Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 01/16/2010 1:48:51 PM PST by neverdem
Democrats in Congress have a lot to juggle in the year ahead. If they want to avoid a slaughter at the polls, they’ll need to boost job growth. Not only that, but Wall Street remains poorly regulated, and key allies are growing impatient for labor-law and immigration reform. So it’s hardly a shock to hear that some Dems would prefer to set aside tackling climate change--especially so soon after a grueling health care fight. “We need to deal with the phenomena of global warming,” Indiana Senator Evan Bayh recently groused, “but I think it’s very difficult in the economic circumstances we have right now.”
Difficult, but maybe less so than Bayh thinks. The House has already passed its own climate bill, complete with a cap on heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and, in the Senate, Democrats have begun to get some welcome support from the other side of the aisle. Susan Collins is co-sponsoring a cap-and-dividend bill, which would essentially tax carbon dioxide at the source and refund most of the proceeds to households, while a few Republicans (like Lisa Murkowski) had positive things to say about last month’s Copenhagen accord, which put key developing countries on a path to curtailing their own emissions. Interestingly, one of the most forceful advocates for a Senate climate bill in recent weeks has been Republican Lindsey Graham. “All the cars and trucks and plants that have been in existence since the Industrial Revolution, spewing out carbon day-in and day-out, you’ll never convince me that’s a good thing for your children and the future of the planet,” he told a crowd in South Carolina, the day after being censured by Charleston County’s GOP for working with Democrats on the issue. “Whatever political pushback I get,” he added, “I’m willing to accept, because I know what I’m trying to do makes sense to me.” Lately, he’s been huddling with John Kerry and Joe Lieberman on a “tripartisan” bill to reduce emissions.
Some have argued that Congress would be crazy to take on an issue as divisive as climate change in an election year, but the Senate, with only one-third of its members up for reelection, is less susceptible to that calculus than the House. And election-year timidity may be more an invention of pundits than historical fact. After all, welfare reform passed in the summer of 1996, while the most recent Clean Air Act amendments--including a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide-passed the Senate in 1990. Besides, most senators realize that, if they don’t act soon, the Environmental Protection Agency will start regulating carbon-dioxide emissions on its own, cutting Congress out of the process entirely.
Of course, the Senate should act to curb greenhouse gases not to avoid being trumped by the EPA, but to avert an ecological catastrophe that will affect the lives of millions. In the United States, as Bayh’s hesitation shows, much of the debate around climate policy has focused on whether we can shift to cleaner forms of energy without harming the economy in any way. Green groups have taken pains to cite stat-heavy reports from the Congressional Budget Office showing that a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions would have a minimal impact on family budgets and little effect on economic growth. But there’s a large ethical aspect to climate change, too. Hundreds of millions of people in places like Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa are set to suffer from the storms, floods, and crop failures that a hotter planet will bring. And future generations of Americans will have to contend with unstable weather patterns, water shortages, and rising sea levels if we don’t get our emissions under control.
On both scientific and political grounds, time is of the essence. Every year we put off curbing emissions is another year more carbon accumulates in the air, deepening the risks of disaster and making eventual action more difficult. A delay could also shatter the fragile progress made on global emissions over the past few months--both China and India have pledged to rein in their carbon pollution, but they could easily backslide if we do. Worst of all, Democrats are likely to lose at least a few seats in November--and with them, their chances of overcoming a GOP filibuster--so this may be their last chance for some time to set limits on greenhouse gases.
Recently, some senators have talked about breaking up the House bill and passing only the most popular portions, such as the mandate for electric utilities to buy renewable power, or loans for green technology. But those items can’t substitute for a carbon-pricing regime, whether a cap or a tax, that will shift companies away from dirty energy. And splitting off the easy items now could make it more difficult to attract votes for emission limits down the road. The White House seems to recognize this and has so far committed to a major push on carbon-capping legislation in the spring. The bill that emerges won’t be perfect, but its timing may never get better.
I have never read any political analysis as dumb as this. Forget the fact that global warming is the biggest hoax in history. If they want one last banzai charge, be my guest.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
Conservative Republicans had better study up on conservative public policy and fiscal conservatism because they're gonna git put ta work in massive majorities this fall!!!
Forget the popcorn!!! Git ta work because we must be certain this is a buncha consecutive conservative landslides so THEY CAN'T CHEAT!!! (and that includes RINO's)
Suicidal and delusional. Shouldn’t they be in the crazy hospital?
“We need to deal with the phenomena of global warming,” Indiana Senator Evan Bayh recently groused, “but I think it’s very difficult in the economic circumstances we have right now.”
The snow kinda screws up the timing too!
lemmings - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - over the cliff. bye.
Democrats: “Let’s see: I’ve shot myself in the temple — twice, electrocuted myself, I’m choking on this noose, and my wrists are slit. I probably should drink this poison to cure all these ailments!”
Per the article, you reckon without the likes of Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and the irrepressible Lindsay Graham.
Even McCain was in favor of cap and tax during the campaign, reversing his field only after he was defeated.
At this stage, there are only two reasons to pursue some kind of "Climate Change" legislation.
1. You're unbelievably stupid.
2. Or, you're in on the scam.
I suspect the GOPers involved probably come under category #1.
Free Republic should rehire Steven Glass to write their global warming articles. He has an extensive record of making up lies and writing stories based on those falsehoods. Glass would be the perfect person to carry on the global warming fraud at FreeRFepublic.
Only the democrats would think that they can actually DO something about the weather.
When your enemy is making a mistake, don’t stop him....
What are these phenomena that need dealing with?
* Massive fraud resulting from the politicization of “science’.
* Mass delusion.
* World's mass media turned into propaganda machine to create and sustain the mass delusion, and support the massive fraud.
* Massive suppression of academic and individual freedoms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Glass_(reporter)
Don't you mean The New Republic? 
It’s as if these people live in a cave. They still thinks it’s 2005 when children were required to watch Al Gore’s comical warming documentary and anyone who questioned the content was deemed a pariah. The global warming hoax has been vetted and everyone knows the theory has been discredited. The only thing I can think is that Barry and his Senator friends are still using the issue as another trojan horse for wealth redistribution.
I’m thinking of General Custer charging 10,000 blood thristy heavily armed Indians with 225 lightly armed troopers: It was glorious, but not war, or in this case politics.
BTW, Global Warming propaganda editorials should not be posted on Free Republic under their stamp of approval.
Who approved this crap?
Aren’t the editors at Free Republic aware Global Warming is a hoax?
Whoops!! My brain is still a little foggy following a two day hunting trip to New Jersey. I managed to sleep an hour and a half in the roach motel my friend booked for us.
It's ironic that you ask about awareness.
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