I’m sure many WUWT readers on both sides of the AGW debate watched Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech last night. The most memorable line that got a standing ovation was a poke back at Obama’s famous line – “I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children … this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” given at his acceptance speech in 2008.
Marc Morano of Climate Depot has the story about how some folks are upset about that. Mike Mann, since he doesn’t have anything else to do since being put on “sabbatical” is of course given the opportunity to refute. He’s the ‘go to guy’ now that Gore has imploded.
Below are selected excerpts of the Politico article. To read full article go to here. (subscription required)
Politico: Romney’s climate change remark makes waves
By Alex Guillen
8/30/12 11:29 PM EDT
Mitt Romney took a shot at President Barack Obama’s climate change position during his acceptance speech Thursday.
“President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet,” Romney said after accepting the GOP’s presidential nomination in Tampa, drawing laughter from the crowd. “My promise is to help you and your family.”
The line received a standing ovation.
Romney was referring to now-famous remarks Obama made in 2008 after securing the Democratic nomination. “I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children … this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”
A needless slam on science? That’s how it appeared to Penn State climate researcher Michael Mann.
“How sad it is to witness such fallacious logic from a major party candidate for president,” Mann, one of the nation’s best-known climate researchers, told POLITICO. “If we do not take the necessary actions to combat climate change now, we will of course be leaving our children and grandchildren the legacy of a degraded planet.”
[…]
Marc Morano, publisher of the climate skeptic blog Climate Depot, predicted that Romney’s line from Thursday’s speech will be memorable.
“Kudos to Romney for an accurate framing of the global warming debate,” he said. “Romney’s quip will serve to remind voters just how lofty Obama’s rhetoric once was. Romney’s reminder of Obama’s promise to command the oceans will be one of the most memorable lines of the speech.”
Romney’s speech also included a reiteration of his promise to achieve North American energy independence by 2020 “by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables.”
To read full article and comment online:
https://www.politicopro.com/go/?id=13838 (subscription required)
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I agree with Dr. Michael Mann, candidate Obama’s statement about healing the planet was indeed “fallacious logic”, especially in lieu of his track record on climate now. – Anthony
I think that line was from June ’08, well before the convention. It was after he’d clinched the nomination, which may account for the mistaken impression, not fact-checked, by the political writer. Of course, I haven’t fact-checked either.
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We if there ever was a greater expert on fallacious logic we could defer to that opinion, but Mikey is in a world class all his own in that area of expertise.
It appears Romney is a good, decent man with a sound business background. But it would be interesting to know how he framed his campaign to be elected governor of liberal Massachusetts. The health care law he passed in that state is just another controlling government program that costs more and erodes choices. I’m concerned he’s saying all the right things at the moment, but once in office does a McCain “reach across the isle” to compromise the conservative principles that are presently on display.
Tom G(ologist) says:
Barak “King Canute” Obama
I suspect that is no the analogy you want. King Canute was a wise king who had bad advisers who tried to persuade he could change nature. Unlike Obama and climate, Canute showed his advisers (climate scientists) how daft their ideas were by commanding the seas to stop rising.
Yep Romney kicked the hoaxers right in the face …
wobble says:
August 31, 2012 at 8:06 am
There’s no doubt that your understanding of modern Private Equity is limited to what you learned watching the 1980s movie, Wall Street.
Don’t jump to conclusions, I may know more about finance than you think.
[snip . . funny but against policy no matter how cunning . . kbmod]
Parentofed and others are correct. What I found amusing was how so many members of the clerisy thought Romney’s crack was about climate. It wasn’t – it was an indictment of Obama’s failure to live up to his billing as redeemer. Obama claimed he would unite Blue America and Red America, White America and Black America, into one America – and four years later, the partisan rancor is WORSE than it was in 2008, after five years of “Bush Lied, People Died.” This myopia is a wonderful validation of the case Jonathan Haidt makes in his new book “The Righteous Mind.”
Obama or Romney no difference. I wish America the best in fixing their system, Main St America will get the same treatment under either of these men. Republican or Democrat will give working families the same result in Corporate extremist America.
http://theagenda.tvo.org/guest/169970/Chris-Hedges
DirkH says: August 31, 2012 at 7:59 am [in response to] polistra says: August 31, 2012 at 7:40 am “Romney is a Gaian. ”
“…whose company ran what? Steel mills?… ”
But Mitt, as governor of Massachusetts, was advised about global warming by current Obama science czar John Holdren, see http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/101411-588168-romneys-bad-advice.htm?p=1
If Mitt wants to make himself more convincing for skeptics, he can always admit he was hoodwinked about Holdren’s one-sided view of science, along with perhaps a revelation that back in 1998, Holdren was involved in White House efforts to marginalize skeptic scientists: “White House Involved in Warmist Smear Campaign” http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/white_house_involved_in_warmist_smear_campaign.html
(different Jeff…I support Morano and anything Breitbartian that exposes the lies/scam/etc. of AGW).
Almost can’t believe this about Richard Black:
pat says:
August 31, 2012 at 8:19 am
Friday funny II:
31 Aug: BBC: Richard Black
Farewell and thanks for reading
This is my last entry for this page – I’m leaving the BBC to work, initially,
on ocean conservation issues.
Black should have put “to work” in bold or caps or something, as his previous output scarcely qualifies as work….
