Johanns, M Sen

<p>===

http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/mike-o-johanns</p>

<div id="scorecard-moc-year-title" class="rating-table-title-cell grey">2012 Score <span class="grey museo900">14%</span></div>

<div id="scorecard-moc-lifetime-title" class="rating-table-title-cell grey">Lifetime Score <span class="grey museo900">7%</span></div>

</div>

<p> 

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Sen. Mike Johanns

NE</p>

<p>

There is a significant debate as to what role man plays in warming of the climate. [source]

==</p>

<h5 class="ContentGrid">August 31, 2011</h5>

<h2 class="ContentGrid">Johanns Supports Heineman's Request to Deny Keystone XL Pipeline <span style=" color: #ED1C24;">Route</span></h2>

<p><strong>WASHINGTON –</strong> U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) today released the following statement in support of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's request to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to deny the proposed route for the Keystone XL pipeline:</p>

<p>

"I support Governor Heineman's request that President Obama and Secretary Clinton deny the current application from TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline along a route crossing Nebraska's Sand Hills and the center of the Ogallala Aquifer," said Johanns. "The proposed route is the wrong route. It's clear to me, after traveling throughout the state, that most Nebraskans agree a better route is needed.

"Amid much discussion about authorities, one thing is irrefutable and that is the State Department's authority to approve or reject TransCanada's current permit application. The Governor has now unequivocally stated that the application should be denied; I agree. TransCanada <b>should be forced to select a more appropriate pipeline route.</b>"

==</p>

<p>

<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00029444&cycle=2012">http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00029444&cycle=2012</a></p>

<p>

 </p>

<table>

<td>Alltel Corp</td>

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<td>ConAgra Foods</td>

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<td>Hawkins Construction</td>

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<td>Berkshire Hathaway</td>

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<td>NelNet Inc</td>

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<td>Cox Enterprises</td>

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<td>Union Pacific Corp</td>

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<td>Kiewit Corp</td>

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<td>TD Ameritrade</td>

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<td>New York Life Insurance</td>

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<td>Crow Holdings</td>

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<td>Crete Carrier Corp</td>

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<td>Contran Corp</td>

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<td>Beef Products Inc</td>

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<td>Stephens Group</td>

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<td>Tenaska Inc</td>

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<td>National Cattlemen's Beef Assn</td>

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<td>Blue Cross/Blue Shield</td>

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<td>United Parcel Service</td>

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<td>Werner Enterprises</td>

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</tbody></table>

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<table>

<td>Insurance</td>

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<td>Leadership PACs</td>

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<td>Retired</td>

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<td>Lawyers/Law Firms</td>

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<td>Real Estate</td>

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<td>Securities & Investment</td>

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<td>Food Processing & Sales</td>

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<td>Misc Business</td>

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<td>Agricultural Services/Products</td>

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<td>Commercial Banks</td>

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<td>Health Professionals</td>

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<td>Telecom Services & Equipment</td>

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<td>Crop Production & Basic Processing</td>

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<td>General Contractors</td>

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<td>Lobbyists</td>

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<td>Dairy</td>

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<td>Food & Beverage</td>

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<td>Pharmaceuticals/Health Products</td>

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<td>Pro-Israel</td>

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</tbody></table>

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<td>Agribusiness</td>

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<td>Communications/Electronics</td>

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<td>Construction</td>

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<td>Defense</td>

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<td>Energy & Natural Resources</td>

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<td>Finance, Insurance & Real Estate</td>

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<td>Health</td>

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<td>Lawyers & Lobbyists</td>

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<td>Transportation</td>

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<td>Misc Business</td>

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<td>Labor</td>

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<td>Ideological/Single-Issue</td>

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<td>Other</td>

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</tbody></table>

<p> 

---

<b>Michael Owen Johanns</b>, a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/United_States_Republican_Party" title="United States Republican Party" class="mw-redirect">Republican</a>, has represented the state of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Members_of_the_U.S.Congress_from_Nebraska" title="Category:Members of the U.S. Congress from Nebraska">Nebraska</a> in the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.Senate" title="U.S. Senate">Senate</a> since 2009. Johanns, formerly Governor of Nebraska, was nominated to replace <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Ann_M.Veneman" title="Ann M. Veneman">Ann M. Veneman</a> as Secretary of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.Department_of_Agriculture" title="U.S. Department of Agriculture">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a> on December 2, 2004, by President <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" class="mw-redirect">George W. Bush</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-0">[1]</a></sup> Johanns later resigned to run as the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_Party" title="Republican Party" class="mw-redirect">Republican</a> candidate in the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/2008_U.S.congressional_elections" title="2008 U.S. congressional elections">2008 congressional elections</a> for the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.Senate" title="U.S. Senate">U.S. Senate</a> in <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Portal:Nebraska_and_the_U.S.Congress" title="Portal:Nebraska and the U.S. Congress">Nebraska</a>.</p>

