Why Does It Take A Republican To Say This?

Filed in Science and Health by on November 19, 2010

I’ve been very frustrated by the messaging of climate change activists. They talk in a way the most people just don’t relate to – in abstract concepts. Sure, everyone says they want to save the earth, but it’s hard to relate to events that aren’t happening now and aren’t affecting them directly. It’s hard to get someone to take action against abstractions. That’s why it’s so exciting to see someone communicating about the other benefits of addressing climate – technology and jobs. Interestingly, it’s defeated Republican Rep. Bob Inglis that’s doing it.

Yesterday morning, at a House subcommittee hearing on climate change, Inglis mocked his Republican colleagues for refusing to acknowledge the truth and danger of global warming, saying, “They slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and they’re experts on climate change.” He also warned that while they posture to score political points, China will surpass the U.S. in clean technology:

INGLIS: Because 98 of the doctors say, “Do this thing,” two say, “Do the other.” So, it’s on the record. And we’re here with important decision to be made. And I would also suggest to my Free Enterprise colleagues — especially conservatives here — whether you think it’s all a bunch of hooey, what we’ve talked about in this committee, the Chinese don’t. And they plan on eating our lunch in this next century. They plan on innovating around these problems, and selling to us, and the rest of the world, the technology that’ll lead the 21st century. So we may just press the pause button here for several years, but China is pressing the fast-forward button. And as a result, if we wake up in several years and we say, “geez, this didn’t work very well for us. The two doctors didn’t turn out to be so right. 98 might have been the ones to listen to.” […]

There are people who make a lot of money on talk radio and talk TV saying a lot of things. They slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and they’re experts on climate change. They substitute their judgment for people who have Ph.D.s and work tirelessly [on climate change].

Exactly! Why does no one talk about the meaning of what Republicans are saying about climate change? For one, Republicans are saying they know more about climate than the people who actually study it. They handwave this away by saying that scientists are in a massive conspiracy…to do something, I’m not sure what or why.

The message I always get out of what Republicans say about climate change is that they have no confidence in American ingenuity. Climate deniers say it’s too difficult, we should just keep doing what we’re doing and that it will never be affordable. While they force us into the status quo we’re being left behind by other countries that aren’t restrained from doing innovation.

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Opinionated chemist, troublemaker, blogger on national and Delaware politics.

Comments (21)

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  1. cassandra m says:

    Inglis is saying what venture capitalists have been banging the drum on for a few years, and that is that green technology is a big future industry and there is no one in the US government who is paying attention to this. There is a new bit of CW out there that the economy stays bad because of business “uncertainty” over regulations and the like, which is pure bullshit. But uncertainty *does* genuinely affect the green tech industry here, largely because investors don’t see this government as a partner in growth of this industry.

    Venture Capital firm on how the US is behind on this investment.

    Deutchebank takes its green investment dollars out of the US to China and Western Europe.

    I’ve written about this before and I am genuinely perplexed that *this* — the growth of a high tech industry (something that used to be right up our alley) is something that we simply cannot get behind. Instead we are arguing over extending deficits to make sure the richest Americans get tax cuts.

  2. Geezer says:

    Every idea has to come from a Republican to be legitimate. Remember, what’s now “Obamacare” was first hatched at the Heritage Institute before it became Romneycare. But it’s no longer legitimate, because it was proposed by a Democrat. Same with “cap and trade,” originated by conservative free-market think tanks as an alternative to straight taxation — no longer legitimate because it’s now championed by Democrats. It’s government by tantrum.

  3. Republican David says:

    Geezer is wrong as usual. Cap and trade intended for real polution that had the techology to avoid it not CO2 which is everywhere and a basic economic component. Cap and trade is wrong in application because it would result in massive dislocation of the economy and as proposed enrich wall street while impovershing mainstreet. It is like saying that ice cream was good as a healthier dessert alternative to cake so let’s substitute it for meat and vegetables as well.

    Romney care had a lot of differences from Obama care though they were both problematic with the individual mandate. Remember a lot of conservatives questioned it. It was one reason he didn’t win the nomination not what you nitwits think (Mormonism). Still the differences are substantial. http://thecompetentconservative.com/tag/mitt-romney-vs-barack-obama-2012/

  4. Republican David says:

    As for Inglis, no wonder he lost the primary. The man is out of touch.

  5. a.price says:

    david, do you ever have an independant thought? your responses are like 98% talkingpoints… word for word.

  6. liberalgeek says:

    Unsurprisingly, David is wrong again…

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/parsing-the-polls/parsing-the-polls-the-mormon-q.html

    But Romney’s challenge is to convince Republicans — not the American public at-large — that his Mormonism shouldn’t be an issue. Among the GOP sub-sample, 66 percent told USA Today/Gallup that they would support a Mormon candidate, while 30 percent said they would not (77 percent of independents and 72 percent of Democrats said they could back a Mormon).

  7. Republican David says:

    Try exit polling. Romney addressed the issue. He was a criticized for other things like his stand on gay rights, health care law, and his past abortion rights advocacy. The 2007 Wash Post poll is completely unrelated to what I said.

