NextGen Climate, the San Francisco-based environmental organization dedicated to putting climate change at the forefront of American politics, has released a new digital ad featuring footage of Ronald Reagan as a way to prod Republicans to begin addressing climate change.
The ad, called “Common Sense,” featuring the former president addressing Congress and the nation in his 1986 State of the Union Speech.
“Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, but it’s common sense,” Reagan says. The video then shoots to another clip of that speech, where he says, “Let us be sure that those who come after us, will say of us in our time we did everything that could be done.”
In the press release accompanying the ad, NextGen Climate also urges CNN’s Jake Tapper, one of three moderators for Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, to ask the candidates about climate change, and more specifically, about NextGen Climate’s goal to have a U.S. energy strategy that is more than 50 percent clean energy by the year 2030. “Republican candidates would be wise to lay out a plan, ” the release says, “as polling shows that a majority of Republican voters in key presidential swing states support this goal, and 74 percent of voters under 35 are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who lays out a plan to achieve #50by30. “
There were no questions asked about climate change during the first Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News last month. Although raining today, California has been rocked by one of the worst droughts in the state’s history.
The ad will run as part of a six-figure buy targeting Republican voters on CNN.com, Fox.com and other video channels.
“Common Sense” from NextGen Climate on Vimeo.