<tr>

<td>

<h2>Contents</h2>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Positions.2C_record_and_controversies"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Positions, record and controversies</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Jobs.2C_Taxes_and_Spending"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Jobs, Taxes and Spending</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Energy_Policy"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Energy Policy</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Iraq_War_and_Terrorism"><span class="tocnumber">1.3</span> <span class="toctext">Iraq War and Terrorism</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Veterans"><span class="tocnumber">1.4</span> <span class="toctext">Veterans</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Early_life"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Early life</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Governor_of_Nebraska"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Governor of Nebraska</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-9"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Mad_cow_disease"><span class="tocnumber">2.2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Mad cow disease</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Secretary_of_Agriculture"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Secretary of Agriculture</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-11"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Nomination"><span class="tocnumber">2.3.1</span> <span class="toctext">Nomination</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-4 tocsection-12"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Industry_reactions"><span class="tocnumber">2.3.1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Industry reactions</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#2008_elections"><span class="tocnumber">2.4</span> <span class="toctext">2008 elections</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-14"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Money_in_politics"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Money in politics</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-15"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Campaign_contributions"><span class="tocnumber">3.1</span> <span class="toctext">Campaign contributions</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-16"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Committees_and_affiliations"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Committees and affiliations</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-17"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Committees"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">Committees</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-18"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Affiliations"><span class="tocnumber">4.2</span> <span class="toctext">Affiliations</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-19"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#More_background_data"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">More background data</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-20"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Contact"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Contact</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-21"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Articles_and_resources"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Articles and resources</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-22"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Related_SourceWatch_articles"><span class="tocnumber">7.1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch articles</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-23"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#Sources"><span class="tocnumber">7.2</span> <span class="toctext">Sources</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-24"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#External_resources"><span class="tocnumber">7.3</span> <span class="toctext">External resources</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-25"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#External_articles"><span class="tocnumber">7.4</span> <span class="toctext">External articles</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Positions.2C_record_and_controversies">Positions, record and controversies</span></h2>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Jobs.2C_Taxes_and_Spending">Jobs, Taxes and Spending</span></h3>

<p>Johanns pledges to create jobs by investing in rural development, research, technology and infrastructure. He supports making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, ending the death and marriage penalty taxes, creating a permanent tax credit for research and development, and fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax to inflation. Johanns also supports reducing government spending by eliminating ineffective programs and reforming the earmark process. He vows to bring transparency to the earmark process by making them open to the public. <sup id="cite_ref-issues_1-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-issues-1">[2]</a></sup></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Energy_Policy">Energy Policy</span></h3>

<p><b>Johanns supports increasing use of alternate and renewable energy sources, investing in cellulosic ethanol research, expanding domestic oil and natural gas exploration, and expanding energy supplies through nuclear power. He also supports <span style=" color: #ED1C24;">decreasing regulation for oil refineries</span>,and increasing car efficiency to promote conservation. </b><sup id="cite_ref-issues_1-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-issues-1"><b>[2]</b></a></sup></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Iraq_War_and_Terrorism">Iraq War and Terrorism</span></h3>

<p>Johanns opposes leaving Iraq under "artificial deadlines", but supports withdrawing slowly as the situation gets better. He proposes that Iraq pay for more of the reconstruction and security with its oil revenues, and that America should look for a stable resolution to win the war on terrorism. He supports doing so while maintaining strong civil liberties in the U.S. <sup id="cite_ref-issues_1-2" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-issues-1">[2]</a></sup></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Veterans">Veterans</span></h3>

<p>Johanns supports updating the housing, education, medical and long term benefits of veterans. He wants the update to include the ability of a family member to use the education benefit if the veteran does not, and expanding survivor benefits. <sup id="cite_ref-issues_1-3" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-issues-1">[2]</a></sup></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span></h3>

<p>Johanns was born on an Iowa dairy farm. During the press conference announcing his nominated as USDA head, Johanns said, "I'm very, very proud of my ag background. I do feel that those years on that dairy farm did much to define who I am as a person. In my campaign for governor, as a matter of fact, we ran a radio ad and it said, 'After growing up on a dairy farm, the son of John and Adeline Johanns, everything in life has seemed easy after that.'" <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041202-6.html">[1]</a>

Johanns received a law degree from Creighton University in Omaha, and worked for two Nebraska law firms, Cronin & Hannon in O’Neill and Nelson Johanns Morris Holdeman & Titus in Lincoln. He has held elected office at many levels of government, including as a member of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and the Lincoln City Council, and as the Mayor of Lincoln. His list of &quotmajor enacted initiatives" as Nebraska Governor includes &quotan emphasis on value-added agriculture, especially ethanol," &quottougher penalties for drug dealers," an extension of &quotMedicaid coverage to the treatment of breast and cervical cancer for low income women," and and increase in &quotstate funding for K-through-12 and special education costs." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://gov.nol.org/biography/">[2]</a> Johanns was a Democrat for the first part of his political life; he switched parties in 1988. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53510-2004Dec9.html">[3]</a></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Governor_of_Nebraska">Governor of Nebraska</span></h3>

