They say politics makes for strange bedfellows – So I guess I’m not surprised to see the self-proclaimed advocates of freedom, justice, and the American way (Tea Party) get between the sheets with out of state big oil meddling in California politics. Finding little popular support, the initiative to suspend AB32 is relying on the Tea Party, to gain the signatures they need to get their proposal on the November ballot.
They were depending on Tax Day rallies held by Tea Partiers yesterday to give a needed shot in the arm to Texas Oil’s campaign for dirty energy. How do I know? Check out their website: http://www.suspendab32.org/tea_party_race.htm
The ‘Kill AB32 (and CA’s hopes to lead the economic revival) group’ has even put an odometer on their website that will track the number of signatures turned in by the Tea Party”. Hoping this will provide incentive to sign the petition by claiming it will “help send a message to the political establishment that would show the strength and power of the Tea Party Movement”.
However, the anti-AB32 forces must be drinking some pretty strong tea if they’re putting all their hopes into this plan. Case in point: According to a Field Poll survey, “the majority of California voters do not identify themselves nor their interests” with those of the Tea Party. In fact, of the “61 percent of California registered voters” that “have heard of the Tea Party movement…only 12 percent say they have a lot of identification with the movement”.
And at the time of writing, the efforts of the CA Tea Party have produced 1776 signatures. That is like one per year between Christ and the Declaration of Independence.
Last I heard “oil, conservative, and anti-environment” are not the first words that come to mind when you think of the sunshine state. California has prided itself as a progressive leader, one that isn’t afraid to challenge the status-quo.
As those not drinking tea surely know, AB32 is not the nightmare big Texas oil wants you to believe. On the contrary, AB32 will create millions of jobs, bring billions in investment, slash state healthcare costs, and usher in a brighter day for California.