Everything Old is New Again

Al Gore's call today for an immediate and massive program to replace all U.S. fossil fuel electricity production with renewables is brilliant, courageous, and the absolute minimum required to save - not the planet, but the economy.

It's also a deeply painful reminder to those of us of a certain age who remember a president who recommended essentially the same program. Recommended it at a time when our dependence on foreign oil was half what it is today. At time when such an emergency program to switch to renewables would have cost a far smaller percentage of GDP than Gore's plan will.

In a speech that is remembered today not for its far-sightedness, not for its vision, not for its wisdom, but for the wimpyness of a phrase he never uttered - "national malaise."

As Joseph Wheelan writes, Carter was right.

(More after the jump.)


He was right in seeking to raise the fleet auto mileage standard to 48 miles per gallon by 1995. (Even U.S. automakers admitted at the time that they could easily achieve 30 mpg by 1985.)

Carter was right in exhorting Americans to turn down their thermostats, even if he did look nerdy in a cardigan while urging us to do so.

In his July 1979 speech, he was right when he said, "I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 —- never." That worthy goal quickly went by the board.

He was right to encourage fuel conservation by proposing a 50-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a fee on imported oil —- in effect, a floor for fuel prices.

Invoking the pioneering spirit of the 1960s moon mission, he was right to recommend a tax on windfall oil profits to finance a crash program to develop affordable synthetic fuels.

Carter was correct, too, in setting a goal of obtaining 20 percent of our energy from solar power by the year 2000.

We balked, and his energy program, which was new and demanding, shriveled up and died. When oil prices began declining in the 1980s, the justification for change vanished altogether. The Reagan administration junked the proposed 1995 mileage standard and the rest of the Carter agenda.

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And now we are in the exact bind that Carter tried to prevent three decades ago.

An energy crisis is again upon us. Soaring gasoline prices and oil imports are daggers aimed at the heart of our stumbling economy.

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It is time to give Carter's proposals a second hearing.

This is what he said in July 1979: "You know we can do it. We have the natural resources. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. We have more coal than any nation on Earth. We have the world's highest level of technology. We have the most skilled work force, with innovative genius, and I firmly believe that we have the national will to win this war."

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

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Barack Obama -- The New Ronald Reagan?

A few hours after Hillary claimed the mantle of candidate who would be a "hands on" manager reminiscent of Jimmy Carter, TPM reports that Barack Obama has given an interview saying that "Ronald Reagan fundamentally changed the direction of America in a way Bill Clinton didn't." Essentially Obama argues that Reagan, a President never accused of being "hands on," was able to fundamentally change America's direction because Reagan understood that America was ready for real change.

This is a very interesting bit of political judo. Hillary thinks Barack has made a misstep, she launches an attack, Barack side steps and suddenly she looks like the candidate of the status quo and he is the messenger of change. She is the heir to Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton, and he is a bringer of change like Ronald Reagan. Amazing stuff.

A brief clip can be found after the jump.

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Hillary -- The New Jimmy Carter?

Hillary has given an interview on Bloomberg TV blasting Barack Obama for admitting that he has a messy desk and needs the help of a good executive secretary. The video is after the jump but here is a transcript of Hillary's comments:

I was somewhat taken aback about what he said, that was reported yesterday. I think it’s important that we have a president who understands that you have to run the government.

We all need to be inspirational and set goals, and I’ve been doing that throughout this campaign. We need to set big goals for our standing in the world, for our economy, to deal with energy and health care and so much else that is really on the minds of the people...

They want a president who they believe gets up every single day and works for them, that requires a president who is hands-on. Who after you set the goals and give the speeches, you go back to the White House and you start holding people accountable and you want to know what they’ve done today to help the American people.

You’ve got to take on this government, you’ve got to to run this government, you can’t leave it to others.

I guess Hillary wants to be micro-manager in chief. Didn't Jimmy Carter's administration come a cropper because he insisted on being micro-manager in chief?

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