All of these dreams become real only if the federal government forks over billions and billions to General Electric, Siemens, monopoly utilities, Tesla, Google, and the other corporate giants who hire the right lobbyists and position themselves to pocket the handouts. This is how it will take shape, even if it isn’t exactly the same as the unicorns and rainbows that some of its authors might really have in mind.

A great tell is the support it has received from Henry Waxman. Waxman wrote an op-ed in December touting the general concept of a “Green New Deal.” Under his byline, the Atlantic identifies him as a “former congressman from California.” But if you are versed in the ways of Washington, you know what “former congressman” means. Look all the way to the bottom of the piece, and you’ll see, “He’s currently chairman of the public-interest-focused public-affairs firm Waxman Strategies.”

This is all to say that Henry Waxman is a revolving-door lobbyist, and he’s really excited about the “Green New Deal.” Waxman was also the author of the last major climate bill in Congress, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, known at the time as “Waxman-Markey.”