EDITORIAL: Democrats scared to vote on the Green New Deal

The Senate sponsor of the radical Green New Deal resolution has now uncovered a vast new Republican conspiracy to undermine the proposal. The GOP has unleashed a dastardly right-wing plot, a dirty “trick,” tweeted Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., intended to “sabotage” a proposed statist overhaul of the entire U.S. economy.

What has Sen. Markey’s shorts in a bunch? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced this week that he plans to hold a vote on the resolution.

Oh, the humanity!

Even some proponents of the Green New Deal understand the political risks of trying to impose such a revolutionary leftist agenda on American voters. Shortly after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office last week posted online a FAQ sheet about the details of the plan, the document was revised to drop a few of the more outlandish aspects, including phasing out air travel and free stuff for those “unwilling” to work. But the revised platform remains a steaming plate of warmed-over socialist tripe masquerading as a recipe for saving the world from a climate change calamity.

As Reason.com pointed out this week, just last Thursday Sen. Markey was grandstanding about how the Green New Deal should be the “highest of congressional priorities.” But now that the majority leader has expressed a willingness to get the members of his chamber on the record regarding this sweeping scheme, Sen. Markey is running for the hills.

It seems it’s one thing to preach this nonsense to wild-eyed progressives in Manhattan and Berkeley who believe their smartphones and Priuses magically grew out the soil. It’s quite another to think it will play in Peoria to advocate that this country dismantle the economic system that has made it the envy of the world in favor of collectivism and central planning, which have a dependable record of producing little but tyranny, misery and poverty.

“Having a vote on what may be a polarizing issue among voters,” NPR noted, “may force lawmakers to choose between appeasing moderates and their liberal base.” In other words, many Democrats understand the details of the Green New Deal are so far out in left field that the proposal could be a massive political blunder.

But perhaps they should have thought about that before swooning as a 29-year-old socialist bartender turned first-term congresswoman unveiled this dangerous manifesto while waving the Democratic banner.

“I’ve noted with great interest the Green New Deal,” Sen. McConnell said, “and we’re going to be voting on that in the Senate. I’ll give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal.”

Good. Nevadans deserve to know where Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen stand. Let’s get the popcorn.