<p>Johanns' official bio notes that he has served as the Governor of Nebraska since 1999. It has been widely noted that Johanns was the "first Republican to be reelected governor of Nebraska since 1956." During his tenure, "he has promoted an agenda of tax relief, less government, building the economy, protecting families, and ensuring the health, safety, and success of Nebraska’s children," reads his biography. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://gov.nol.org/biography/">[4]</a> In 2000, Johanns &quotdrafted the Meatpacking Industry Workers Bill of Rights. The document covers health and safety issues, including the right to organize labor unions, the right to work in a safe place, the right to adequate equipment the right to information, and a right to training." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=8656">[5]</a>

Some &quotDemocratic critics in Nebraska" describe Johanns as &quottoo much of a go-along, get-along guy, reluctant to take stands or to make waves on controversial issues and consequently reluctant to show leadership." But one &quotdefining moment for him," according to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nebraska_Farmers_Union&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Nebraska Farmers Union (page does not exist)">Nebraska Farmers Union</a> president <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_K._Hansen&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="John K. Hansen (page does not exist)">John K. Hansen</a> was Johanns' strong support of a measure that would have allowed him to appoint a panel to review a 22-year-old, popular, citizen initiative that "prohibits owners of agribusinesses who are not related by family ties to join forces." Hansen said, "It showed he was on the side of big business, not the small farmer." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53510-2004Dec9.html">[6]</a></p>

<p>

During his tenure as governor of Nebraska, the country's third-largest producer of corn, Johanns was a strong proponent of ethanol fuel. &quotThanks in part to Johanns, who in 2001 served as chair of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Governors%27_Ethanol_Coalition&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Governors' Ethanol Coalition (page does not exist)">Governors' Ethanol Coalition</a>, Nebraska currently boasts 11 ethanol plants and is the nation's fourth-largest producer of the alternative fuel," wrote Amanda Griscom Little in <i>Grist magazine</i>. Brian Jennings of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Coalition_for_Ethanol&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="American Coalition for Ethanol (page does not exist)">American Coalition for Ethanol</a> said Johanns' nomination "definitely bodes well for ethanol. We have confidence that Johanns will do everything necessary to continue growing America's ethanol industry." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2004/12/09/little-johanns/">[7]</a></p>

<h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Mad_cow_disease">Mad cow disease</span></h4>

<p>As governor of the top beef producing state, Johanns was highly critical of USDA's policy of announcing "positive" (or "inconclusive") results from cattle tested for <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mad_cow_disease" title="Mad cow disease">mad cow disease</a> as part of the agency's <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse_testing/plan.html">expanded testing program</a>. &quotThese tests are sensitive, and it's very possible that you put the inconclusive results out and say it could be BSE [mad cow disease] and then find out that it not," he told <i>Associated Press</i> in July 2004, shortly after two &quotinconclusive" results were announced. &quotIn the meantime, you have had a tremendous impact on the market just like we have been seeing" (<i>Associated Press</i>, July 1, 2004).

Johanns has also stated his opposition to allowing private beef producers do their own testing for mad cow disease - the same position as Veneman's USDA. In response to Kansas meatpacker <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Creekstone_Farms_Premium_Beef&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Creekstone Farms Premium Beef (page does not exist)">Creekstone Farms Premium Beef</a>'s petition to test all its cattle, Johanns remarked, "The marketplace, in my judgment, must be based on science-based information. Otherwise there just is no end to what you could burden this industry with" (<i>Omaha World Herald</i>, Apr. 4, 2004).

Johanns' initial response to the December 23, 2003 announcement that a cow in Washington state had been confirmed as positive for mad cow disease was also similar to Veneman's USDA - and meat industry groups. "The discovery ... proves the effectiveness of the surveillance techniques that the USDA has in place," he said (<i>Associated Press</i>, Dec. 24, 2003).

In response to the discovery of an infected cow in Canada in May 2003, Johanns "urged Nebraskans to continue eating beef." He said, "I don't have any worries whatsoever when I go to the grocery store, whether I'm buying a head of lettuce or a fillet to put on the grill. ... I certainly would not want this to have any kind of negative impact on this industry or buying habits. There's just no reason for that" (<i>Associated Press</i>, May 20, 2003).

A few months later, Johanns convened "a summit of about 150 ranchers, farmers and policy-makers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to see how Nebraska farmers and ranchers can establish systems to better trace commodities and market them to buyers." Johanns said, "One sick cow in Canada just changed the world. That industry has just been devastated, just annihilated, and we want to make sure we are prepared for what comes down the road" (<i>Omaha World-Herald</i>, Aug. 27, 2003).</p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Secretary_of_Agriculture">Secretary of Agriculture</span></h3>

<h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Nomination">Nomination</span></h4>

<p>Bush's selection of Johanns "may reflect the administration's desire to focus heavily on farm trade over the next four years," according to <i>Associated Press</i>. "As governor, Mr. Johanns led a delegation of Nebraska's farm and business leaders on a trade mission to Japan, Taiwan, China, Singapore and a half dozen other countries." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110200201080689258,00.html?mod=home_whats_news_us">[8]</a>

