- The Washington Times - Thursday, September 5, 2019

Radio host Mark Levin told listeners this week that “lives will change forever” in America if citizens fail to see the Green New Deal for what it really is: “It’s the old Red movement dressed up as a green movement.”

The conservative’s commentary Wednesday dovetailed with a CNN town hall debate featuring 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls and their stance on climate change.

“Like Marxism, like so-called democratic socialism, this is imported from Europe,” Mr. Levin said, Conservative Review reported. “Most specifically, it’s imported from Germany, this ideology. And what it’s about, ladies and gentlemen is hijacking the environmental movement, hijacking the issue of health and safety, and camouflaging it on behalf of socialism/Marxism. Now, think about the climate change movement: What is it all about? An enormous power grab by the federal government, politicians, and bureaucrats.”

Wednesday’s evening’s debate lent credence to Mr. Levin’s claims as Sen. Bernard Sanders, one of the Democratic candidates, defended his $16 trillion climate change proposal.

“We are fighting for the survival of the planet Earth, our only planet,” the Vermont senator said. “How is this not a major priority? It must be a major priority. … We are the most powerful nation on earth. We should be leading the world to a global energy transition.”

Similarly, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren blasted “the fossil fuel industry” and vowed to end the use of nuclear fuels in the U.S. by 2035.

“[President Trump] says the Green New Deal is a dream? I’m just saying where he is right now is a nightmare,” Ms. Warren said. “That’s where we really do have to start this conversation. Don’t sit around and tell me what’s not possible. Sit around and look what happens if we don’t make change. You know, we’ve got what, eleven years, maybe, to reach a point where we’ve cut our emissions in half? … You bet that this is a moment where we better dream big and fight hard.”

Mr. Levin warned that if Democrats succeed in forwarding the Green New Deal, it would exponentially increase the federal government’s control over every facet of American life.

“There’s no end to this,” Mr. Levin said. “Imagine, in addition to nationalizing health care, nationalizing education, nationalizing debt of all sorts. Imagine that, plus the federal government politicians having the power to act and do pretty much whatever they want under this rubric of climate change. And the media are not merely reporting on this; the media are advancing this. The media are prodding this. … Your lives will change forever.

“That’s what the Green New Deal is all about,” he said. “It’s a Red New Deal. Everything in your home, your home itself, your automobile, the clothing you wear, the job you have, all of it will be affected. All of it will be monitored. All of it will be regulated. To make you poorer, to make you less independent, to make you less free.”

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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