- The Washington Times - Monday, February 11, 2019

The climate movement claims that 81 percent of Americans support the Green New Deal, but apparently the GOP’s internal polling says something completely different.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC backed by the House Republican leadership, released digital ads Monday targeting a pair of freshmen House Democrats on the Green New Deal and linking them to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Less freedom, higher taxes,” says the 15-second ad targeting Rep. Antonio Delgado, New York Democrat. 

The ads, issued four days after Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s much-mocked New Green Deal rollout, offered more proof that Republicans plan to leverage the hotly contested climate resolution in their bid to retake the House in 2020.

“Antonio Delgado and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have begun their radical Green New Deal assault on the American economy,” the ad continues. “Delgado and AOC: a bad deal for New York.”

The other ad, which targets freshman Rep. Colin Allred, Texas Democrat, said, “His carbon tax and her Green New Deal means skyrocketing prices, higher taxes for Texas families.”

Neither Mr. Delgado nor Mr. Allred commented immediately Monday on the ads, but neither has cosponsored H. Res. 109, the measure introduced Thursday by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, which calls for phasing out fossil fuels by 2030, a goal described by even some liberals as unrealistic.

Asked at a Sunday town hall about the Green New Deal, Mr. Allred said, “I certainly support some of the goals of the Green New Deal, and I think we don’t know all the specifics around it and that’s where I think we’re going to have to flesh out some of that,” as shown in a Facebook video, adding that he supports expanding solar and wind power in Texas.

The distinction between a generic Green New Deal and the one proposed by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was also muddied in a petition posted by the Sunrise Movement, 350.org, Justice Democrats, and other climate groups that declared”81% of Americans support the Green New Deal.”

That figure appeared to be based on a survey conducted in December, two months before the release of the Green New Deal resolution by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, was funded by a handful of liberal foundations, including anti-Trump billionaire Tom Steyer’s TomKat Foundation.

The Green New Deal, which has 67 House cosponsors, became a GOP punchline for a fact sheet that called for “economic security for those unable or unwilling to work” and explained that the goal was reduced from zero to net-zero emissions “because we aren’t sure we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.”

Her office has told media outlets that the fact sheet, posted by NPR, was an unfinished draft released by mistake. A similar document that appeared on her website was deleted Thursday.

Mr. Trump mocked the Green New Deal last weekend, and even Democrats were split on the idea. Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who served under President Barack Obama, called it “impractical,” while Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, insisted it was “absolutely realistic.”

Zach Hunter, CLF vice president, said in a statement that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was “the new leader of the Democratic Party” and the two congressmen “are already falling in line with her radical agenda.” 

“The so-called Green New Deal is nothing more than a far-left wishlist that will result in higher taxes and less freedom for Americans,” Mr. Hunter said.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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