Californians Are Getting Greenwashed This Election!
It’s not like you haven’t been bombarded with the fact that there is an election going on in California since Valentine’s Day. And now that the time to vote is upon every American, our mailboxes are stuffed with political mailers and our doors are littered with campaign paraphernalia.
We’ve sadly come to expect negative campaigning. In this cycle, Meg Whitman has made $160 million plus “investment” in her own election that includes many negative television ads. But most voters don’t expect political campaigning that’s blatantly bullshit.
At least I didn’t expect it – but then I received the “Californians Vote Green” slate card.
Slate cards like these are circulated by various bodies, sometimes an official party, sometimes political clubs or political action committees and other times by independent organizations that exist just to send out slate mailers under catchy themes with candidates and issues who pay to be on these mailers. It makes the candidate look like they’ve been vetted by an independent body that cares about your values like “Safer Streets” or “Californians Vote Greener” or endorsed by groups whose opinion you might values like “COPS”.
But it’s actually often none of the above. Sadly, some slate cards exist simply to confuse voters. It turns out that the “Californians Vote Green” slate card I received has nothing to do with any legitimate environmental organization. According to New Times San Luis Obispo, “Californians Vote Green” is actually a political consulting firm that seems to specialize in making money from dubious slate mailers that they produce under sketchy names for anyone who pays them.
Even worse, even some candidates who spoke to New Times were hoodwinked by this slate card greenwash. Several of them told the paper that they believed the card would help get their message out to environmentally-concerned voters, and they were not told the card would also include endorsements against ballot measures supported by actual environmental groups. Commenting on how her name ended up on the mailer, April Vargas, a candidate for supervisor in San Mateo County stated, “I was tricked and lied to.”
In addition to the candidates they fooled into paying to appear on their mailer, the bogus “vote green” folks also took money to promote polluters who are backing Proposition 26. The “Yes on 26” folks paid and in their listing, right underneath their asterisk is a statement “26 makes polluters pay-former Gen Counsel/CALEPA. Yes on 26!”
What a bunch of bullshit!
This could not be further from the truth. If passed, Prop 26 actually lets polluters off the hook for millions of dollars that they currently pay in fines for their dirty activities. Instead, Prop 26 says that taxpayers should pay to clean up their messes.
If you go to www.CaliforniansVoteGreen.com you will see, well not very much information at all, other than their logo and some blue skies….blue skies you are sure to ruin if you vote Yes for Prop 26.
They do offer you the opportunity to donate to help green causes. No, it’s not an opportunity to donate to the Center for Environmental Health. No, they offer you the opportunity to donate to the Gulf Oil Spill. Of course they do, why should BP pay, when you are so gullible to fall for their lies.
For the real deal on Prop 26, go to that venerable and trusted organization the League of Women Voters who state: “Prop 26 is a bait-and-switch by the oil, alcohol, and tobacco industries, in which they are trying to deceive voters into thinking this is about taxes, when it’s really about manufacturers of hazardous products protecting their own bottom lines”.