Famous, wealthy conservative favors clean energy
James Murdoch is the heir apparent to the giant Newscorp media empire. He is the son of Newscorp founder, Rupert Murdoch. Newscorp includes all the Fox networks, BSkyB in Europe, National Geographic Channel, Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, amrketwatch.com and numerous other media properties around the globe.
"Conservatives champion the essential characteristics of America: liberty, enterprise and ingenuity. As world leaders consider how to transform the way we make and use energy in the face of a changing climate, it's time for an energy policy true to that spirit -- and it shouldn't be anathema to the American right."
Is Murdoch trying to reverse what looks like a political precipice for conservatives? Does he fear an orthodoxy for American conservatism melding together fear of government, skepticism of global warming and championing fossil fuel? Drill, baby, drill.
Murdoch seems to foresees a future when cheap, renewable energy might become a profitable core business in China but not America? Murdoch's Newscorp needs global business to thrive and corporations to buy advertising. That's not going to happen if global warmign or peak oil cause major economic disruption. Murdoch calls for cleane nergy with minimal government intrusion into the innovation and competition of businesses. In some parts of Europe even the conservative parties embrace the need to deal with energy costs and global warming. Right now, that's not the American Way.