During a wild segment in MSNBC's 11:00 a.m. ET hour on Tuesday, host Katy Tur lamented that “dark money groups” like those funded by the Koch brothers are preventing investment in things like solar panels. Fortunately for her, left-wing actor Mark Ruffalo was there to declare that the war in Ukraine has been “a gift” to President Biden as it helps make the case for green energy.
Ruffalo was on with activist partner, Environmental Defense Action Fund Board Director Kevin Johnson, and towards the end of the segment Tur asked, “how do you fight against the advocacy groups out of there, the dark money groups out of there, that are out there that fight against climate change? I mean, the Koch brothers, there’s all sorts of dark money that has stopped solar energy in Arizona….So, how do you, with this campaign, cut through the mis and disinformation?”
After Johnson tried to make a national security argument for more renewables, Tur was prepared end the show, but Ruffalo insisted on getting in one final thought:
On the Koch brothers. Yeah, there — there is the dark money and That — that’s definitively an issue, but when you look at how quickly we are actually moving on this transition, when you look at how many jobs it's created, when you look at how many people are actually finding relief in their energy bills from these technologies, it doesn't matter what the Koch brothers say or do. At the end of the day, we are going to win and we are going to transition over. It's just, are we going do it in a — in a graceful way or we going do it being kicked, kicking and screaming?
For people like Tur who worry about the Koch brothers, Ruffalo added that the war in Ukraine has had some benefits:
This is a moment for President Biden to take this, our momentum people's fear, their disgust of the war, their disgust with energy prices and -- and use that to solidify a message to the American people that now is the time to transition, this where the jobs are, this is where national security is, and we’re going to keep pushing him to do it and this — this is a gift to the president as we see it and we see him accepting it in such terms.
After Ruffalo concluded, Tur wondered why there isn’t a bipartisan consensus around the issue. Trying to be optimistic, Johnson declared there was, again citing national security. That might be have been more believable if Ruffalo hadn’t earlier been stridently anti-nuclear.
Wrapping up the segment and the show for good this time, Tur concluded by doing some damage control: “We said the Koch brothers but we should point out that David Koch died a couple years ago.”
This segment was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here is a transcript for the April 26 show:
MSNBC Reports
4/26/2022
11:56 PM ET
KATY TUR: So, how do you fight against the advocacy groups out of there, the dark money groups out of there, that are out there that fight against climate change? I mean, the Koch brothers, there’s all sorts of dark money that has stopped solar energy in Arizona. Arizona, which has the most sunlight, they stopped solar energy there even though it would be cheaper for—for-- Arizonians and easier to produce. So, how do you, with this campaign, cut through the mis and disinformation.
MARK RUFFALO: Well, the truth of the matter--
KEVIN JOHNSON: One of the key things to highlight – This is a national security—this is a national security imperative and, you know, really we’re trying to follow the lead of the Pentagon and our national security leaders that are calling on the expansion of clean energy technologies which are local and resilient. You know, our military bases across the country that have critical missions around the world are just as reliant on the electric grid as we are here at the, in our homes. It's important to invest in local, resilient, clean infrastructure to support our military and military communities. Nuclear is definitely a—a—a-- key technology, however, solar, battery storage locally installed near a military installation will help our resilience in our national security posture and that's, you know, a unifying message—
TUR: Yeah.
JOHNSON: -- and theme that most conservative organizations can get behind.
TUR: National security. Kevin and Mark, thank you very much for joining us today and good luck with the campaign.
RUFFALO: Can I just add one thing before I go.
TUR: You sure can, sure.
RUFFALO: On the Koch brothers. Yeah, there—there-- is the dark money and That—that’s definitively an issue, but when you look at how quickly we are actually moving on this transition, when you look at how many jobs it's created, when you look at how many people are actually finding relief in their energy bills from these technologies, it doesn't matter what the Koch brothers say or do. At the end of the day, we are going to win and we are going to transition over. It's just, are we going do it in a—in a-- graceful way or we going do it being kicked, kicking and screaming?
But the end of the day is, is that this stuff is moving forward. As much as they fight, it's costing them millions of dollars for our every $100. And, in, at the end of the day, we're going to win. We're winning and that's how we fight, by—by-- proving it. On the ground.
By giving people jobs. By bringing their energy costs down, by creating more national security and this is a moment for President Biden to take this, our momentum
people's fear, their disgust of the war, their disgust with energy prices and--and use that to solidify a message to the American people that now is the time to transition, this where the jobs are, this is where national security is, and we’re going to keep pushing him to do it and this—this-- is a gift to the president as we see it and we see him accepting it in such terms.TUR: Just finally, we’re running out of time, if—if-- it is a national security issue and the Pentagon has said such, why is it a partisan issue as well? Why is it not something you hear Republicans and Democrats fight for in unison?
RUFFALO: Kevin?
JOHNSON: It is and that's the thing. I think that we're going to find a lot of conservatives and—and—and-- folks on the other side of the aisle getting behind the campaign because I think we can all get behind supporting our Department of Defense, supporting our national security interest both abroad and here at home, so I think we will find a coalition of folks that come together behind this effort.
TUR: We said the Koch brothers but we should--
RUFFALO: And the story.
TUR: --point out that David Koch died a couple years ago.
