Democrats Attempted to Make a Quiet Platform Change. Climate Activists Objected Loudly.
Language calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies disappeared from the party’s official position statement.
Senator Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential nominee, center, speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Aug. 19, 2020.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergDay three of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday featured meetings of the Black and Hispanic caucuses, the run-up to Senator Kamala Harris’s primetime speech, and delicate attempts by the Democratic National Committee and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign to explain why it dropped language from its platform about eliminating subsidies for fossil fuels.
In the weeks before the convention, delegates approved a draft of the party platform known as the “manager’s mark,” which included an amendment stating that “Democrats support eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuels.” By the time final draft was officially passed on night one of the convention, that language had disappeared.