• Seeing ‘dark’ in the same sentence as Joe Biden leads my mind to “Dark Brandon” memes without fail.

    The environment might be the primary concern for this ex-official, but I’m afraid it isn’t for the Biden administration.

    If he is looking to be re-elected next year, he has to placate protectionist and nationalist interests to appeal to moderate conservatives. Even if that equates to “inefficiencies” when it comes to tackling the global climate problem. Democracy is not the most efficient form of governance but it allows people to be heard. If Biden is construed as “catering to global interests by sacrificing the American position”, Democrats worry that voters will think a kook like Trump or DeSantis is somehow preferable.

    • Democracy is not the most efficient form of governance but it allows people to be heard.

      yeah ultimately a rub here is, if you want efficiency with saving the environment and tackling the climate crisis then it’s kind of hard to argue democracy is a good system to facilitate that at all. it’s slow and tedious, and you have to balance conflicting opinions (including the opinions of people who want us to burn alive on this planet!). if we’re committed to democracy as the system to solve this–which, to be clear, we should be, autocracy fucking sucks and i don’t believe in benevolent dictatorships–then these are the sorts of things you just have to put up with as a byproduct. it’s lame for sure, but the alternative is a whole lot worse