by Samantha Thompson
Blanche Lincoln Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D) is mounting a primary
challenge against conservative Democrat Blanche Lincoln for the U.S. Senate
seat she’s held for two terms.
Environmentalists and progressives have it in for
Lincoln, angry over her opposition to high-profile Democratic issues like a
public option in health care and cap-and-trade.
The Sierra Club is running
ads bashing her for trying to stall new fuel-economy rules on behalf of Big
Oil. (She’s been the top recipient of campaign
contributions from the oil and gas sector for the past five years.) MoveOn is sending emails calling Lincoln “one
of the worst Democratic senators” and urging its members to donate to Halter.
Recently named to the League
of Conservation Voters’ “Dirty Dozen,” Lincoln has taken heat for working
to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions. She was also one of
10 Democrats who contributed to the downfall of the Lieberman-Warner Climate
Security Act in 2008. Along with other swing-vote senators, Lincoln signed
a letter [PDF] outlining the reasons she would not support the bill. (Kate
Sheppard has more
on Lincoln’s climate and energy record.)
Meanwhile, Halter seems to be getting somewhat of a free
pass. MoveOn, unions, and other liberal groups have helped him amass a war chest of more
than $5 million, but he’s managed to get this far with little mention of the
environment. His campaign website is
decidedly ambiguous on climate and energy, focusing instead on education and
jobs.
Bill HalterIn an interview with Talking Points Memo, Halter
glosses over environmental issues. He gives a blunt “no” when asked if he
would share Lincoln’s position on blocking the EPA from regulating greenhouse
gas emissions, but remains vague about cap-and-trade, a point not lost on TPM:
On the issues,
Halter often came down on the left-hand side of the line. He told me he likes
candidates that talk specifics and in most cases he put his money where his
mouth was, offering detailed answer on a number of policy fronts. One notable
exception was cap-and-trade, where … he didn’t offer a specific policy stance,
instead talking at length about developing alternative energy resources to
better the environment and the economy. But he said “there are significant
changes that need to be made” to the House cap-and-trade bill before he
could support it. Halter ended our interview before he had a chance to elaborate
on what those “significant changes” are.
Whoever wins the nomination will face a tough
general-election race against the likely Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. John Boozman
(R), who is currently
polling well ahead of both Lincoln and Halter.
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Why not structure climate bills to win popular support?