Good on Romney for calling out Obama and the other warmistas (Gore, et. al.) who have the temerity to believe that we can control the oceans (and the winds, etc., etc.). Makes one think of that old commercial “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”….
barbee they can’t burn you @ur momisugly the stake , it would release too much Co2 😉
What, TVO? Are you serious Sun Spot? TVO has something relevant to say about American politics? I don’t think so. CDN media is heavily negative towards Americans – especially Republican Americans, only pro for Obama, Clinton and etc.
I’m from Ontario, Can. and anything that TVO carries is only and always one sided and it’s for the liberals views only. The way they are slavish over Obama but still hate the rest of Americans who may not support his policies – huge turn off for me.
Funded through the most vapid global warmers believers around – CBC our forced upon us liberal state broadcaster are proponents of CAGW, Move.on.Org, Tides and etc. Our “national” broadcaster CBC at billions a year couldn’t even be bother to be real journalists about this GW lie as they are part of the UN agenda – in fact cbc thinks UN SHOULD run the world and that it’s a good and all wonderful thing to happen – shudders up my spine.
MOST Canadian media will turn back to being vapid anti-American if Mr. Romney wins. I’ll bet on it.
Ironic that we have a new NEWS outlet for TV called SUNNEWS networks – they’re from the right side of the opinions and far more honest than any of the others from what I’ve watched of them so far.
I see Obama’s promise to end the 14,000 year trend in sea levels as a symptom of his entire ideological blinders not just an issue of climate policy. He and those of a like mind think they can change the course of the planet and the nation by ignoring thousands of years of lessons from history, economics, and politics just on their good intentions and an appropriate bureaucracy to control it. The world doesn’t work they way they think it does, and you can’t fix natural processes by getting in the way you can only enable them to function in their chaotic ways. You can’t create jobs with a government program designed to tell the economy how to function, you just get government out of the way and let it work only applying intervention to stop intentional disfunctions.
obama: change
romney: turn the page
obama: withdraw from iraq, enough wars, close guantanamo
romney: stop climate change hoax..etc..
Bush: fool me once, shame on… fool me, cant get fooled again
“””””…..polistra says:
August 31, 2012 at 7:40 am
Romney is a Gaian. He’s doing a good job of reciting random Republican soundbites now, but he’ll return to his true church if he’s elected. They always do……”””””
Well ‘heaven’ help us, if that is on the top 100 list of criteria for choosing a de facto leader of a free world. We have a Jim Jones clone messiah now, raised evidently stone deaf in the Church of Reverend Wright, while worshipping at the feet of Saul Alinski. Check out the history of the Mau mau rampage in Africa, where settlers were slaughtered with machettes in the night, until Churchill sent in the troops; you might find a genetic link to someone, who threw the bust of Churchill out of the Oval Office.
As for the Gaians, well MY Mother Gaia, is simply the ultimate Maxwell’s Demon, who sees all and knows all, but doesn’t tell us. Now she ALWAYS gets the climate correct; it always, is exactly what it is supposed to be; while OUR models pretty much always get it wrong.
Almost can’t believe this about Richard Black:
pat says:
August 31, 2012 at 8:19 am
Friday funny II:
31 Aug: BBC: Richard Black
Farewell and thanks for reading
This is my last entry for this page – I’m leaving the BBC to work, initially,
on ocean conservation issues.
Black should have put “to work” in bold or caps or something, as his previous output scarcely qualifies as work….
Good on Romney for calling out Obama and the other warmistas (Gore, et. al.) who have the temerity to believe that we can control the oceans (and the winds, etc., etc.). Makes one think of that old commercial “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”….
(btw I’m a different Jeff…I support Morano and anything Breitbartian that exposes the lies/scam/etc. of AGW).
As these speeches go, this one was fairly tolerable and devoid of pandering to “progressive” sympathies that creep into the Republican big tent. None of GWB’s lame “compassionate conservatism” marketing hype here; just plain spoken statements that don’t assume a brain-numbed audience. No attempt to mollify eco-extremism; just the sensible assumption that people understand that no politicians in their right minds would attempt to revert to rampant polluting and despoiling of the landscape. It’s no longer necessary to tell people that of course you love the trees and animals. Refreshing, actually.
What does “fallacious logic” even mean in the context of Romney mocking Obama’s over-promising rhetoric?
Tom G(ologist) wrote:
I’m surprised more media commentaters didn’t make a comparison between Obama and king Canute. Perhaps Canute is not so well known on the other side of the pond.
But Scottish Sceptic, Chris B. and David L. Hagen have the correct take on the comparison.
Perhaps we should call his royal Obamaness, King YesWeCanute.
Romney wants three themes to this election: Job, jobs, and jobs.
This was a clever way to make crystal clear where his priorities lie.
zonasumaka,
I’ll take the good natured Bush over this jamoke:
@ur momisugly ldd says: August 31, 2012 at 9:46 am “What, TVO? Are you serious”
Chris Hedges is an American, duhhhhh !!!
Reblogged this on Climate Ponderings and commented:
“Let’s hope so! A mocking rejection of any claims that a U.S. president can control sea level is the only response that is appropriate. After all, we have advanced past medieval witchcraft — or have we?!”
“I’m sure to MSNCB that dig by Romney was a veiled racist comment – to them every thing is.”
Chris Matthews recently declared that a reference to Obama playing a lot of golf is racist. According to Matthews, the most prominent golfer right now is Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is black (even though Mr. Woods himself goes to great pains not to describe himself that way). Obama is also black. Therefore the reference to golf is just an attempt to remind voters that Obama is black, which a racist tactic to try and discredit Obama.