The GOP is now a party of know-nothing flat-earthers
One of the greatest crises of our time is climate change, which threatens to create food shortages (as the Russians learned this summer), change geography, eradicate entire eco-systems and even wipe out cities and towns in coastal areas. (NOTE: If you are an anti-science know-nothing, don’t bother to comment. The clear scientific consensus indicates a warming climate caused by human activity.)
But we’ve reached the odd and depressing point in American politics where not a single Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate supports aggressive action to mitigate climate change. The last science literate, Delaware Congressman Mike Castle, was defeated by tea party favorite Christine O’Donnell.
The blog Think Progress did a survey of GOP Senate candidates, and it found that even those who had previously supported policies that would curb carbon emissions have backed away, fearing a backlash from their know-nothing constituents.
Many others have simply chosen to be ignorant anti-science flat-earthers. Alaska’s Joe Miller, who defeated incumbent Lisa Murkowski in the GOP primary, is an example of the latter category. He told an Alaska newspaper,
“We haven’t heard there’s man-made global warming.” [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 8/23/10]
Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson is in the more sophisticated category, too smart to deny the science outright but unwilling to buck a tide of flat-earth voters and selfish businesses that don’t want to change their ways. This was Isakson’s response, according to Think Progress:
Science has shown us that there has been a gradual warming of the earth over the last 50 years. What is not as clear is whether the cause for this warming is man-made emissions, a cyclical warming of the planet, or a combination of both. Given the uncertainty in the science behind climate change, I believe that we should take proactive steps, both personally and as a nation, to reduce our emissions. footprint.
Interestingly, though, Isakson doesn’t support any “proactive measures” to combat climate change.
The current GOP represents a step backward from the Bush administration, which acknowledged the threat of climate change. In 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US was “a major emitter” and was not “above the international community on the issue.” She also said that “all nations should tackle” the “growing problem” of climate change. (h/t The New Civil Rights Movement)
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679 comments Add your comment
Bubba
September 16th, 2010
10:12 am
Would MIT professor Richard Lindzen, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, be considered a know-nothing flat-earther?
StJ
September 16th, 2010
10:13 am
“The GOP is now a party of know-nothing flat-earthers”.
A. Bash Republicans (Republicans are stupid because they don’t agree with you.)
Will it be A, B, or C for the next post?
Dave
September 16th, 2010
10:14 am
“For example, the IPCC’s much-vaunted Fourth Assessment Report claimed in 2007 that Himalayan glaciers were rapidly melting, and would possibly be gone by the year 2035. The claim was actually false — yet the IPCC cited it as proof of man-made global warming.
Then there’s the IPCC’s earlier prediction in 2007 — which it claimed to have “high confidence” in — that global warming could lead to a 50 percent reduction in the rain-fed agricultural capacity of Africa.
Such a dramatic decrease in food production in an already poor continent would be a terrifying prospect, and undoubtedly lead to the starvation of millions. But the InterAcademy Council investigation found that this IPCC claim was also based on weak evidence.
Overall, the IAC slammed the IPCC for reporting “high confidence in some statements for which there is little evidence. Furthermore, by making vague statements that were difficult to refute, authors were able to attach ‘high confidence’ to the statements.” The critics note “many such statements that are not supported sufficiently in the literature, not put into perspective or not expressed clearly. “
Nothing Is Free
September 16th, 2010
10:14 am
Evidence of climate change:
It’s getting dark earlier now than it was last month.
Newly released science says that a huge cloud of Carbon dioxide is blocking the sun at about 8 PM every night.
Quick. Everyone write a check to Al Gore so he can bring the sun back!!!
Billybob
September 16th, 2010
10:15 am
(NOTE: If you are an anti-science know-nothing, don’t bother to comment. The clear scientific consensus indicates a warming climate caused by human activity.)
You lose your argument before you even start Tucker. Our climate has gone through periods of warming and cooling for billions of years. Man didn’t cause any of that. Definitive proof is your only ace in the hole here, AND THERE IS NONE. “The clear scientific consensus indicates” is opinion from you, not fact. Please continue to post this stuff ma’am. You are so funny!!!!
FYI, this is how far left liberals compromise. What we say is right and if you don’t agree with us you are wrong, or stupid, or racist, or bigots, OR SCIENCE ILLITERATE. You should do stand up comedy Tucker!!!!
kayaker 71
September 16th, 2010
10:15 am
CT,
You are getting more morose by the day. Your tone and rhetoric is not one of a knowledgeable journalist but of someone who is so frustrated by events turning the wrong way that she cannot cope. You need a vacation.
JKL2
September 16th, 2010
10:16 am
We’re only a speck of the problem even though us evil Americans use way more than our fair share of the Earth’s energy and resources.
