Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
People wonder why anthropogenic global warming is a politicized issue. Here’s one reason among many. In a presentation aimed at the holidays that is impossible to parody, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has put up a website called, no kidding, “the Democrat’s guide to talking politics with your republican uncle”.
I loved how they capitalized “Democrat” but not “republican”. And here’s the advertisement for the web page that they’ve emailed out to alert the faithful to the new website:
Me, I’m not a member of either party. I vote for the person not the party, and my general political philosophy is “A Pox On Both Their Houses”. However, I like to stay current with the propaganda from both sides.
In any case, there’s a section of that DNC web page that covers climate. It’s hilarious. Here are all of the different parts of their climate claims:
Climate: 97% of scientists vs. your Republican uncle
Myth
Climate change is just a liberal scare tactic.
Fact
Forgive us for being convinced by the 97% of climate scientists who agree that climate change is real and believe that humans are probably causing it. Republican obstruction on policies to address climate change endangers our environment and hurts our economy.
[Source]
Now, their [Source] is a NASA web page, and it goes to some length to prove that the globe has actually warmed over the last few centuries … but then we all knew that most scientists agree about that. However, in a classic “bait and switch”, it says nothing about whether humans are responsible, much less whether 97% of scientists believe that humans are driving the climate to Thermageddon. In fact, the NASA site doesn’t mention the bogus 97% number even once … that’s their evidence for their “97%” claim??? Do they understand what [Source] is supposed to mean?
[UPDATE: An alert reader pointed out below that there is a link on their page to another page which is supposed to give support for the “97%” number … but doesn’t. Instead, what it has are links to meaningless statements from the boards (not the members but the boards) of scientific societies, plus a citation to the laughable Naomi Oreskes study and such. Pathetic. In any case, the appeal to consensus is meaningless. As Michael Crichton said:
I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.
Can’t say it clearer than that.]
And alas, even NASA can’t resist the hype. They say:
Sea level rise
Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.
Umm … er … no. Not true in the slightest. That claim is the result of splicing the satellite data onto the tidal gauge data, which shows no such rise. See Figure 3 here for details. [UPDATE: See also Steve Fitzpatrick’s comments below.]
NASA also gets all breathless about ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica, saying:
Shrinking ice sheets
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.
While that might sound impressive, that’s an ice loss rate for Greenland of 0.01% per year … and for Antarctica it’s a tenth of that, only a thousandth of a percent (0.001%) over three years … bad scientists, no cookies. That’s unbridled alarmism from people who should know better.
Setting NASA aside, the “republican uncle” page goes on to say,
Myth
Humans can’t do anything to combat rising CO2 levels.
Fact
Except we already are combating rising CO2. In 2012, the U.S. recorded the lowest levels of carbon emissions in nearly two decades . And by taking steps like improving fuel efficiency, we can do more in the years ahead. Because of new standards, for instance, the average car in 2025 will achieve a fuel economy equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly double that of cars on the road today. A goal, by the way, that Republicans tried to block.
They say that we “… will achieve a fuel economy…”? I do love the idea that King Barack Canute can order the tides to roll back, or order the average car to get 54.5 miles per gallon ten years from now, and it will perforce happen. The idiocy is revealed by the “.5” in the goal. These are the same fools, using the same kind of “order it and it must happen” idiotic logic who ordered oil refiners to utilize a product that doesn’t exist … but I digress.
More to the point, the reduction in CO2 emissions is NOT from any push, governmental or otherwise, to get off of fossil fuels. It is from the shift to a different fossil fuel, natural gas … the production of which has been widely opposed by Democrats. Taking credit for changes that they opposed … like I said, you can’t parody this stuff.
Finally, whether the US makes any changes in CO2 emissions is meaningless these days. We’re a minor player in the game. Here’s a graphic I made a couple of years ago showing why:
As you can see, the developing nations are now in the driver’s seat. US emissions are already nearly flat. It doesn’t much matter what we do.
Myth
The United States can’t stay economically competitive if we address climate change.
Fact
Climate change itself is taking a toll on our economy. In 2012, climate and weather disasters cost the United States more than $100 billion . And right now, other countries are making huge investments in research and development to confront this crisis with new technologies — which means new industries and new jobs. We can’t afford to fall behind them. The longer Republicans deny climate change exists, the further we fall behind.
The myth of “green jobs” has been exploded many times and places, the latest being Germany and Spain. There’s no cheese at the end of that maze.
And they’re playing fast and loose with the facts by claiming that the $100 billion cost of climate and weather disasters has anything at all to do with climate change. It has to do with weather, but there’s been no overall increase in extreme events … and in fact, the recent year has seen one of the lowest disaster rates in quite a while. Crisis, my okole. See here for details.
