The Great Climate Debate of 2016 has Begun
September 1, 2015
Obama came out, well, smokin’ on climate the other day, at the beginning of his Climate themed arctic swing.
He’ll be visiting a glacier and doing some arctic survival training with a reality TV expert. And he’s also rung the starting bell for the great climate debate of 2016.
Presumed (still) nominee Hilary Clinton has signaled her intention of making the climate issue part of the campaign with some appealing and witty youtube videos that got some play over the summer.
But it seems as september has arrived, and political messagers know folks are starting, dimly, to pay attention, there is some serious thrusting going on.
Below, a Fox News profile of the Obama Alaska swing – notable for the reporter’s aside that “..there is not consensus..” on the cause of climate change, as well as a weak list of bullet points from a non-scientist think-tank flack, swinging the “..temperatures have not increased..” canard like a stinking dead cat.
What climate deniers know is that they are steadily losing the PR battle on climate. Although they still hold an edge in the congress, with Republicans almost unanimously in lockstep climate denial – and increasingly isolated from the American mainstream on the issue – the polling has been clear now for several years, hence the President’s confident and increasingly tough rhetoric.
Most significantly, Americans look at climate no longer as merely a scientific issue, but a moral one as well.
With 2015 looking to blow away global temperature records, (2014 is the current leader) arctic sea ice heading for a new, very convincing low, and with widespread drought, fire and extreme weather serving wake up calls across the continent – a major political party reminds us more and more of one of filmdom’s most famous images of futility.
Climate Denial Crock of the Week 
September 2, 2015 at 10:08 am
If 2015 sea ice were collapsing Obama should have made the trip at the time of the minimum. Also flying to an international meeting and not receiving the signatures of Russia and China looks like a spectacular failure.
September 2, 2015 at 3:47 pm
If the intelligence of people reading this post were to collapse to zero then your observations here might start to seem relevant (as opposed to merely desperate).
September 2, 2015 at 10:53 am
Omnomoron is back, living up to his title as the King of Non Sequiturs and speaking nonsense that can only be addressed with a loud WHAT?
(And has anyone had the thought that Omno may be doing his own Black Knight imitation here on Crock?
September 4, 2015 at 3:15 pm
“Great” isn’t the word that comes to mind for the debate (unless it’s Sinclair Sarcasm at work). “Pathetic” is closer.
September 4, 2015 at 5:45 pm
IMO, Peter wasn’t necessarily being sarcastic when he used “great” to describe the 2016 climate debate.
Considering the importance of making some real progress over the next couple of years and how the politicians now running can help or impede that, it IS proper to use “great” to mean “….of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average”, with synonyms like “significant, special, serious, large, big, and extensive” also coming to mind.
I’m sure Peter didn’t intend to imply the other synonyms like “magnificent, impressive, splendid, or majestic”, because the Repugnants’ side of the debate is surely not any of those, although Obama is getting close at times.
The slang meaning of “great” that expresses disdain or contempt would also be appropriate, but I think you’ve nailed it with “pathetic”, i.e., “arousing pity, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, distressing, upsetting, wretched, forlorn”. Rubio’s newly released “plan” is all of those and more.
I bothered to make this comment only because all of jimbills’ recent comments have gotten me into “navel-gazing” mode.
September 4, 2015 at 5:50 pm
PS Isn’t it interesting how an otherwise promising thread can be destroyed when Omno is the first one who comments? Seems to turn people off as much as a fart in church.
September 8, 2015 at 7:31 am
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