Hill Heat

With the August 22nd meeting of the Democratic National Committee fast approaching, DNC chair Tom Perez has filed a resolution to block the establishment of a Democratic presidential debate focused on climate change. Spurred by youth climate activists, nearly every candidate supports such a debate.

The Perez resolution argues that the climate town-hall forums scheduled by CNN and MSNBC for September, in which candidates would be interviewed separately, are a sufficient substitute for a debate.

The resolution concludes:

WHEREAS, Democratic candidates for President of the United States are demonstrating their commitment to tackling the issue of climate change, having already scheduled two televised forums on CNN and MSNBC to discuss the issue, and debating the issue during each of the DNC-sanctioned presidential primary debates;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Democrats will address the serious threat of climate change through bold and inclusive solutions that grow the clean energy economy and expand America’s middle class.

Perez was backed by Barack Obama to block environmental-justice leader Keith Ellison from becoming chair.

The full text of the resolution is below:

Today, Joe Biden [became](https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/breaking-biden-endorses-climate-debate-fossil-fuel-phaseout-at-iowa-campaign-stop/) the 15th [Democratic candidate for president to call for a climate debate](http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2019/06/10/spurred-by-youth-climate-activists-over-a-dozen-democratic-candidates-call-for-climate-debate-nixed-by-dnc), making a mockery of Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez’s [claim](https://medium.com/@TomPerezforDNC/on-debates-3f6956696e7e) such a debate would be “at the request of one candidate.”

Perez was evidently singling out Jay Inslee, who has made climate action a centerpiece of his campaign.

In fact, the demand for a presidential debate focused on climate began with the youth climate activist groups U.S. Youth Climate Strike and Sunrise Movement. Inslee was the first candidate to support their campaign, though over a dozen fellow candidates soon followed suit.

Biden joined the calls for a climate debate in a conversation with a climate activist following a rally today in Ottumwa, Iowa, Greenpeace reports.

Biden is the ninth of the 13 candidates who have fully qualified for the DNC debates to endorse a climate debate.

In a Medium post, Perez—handpicked as chair by Barack Obama to thwart the candidacy of Keith Ellison—pushed back on the growing calls for a climate debate.

“If we change our guidelines at the request of one candidate who has made climate change their campaign’s signature issue, how do we say no to the numerous other requests we’ve had?”

Perez has not indicated specifically what other existential issue a majority of the Democratic candidates for president, spurred by activists, have requested to debate.

• Jay Inslee April 17 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter]
• Kirsten Gillibrand April 17 [Daily Beast]
• Mike Gravel April 19 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter]
• Julián Castro April 22 [Julian Castro, Twitter]
• Tim Ryan April 22 [Tim Ryan, Twitter]
• Andrew Yang May 6 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter]
• Beto O’Rourke May 6 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter]
• Bernie Sanders May 6 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter] (promoted by Sanders on May 7)
• Elizabeth Warren May 20 [Elizabeth Warren, Twitter]
• Amy Klobuchar May 23 [U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter]
• Michael Bennet May 29 [Politico]
• John Delaney June 4 [John Delaney]
• Tulsi Gabbard June 6 [Gabbard press assistant Cullen Tiernan, Twitter]
• Seth Moulton June 7 [Seth Moulton, Twitter]
• Joe Biden June 11 [Greenpeace, YouTube]

Transcript of Biden exchange: