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Friday, March 11, 2016

Republican Candidates Talk Climate Change




Alan: The daily bread of American "conservatism" is to devise "justifications for despair," typically to prevent change - and increasingly to prevent necessary change.

It has become standard operating procedure for conservatives to justify despair by claiming there is no "perfect solution," and -- in the absence of perfection -- it is ill-advised to make any change at all.


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Alan: Despite Trump's encouragement of the worst angels of our nature, I want him to win the Republican nomination 
to reveal the terrified face of American conservatism.
Remember: If you're terrified, the terrorists won.
And you made their victory possible.

"Is Perfectionism A Curse? 

Global warming is a case in point.

Although 98% of climate scientists concur that anthropogenic global warming is real, the conservative psyche is ever ready to point to The 2% while uttering the menacing suggestion: "But what if the outliers are right and we undertake tremendous expense only to disrupt-damage the economy and in the end get no beneficial result at all?!?" 

 To which Reason replies: "What if The 98% are right and we effectively destroy the economy with global warming's deleterious effects including desertification, the irrepressible spread of tropical diseases and sea level rise with consequent displacement of a billion (or more) people?"

 If these same conservatives knew they had only one automobile to "get them through" the rest of their lives, and the heat gauge on that car was approaching the redline, they would immediately stop and then do everything in their power to prevent the engine from "seizing."

 The contemporary conservative psyche is beset by a subtle-but-profound egotism that assumes "my own interest" trumps The Common Good.

 Conveniently (at least in the minds of "conservatives") it is always harder to reach agreement on The Common Good than to indulge the perceived good of "having more dollars in my pocket NOW" --- no matter the swelling downstream cost of those dollars.
Conservative logic is as oblique and tangential as arguing against mother's milk because it contains artery-clogging fat.

"The Danger Of Science Denial"
TED Talk by Michael Specter

Poll: Americans Starting To Worry About Climate Change Now That It Affects Their Lawns
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/04/poll-americans-starting-to-worry-about.html


Alan: Giving credit where credit is due... 

John Kasich's progressive view of climate change set forth in last night's GOP presidential candidate debate (in Miami) is not only admirable in itself but reveals an essential political change the Republican Party must implement in order to survive as an agency that does something other than inflame "the dimwitted, benighted, embittered and hateful." 

 Said Kasich:  "Well, I do believe we contribute to climate change, but I don't think it has to be a, you know, either you're for some environmental stringent rules or, you know, you're not going to have any jobs. The fact is, you can have both. In our state, we've reduced emissions by 30 percent. But let me tell you also what we're trying to do. We want all the sources of energy. We want to dig coal, but we want to clean it when we burn it. We believe in natural gas. We believe in nuclear power. And you know what else I believe in? I happen to believe in solar energy, wind energy, efficiency, renewables matter. Now, it doesn't mean because you pursue a policy of being sensitive to the environment, because we don't know how much humans actually contribute. But it is important we develop renewables. Battery technology can unleash an entirely different world. So the fact is that you can have a strong environmental policy at the same time that you have strong economic growth and they are not inconsistent with one another."

 Alan: Kasich's dynamic optimism is as palpable Republicans' desperation... and consequent obstructionism to insure that "nothing is done," which is to say NO CHANGE takes place.

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS CBS NEWS March 11, 2016

Republican debate: Candidates talk climate change


With Thursday night's GOP debate set in Miami, where concerns about rising sea levels and the effects of climate change are more acute than in many parts of the country, moderator Jake Tapper asked the Republican candidates to outline their position on climate change. The question came from Miami Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado.
Here's what Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich said when they were asked about the issue--and how businessman Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz feel about it:
Marco Rubio: At Thursday's debate, Rubio said the climate is changing but that it is "always changing," taking the position that humans do not affect climate change.
"There's never been a time when the climate has not changed. I think the fundamental question for a policy maker is, is the climate changing because of something we are doing and if so, is there a law you can pass to fix it?" he said. "So on the issue of flooding in Miami, it's caused by two things. Number one, south Florida is largely built on land that was once a swamp.
"And number two, because if there is higher sea levels or whatever it may be happening, we do need to deal with that through mitigation. And I have long supported mitigation efforts. But as far as a law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there's no such thing."
He said proposed laws to help combat climate change would hurt Americans economically. "Let me tell you who is going to pay the price of that? Americans are going to pay the price of that," he said. The cost of doing that is going to be rammed down the throats of the American consumer, the single parent, the working families who are going to see increases in the cost of living."
John Kasich: The Ohio governor is alone among his GOP opponents in saying he believes humans contribute to the changing climate. He stressed the importance of developing renewable energy and alternate energy sources to reduce carbon emissions.
"I do believe we contribute to climate change, but I don't think it has to be a -- you know, either you're for some environmental stringent rules or -- you know, you're not going to have any jobs. The fact is, you can have both," he said. "In our state, we've reduced emissions by 30 percent. But let me tell you also what we're trying to do. We want all the sources of energy. We want to dig coal, but we want to clean it when we burn it. We believe in natural gas. We believe in nuclear power."
Donald Trump: The GOP front-runner has repeatedly spoken critically of climate change science, using words like "hoax," "con job," "nonexistent," and "bulls***" to refer to climate change.
"I think that climate change is just a very, very expensive form of tax. A lot of people are making a lot of money. I know much about climate change," Trump said in a January interview on Fox News. "I've received many environmental awards. And I often joke that this is done for the benefit of China -- obviously I joke -- but this done for the benefit of China."
Ted Cruz: The Texas senator has repeatedly denied the existence of climate change altogether. At an event sponsored by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch last summer, Cruz said it "ain't happening."
"If you look to the satellite data in the last 18 years there has been zero recorded warming," he said. "Now the global warming alarmists, that's a problem for their theories. Their computer models show massive warming the satellite says it ain't happening. We've discovered that NOAA, the federal government agencies are cooking the books."
© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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