Dems & the Red-State Conservation Coalition

In articles I wrote for the American Prospect, the Washington Monthly and In These Times after the 2004 election, I said one of the keys for Democrats' is to "turn hunters green." By that, I meant trying to forge coalitions between hunters/outdoorsmen, ranchers/landowners and environmentalists who have similar interests. It is especially poignant now that our government is wholly taken over by Corporate America. And finally it seems the New York Times today has caught onto this storyline.

"For the first time, it is the Republicans who find themselves the target of angry speeches about lost property rights and tone-deaf federal land managers," writes the Times' Tim Egan. "And people who have been on opposing sides of the major land battles in the West - mainly property owners and ranchers versus environmentalists - are now allies." The piece goes onto describe an effort to "organize hunters to protest government plans for introducing gas wells into grazing areas for deer and elk" and other elements of a "sagebrush rebellion."

What is bringing all of these folks together? The Republicans' energy policy - and their brazen disregard for anything other than allowing big oil and gas companies to barge into communities and destroy the pristine environment. The Bush energy bill is just making matters worse, as are the GOP's tenacious efforts to oppose serious investment in any alternative energy sources that could avoid these conflicts. For instance, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) is leading a high-profile fight against wind energy.

In their overreaching, however, the Republicans are helping to redefine the political issue of the environment on vastly different terms - terms that are very advantageous to Democrats in Congress, if they follow Democrats in the states who are pressing the issue.

Out here in the Montana, for instance, Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) has made the preservation of his state's hunting/fishing access laws a top priority. In Wyoming, Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) signed legislation giving citizens more leverage over oil and gas companies when those companies use their land. And in Colorado, Democratic legislators pushed legislation forcing oil and gas companies to pay up when they harm private property.

These are lessons for congressional Democrats looking to play offense in red-states in 2006, and at least some are already moving forward. For instance, Colorado Rep. Mark Udall (D) and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid (D) have strong, pro-hunter legislation on the table. The more focus on these issues from Democrats, the better.