The last I checked, there was oil in Alaska. That means under all that snow and ice was once lush green vegitation. The dinosaurs must have died out from lax smog emissions on their SUV’s. Save us from ourselves Al Gore! (If you make a $1T in the process selling air on paper, that’s OK too. We know you’re not in it for the money, you’re just trying to help.)
The Leg Lamp is a "major award" much like CT's Pulitzer and Imam Obama's Nobel.
September 16th, 2010
10:16 am
Scout
September 16th, 2010
10:09 am
No, I haven’t heard much of what Al Gore has been up to lately.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:17 am
CT throwing a fit. Boo freakin’ hoo. “Elections have consequences”, remember?
By the way, do you know how you can tell the Idiot Messiah is lying? His teleprompter is on.
ctucker
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
kayaker 71@10:15, you’re right on two counts, I’m deeply frustrated and I need a vacation. I have a 20-month old whom I want to grow old on a planet that is not suffering the worst effects of climate change
Billybob
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
I am enjoying you exposing how UNCOMPROMISING the far left is and has been for decades. Please keep talking. Lest, let’s try an experiment Tucker. I ask every far left liberal to not speak for one year……minus all that HOT AIR…GLOBAL WARMING CURED!!!!!!
Scout
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
Headline: “‘Draw Muhammad Cartoonist Goes Into Hiding at FBI’s Insistence After Assassination Threat by Muslim Cleric”
Ah …………….. the wonderful, peaceful world of Islam.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
Don’t worry, know nothings (i.e. Democrats). There’s still a chance the US could get hit by a hurricane and you’ll get your chance to celebrate this latest “evidence” of global warming.
Scout
September 16th, 2010
10:21 am
Keep up the good fight! :
Yep, that’s me ……… “Roudy Rooster” !
The Leg Lamp is a “major award” much like CT’s Pulitzer and Imam Obama’s Nobel. :
That’s because Ms. Gore has him on a very short leash.
Keep up the good fight!
September 16th, 2010
10:22 am
From the US Global Change Research Program reports:
Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal. The global warming observed over the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. These emissions come mainly from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), with additional contributions from the clearing of forests and agricultural activities.
Warming over this century is projected to be considerably greater than over the last century. The global average temperature since 1900 has risen by about 1.5°F. By 2100, it is projected to rise another 2 to 10°F. The U.S. average temperature has risen by a comparable amount and is very likely to rise more than the global average over this century, with some variation from place to place. Several factors will determine future temperature increases. Increases at the lower end of this range are more likely if global heat-trapping gas emissions are cut substantially. If emissions continue to rise at or near current rates, temperature increases are more likely to be near the upper end of the range. Volcanic eruptions or other natural variations could temporarily counteract some of the human-induced warming, slowing the rise in global temperature, but these effects would only last a few years.
Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide would lessen warming over this century and beyond. Sizable early cuts in emissions would significantly reduce the pace and the overall amount of climate change. Earlier cuts in emissions would have a greater effect in reducing climate change than com- parable reductions made later. In addition, reducing emissions of some shorter-lived heat-trapping gases, such as methane, and some types of particles, such as soot, would begin to reduce warming within weeks to decades.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award" much like CT's Pulitzer and Imam Obama's Nobel.
September 16th, 2010
10:22 am
Lil’ Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
I think a lot of the global warming “evidence” is consistent in nature to the “evidence” that the US Govt blew up the levee in New Orleans and blew up the Twin Towers.
kayaker 71
September 16th, 2010
10:22 am
CT,
Might I suggest going to Sandals in the Bahamas. Does wonders for getting your groove back. Worked for me.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award" much like CT's Pulitzer and Imam Obama's Nobel.
September 16th, 2010
10:23 am
Scout
September 16th, 2010
10:21 am
Can Big Al still get massages while on a short leash?
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:24 am
Leg Lamp, the warmists guidelines for climate change evidence gathering is “whatever it takes”.
Billybob
September 16th, 2010
10:24 am
FYI,
I don’t have children yet, but I want the best for your child as well as my future children(God willing). “Climate change” re-distribution, nor anything, will change that fact….
Russ555
September 16th, 2010
10:24 am
Comments prove CT right on target.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:25 am
I’d recommend an excellent spot for getting away from it all for a while, but if I did, then y’all would know about it and I might not have it to myself any longer.
granny godzilla
September 16th, 2010
10:26 am
Dave….
Give Drudge a rest….
He can turn data to piffle in the blink of an eye…
“in his opening statement at the press conference releasing the IAC report, Shapiro said:
Overall, IPCC’s assessment process has been a success and served society well. The assessments have put IPCC on the world stage, raised public awareness of climate change, and driven policymakers to consider options for responding to climate change….
The report itself confirms the IPCC’s central findings, stating that “Climate change is a long-term challenge that will require every nation to make decisions about how to respond,” and that “The Committee found that the IPCC assessment process has been successful overall….