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Environmental_Working_Group" title="Environmental Working Group">Environmental Working Group</a> president <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kenneth_Cook&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Kenneth Cook (page does not exist)">Kenneth Cook</a> called Johanns' record as governor "pro-corporate, pro-subsidy, pro-Bush." Johanns was "a huge supporter of the 2002 farm bill," said Cook. "The White House heavily recruited" Johanns, said <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Gary_Blumenthal&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Gary Blumenthal (page does not exist)">Gary Blumenthal</a>, a former Bush adviser. "Johanns is very popular in the Midwest," added Blumenthal. "He's shown an ability to please and motivate agrarian voters -- so he'll be very effective for Republicans in the 2006 [congressional] elections." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2004/12/09/little-johanns/">[9]</a>

When announcing Johanns' nomination, President Bush praised his &quotdeep commitment to a strong farm economy." The industry website <i>Meatingplace.com</i> noted, &quotWhat Bush may have liked as much as Johanns' experience in agriculture and trade is his allegiance to other parts of the Bush agenda, including bitter opposition to the estate tax." Bush listed as his second term priorities as &quotstand[ing] behind family farmers by keeping taxes low and ensuring the federal death tax is repealed permanently." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13493">[10]</a>

The <i>Washington Post</i> described Johanns as perhaps &quotthe ideal GOP candidate to head the Department of Agriculture," because he &quotis risk-averse, is committed to Christianity, supports social programs like the Democrat he once was, and, by necessity, knows his beef and corn as leader of one of the nation's largest agricultural states." The paper also noted Johanns' considerable agriculture experience: <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53510-2004Dec9.html">[11]</a></p>

<dl>

<dd>Twenty-two percent of his state is employed by farm-related industries, which account for $9 billion of Nebraska's economic base. The state is also one of the largest producers of red meat in the nation and one of the largest exporters of agricultural products, something Johanns has cultivated through trade missions. During his tenure, Nebraska exports to China increased from $51 million in 1999 to $110 million last year.</dd>

</dl>

<h5><span class="mw-headline" id="Industry_reactions">Industry reactions</span></h5>

<p>Meat industry groups had a "muted, but optimistic" reaction to Johanns' nomination, according to the industry news site <i>Meatingplace.com</i>. A spokesperson for R-CALF USA, the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ranchers-Cattlemen_Action_Legal_Fund,_United_Stockgrowers_of_America&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (page does not exist)">Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America</a>, noted Johanns' "extensive background in the beef industry." <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Meat_Association&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="National Meat Association (page does not exist)">National Meat Association</a> director <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rosemary_Mucklow&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rosemary Mucklow (page does not exist)">Rosemary Mucklow</a> said they "look forward to getting to know him." <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Pork_Producers_Council" title="National Pork Producers Council">National Pork Producers Council</a> president <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Keith_Berry&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Keith Berry (page does not exist)">Keith Berry</a> said they were "very pleased with this appointment." Berry added, "Governor Johanns has a strong background in both agriculture and international trade issues that are critical for U.S. pork producers, as increasing exports will continue to shape the economic health of our industry." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13491">[12]</a>

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Meat_Institute" title="American Meat Institute">American Meat Institute</a> president <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=J._Patrick_Boyle&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="J. Patrick Boyle (page does not exist)">J. Patrick Boyle</a> said, "We are confident that Governor Johanns will continue to provide the strong and persistent leadership for America's producers and processors that we've become accustomed to under Secretary Veneman." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13493">[13]</a> The <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Cattlemen%27s_Beef_Association" title="National Cattlemen's Beef Association">National Cattlemen's Beef Association</a> president <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jan_Lyons&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jan Lyons (page does not exist)">Jan Lyons</a> said, "Governor Johanns was born and raised on a cattle operation and knows first-hand the needs of producers and rural communities. He has served six years as governor of one of our nation's largest cattle-producing states, and we're enthusiastic about working with him." <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Turkey_Federation&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="National Turkey Federation (page does not exist)">National Turkey Federation</a> president Dr. Alice Johnson called Johanns' "work aggressively promoting overseas sales of Nebraska agriculture products" the aspect "of greatest importance to our members." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.meatnews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Article&artNum=8656">[14]</a></p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="2008_elections">2008 elections</span></h3>

<p>Johanns ran as a Republican replace Sen. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Chuck_Hagel" title="Chuck Hagel">Chuck Hagel</a> (R-Neb.) in the 2008 congressional elections. Johanns defeated Democratic challenger <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Scott_Kleeb" title="Scott Kleeb">Scott Kleeb</a> in November 2008 general elections. <sup id="cite_ref-greenpapers_2-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-greenpapers-2">[3]</a></sup></p>

<tr>

<td>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Money_in_politics">Money in politics</span></h2>

<p>This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases.</p>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Campaign_contributions">Campaign contributions</span></h3>

<p>The following is drawn from government records of campaign contributions to Mike Johanns. Campaign contributions are one of the most direct conduits for influencing members of Congress. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SouceWatch:Using_congressional_campaign_contribution_information" title="SouceWatch:Using congressional campaign contribution information" class="mw-redirect">How to use this information.</a> <crpcontribdata>cid=N00029444&cycle=2008</crpcontribdata></p>

</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Committees_and_affiliations">Committees and affiliations</span></h2>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Committees">Committees</span></h3>

<p>Senator Johanns is assigned to the following Senate committees:<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-3">[4]</a></sup></p>

