Denial Is No Longer Just a River in Egypt: Johnson Gets Chippy with Constituent on Climate Change
Renowned climate skeptic Ron Johnson brought us a full plate of irrationality Saturday in Sherwood, Wisconsin, arguing with a constituent…
Rick Scott Pretends To Listen To Scientists (NEW VIDEO)
Ever since Rick Scott's buffoonery on climate change was thrust into the national spotlight -- and promptly ridiculed -- he's been desperately trying to rehabilitate his image on the subject. The other week, he even strung together an environmental tour in which he purported to be an environmentalist. Well the charade has continued. Yesterday, Rick Scott finally met with climate scientist and he listened with all the focus and alacrity of an eighth grader on the last day of school. His faux interest in climate change (paired with his steadfast rejection of its causes) didn't fool the scientists that met with him and it isn't fooling the voters.
Marco Rubio, Climate Scientist
Sen. Marco Rubio made headlines this weekend with an eyebrow-raising rebuke of science. Here's what the 2016 presidential hopeful told ABC's Jonathan Karl:
"I don't agree with the notion that some are putting out there, including scientists, that somehow there are actions we can take today that would actually have an impact on what's happening in our climate. Our climate is always changing. And what they have chosen to do is take a handful of decades of research and say that this is now evidence of a longer-term trend that's directly and almost solely attributable to manmade activity, I do not agree with that."It's unclear when Sen. Rubio became a connoisseur of climate science with the authority to chide the 97% of climate scientists who agree that humans are contributing to climate change. Perhaps it has something to do with his courting of the far right and their deep-pocketed, Koch-funded outside groups like Americans for Prosperity, which promises to spend $125 million this year to buoy candidates that embrace their extreme agenda. AFP's president, Tim Phillips, hasn't parsed words in bragging about their role in pushing Republican candidates to deny climate science:
"We’ve made great headway. What it means for candidates on the Republican side is, if you … buy into green energy or you play footsie on this issue, you do so at your political peril. The vast majority of people who are involved in the [Republican] nominating process—the conventions and the primaries—are suspect of the science. And that’s our influence. Groups like Americans for Prosperity have done it."So there you have it. Marco Rubio was born and raised in Miami, a city that is severely threatened by rising sea levels associated with climate change. He has an opportunity as a Senator to take action on climate change, stand up for his constituents, and help protect his home state. But he'd rather protect his political aspirations, spewing the mythical rhetoric that the Koch brothers and their allies have made mainstream in today's GOP. At least we know where his priorities lie.
Washington Post: Donations Flowed To Gingrich’s Nonprofit After He Shifted On Energy Issues In 2008
On December 28, 2011, the Washington Post reported:
A month after joining Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in a televised call to fight climate change in 2008, Newt Gingrich pivoted to a much different message: Increase domestic drilling and block legislation aimed at implementing a “cap-and-trade” system to curb carbon pollution. [...] Within weeks, the money began pouring in from major U.S. energy firms, which eventually contributed more than $2 million to American Solutions’ pro-drilling and anti-cap-and-trade campaign for the next two years, according to a review of disclosure reports and other records by The Washington Post.
Media Coverage Of NewtGingrich.com
American Bridge 21st Century just released this video compilation of media reports covering our ownership of NewtGingrich.com. To read about what we did with the site, click here.
Mediaite: Oppo Tracking Video Shows Just How Epic Jon Huntsman’s Climate Change Flip Is
On December 7, 2011, Mediaite reported:
Republican bubble candidate Jon Huntsman nullified two of the things that set him apart from frontrunners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney yesterday when he told a group at the Heritage Foundation that “the scientific community owes us more” on climate change, and that “there’s not enough information right now to be able to formulate policies.” He staked out the “sane candidate” territory in August, and as a tracking video shot by American Bridge PAC in late October shows, Huntsman has no wiggle room on this flip.
CBS News: Mitt Romney's shifting views on climate change
On October 28, 20111, CBS News reported:
The longer he runs for president, the more doubts Republican front-runner Mitt Romney seems to have about the science behind global climate change...
Washington Post: Records illuminate Senate hopeful Allen’s energy connections
On September 24 the Washington Post reported:
George Allen, Virginia’s leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, has made no secret of his interest in energy policy during his more than two decades in public office. But financial disclosure forms, campaign records and Allen’s staff show how close the former governor and senator has become to the energy industry since he lost his Senate seat in 2006. Allen earned nearly $350,000 from his consulting business that lists energy as one of its top priorities, and was paid at least $10,000 in consulting fees from a pair of the nation’s largest coal companies — Alpha Natural Resources and Peabody Energy. A separate nonprofit organization he formed after leaving the Senate tries to influence the public debate about energy in part with contributions from the industry. Since joining the race in January, Allen has received more than $150,000 in campaign donations from the energy and natural-resources industries — more than all but fourother 2012 Senate candidates in the nation.Click here to read more.
Columbia Daily Tribune: Rep. Todd Akin Questions Constitutionality of Medicare
On September 4, 2011, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported:
In a meeting yesterday with Central Missouri tea party activists, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin said he has doubts about the constitutionality of Medicare and thinks global warming “is highly suspect.” Akin, a six-term congressman seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, spent much of the 75 minutes attacking the expansive nature of the federal government, calling his opposition to federal health care changes a struggle against tyranny. The meeting was attended by about two dozen tea party activists. [...] Akin’s remarks questioning the constitutionality of Medicare came as he was explaining his vote against prescription coverage under the medical plan for seniors and people with disabilities. He said it was too expensive, and “it was expanding an entitlement I wasn’t too comfortable with to begin with.” Asked about the remarks after the meeting, Akin said, “I don’t find in the Constitution that it is the job of the government to provide health care.”Click here to read the entire article.
PolitiFact Ohio: GOP Senate candidate Kevin Coughlin says there's not much evidence to support human role in global warming – False
Politifact Ohio examined Ohio Senate candidate Kevin Coughlin's recent comments on climate change and found them false.
While a few skeptics out there disagree, there’s clear scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that humans contribute to it. Disagreement on the subject is scant enough that we rule Coughlin’s statement is False.