The Washington Post’s editorial board wrote that the report further shows the right-wing’s critique of climate science has been “overblown”:
Also on Monday, an international review panel from the independent InterAcademy Council released a report on the IPCC’s procedures for producing “assessments” of climate science, which are supposed to provide policymakers with a rigorous guide to the evidence and its interpretation. Though Fox News claimed it “slams” the IPCC, the study doesn’t show that the much-maligned assessment process was rigged or even fundamentally flawed. In fact, much of what the review panel suggests involves enhancing and making more transparent the procedures already in place, and the report’s authors underscore how valuable the IPCC’s work has been.
So the overblown critique of climate science that emerged early this year continues to underwhelm.”
From Media Matters
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:26 am
I have kids and they think the warmists are idiots too. Just doing my part to perpetuate what’s left of the real America.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:28 am
I guess the question is why the Idiot Messiah and the Democrat congress didn’t do anything about this global threat while they had 60 in the Senate. Oops, forgot, some of them don’t buy this crap either.
Idiot Messiah: Do-nothing on global warming.
Georgian
September 16th, 2010
10:29 am
CYNTHIA,
So you’re saying if we dont agree with you on climate change then dont bother to comment because we’re wrong? How are you more right that those who dont believe the “destruction of the world” is coming from climate change? There are the same number of scientists who say global warming is a joke as there are those who say it is serious.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:29 am
What’s the point of having a really cool socialist health care scheme if all the hospitals are underwater?
paleo-neo-Carlinist
September 16th, 2010
10:29 am
CT, do I need to penalize you 5 yards for “illegal use of child”? I have a 10 year-old. you sound like a politician when you involve “the children”. I have the same concerns, but we just enjoy each day and do what we can to make the planet a better place to live. here’s a rhetorical scenario. in 1993 al Qeada attacked the WTC. this despite a “defense” budget in the $200-$300 billion range (along with some intelligence agency spending that did not appear on the DoD budget). one could argue al Qeada was a “man-made” (or policy-made)threat, and yet, aware or not, the Federal Government was incapable of defending America against the threat. stuff happens and until, as granny notes, it becomes “profitable” to not destroy the planet, we will continue to circle the drain. because let’s face it, it is never going to be “profitable” to save the planet, any more than we are likely to make peace with al Qeada.
The Nerve
September 16th, 2010
10:31 am
Once again nothing but fear mongering and name calling.
Pathetic.
Shawny
September 16th, 2010
10:32 am
CT at 10:00, if the scientist believes, but can not prove, that man-made climate change is causing food shortages in Russia, why do you state it as fact?
Good Grief
September 16th, 2010
10:33 am
One more thing about temperatures:
You do realize that many of the monitoring stations were built outside of cities that eventually expanded, but the stations were never moved. I’m guessing some of you here have watched the local news weather and you are familiar with the Atlanta “Heat Dome” effect, as concrete, asphalt, steel, etc. collect heat through the day and slowly bleed it off through the cooler night time hours, thus creating an “artificial” heat dome in the city. It can sometimes be as much as 10 to 15 degrees cooler in the suburbs. Keep that in mind.
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:33 am
In my estimation, trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see are a more immediate and more serious problem than whatever it is that CT is whining about here.
everyday American
September 16th, 2010
10:36 am
ok, the President has convinced me, the problem with this country is the rich people(which he is one himself). take their money from them and all will be okay. he’s finally convinced me. oh yeah, he reminded me once again that HE is the President. it seems he has to remind us of that on a weekly basis.
as far as the know nothing GOP, well, i guess that puts them in the same boat as the Democrats. for they know nothing what the people of this country want…
Lil' Bush Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:38 am
I would like to put all those who disagree with climate change, based off no evidence to deny it, yet evidence to support it, in a room and fill it with 3 part carbon and 1 part oxygen, with a bunch of plants, and then see if they think its warm in there.
Dave
September 16th, 2010
10:39 am
Media Matters?… I say “piffle”…
Keep up the good fight!
September 16th, 2010
10:39 am
Oh yes Lil Thought…deficits wont matter when the cities are underwater…why think of the tax revenues from all those new businesses raising our road and rebuilding our infrastructure, the new bridges..why it will be a mecca I tell ya. And it will all be done for free because Lil Thought gave his estimation that it would be so!
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:40 am
You do realize that carbon is a solid and oxygen a gas at room temperatures, right?
granny godzilla
September 16th, 2010
10:41 am
Dave
Media Matters….Yep, we get that you don’t like ‘em.
The question is, and the much harder part is – can you refute them?
And that answer to that is – NOPE.
Deal with it.
Nothing Is Free
September 16th, 2010
10:41 am
Evidence of climate change::
LEAVES ARE TURNING BROWN AND FALLING FROM THE TREES!!!!!!!!!
