Posted on 10/29/2011 8:50:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
(Newser) Mitt Romney's views on global warming are back in the news. This week, he reaffirmed his skepticism about humans contributing to climate change. CBS News detects a "rightward shift" as the campaign goes on, and both Democrats and Rick Perry agree, notes CNN. Judge for yourself, as Politico rounds up some of his statements on the subject:
* Thursday: "My view is that we dont know whats causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us."
* August: "Do I think the world's getting hotter? Yeah, I don't know that, but I think that it is. I don't know if it's mostly caused by humans."
* June: "I don't speak for the scientific community, of course, but I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that. ... I don't know how much our contribution is to that, because I know there's been periods of greater heat and warmth than in the past, but I believe we contribute to that. And so I think it's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and global warming that you're seeing."
* His 2010 book No Apology: "I believe that climate change is occurringthe reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. I am uncertain how much of the warming, however, is attributable to man and how much is attributable to factors out of our control."
Lisas the coach and Ginas the quarterback in the work of rolling out new clean air regulations, said Daniel Weiss, an energy and climate policy expert at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the Obama administration. Shes running the plays, improvising on the line.
Another Romney environmental adviser in the effort to regulate greenhouse gases is now Obamas Director of Science and Technology Policy, John Holdren. Dr. Holdren has some exotic views:
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Mitt Romney will say anything to get elected.
A politician is entitled to change his mind. But not to cynically negate his principles without sufficient good reason.
It also highlights the stark changes between the GOP of today and that of seven years ago, when Romney was governor, the science of climate change wasnt such an inflammatory political issue, and Republicans and Democrats even worked together on global warming issues.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has taken most of the fire from Republicans as her agency rolls out a slew of controversial new climate and clean air rules. But McCarthy, the EPA assistant administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation, has taken on much of the heavy lifting of writing, structuring, and implementing the rules.
Lisas the coach and Ginas the quarterback in the work of rolling out new clean air regulations, said Daniel Weiss, an energy and climate policy expert at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the Obama administration. Shes running the plays, improvising on the line.
McCarthy is meeting behind the scenes with coal CEOs, lawmakers, and state and federal officials to lay the groundwork for the new rules and make sure theyre put in place. Shes making sure the clean air legal language is written in a way thats robust and airtight, in order to have the biggest impact on cutting pollution, with no loopholes. Shes testifying to Congress, making the case as to why the rules should be implemented, despite a fusillade of political attacks.
Environmentalists, who applauded Obamas appointment of McCarthy in 2009, have generally given her rave reviews on the job. Republicans, especially those like Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso, who tried to block her Senate confirmation, have been less enthusiastic.
Environmentalists also applauded in 2003 when then-Gov. Romney appointed a team of officials with strong environmental records to oversee a muscular environmental regulatory agenda, and to come up with a plan to tackle climate change. Among them was McCarthy, who had worked as an environmental regulator for the four previous Massachusetts governorstwo Democrats and two Republicans.
Romney named McCarthy to a similar green quarterback role in his administration: undersecretary for policy at the Executive Office for Environmental Affairs, in charge of preserving the states open spaces, farmlands, and forests. He also tasked her with developing Massachusettss first climate protection action plan.
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I simply cannot understand why Romney has ever been anything but a 1%-er (in the polls).
True he will. Most of them will.
Trurth his however tea party philosophy now rules the Republican Party.The RNC will try and fight it and they will lose.
Romney cannot be trusted!
I approve of politicians flipping as long as they flip in the right direction and don’t flop back latter.
Agree. We cannot trust a thing this guy says. Look at his actions, his appointments while governor of Mass. He is a leftist who will say anything to get elected.
thanks CW, additional:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2799643/posts
Romney’s finger must be perpetually wrinkled from moistening it to stick in the wind.
Caught him mid-fence in a fli-lop move. . . that is where he is starting to flip, but hasn’t quite flopped.
This guy is just about as principled as Bill Clinton, although seemingly on a higher moral plane.
vaudine
Core values have something to do with being on a “...higher moral plane.” Romney’s flip flops represent breaches of personal honor and morality. No wonder establishment Republicans love him. Why would someone want to be president THAT much? I wish he would just go away; he is just not the man for the times.
Thank goodness there are none of those rex critters around....and mastadons and huge flying birds (condors are ugly enough).
It's just right for the times....because that's the way it is!!!!!!
I agree whole-heartedly. Romney has proven he cannot be trusted. I guess what I really meant was that Bill's moral short-comings were manifest in more of a horny alley cat way.
Willard will wear a mini skirt and call himself Bambi for a few votes.
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