McCain: market liberal. Obama: also primarily market liberal.

Senator McCain's platform with regards to energy, climate change, and the economy mark him as a market liberal in nearly all respects. In particular, he proposes to "foster rapid and clean economic growth," notably though the expansion of domestic production of oil and natural gas. McCain also highlights enhancing efficiency both in the government and American homes, as well as clean technologies.

At the same time, McCain is not entirely limited to the market-liberal perspective. His website has a short blurb on providing leadership for international efforts, particularly those made through the United Nations, which is a decidedly institutionalist approach.

Unlike Narise, I was expecting to see many similarities in the overall energy, economic, and environmental policies of the Democratic Party. Sure enough, Barack Obama, like McCain, is heavily supportive of market solutions such as the cap and trade system, and like a good market liberal (according to Clapp and Dauvergne’s definition), Obama focuses a great deal on alleviating poverty by "creating millions of new green jobs," providing "relief to American families" through measures such as Emergency Energy rebates and tax relief, as well as funding to prevent job loss. Additionally, in the market liberal perspective his campaign displays a great deal of support towards encouraging clean technologies. At the same time, Obama also displays institutionalist tendencies. He, like McCain, aspires to make the United States a world leader (through the United Nations) on Climate Change, specifically through the creation of a World Energy Forum.

Yet in contrast against McCain, who is solely market liberal/institutionalist, Obama does display some social green tendencies. While the market liberal type solutions are prominent, Obama also focuses a great deal on individual action or, rather, the empowerment of those whose "voices have been marginalized." This is especially evident in his labor strategy, which promotes worker's rights, but is also apparent in his repeated calls for individual action to fight against climate change.


Though I am an Obama supporter, I find it promising to see that McCain has become more open about supporting alternative energy solutions such as wind, hydro, and solar powers since I last looked directly at his website (during the primary). To be honest, at the moment one of my larger concerns regarding the McCain campaign is the positions taken by his VP running mate, Sarah Palin, who apparently does not consider global warming to be manmade. I would also like to not that while the websites and McCain and Obama display many similar overall trends, I find that Obama's goes into much further depth on the actual steps that will be taken to see his market-liberal and social green policies through. McCain's website has a great deal to say about goals, but with the possible exception of his plans to transform transportation, is a little sketchy on the details, and this is another reason why I can say that Obama's environmental plan makes more sense to me.

On a side note: the overuse of titles (capitals in the first letter of words) in McCain's site is extremely annoying to read. ("Emissions Permits Will Eventually Be Auctioned To Support The Development Of Advanced Technologies," or, "To Support The Cap And Trade System, John McCain Will Promote The Innovation, Development And Deployment Of Advanced Technologies." Reading that is just painful.)

Who loves the planet more???

We're only discussing the environment here. This post isn't intended to show who I'm voting for because frankly, I haven't made up my mind. We're talking about the ENVIRONMENT. I think we've been bombarded with information on how the candidates feel about the economy, the war, and so forth, but I for one believe they have been lacking in the environmental department. Or perhaps the media has not been focusing on it. A closer look at their environmental platforms has been eye-opening.

I agree with Serena in her classification of McCain as a market liberal. I think it's pretty obvious since his principles rest heavily on "markets" and "trade systems." McCain may also be leaning toward the institutionalists, since one of his principles is facilitating "international efforts." Perhaps he is calling for greater international cooperation, since climate change is a global issue. His solutions to climate change all work together and all the solutions sound like we're speaking about world trade, rather than the climate: "caps," "competition," "markets," etc. I'm not saying there's something wrong with this. I'm saying I've never thought about the environment in this way...(eye-opening). The production and implementation of new technologies can have a big impact on the environment, as well as the economy. It seems to me that McCain believes new technologies have the potential of curing environmental ills as well the ills the US economy faces. McCain ties environmental progress with "rapid economic growth," which shows he fits into the market liberal category.