  8. cassandra m says:

    Delusional David is still quite wrong on cap and trade too, but what do you expect from a wingnut who thinks the world is 6000 years old. He should find another candidate’s campaign to ruin and stop playing above his weight class here.

  9. Republican David says:

    How am I wrong on cap and trade? You guys obviously have no connection with facts. Even the President said it would necessarily make utility rates skyrocket and even liberal sources say that it would be a trillion dollar boon to the commodities traders. go to carbontax.org and get a critqued from the left.

    As for campaigns, show me where you have taken a campaign from 13 points in the polls to victory. That is where we were in June.

    Where you had someone with 0 name recoginition and helped them go toe to toe with someone who was universally known, had a national party making it one of 3 house races to focus upon and tons of outside organizations, and no counter weight from the other side while the top elected official in your party did worse than sit on his hands. You talk, but except for one of you–you are mostly that.

  10. Republican David says:

    I don’t know how old the earth is and neither does anyone else. Age dating is based upon assumptions and all of the methods give different ages. I doubt 6000 years old is accurate. If you read even what I said here you would know that. I am not a young earth creationist though I respect the beliefs of people who are.

  11. cassandra m says:

    Actually the President say no such thing about skyrocketing utility rates. You live with cap and trade now via the RGGI.

    Victory is your guy taking the oath of office in January. Which ain’t happening.

  12. Republican David says:

    No, we do not. It is not a cap and trade system. The market for that does not even exist. It is just now begining to ramp up. RGGI is not even in effect when it comes to real impact before 2014. That is when the rationing starts. Our rates have already gone up independent of costs. You can see the President on youtube. It is not a secret. Look it up.

  13. Republican David says:

    For the record, I would guess the earth is 4.5 billion to 5 billion years old based upon the preponderance of the evidence. GOD is ageless so when he created the universe does not affect my faith. 15 billion years ago or yesterday. He did it with elegance, purpose, and design. It was no accident. The relatively young age of the universe eliminates the accidental hypothesis based upon unlimited time.

  14. cassandra m says:

    David, go away from here until you can adequately play at this level. Seriously. You look like a COmplete Idiot every time you open your mouth.

    RGGI is in effect now.

    It’s next auction is on 1 December and it is the 10th auction of emissions allowances under the program.

    Last March’s auction brought $2M to Delaware’s coffers.

    The last auction of allowances brought in $80M for the consortium.

    Read it and weep Delusional David — a cap and trade market for CO2 emissions that is bringing in money.

    You need to seriously think about the advise to play in your own backyard until you are equipped to hang with the grownups.

    And links is what you should do if you want to be credible. And sending someone off to You Tube to look for a quote that YOU cited is an admission that you made it up. So deliver on the link or add to your rep as one of the village idiots.

  15. Aoine says:

    “add to your rep as one of the village idiots”

    Cassandra – he IS the village idiot

  16. Repbulican David says:

    Play at a child’s level. As I said the market is just beginning to ramp up and the rationing does not take effect until 2014. Then we will start to bump into green energy mandates. Your links have almost nothing to do with anything I said. You did prove it is an energy tax. I expect the entire arraingement to fall apart now with new governments.

    No a lack of a link for something everyone knows is true and can be googled easily is far from an admission. It has more to do with the fact that I was remote and my browser didn’t want to handle the multiple window thing. U. S. Treasury Dept says $800 to $1769 a year in documents obtained under FOIA. That is double.

    http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/nov/16/sarah-palin/obama-said-cap-and-trade-would-increase-electricit/

    This source is from a left wing apologist paper. Yes, he said it.

  17. Repbulican David says:

    It is hard to believe you guys are so uniformed. Please at least go to a left wing website like carbontax.org and learn something before you pretend to know anything. They are wrong in their policy,but at least they have their eyes open.

    Then you may want to read actual documents and not websurf and pretend to know something. This is a serious subject which could harm a lot of people if implemented.

  18. cassandra_m says:

    It is not a cap and trade system. The market for that does not even exist

    THIS is what you said, you jerk. And I provided proof that you were wrong on both. And now you are back trying to move the goalposts. Dishonest, but no one here expects much else from you, you know?

    This is a serious thing that needs more that just a wrongheaded stance from you people to deal with. And because of people like you, investment capital for green investments are going to places like Germany and China. So instead of leading the world in green energy and other sustainability technology, you people are driving that away. Too bad belligerent idiocy isn’t an energy source, because that is about all you and your buds can generate.

    Go back to your own damn blog where it isn’t so obvious that you aren’t ready to play in the big leagues.

  19. baggers are ignorant says:

    rep inglis is late. many dems have been touting the same, at least within their campaign marketing.

  20. baggers are ignorant says:

    “I am not a young earth creationist though I respect the beliefs of people who are.”
    hopefully, you ‘respect’ some of their *other* beliefs 😉
    (e.g., shoelaces get dirty, winters are warmer in Earth’s southern hemisphere, etc)

  21. FFT says:

    “Republicans say about climate change is that they have no confidence in American ingenuity”
    because they’ve noticed that Fake Freetrade has farmed out ingenuity to china…