<ul>

<li>Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry</li>

<li>Banking, Housing, And Urban Affairs</li>

<li>Environment and Public Works</li>

<li>Indian Affairs</li>

<li>Veterans' Affairs</li>

</ul>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Affiliations">Affiliations</span></h3>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council" title="American Legislative Exchange Council">American Legislative Exchange Council</a>: Mike Johanns presented a talk called "Opening Agricultural Markets by Restraining the EPA and Expanding Trade" at the American Legislative Exchange Council's 2010 States and Nation Policy Summit in Washington, DC on December 2, 2010.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_note-4">[5]</a></sup></li>

</ul>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="More_background_data">More background data</span></h2>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Contact">Contact</span></h2>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Articles_and_resources">Articles and resources</span></h2>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_articles">Related SourceWatch articles</span></h3>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/2008_U.S._congressional_elections" title="2008 U.S. congressional elections">2008 U.S. congressional elections</a>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/2008_U.S._congressional_election_dates" title="2008 U.S. congressional election dates" class="mw-redirect">2008 U.S. congressional election dates</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bush_administration" title="Bush administration">Bush administration</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mad_cow_disease" title="Mad cow disease">Mad cow disease</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Portal:Nebraska_and_the_U.S._Congress" title="Portal:Nebraska and the U.S. Congress">Portal:Nebraska and the U.S. Congress</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council" title="American Legislative Exchange Council">American Legislative Exchange Council</a></li>

</ul>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Sources">Sources</span></h3>

<li id="cite_note-0"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041202-6.html">&quotPresident Nominates Governor Mike Johanns as Secretary of Agriculture,"</a> <i>The White House,</i> September 2, 2004.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-issues-1">↑ <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-issues_1-0">2.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-issues_1-1">2.1</a></sup> <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-issues_1-2">2.2</a></sup> <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-issues_1-3">2.3</a></sup> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mikejohanns2008.com/uploaded/file/HeresIsWhereIStand.pdf">Mike Johanns| Here Is Where I Stand</a></span></li>

<li id="cite_note-greenpapers-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-greenpapers_2-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thegreenpapers.com/G08/NE.phtml">&quotNebraska 2008 General Election"</a>, TheGreenPapers.com, November 4, 2008</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-3">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=CommitteeAssignments">Committee Assignments</a>, Accessed July 18, 2011.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Johanns#cite_ref-4">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=2010_SNPS_Presentations">2010 SNPS Presentations</a>, Accessed July 17, 2011.</span></li>

</ol>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="External_resources">External resources</span></h3>

<ul>

<li><i><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> also has an article on <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Johanns">Mike Johanns</a>. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFDL">GFDL</a>.</i></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://gov.nol.org/biography/">Mike Johanns official biography</a>, Governor of Nebraska website.</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.2008racetracker.com/page/NE-Sen">2008 Race Tracker page on Nebraska's Senate Race</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.agritalk.com/podcast/?p=episode&name=2010-12-08_december_810.mp3">Interview on Agritalk on efforts to reverse EPA regulations</a>, December 8, 2010.</li>

</ul>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="External_articles">External articles</span></h3>

<ul>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041202-6.html">President Nominates Governor Mike Johanns as Secretary of Agriculture</a>, White House transcript, December 2, 2004.</li>

<li>Amanda Griscom Little, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2004/12/09/little-johanns/">Mikey Likes It: Bush's pick to head the USDA is a big ethanol booster</a>," <i>Grist magazine</i>, December 9, 2004.</li>

<li>Lois Romano, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53510-2004Dec9.html">A Farm-Raised USDA Choice: Cabinet Nominee Brings Heartland Credentials</a>," <i>Washington Post</i>, December 10, 2004.</li>

<li>Aaron Blake and Ian Swanson, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/johanns-to-resign-run-for-senate-sources-say-2007-09-19.html">&quotJohanns to resign, run for Senate, sources say,"</a> <i>The Hill,</i> September 19, 2007.</li>

</ul>

<p><b>Corresponding article on <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Johanns">Wikipedia</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.causecaller.com/wiki/Mike_Johanns">Cause Caller</a>. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.causecaller.com/wiki/Senator">senators</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.causecaller.com/wiki/Representative">representatives</a>.)</b></p>

<tr>

<th colspan="4" style=" text-align: center;">Current Office: U.S. Senate</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th colspan="4" style=" text-align: center;"><b>111th Congress</b></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><b>Leadership Position:</b>

 </td>

<td><b>Committees Chaired:</b>

 </td>

<td><b>Committees,

Ranking Member On:</b>

 </td>

<td><b>Caucuses:</b>

 </td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td colspan="4"><b>Committees:</b> Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

<p>

===

<a href="http://grist.org/article/2009-04-01-senate-budget-cap-trade/">http://grist.org/article/2009-04-01-senate-budget-cap-trade/</a></p>

<p>

<h1 class="headline">Senate rules out using budget process to pass cap-and-trade</h1>

<p class="byline">By <a href="http://grist.org/author/kate-sheppard/" title="Posts by Kate Sheppard">Kate Sheppard</a>

</header> <section class="article-body">

Prospects for using the Congress’s budget process to pass cap-and-trade legislation were extinguished on Wednesday night as the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a measure to bar that option.

