MoveOn Members in Bellingham Gather for a Virtual Town Hall Meeting with Presidential Candidates on Climate Crisis
Local residents gather at 7 house-parties to watch Live Earth concerts and launch a Virtual Town Hall Meeting with new video of presidential candidates talking about climate solutions
Bellingham – On Saturday, July 7, local residents will participate in MoveOn’s second Virtual Town Hall meeting. The gatherings, called “Parties for the Planet,” will allow members will watch the presidential candidates, for the first time, discuss their plans for addressing the climate crisis. Over 1,300 “Parties” will take place around the country, sponsored by MoveOn.org Political Action.
Saturday evening’s event coincides with the Live Earth concerts sponsored by former Vice President Al Gore, which partygoers will watch live on TV after they watch the presidential candidates answer questions about the climate crisis. The questions the candidates will respond to were posted by MoveOn members on YouTube.
8 Democrat and 8 Republican Presidential candidates were invited to participate in the climate crisis discussion; however the Republican candidates all declined. Participating in the discussion are: Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich, Obama, and Richardson.
On June 11th MoveOn members were asked to post video questions on YouTube and on June 15th, members were asked to vote for the top questions. The top 13 questions are being shown to the candidates who will respond in their own recorded video. The most illuminating 35 minutes will be on the Virtual Town Hall DVD presented at the “Parties for the Planet,” and the entire Town Hall video will be available for download on Sunday July 8th on the MoveOn.org homepage.
MoveOn members will vote for the candidate they think has the best plan for handling the climate crisis. Voting begins on Sunday, and the outcome will be announced on July 11th.
“People who participate in MoveOn's Virtual Town Hall on climate are part of the solution to a crisis that affects us all,” said former Vice President Al Gore.
“I look forward to comparing the presidential candidates’ side-by-side on the climate crisis,” said Ellen McDermott, a WWU staff member and 6 year resident of Bellingham “The public is paying attention to the climate crisis like never before, and we will insist that our next president take bold action on this issue.”
Beginning Sunday, July 8th, MoveOn members will vote for the candidate with the best plan. The results of the vote will be released on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007. Votes taken after the Virtual Town Halls do not represent an endorsement.
The first Virtual Town Hall was held in April and focused on Iraq. A third Virtual Town Hall will take place this fall on health care. MoveOn’s membership voted to make these three issues the organization’s top priorities.
In recent weeks, MoveOn gained 250,000 new members from a petition asking Congress to move toward a clean energy future—showing high energy among voters on this issue. The “Party for the Planet” is being co-sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.
There will be 7 parties in Bellingham, 16 in Washington's 2nd Congressional District (Rep. Rick Larsen’s District), 71 in Washington State, and over 1300 of these parties around the country!
Saturday “Party for the Planet”: Join the Party - Get Details
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