Until that partisanship is addressed, environmental groups will be viewed as special interest groups, important only to their narrow constituencies and not to the public at large. Second, national environmental groups need to coordinate much more closely with local groups on the nature of independent expenditure campaigns. As the campaigns in Oregon demonstrated, the local dynamics of a campaign can differ significantly from its national perception. Third, environmental groups need to look realistically at what can be accomplished in the political arena. The environmental movement must work toward compromising, deal making, and finding common ground rather than absolute solutions.
Environmental issues have an impact on every part of our society.
These issues will be dealt with only within the context of the messy U.S. political system. The sooner the environmental groups and the elected officials start to play this game realistically, the better for us all. James Moore is a policy analyst and an assistant professor in the Department of History and Political Science at the University of Portland.