Moving onto Obama...I began to read and was looking for something that was completely different from McCain, but I was more surprised in how similar their beliefs were. The cap-and-trade method was the first similarity that I noticed. This led me to believe he was also a market liberal, but I kept on reading. Like McCain, Obama ties the environment with economic gain. I think the biggest difference between McCain and Obama is that Obama lays out what people can do and what could possibly be done for people if he is elected. This is seen in his "Short term relief to American Families" and "Create Millions of New Green Jobs." Obama isn't focused on the economy alone because he's calling for a bigger and stronger relationship between people and the environment. It seems as if Obama's environmental solutions require a partnership between citizens (the key), the government, and the environment.

After reading about what both candidates believe and intend to do if elected, I think it's still hard to decide which proposal will actually bear fruits. I think both look great on paper because they share so many similarities. The main difference as stated before is probably the responsibility and initiative that will be up to citizens, according to Obama's platform. McCain is using the idea of a more prosperous and improved economy to call for environmental change. In light of today's market woes, it would make sense to improve the economy in any way we can. Obama does does a good job of making people want to connect with the environment and strive for that "change." If we focus only on markets, the tasks at hand for the environment may get lost or worse, forgotten about. Obama brings the environment to the forefront with economic undertones.

"Tree Hugger": Obama or McCain?!

Indeed, the environmental platforms of both McCain and Obama are most likely the one issue on which the two presidential candidates share the most similar views. In analyzing the candidate's environmental policies through the classifications set forth by Clapp/Dauvergne in their "4 environmental world views", we see that they both span the borders of the classifications and are thus can be considered a multiple of environmentalists.

McCain: McCain's climate change policy is, mostly, a policy of a market liberal. He bases his env goals on the cap & trade system, in which limits are placed on greenhouse gas emissions and enforced on the market by creating "low-cost compliance" options. These options allow organizations/businesses to buy and sell their ability to emit GHGs, within the limits imposed through the program. Market liberalism and the cap & trade system both tie sustainable development and thus production methods to economic growth and market subsistence. McCain's policy also calls for technological deployment/development through both the cap & trade and also his vow to increase governmental research funding to further tech development that will support cap and trade emissions reductions goals. McCain's program also proposes international efforts to address the env, establishing state/local agencies to oversee the cap & trade program, and incentives to reduce emissions to environmentally damaging countries such as India & China, which are policies that could be considered institutionalist. Nevertheless, the bulk of McCain's program, and the overriding message beneath his environmental campaign stresses the economic stakes in improving the environment, through structures which offer economically feasible and enticing methods of production, and are therefore succint with market liberal theory.

Obama: The pillars of Obama's environmental program are surprisingly similar to those of McCain's, also proposing a cap & trade system in which limits on emissions are tied to economic activity. But much of his campaign, although still very econ-based, is directed towards environmental action and efficiency at the citizen-level, as opposed to McCain's emphasis on improving env efficiency through market-based mechanisms aimed at businesses. Obama seeks to address our env woes through the people by proposing funding for the creation of "new green jobs", offering a windfall profits tax of $1,000 to families facing "pain at the pump", as well as a tax credit for purchasing vehicles enabled with environmentally advanced technology, among others. In addition to this emphasis, Obama stresses the importance of unilateral international action, which he believes would be most effective through a global energy forum which would include the G8 countries and Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa-five other countries with high emission rates following those comprising the G8. This international approach, emphasized much more in the campaign of Obama than that of McCain, has a strong institutionalist connotation. To this end, I would classify Obama as a market institutionalist, by which I mean his program is based on economic methods for economic efficiency, but on an institutionalist platform utilizing citizen action, global action, and technological development as major factors in his plan.

In my opinion, Obama's aforementioned emphasis on citizen and international unilateral action makes the most sense, and seems the most probable to achieving his desired emissions reduction goals as well as improving environmental efficiency in our production methods. I believe that the commercial/market sector, businesses, are concerned primarily with economic incentive, while citizens and those making up the technological or R&D sector are more concerned with our future, and thus the environmental plight of our planet. Putting our env future in the hands of profit-obsessed businesses, in my opinion, is counterproductive because they will only comply if the restrictions imposed are flawless and unable to be surpassed, while trusting that citizens will be more environmentally conscious, even though it uses monetary incentive as colateral, is more likely to reep positive results.

