Clintons stance against Arctic drilling doesnt exactly jive with this gas-guzzlers show of support.
Clinton's stance against Arctic drilling doesn't exactly jive with this gas-guzzler's show of support. Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

In response to today's federal approval of drilling for oil in the Arctic, Hillary Clinton posted a Tweet that announced her admiration for the Arctic and positioned herself against the Obama administration's decision:


Her position is consistent with her votes against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) back in the mid-aughts, and upgrades her "skepticism" of Arctic drilling to a full-on disapproval. This newfound confidence also aligns with her closest competitor, Bernie Sanders, who Tweeted in support of #ShellNo activists ahead of his recent visit to Seattle.

This morning I talked to a few #ShellNo activists about how Hillary's announcement affects the cause. Their responses were mixed.

Emily Johnston, ShellNo Coordinator for 350 Seattle, said "It's terrific that Clinton's come out against Arctic drilling," adding that "it helps both to reveal and to redefine the middle, and to make it clear there's broad and growing support for the movement to ban Arctic drilling."

That a centrist like Hillary has come out against drilling in the arctic "absolutely" helps #ShellNo's efforts, Johnston says. "It means that Washington legislators don't have to go as far out on a limb if they decide to do the right thing and make sure that Shell's rigs have no place here. I think [those legislators] want to do the right thing: this will help them."

Bill Moyer, Executive Director at Backbone Campaign, is a little more skeptical: "To only at this point use her moral authority when the decisions has already been made strikes me as so typical of politicians" who are "just navigating how to maintain and increase their power without ever having to step out of line," he said of Hillary's Tweet. For him, the move is opportunistic. She could have asserted her influence at any point during her tenure as Secretary of state. "Last month would have been a good time, six months ago would have been a really good time," he added.

However, Moyer agrees that Hillary's gesture signals a shift in the tone of the conversation surrounding Arctic drilling, but stresses that her Tweet says more about the growing power of the movement to save the Arctic than her own leadership on that issue. "We should be heartened, because it means we're winning. But that doesn't mean that we should abandon the fight, because the politicians will never lead, they'll only follow."

Hillary's nominal disapproval here also suggests that she—and not Bernie Sanders—is in control of how far left she wants to go. She'll pick up his bit about Arctic drilling, but she'll lean a little more center when it comes to reducing the cost of higher education. She'll wag her finger at Wall Street, but she's not going to bust up the banks or impose a financial transactions tax. Hillary's still in control.