During his New Rules segment, Bill Maher said the president's proposed CAFE standards would only amount to a four percent reduction in auto emissions. It's actually 30 percent.
After much speculation, news just broke that Obama is going to announce a national emissions standard tomorrow--and it's going to be tough. As tough as California's, in fact, which is the strictest in the nation. Indeed, Obama is combining the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard with California's new emissions law--and the result is great news: cars will be 30 percent more efficient by 2016, as all cars sold then must get 42 miles per gallon.
This in addition to one of his first actions as president back in January:
WASHINGTON — President Obama will direct federal regulators on Monday to move swiftly on an application by California and 13 other states to set strict automobile emission and fuel efficiency standards, two administration officials said Sunday.
The president's environmental record is pretty solid so far -- for a guy who's only been in office for four months.
Adding... Maher seemed to imply that if the president passes the public option, it would be a failure of leadership because he didn't pass single-payer. First, he never promised single-payer. And if he had, it would never pass. The vote wouldn't even be close and the president's healthcare reform agenda would've likely died with it. The votes for the public option are tenuous at best, and that's with the muscle of a hugely popular president with a 65 percent approval rating behind it. Let's get the public option done -- it'll be an enormous, historic accomplishment -- then we can look towards single-payer as the ultimate goal.