The <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SP00735:">amendment</a>, sponsored by Sen. <a href="http://johanns.senate.gov/public/index.cfm">Mike Johanns</a> (R-Neb.), prohibits the “use of reconciliation in the Senate for climate change legislation involving a cap and trade system” — Congress-speak for “you can’t attach cap-and-trade to the budget bill.” The amendment <a href="http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-help-ban-reconciliation-vote-on-climate-change-2009-04-01.html">passed by a vote</a> of 67-31, with 26 Democrats voting for the provision.

Johanns and his allies were critical of the idea of passing major legislation outside of normal Senate procedure, which requires 60 votes end debate on a bill; the budget process requires only simple majority votes, taking away the filibuster option and making it possible to pass a cap-and-trade measure without any Republican support (Democrats hold 58 of the Senate’s 100 seats).

Democrats who voted with Johanns were: Max Baucus (Mont.), Evan Bayh (Ind.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Jeff Bingaman (N.M.), Robert Byrd (W.Va.), Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Byron Dorgan (N.D.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Russ Feingold (Wis.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Herb Kohl (Wis.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Carl Levin (Mich.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Jon Tester (Mont.), Mark Warner (Va.) and Jim Webb (Va.).

Senate Environment and Public Works Chair <a href="http://boxer.senate.gov/">Barbara Boxer</a> (D-Calif.), who has been <a href="http://gristmill.grist.org/story/article/2009-04-01-senate-susses-climate-plan">leading the charge</a> to keep cap-and-trade prospects alive, noted that when Republicans controlled Congress, they used the tactic of budget reconciliation to pass a number of contentious issues.

A measure that Boxer and fellow cap-and-trade supporter <a href="http://whitehouse.senate.gov/">Sheldon Whitehouse</a> (D-R.I.) put forward today would have neutered the Johanns amendment, but it failed by a vote of 42-56.

</section></p>

<p>

===</p>

<p>

Two months ago, my report “<a href="http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/skocpol-captrade-report-january-2013y.pdf">Naming the Problem: What It Will Take to Counter Extremism and Engage Americans in the Fight Against Global Warming</a>” [PDF] was posted online (along with an important companion report, “<a href="http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/rff_final_report_bartosiewicz_miley.pdf">The Too Polite Revolution</a>” [PDF], by journalists Petra Bartosiewicz and Marissa Miley). These reports probed what happened with the big push for cap-and-trade legislation in 2009 and 2010, and mine used the results of months of research to place this episode within the larger political trends that have been playing out in U.S. politics in recent years.

As a scholar of U.S. politics, I am accustomed to analyzing social movements as well as efforts to enact big policy reforms, and I always look forward to learning as much from debates about my writings as from the original research. Nevertheless, I was surprised by the <a href="http://grist.org/article/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-skocpol-cap-and-trade-report/">sudden and intense debate</a> my report helped to kick off.

The whole report was accurately summarized in the first major news article on it, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/14/environmental-groups-climate-change-inaction">by Suzanne Goldenberg at <i>The Guardian</i></a>, but the editors assigned her article a headline and teaser that hit a sore spot: “Climate Change Inaction the Fault of Environmental Groups, Report Says: Academic Paper Largely Clears President Obama of Blame Over Failure to Pass Climate Legislation Through Congress.” No matter that my report pointed to Republican extremism as the problem that had to be “named,” faced, and effectively countered. No matter that it called for forward-looking strategies and hardly used the word “blame” at all (except in brief accounts of how various wings of environmentalism fingered each other for the cap-and-trade shortfall).

Almost instantly, Cap-and-Trader Joe Romm at the Center for American Progress <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/18/1448251/what-theda-skocpol-gets-wrong-about-the-climate-bill-fight/">called troops into battle</a>, going after me for doing a 145-page “opinion piece” rather than a properly “refereed” research article (an odd accusation coming from a blogger). When comments at CAP’s ThinkProgress blog deteriorated into tagging me as a plant by climate-change deniers, I left the Democratic Party’s “progressive” think tank to its own circular firing squad and focused on learning from discussions at my talks and from much more substantive <a href="http://grist.org/article/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-skocpol-cap-and-trade-report/">debate at Grist</a> and other media outlets.

Dozens of emails arrived from environmental activists and funders and participants in the 2009-10 congressional maneuvers, alerting me to additional facts and thanking me for encouraging a necessary strategic reexamination. I have also followed early steps by the reelected Obama administration and press coverage of the newly introduced <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/sanders-and-boxer-introduce-fee-and-dividend-climate-bill-greens-tickled-pink/">Boxer-Sanders climate bill</a> and the <a href="http://grist.org/news/tens-of-thousands-march-on-white-house-in-rally-for-climate-action/">big D.C. rally against the Keystone XL pipeline</a>. As I continue to learn, here are some of my reflections on key issues:

<b>The danger in treating 2009-10 as a close call</b>

Some cap-and-trade supporters still see their 2009-10 push as a near miss that would have succeeded with just a few lucky breaks or tactical improvements. Joe Romm fiercely insists that there were 51 votes in the Senate and that President Obama could have thumped his chest and forced Congress to accept “reconciliation rules” setting a majority threshold and avoiding filibusters. Not only is there no evidence for this fantasy, but one insider wrote to alert me to the fact that, in April 2009, <a href="http://grist.org/article/2009-04-01-senate-budget-cap-trade/">more than two dozen Democrats joined in voting for a GOP-sponsored bill</a> that explicitly ruled out use of the 51-vote threshold for climate change legislation. This was a much stronger and more formal step than the usual process by which centrist Democrats take pro-reform stands in public but, behind the scenes, lobby Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid against either reconciliation (51-vote) rules or filibuster reform.

