E5 Are Democrats Hypocrites? Ranking the 50 States on Green New Deal Index

Episode Notes

This video evaluates progressive policy across the United States by creating the first ever Green New Deal Index, a framework that ranks all 50 states based on how closely their actual policies align with progressive goals.

The conversation walks through the methodology behind the index, explains how states are grouped into performance tiers, and introduces a “hypocrisy index” that exposes gaps between political rhetoric and real-world policy outcomes.

Along the way, it challenges common assumptions, revealing that some traditionally conservative or “red” states are quietly outperforming expectations, while many self-identified progressive states struggle to fully live up to their messaging. Beyond rankings, the discussion explores why successful policies are often poorly communicated, why nuance matters when assessing public policy, and how patience is essential when evaluating long-term systemic change. The video closes with a call to better recognize incremental progress and to have more honest, data-driven conversations about what is actually working at the state level.

Takeaways

The Green New Deal Index ranks states based on their adherence to progressive policies.

Methodology is crucial for understanding the rankings and can be debated.

States are categorized into tiers based on their performance in various criteria.

The analysis reveals surprising insights about states traditionally viewed as conservative.

The hypocrisy index highlights discrepancies between states' political rhetoric and actual policies.

Some states perform well despite being labeled as conservative or red states.

Democratic states often struggle to align their policies with their progressive rhetoric.

The importance of recognizing states that are making significant progress in environmental policies.

The need for better communication and promotion of successful state policies.

A call for patience and acknowledgment of gradual progress in public policy.

0:00 Introduction to Green New Deal Index

4:17 Methodology: Creating the Green New Deal Index

10:04 Alabama & Green New Deal

11:09 Alaska & Green New Deal

12:05 Arizona & Green New Deal

13:00 Arkansas & Green New Deal

13:40 California & Green New Deal

14:38 Colorado & Green New Deal

15:30 Connecticut & Green New Deal

15:17 Delaware & Green New Deal

17:03 Florida & Green New Deal

17:56 Georgia & Green New Deal

18:44 Hawaii & Green New Deal

19:50 Idaho & Green New Deal

20:47 Illinois & Green New Deal

21:48 Indiana & Green New Deal

22:40 Iowa & Green New Deal

23:36 Kansas & Green New Deal

24:16 Kentucky & Green New Deal

25:34 Louisiana & Green New Deal

26:46 Maine & Green New Deal

27:44 Maryland & Green New Deal

28:34 Massachusetts & Green New Deal

29:27 Michigan & Green New Deal

30:14 Minnesota & Green New Deal

31:07 Mississippi & Green New Deal

32:44 Missouri & Green New Deal

33:47 Montana & Green New Deal

35:15 Nebraska & Green New Deal

36:14 Nevada & Green New Deal

37:10 New Hampshire & Green New Deal

37:55 New Jersey & Green New Deal

39:20 New Mexico & Green New Deal

40:15 New York & Green New Deal

41:25 North Carolina & Green New Deal

42:11 North Dakota & Green New Deal

43:06 Ohio & Green New Deal

44:04 Oklahoma & Green New Deal

45:10 Oregon & Green New Deal

45:53 Pennsylvania & Green New Deal

47:37 Rhode Island & Green New Deal

48:23 South Carolina & Green New Deal

49:19 South Dakota & Green New Deal

50:46 Tennessee & Green New Deal

51:34 Texas & Green New Deal

52:40 Utah & Green New Deal

54:20 Vermont & Green New Deal

55:21 Virginia & Green New Deal

56:18 Washington & Green New Deal

57:44 West Virginia & Green New Deal

58:44 Wisconsin & Green New Deal

59:36 Wyoming & Green New Deal

1:00:29 Overview of State Rankings

1:02:07 State Hypocrisy Index

1:11:27 Takeaways From Analysis

1:13:58 Progress Takes A Long Times

1:14:50 Democrats Need To Promote Wins

1:16:06 Democrats Are Hypocrites

1:17:34 Things Are Going OK!

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