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Rep. Brendan Boyle steps into radical territory by backing New Green Deal | Dom Giordano

Congressman Brendan Boyle is treading on dangerous ground by aligning himself with the radical environmental policy.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., seemed like a centrist Democrat until he embraced the New Green Deal. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., seemed like a centrist Democrat until he embraced the New Green Deal. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Read moreMatt Rourke / AP File

I always thought that U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle was a guy with a great American success story and someone who embodied the Democratic Party’s mantra of fighting for the little guy without resorting to radical class warfare and utopian, socialist manifestos. So, when I saw Boyle fighting for position behind the Democratic Party’s radical superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the announcement of her Green New Deal two weeks ago, I thought maybe a guy looking like Boyle from a progessive outlier district was there basking in the socialist glow of Ocasio-Cortez.

Boyle confirmed he was the smiling endorser of the Green New Deal when he tweeted out:

"Things the Green New Deal Won’t Do

"- ban cars

"- outlaw planes

"- kill cows

"- criminalize apple pie and the American flag

"Thing It Will Do:

"- Finally put us on a path to tackling an existential threat to our planet”

Whom is Boyle kidding? He has willingly pushed a program that will try to eliminate or tremendously reduce cars, air flights, and cows. It would also oversee the environmental renovation of every building in America in a 10-year period. Are you fully hearing this, Northeast Philadelphia?

The proposal also says that the government would provide economic security for all who are unable or unwilling to work.” This craziness from the “plan” underlines the fact that many of the programs outlined have more to do with forming a progressive utopia than fighting climate change.

Some people pushed back at Boyle on this. The Biscuit tweeted, “Stop pandering in the hopes of getting some leftover love from AOC fans.”

Maybe The Biscuit sees how this courting of AOC fans plays into Boyle’s probable 2022 run against Sen. Pat Toomey. Maybe Boyle sees Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman as the major threat to getting the Democratic Party nomination for a run against Toomey and realizes he needs to embrace a radical agenda that is out of step with his district.

Boyle can spin it all that he wants, but, as the Media Research Center notes about an FAQ document about the Green New Deal proposal, Ocasio-Cortez calls for building “high-speed rail at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary,” and also says, “We set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero emissions , in 10 years because we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.” It certainly seems to me that AOC is only guilty of letting us know what she clearly wants to do.

New York Times columnist David Brooks points out that the most frightening aspect of guys such as Boyle who support this proposal is the huge centralization of power over the lives of the average Americans, ruled by a small elite group. He writes: “But the underlying faith of the Green Deal is a faith in the guiding wisdom of the political elite. The authors of the Green New Deal assume that technocratic planners can master the movements of 328 million Americans and design a transportation system so that ‘air travel stops becoming necessary.’ "

Would Boyle become one of the czars who dictate our lives?

Czar-to-be Boyle is closely aligned with the union movement, but some major unions have already gone on record opposing this radical plan.

Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers said,” We’ve heard words like ‘just transition’ before, but what does that really mean? Our members are worried about putting food on the table.” Sean McGarvey, president of the North America’s Building Trades Unions, said, “Members working in the oil and gas sector can make a middle-class living, whereas renewable energy firms have been less generous.”

Since Boyle stood with AOC in Washington and since the Roosevelt Boulevard is often cited as one of the biggest hazards in his district, why not bring Ocasio-Cortez to Grant Avenue and the Boulevard for a photo op, so that they can tell people that in 10 years, they won’t have to worry about cars on roads like this. Afterward, invite the public to a screening of The Jetsons.