As a reporter, I have "Ah-Ha" moments. I sort of know something, but it takes putting it all together for me to really get it.
Given that it's produced in 26 states, I knew that coal enjoyed bi-partisan support on many issues.
And I understood that Al Gore's global warming policies cost him votes in mining communities in West Virginia in 2000.
But I didn't really appreciate coal's political strength until, as part of my series "Energy Options: Coal," I looked at the coalition that supports it. Electric utilities, railroads, as well as coal companies and miners have a vested in interest in supporting coal. And that translates into political power... in the halls of Congress and in the voting booth. Okay, "Ah-Ha," now I get it.
Comments
The first segment on coal series revealed to me how the extensive alignment of aggregate vested interest may well defeat the common interest including the common interest of the vested interests when it comes to global warming. That's a rather paradoxical state of affairs, perhaps the starkest possible reminder of the limitations of our political economy when it comes to helping us resolve our large, common problems.