Many Midwestern and other Democrats do not want to be put on the spot by a majority rule on big issues such as cap-and-trade where they are cross-pressured. Their reluctance must be changed in future legislative battles, and the key to that will be increased pressure from citizens in their districts and states. If we are to pass climate legislation, Democrats will have to hold a Senate majority, and their majority will have to remove or weaken the 60-vote threshold.

Romanticizing 2009-10 as a near miss may seem harmless enough, a form of self-reassurance by cap-and-trade supporters who misdiagnosed the larger political terrain. But such misdiagnosis actually encourages the sort of minimal recalibration signaled in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/17/us-environmental-groups-climate-change-legislation">Environmental Defense Fund VP Eric Pooley’s remark</a> that sometimes a loss points not to a bad game plan, but to poor execution. I am a well-informed NFL fan, and as I explain in a recent <i><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/24/you_can_t_change_the_climate_from_inside_washington_barack_obama">Foreign Policy </a></i><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/24/you_can_t_change_the_climate_from_inside_washington_barack_obama">rejoinder</a> to Pooley, the overwhelming evidence reveals that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Action_Partnership">U.S. Climate Action Partnership</a> — a coalition of business and environmental leaders that pushed cap-and-trade — had a bad game plan, not just a few dropped passes in the fourth quarter. After losing games or seasons that fall short, good NFL teams do clear-eyed post-mortems and create new game plans and remake their team’s composition. Would-be carbon cappers can do no less.

<b>The need for environmental groups to get out of their comfort zones</b>

As leaders of various kinds of environmental groups debate my report, a lot of what seems to be going on is mutual finger-pointing and blame-shifting along with efforts to attract more funding to particular organizations. In political and social movements, an ever-present danger is substitution of organizational maintenance for effective strategizing about how all forces together can push toward the real goal. Especially for organizations with big paid staffs, it is very easy to believe that what will attract that next grant will also further the substantive reform goal. But will it — and who will orchestrate true strategic reevaluations?

A number of journalists who report on environmental politics have remarked to me that, in their assessment, this is a very internally divided field of organizations. My report calls for investments in far-reaching inter-organizational alliances and networks that would allow Beltway and state and local groups to pull together more effectively in any future push for national carbon-capping legislation. It takes time to build such alliances, but so far I see few signs of efforts to do so. It cannot be done by a few big players who write legislation in advance and simply invite others to support what they set forth. Nor will taking polls and tweaking messages to reach unorganized mass audiences accomplish what is necessary. Building broad citizen understanding and support has to proceed hand in hand with knitting together far-reaching organizational alliances to push for legislation all can get behind.

<b>The importance of reaching Americans beyond the upper-middle class</b>

Now that President Obama has been reelected and some new supporters made it into the Senate, established environmental organizations are happily reveling in the president’s new willingness to <a href="http://grist.org/news/obama-we-will-respond-to-the-threat-of-climate-change/">give speeches</a> about <a href="http://grist.org/politics/obama-if-congress-wont-act-on-climate-change-i-will/">global warming</a> and signal that he will support regulatory steps through the Environmental Protection Agency and other executive bodies. One can almost hear the sigh of relief that, now, most professionally run organizations can go back to doing what they do best: writing reports and recommending regulatory actions. That has been the well-worn groove of action since the 1970s. Throw in occasional chain-yourself-to-fences demonstrations and short visits to jail, and we’ll be on a roll, global-warming reformers think.

I can understand the happiness at new openings, and there is good evidence that EPA regulatory steps under the Clean Air Act, coupled with economic shifts toward the substitution of natural gas for coal, can make a difference in reducing dangerous emissions. In fact, environmental organizations that have long championed regulatory actions rather than cap-and-trade legislation with a lot of free permits and weak standards may be proven correct in this period. Such mainstream professional environmental organizations will be tempted to say goodbye to efforts to accommodate polluting businesses (which is what much of the 2009-10 effort was about).

But I also think that all forces concerned with speeding America’s transition to production and use of cleaner sources of energy need to take this period to do more than push the EPA to regulate carbon energy polluters. At the same time, reformers should be building broad center-left organizational alliances and broader public support to prepare for the next opening for possible congressional action, perhaps in 2017. To be effective, these inter-organizational alliances will have to stretch far beyond environmental activists, reaching community groups, unions, churches, organizations of healthcare providers, women’s organizations, and many other kinds of associations with deep roots and actual constituents. USCAP No. 2 is not going to cut it next time. Nor will expert reports to the EPA and the occasional demonstrations of tens of thousands of avowed environmentalists.

