While his opponents collect endorsements in the early campaigning, CD-2 Democratic hopeful Will Shafroth is collecting positions on issues. In the last few weeks he issued statements on the Iraq War (he’s against it), the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (he’s for it) and now the cause of clean energy.
Primary opponents State Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald and Jared Polis have spoken out only on Iraq in that period, and not too politely, either.
In a release sent out yesterday, Shafroth called for combining the strongest energy efficiency and clean energy proposals — along with stronger automobile fleet mileage standards — from the current versions of the House and Senate energy bills.Supporting clean energy is like favoring motherhood, especially in the liberal second Congressional District, whose largest city, Boulder, has imposed the world’s only carbon tax. Shafroth says that while the current congressional proposals don’t go far enough, “they are a starting point.”
Coincidentally, former President Bill Clinton spoke on this same topic on Monday, agreeing with Shafroth in a general way. Clinton argued forcefully that the road to good jobs in the U.S. lies in development of clean energy technologies. Clinton said that, for instance, putting “green roofs” on New York apartment buildings can cut energy consumption by nearly half.
“You cannot outsource a green roof,” Clinton said. “Somebody has to be standing on the roof. Nobody in India is going to do that job.”
The problem for Shafroth is that it’s not clear that the voters in the district are going to care much about these subtle differences in positions on the issues. In the broad brush strokes, all three candidates’ positions are fairly similar.
