDemocrats only major climate bill to pass a legislative chamber.

It’s hard to overstate @SenMarkey’s leadership on climate for @TheDemocrats.

And his #GreenNewDeal resolution’s co-sponsors include every single Senate Democrat officially running for President:
@SenWarren
@SenBooker
@SenSanders
@SenKamalaHarris
@SenGillibrand
@SenAmyKlobuchar

So basically, to the extent there is a unified platform, position, or set of principles on climate action for @TheDemocrats right now (there isn’t), the #GreenNewDeal resolution is it.

Moreover the base of @TheDemocrats are incredibly excited about the #GreenNewDeal!

Sure, there were some bumps with the rollout, and a lot of talking heads critiquing it and asking questions about it’s feasibility. But that’s to be expected from any new extremely bold proposal.

But given how bold and new it is, things were going pretty well for @TheDemocrats and the #GreenNewDeal. Despite intense blowback from the right wing, almost all of the co-sponsors have doubled down on their support!

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, @SenFeinstein is like:

“Leading members of my party introduced and are backing this #GreenNewDeal resolution! One of them is likely to be @TheDemocrats nominee for President! The author has way more expertise on climate than me, but you know what…I’m gonna introduce my own resolution!”—@SenFeinstein

At a time when the @GOP is unified in its attacks on @TheDemocrats over the #GreenNewDeal, introducing an alternative—despite the existing proposal having the backing of your party’s nominees for President—is quite simply the most divisive thing any Democrat could do right now.

There’s no justification for this action. @SenFeinstein’s rationale for an alternative #GreenNewDeal?
1. @SenMarkey’s proposal can’t pass
2. There’s no way to pay for it.

Hers also wouldn’t pass current congress, and she proposes no pay-fors. Read here: feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/…

@SenFeinstein’s #GreenNewDeal resolution is just a less ambitious version of @SenMarkey’s. She’s trying to move the ball backwards while the future leaders of her party are (finally) trying to kick it forward.

For the first time in my life, politicians are uniting around a solution at the scale of the climate crisis.

The “responsible” thing to do is to jump on board and help make it a reality, not bash it as unachievable and propose a less ambitious alternative.

@sunrisemvmt knows we have to beat Trump to win a #GreenNewDeal. We also know we need to get more of @TheDemocrats on board with it so they can have the back of the next President in making it a reality.

Asking politicians to support solutions at the scale of our challenges isn’t divisive. It’s what we should all be doing. It’s how social movements throughout history have made the impossible inevitable.

Holding @SenFeinstein accountable to her actions doesn’t in any way damage @TheDemocrats ability to win the White House or the Senate in 2020. In fact, as @SenFeinstein noted to the kids in her office, she just won re-election for the next 6 years.

@SenFeinstein’s not going anywhere.

Neither is the movement for a #GreenNewDeal.

I hope she’ll stop being divisive and unite with us to take on the greatest challenges of our time.