In addition, I believe that much of the stalling on climate change can be attributed a bit to the tendency to wait for the “perfect plan” by experts, when in fact this problem will require action on many levels, incorporating many regional, local, and national strategies.

For me, one of the best parts of the organizing that youth do is offering a different model for coordination of diverse actors withing a movement, showing a united front on the big stuff. Kudos.

Saying that youth are going to attack Dem leadership who “helped weaken the bill” and threatening to leverage perceived voter power against them is troubling, and for multiple reasons. Single issue voters, anyone? Moreover, quite frankly, the youth vote was only part of what helped usher in the Democratic Revolution this past November. And last time I checked, Jessy Tolkan doesn’t speak for the entire youth movement. I don’t think we do have any one person who does.

As a professional organizer, I’ve seen a few simple truths come out of the leadup to the House vote. First, climate activists weren’t as active as they could have been in support of this bill. We didn’t have the numbers to bring more votes on board, or really, truly strengthen the bill. Now that the vote has passed, how many folks are doing post-vote thank you’s or accountability outreach? Phone calls, letters to the editor? Senate offices are now hearing 100 to 200 calls PER DAY in opposition to the bill.

A major failing of groups like EAC was telling people that the bill wasn’t good enough, and allowing folks to become disillusioned, unmotivated, or willing to believe that we’ll have a better option in the near future. Waxman-Markey isn’t perfect, but the way politics are now, we wouldn’t have been able to pass a significantly stronger bill. Most of the organizations who are actively working FOR the bill are also laying the ground work for strengthening legislation in the future.

That’s not EAC’s strategy. That’s not Breakthrough’s Strategy.

This is a great post, and Joe was really off when he attacked Jessy, Jesse, and IGHIH.

You are definitely correct that our greatest strength is our diversity, and this blog definitely serves to strengthen that.

However, I am not confident that other part of your post, the unity component, is as necessary.

I think the diversity that shines through on this blog is also necessary in our broader movement. We need people working ‘on the inside,’ and people pushing hard ‘on the outside.’

That necessary diversity and balance was largely forgotten in the push for W-M. It seemed like almost everyone wanted to play the ‘inside’ role. The coal industry is divided among those who publicly say they want the bill to die, and those who publicly support it, but all are quietly celebrating how weak it has become.

I think the broader climate movement could learn more from that example. And even the youth movement could too.

The blog-sphere is for ideas and news. The real world is for action, which is what people should look at when they want to know where the youth movement and Energy Action stand.