Go Obamaaaaaaaa :)

Wow, the first thing I have to say, is that I am very surprised. While the two candidates are very different in many aspects, this project really forced me to sit down and analyze the grit of each candidates proposals. Their were some differences, but I also found an amazing amount of similarities.

McCain

He is overwhelmingly a market liberal. His website states, "John McCain will establish a market-based system to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mobilize innovative technology, and strengthen the economy". He is also a technological optimist, believing that somewhere, with the right research and development, technology will be discovered to make the environmental problem less substantial. His method for market control is the Cap-and-Trade method, in which commodities and permits to use them will be bought and sold in a market setting. Therefore, carbon credits and various other credits will be bought and sold, and major factories and corporations will need these credits in order to emit carbon.

For his energy policy he favors new technology and alternative fuel sources. I would say that McCain's environmental platform fits into the market liberal category for its reliance on markets and technology to solve the problems. Market liberals focus on economies, and do not necessarily see a dooming environmental crisis. They feel that overall, the economy is growing through its use of markets, science, technology and ingenuity. The way forward for market liberals is through new market policies, and market based incentives. With all these in tact, new green technology can be encouraged.

With regards to the economy, McCain wants to modernize labor laws to allow more flexibility, He wants to reduce the price of oil and also our dependence on it, especially foreign sources. McCain would also like to reduce the tax on oil, and eliminate wasteful spending. Lastly, McCain would like to utilize nuclear energy to a better end, creating another alternative energy source (scary!).

These proposed policies are also from a market based approach that deems to fix failing market strategies. Overall, I found McCain's platform to be overwhelmingly about energy, and less about the environment in totality.

OBAMA

I was struck by the similarities between the two candidates on this issue. First, Obama wants to fund private efforts to stop climate change and emission of greenhouse gases. He wants to invest in hybrids, renewable electricity and also the very same Cap-and-Trade method that McCain also endorses. The Cap-and-Trade method is a market based solution, and on this point, I found Obama to be a market liberal. He also agrees in the power of American markets, and their strength to rectify the situation. He wants to reduce our emission by 80% of 1990 levels, the level scientists say we need. If McCain is listening to scientists and other experts about the exact levels of carbon we need to reduce, he is also a bio-environmentalist. He also proposes taxing the Cap-and-Trade, and funneling that money directly back into climate change. Yet, he also attacks big business such as the oil companies themselves, a fact that McCain did not. Obama proposes taxing companies that made record profits, Exxon Mobil, and delivering that reduction right back to Americans, with up to $1,000 per middle class family. McCain also endorses the idea of an energy rebate, but the money will come elsewhere.

Obama admits expressly the damage being done to the environment when he says, " As a result of climate change, the polar ice caps are shrinking causing sea levels to rise; extreme weather is wreaking havoc across the globe, droughts are becoming more severe, tropical diseases are migrating north and numerous species are being threatened with extinction". He actually admits a bio-environmentalist viewpoint when he references the polar ice, the extreme weather and the loss of biodiversity.

From an institutionalist standpoint, Obama also wants to work with the UN to bring the change and U.S. model to other countries as well. He wants to promote green technologies, increase motor vehicleand fuel economy standards, increase renewable energy sources and also nuclear power (another similarity).

His economic plan is also market based, in which he will cut taxes for middle class Americans, amend NAFTA agreement, create green jobs, invest in manufacturing, invest in science, protect the freedom to unionize, raise the minimum wage, expand the family and medical leave act, and give 24 hours of paid leave per year, per worker to attend child's activities. Some of these propositions are similar to McCains, but I would say that while McCain is only market liberal based, Obama tends to dabble a bit into the others as well, no matter how small.

I think these classifications are really important to help us understand the different policies people might propose to fix the problem. While I do agree with what Simon said in class, that no one fits exactly into any mold, I think it is useful to generalize where the majority of your opinions lie. For this reason, I think that Obama is making the most sense about the environment. His platform is not solely focused on energy and renewable energy. He admits we are causing climate change, losing biodiversity and risking global warming. He also combines the different classifications in the best way, allowing for the best result. I do not feel that only a market based approach will work. I do agree in the power of American markets, but I think we need to combine that strategy with increased funding on wildlife, etc. It can't be only the buying and selling of carbon credits.