Why not? Because, like it or not, environmentalism has long been primarily a cause of the educated upper-middle class in the United States, and it remains largely populated by experts and activists from that relatively privileged, non-majority class background (including university students headed for that stratum). Yet needed global-warming reforms go far beyond traditional environmental regulations, and they will require acceptance, and some enthusiastic support, from the majority of ordinary American workers and families. Almost all families now use carbon-intensive forms of energy to light and warm their homes. Because these families have not seen real wage increases in decades, they are extremely sensitive to even modest price increases in life necessities.

The climate-change deniers and opponents of carbon limits understand this, and they are well prepared to scare ordinary American families with claims that global-warming regulations will increase living costs. The enemies of any kind of carbon limits will tell ordinary Americans that “elite” environmentalists are about to shaft them by “taxing” their energy use. Climate reformers will need to be aggressive in telling regular Americans that, no, they will receive rebates more than equal to their higher energy costs under carbon-capping legislation.

Rebates of revenues raised from carbon taxes or caps must become central features in legislative pushes, because otherwise it will not be easy to get the message out. The recently introduced Boxer-Sanders bill, for example, includes modest monthly rebates to citizens as well as carbon taxes and investments in clean energy, but all that got highlighted in media reports were the taxes and the investments. Going forward, a simple carbon tax and “green dividends” approach may be best, with 75 to 80 percent of the revenues raised devoted to highly visible checks sent annually to each citizen. The advantage of this approach is that it would be simple to administer and explain, and the rebates would be front and center — impossible for media reporters to overlook, and impossible for voters to overlook.

So far, I find the global-warming movement to be tone-deaf to valid majority concerns about increased costs. Snippets here and there tell the story. At a recent Harvard event, a well-intentioned proponent of higher carbon prices remarked that they would “only raise electricity prices by $25 a month,” not much at all in her eyes. From the perspective of the upper-middle class in Cambridge, Mass., this is indeed a modest cost. But, of course, for most families that increase would be way too much to accept — and they would listen to right-wing attacks on global-warming regulations that threatened price increases of that much or more. Likewise, at the recent, inspiring D.C. rally against the Keystone XL pipeline, <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_02/straw_poll_if_forward_attendee043048.php">a blogger did an (unscientific) snap poll</a> among attendees, asking them to choose among various things that would “give up” to pay for greenhouse gas regulations. By a large margin, the global-warming demonstrators were reported to be willing to delay Social Security benefits and raise the U.S. retirement age. Of course, this sounds like a harmless step to professionals who work at desks. But do they realize that <i>virtually all </i>of the increase in longevity in the United States in recent decades has gone to white-collar and professional people, while Americans who work on their feet all day, or lift things for a living, have not enjoyed any increase in life expectancy? How will the majority feel about being asked to work at physically taxing jobs much closer to the point of death to pay for global-warming remedies? Asking the question answers it.

For me, the bottom line is simple. Global-warming reformers must stop being blind and tone-deaf to the real-life circumstances of typical American families in an era of astonishing socioeconomic inequality. The current fashion is to suppose that severe weather emergencies will, in and of themselves, prompt most Americans suddenly to support governmental actions with real bite. I really doubt this. Severe weather events are not self-interpreting; they are most likely to be understood as signs of global warming by educated people who already believe in the reality of this threat. Beyond that, humans have, for thousands of years, grown accustomed to adjusting to weather events and trends. People just devise work-arounds and truck on, and that is what will happen if global-warming reformers cannot do better than cheer for speeches by President Obama that point to weather emergencies.

Anti<i>–</i>global warming policies that ordinary Americans can understand, policies that deliver concrete benefits to ordinary families, plus the construction of far-reaching networks of allied organizations able to push Congress — these are what it will take to pass carbon-capping legislation next time.

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<small><em><a href="http://grist.org/article/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-skocpol-cap-and-trade-report/">Read responses</a> to Theda Skocpol’s original report from <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/beyond-baby-steps-analyzing-the-cap-and-trade-flop/">Bill McKibben</a>, <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/why-the-climate-bill-failed-its-not-that-simple/">Eric Pooley</a>, <a href="http://grist.org/politics/the-problem-wasnt-the-green-groups-what-skocpol-gets-wrong-about-the-climate-bill-fight/">Joe Romm</a>, <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/missing-the-point-of-the-cap-and-trade-defeat/">Mark Hertsgaard</a>, and <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/harvard-professor-has-it-right-u-s-climate-push-requires-intense-grassroots-support-around-cap-and-dividend-bill/">Mike Tidwell</a>, plus three (count ‘em: <a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/what-theda-skocpol-gets-right-about-the-cap-and-trade-fight/">one</a>, <a href="http://grist.org/politics/the-road-forward-from-cap-and-trade/">two</a>, <a href="http://grist.org/politics/if-you-want-to-pass-climate-legislation-fix-u-s-politics/">three</a>) from Grist’s David Roberts.</em></small></p>

Johanns, M Sen

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