Early this weekend, Obama picked up one of the first nods of support from the environmental community, which has been oddly quiet during a big chunk of the nominating process. The announcement came from Brent Blackwelder, the president of DC-based Friends of the Earth, who called Obama “the best candidate for the environment,” citing the high profile the Illinois senator has given global warming in his campaign.
Surprised? You probably shouldn’t be. Having reported on the environment, I would have bet a week’s pay most of the movement’s support would go to Obama. (Too bad I didn’t.)
What makes the support so intuitive is that Obama has long had the greenest credentials of the bunch. The League of Conservation Voters, the patriarchal research group behind the environmental community, assigns every federal elected official a lifetime score based on how chummy each is with Mother Earth. Looking at Obama’s senate record, the group gives him a 96 percent–an A bordering on an A plus, depending on the curve. Hillary gets a respectable 90. And McCain, well, seems to be trying. His 26 percent might look low, but a League spokesperson says that McCain not showing up for a few key votes on environmental issues in the senate counts as a no, even on issues he likely would have supported.
Obama is undoubtedly new to the national electorate, and so is his environmental record. In keeping with his campaign’s theme of newness and change, Obama’s green policy has also been rather malleable over the past year. Issues that Obama supported, like increased ethanol production and coal-to-liquids technology, once got him dirty looks from environmental leaders. But after a minor flip-flop (aides call it a clarification) all was smoothed over.
The timing of this latest nod, though, is peculiar–even if it is a good way to end week of unwanted discussions of race and religion in the wake of more explosive comments from his former pastor. Still, Obama’s probably wondering what took so long, especially since he unveiled his green platform back in October and the support may have helped him in earlier primaries. Green groups answer that they were waiting for other candidates (namely, the one who’s not a Democrat) to flesh out their environmental policy proposals, too.
Of course, endorsements do matter–to what extent is always debated–and Obama’s new pat on the back is likely to generate a few positive headlines. It’s too early to tell if that’ll translate into votes, especially next week in Indiana and North Carolina, where his numbers could use the boost. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. Then again, if Hillary decides to munch granola and hug some trees, she could throw everything back up in the air.
