I think a lot of people view Tom Carper as an essentially well-meaning, if occasionally eccentric, public servant. That includes a lot of Democrats and plenty of liberals who I know. They are wrong.
His votes and stated positions, all a matter of public record, and easily discovered via a simple Google search, reveal that he largely ignores the needs of those who routinely vote for him. He does, however, pay fealty to those who finance his campaigns, and he also gives away votes on behalf of his search for bipartisanship. That search, like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football held by Lucy, never comes to fruition.
Carper’s desire to ‘reach across the aisle’ becomes even more dangerous in the era of Trump and Republican-controlled government. He could well end up as the key D who enables the gutting of Medicare and Social Security.
So, while it will take several pieces to flesh out his many sins of commission and omission, let’s get started.
Tom Carper and the Keystone Pipeline:
Tom Carper initially took the position that he would honor the Obama Administration’s stance on this issue. Fair enough. However, when President Obama decided in early November of 2014 to reject the request to build the pipeline, Tom Carper couldn’t flip fast enough. So, later that same month, during a lame-duck session of Congress, Carper reversed his position and voted to end cloture on the bill that would preempt any and all impediments to the building of the pipeline. This wasn’t a ‘freebie’, the outcome was very much in doubt. If you’ve forgotten what the Pipeline would do, let’s let the President lay it out:
“Understand what this project is: It is providing the ability of Canada to pump their oil, send it through our land, down to the Gulf, where it will be sold everywhere else. It doesn’t have an impact on U.S. gas prices,” Obama said at a Friday news conference in Myanmar.
When you hear senators talking about energy independence, just go back and read Obama’s statement, and remember that senators parroting the energy independence line are full of shit.
Carper’s flip, coming from a self-proclaimed environmentalist, caused outrage:
The peaceful scene in (US Senator from Colorado) Bennet’s office was in contrast to a more rambunctious protest in Carper’s office, where protestors loudly chanted, “You can’t eat money, you can’t drink oil,” “Keep the tarsands in the soil, we don’t want this dirty oil,” and “What do we want?” “Climate justice,” “When do we want it?” “Now.”
Staffers attempted to speak to protesters in Carper’s office and explain his vote.
“What I hear you saying is that the senator is politicizing an environmental crisis,” one protester said. “If he believes the science, there’s no reason for him to be voting like this and mortgaging our future,” said another.
Capitol police arrested four of the activists inside Carper’s office. They were escorted outside to chants of “climate heroes”
That comment about ‘politicizing an environmental crisis’? It’s true, regardless of which Carper explanation you buy.
One of Carper’s explanations was that he was trying to help out Third Way Senator (and prime sponsor of the bill) Mary Landrieu in a tough runoff election in Louisiana. Yes, Louisiana has a post-Election Day runoff if neither top candidate attains 50% of the vote. While he doesn’t come right out and say it, it was clearly in his thoughts:
“If she realizes some political advantage or benefit from that, that’s fine,” he said of Landrieu. “But what I’m most interested in doing is ensuring that we reduce the likelihood that far worse environmental consequences could be attached to this bill in the next Congress.”
Ah, yes, the ‘We Need to Pass This Now Because Next Time It Could Be Worse’ Defense. As if ‘passing this now’ would forestall any attempt to make it worse in the next Congress.But here’s the real Carper in all his Stockholm Syndrome glory. After the pipeline bill passed under the new Congress in 2015 and before it was vetoed by President Obama, Carper released the following statement:
“The Keystone pipeline approval process has been mired in partisan politics and has dragged on for six long years. Unfortunately, this issue – more than any other – has kept Congress from doing long-overdue work on comprehensive energy legislation. Last November, I voted to approve the pipeline in part because I felt that six years of deliberation on this project was enough, and it was time to move on to other matters that will have a greater impact on our environment, our economy, and our energy security…
…I am disappointed by the way the legislative process broke down as we considered this bill. I had hoped to work on a bipartisan basis with my colleagues to make sound changes to our nation’s energy policy, and it was in this spirit that I filed three thoughtful amendments. I have long advocated for an all-of-the-above energy policy, and I have also championed common-sense measures to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, improve air quality and stem the tide of climate change. I think my colleagues and I, along with the administration, have missed an opportunity to work together – not only to improve the underlying bill, but also to enact the thoughtful, comprehensive energy policy that our nation badly needs. I am optimistic, however, that there is consensus to be found on both sides of the aisle and that with some willingness and hard work, we can find the principled, bipartisan compromise that Americans deserve.”
Is it possible to translate this in any manner other than, “Now that we’ve gotten this annoying Keystone Pipeline bill through, we can move on to other things”? Carper didn’t see the bill itself as important, but saw getting the bill through as a means to a greater end. Environmentalists saw the bill as important. REAL important.
I just can’t resist closing with this McKibben quote about Carper following the pipeline vote:
“He’s the guy who joins Weight Watchers and somehow figures that makes it OK to eat a pan of brownies. He buys a membership at the gym but spends all weekend in the recliner watching ESPN. He’s the guy — like too many of the Democrats in Congress — who wants it both ways. We should applaud him for his theoretical enlightenment, and he should never have to actually cast a hard vote that might annoy the fossil fuel industry. There are days when I’d rather deal with Jim Inhofe, the Republican senator from Oklahoma and a world-famous climate change denier. Yes, he’ll wreck the planet, but at least he’ll tell you he’s doing it, straight up….”
So, to all you liberals and progressives who enjoy shaking hands with the great man, remember, follow the votes and follow the money. The oil and gas industries know what they’re getting when they write those checks to keep TC in DC (which is likely why the American Gas Association holds birthday fundraisers for Carper.). Do you? Much more to follow…