Science believes that man made Carbon dioxide is killing the trees
PLEASE EVERYONE!!! Write Al Gore a check so he can heal the forests!!!!
Gator Joe
September 16th, 2010
10:41 am
Cynthia,
Human caused effects on the atmospere will continue to be dimissed by the anti-science crowd, bet on it. As long as the Fox propaganda machine continues to manipulate them, and they allow themselves to be manipulated. Tragically, it is their children (and ours), and their children’s children who will suffer though. Even so, how do they explain the degraded air quality in large metro areas such as Atlanta or Los Angeles?
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:43 am
You do realize that the pollution in Atlanta and Los Angeles is not greenhouse gases, right?
Bunch of real Democrat einsteins in here, I tell ya.
Dave
September 16th, 2010
10:43 am
“What does the best evidence now tell us? That man-made global warming is a mere hypothesis that has been inflated by both exaggeration and downright malfeasance, fueled by the awarding of fat grants and salaries to any scientist who’ll produce the “right” results.
The warming “scientific” community, the Climategate emails reveal, is a tight clique of like-minded scientists and bureaucrats who give each other jobs, publish each other’s papers — and conspire to shut out any point of view that threatens to derail their gravy train.
Such behavior is perhaps to be expected from politicians and government functionaries. From scientists, it’s a travesty. “
Lil' Barry Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:45 am
You leftard science experts probably think sea levels are rising because all the ice up at the North Pole is melting. Idiot know-nothings.
barking frog
September 16th, 2010
10:45 am
Pass cap and trade for 10 years. No change in earth temperature
let it expire like the tax cuts.
Georgian
September 16th, 2010
10:45 am
And oh yeah CYNTHIA,
Humans have been destroying the planet since the beginning of time. Go read your Bible. Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, and that brought about the slow destruction of the world. Now, as we near the end, the Earth is naturally falling apart before our eyes. Gods plan is to build a new Earth. So in essence this one must be destroyed eventually to make way for the plan of redemtion. Its all there in the book, just have the scientists go read it. They will find there is no saving this planet, and there is only one way to save their lives.
Steve
September 16th, 2010
10:46 am
Guess it’s human nature to avoid making tough choices until it’s too late. BTW, of course the EARTH will be OK. It’s life ON the earth that is in for a rough time.
If you’ve ever seen “Three Days of the Condor”, the final scene illustrates this “debate” perfectly.
Higgins: “It’s simple economics. Today it’s oil, right? In ten or fifteen years, food. Plutonium. And maybe even sooner. Now, what do you think the people are gonna want us to do then?
Turner: Ask them.
Higgins: Not now — then! Ask ‘em when they’re running out. Ask ‘em when there’s no heat in their homes and they’re cold. Ask ‘em when their engines stop. Ask ‘em when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. You wanna know something? They won’t want us to ask ‘em. They’ll just want us to get it for ‘em!”
barking frog
September 16th, 2010
10:46 am
The sea levels may be rising due to all the oil added.
Lil' Bush Bailout
September 16th, 2010
10:47 am
Smog=Smoke + Oxygen
granny godzilla
September 16th, 2010
10:48 am
Gator Joe
Well said.
From Ecochildsplay, regarding APA report from 2007
Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) issued a report declaring that children are especially at risk from the effects of climate change. This news is not startling, as young children are more susceptible to heat, toxins, etc., because their bodies are smaller and their immune systems are under development. Children are more vulnerable than adults, and now the APA is asking doctors to lead the way in modeling sustainable practices, especially in the United States.
The APA report states,
Anticipated direct health consequences of climate change include injury and death from extreme weather events and natural disasters, increases in climate-sensitive infectious diseases, increases in air pollution-related illness, and more heat-related, potentially fatal, illness.
Specifically, the APA identified illnesses caused by mosquitoes, such as malaria, respiratory illnesses, and heat-related deaths will increase for our youngest population. Mass migrations from uninhabitable regions is also likely, which will obviously impact children’s health. Furthermore, the report specifies:
Air pollution does more damage to children’s lungs, causing asthma and respiratory ailments, because their lungs are still developing, they breathe at a higher rate than adults and are outdoors more.
Waterborne infections, such as diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems, hit children especially hard. These infections rise sharply with more rain, which is expected as the climate warms.
As mosquitoes are able to move to higher ground, the malaria zone is expanding. Kids are especially vulnerable; 75% of malaria deaths occur in children younger than 5.
Climate change is not just an environmental issue, but it is a public health issue. Pediatricians and parents have a responsibility to educate one another and do what they can to lessen their impact on climate change. If the children are our future, and climate change is happening, then we must make sure that children are safe and healthy from its impacts.
barking frog
September 16th, 2010
10:49 am
Like religion, science, at it’s most profound is just kinda silly.