Climate Denial Crock of the Week

What is it about racism and climate denial that they co-exist so cozily?

If time is short, just watch the first minute of the video above, and skip to about 10:00.
It was a pretty stunning wake up for anyone in the Republican party that might have been paying attention.

One of the most respected senior statesmen in the party,  sounded  yet another warning about the toxic takeover of the GOP by its regressive, racist element. Powell ticked off the dog whistle and not-so-dog whistle messages that senior Republican operatives have been sending, and matter-of-factly closed with the aside that, oh, yeah, climate change is real and we’d better start dealing with that, as well.

Could there be any sharper example than climate denier darling Lord Monckton, whose toxic mix of climate nonsense and birtherism continue to make him a darling of American conservatives, and the intellectual, such as it is, Father of climate denial in this country?

My Father was chairman of the local Republican party, one of the more influential county groups in this state.  I know, understand, and have affection for, the ideals and practices of the party that used to be. That is not the one we have today.

Remember a few years ago when Al Gore got so much blowback for drawing a connection between racism and climate change?  Gore was talking about his generation’s reaction to the racism of the 1950s and 60s, but he was certainly aware that as Republicans have become more and more hostile to climate science, they’ve also become more shockingly, brazenly, overtly hostile to anyone that doesn’t look like they belong at the country club.

Tell me I’m wrong. Tell Colin Powell he’s wrong. Look at november’s returns and tell the voters they’re wrong.
Ignore the pattern if it makes you uncomfortable – but America does best when we have a vigorous two party conversation, and that can’t happen when one half of the dialogue has been hijacked by bigots, blowhards, and the clinically insane.

See Gore’s observation at 1:25 below.