Finally, their “source” for the $100 billion number is nothing but another DNC puff piece that has no sources listed, and the figures given are labeled “Estimated” … pathetic.
Myth
President Obama wants the United States to stop climate change alone.
Fact
This summer President Obama announced a plan to reduce U.S. carbon pollution 25% from 2005 levels by 2020. But he also knows that climate change can only be solved if the international community works together. That’s why this November, the President announced a groundbreaking agreement to work with China to reduce carbon pollution and to increase the country’s non-fossil fuel energy to around 20% by 2030 .
It was a “groundbreaking agreement” alright, but not for the reasons they claim. It was groundbreaking because never in history have we given up so much in return for so little. It requires the US to take action immediately, but it allows the Chinese to increase their CO2 emissions as much as they want until 2030. Brilliant piece of negotiation, groundbreaking to say the least. The Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank … and the myth is absolutely true, Obama is left going it alone.
The best part of the web page, however, is that sprinkled throughout the document are a number of links with the little Twitter tweety-bird symbol next to them. If you click on one, it composes an automatic tweet all ready to go out under your byline, like this one:
#FACT: 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and believe that humans are causing it. http://my.democrats.org/yru-climate
And the link at the end, to the website called “yru-climate”? …
Why, of course, that link goes to the website called “your republican uncle”.
Somewhere, the Founding Fathers are weeping …
Best to everyone, whether your uncles are Repuglicans or Demagogues,
w.
PS—If you disagree with someone, please be so kind as to QUOTE THE EXACT WORDS YOU DISAGREE WITH. That way we can all understand the exact nature of your objections.
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Many good points there Willis, but I think this one is rather weak:
The problem is that the developing nations are not one county, they are several independent ones and each of them can point to their own small emission and say that our emissions doesn’t matter much.
(Well, China may have a problem with saying this, but it is easily solved by splitting up their figures and looking at the emissions from each Canton independently.)
Seriously speaking, no country matter more than the US in this.
If the US, which is the second largest carbon emitter in the world, and the most prosperous large country in the world, will not make an effort, then all smaller and less prosperous counties can point to the US and say: “Why should we pay for this when the US doesn’t? Our citizens are emitting far less CO2 than the richer US citizens”.
/Jan
True Jan, but you ignore several messages incorporated in the article. The US has reduced emissions, and future TOTAL emissions will increase IMMENSELY, regardless of any further US cut back. Look at the chart. A 15 percent cut in the US will do almost nothing for global emissions.
Neither China or India will cut back regardless of anything Europe of the US does, and they, along with all developing nations, will celebrate the fact that our cuts make us less competitive with them for global production needs and wants.
Also of course is the simple fact that it is good news that they do not cut their emissions of CO2, which is globally beneficial.
David, you may be right that the benefits of the currently elevated CO2 level outweigh the losses. It probably gives some heating, some less alkaline seawater and some extra plant growth – whether we end up with more benefits than losses with the current level of 400 ppm compared to the pre-industrial level of 270 ppm is hard to say.
And you are definitely right that if we do nothing to curb the emissions, they will probably increase dramatically as the developing world will be using more energy. The CO2 level in the end of this century can be the triple of the pre-industrial level. The crucial question is then whether the losses will still be small with such high CO2 level.
I am not so sure that I would take that risk.
/Jan
losses with CO2 at 400 ? care to list even one ?
actually on a per citizen basis the US is not the second largest emitter … and below you talk about the current losses associated with CO2 at 400 … care to list even one loss ? kind of hard since there are none … you sound reasonable in your comments but then completely ignore the facts … ignorance like that takes years of propaganda to develop so I guess we can’t expect you to unlearn it very quickly but you should at least try …
Kaiser,
If you want only one loss I can pick a quite uncontroversial one: CO2 causes corrosion in the reinforcements in concrete. http://www.concretecorrosion.net/html_en/mecanism/cadre.htm
The process is that CO2 causes a chemical process called “carbonation” which leads to lowering the PH in the concrete. The enforcement starts to corrode when the PH decreases below 9.5. Higher CO2 concentration gives shorter time before the corrosion starts.
The US is as a country the second largest emitter after China, and the emissions per capita is much larger in US than in China. You can of cause find some small countries with even higher emissions per capita than US, but US has the highest emissions among the big nations.
/Jan
That propaganda has been analyzed by actual civil-structural engineers … and has been found to be greatly exaggerated, and the results trivial in the real life of real-world rebar and actual concrete covering thicknesses. If you build “per code” there is no lifetime loss of strength nor integrity.
It is the FEARS of CO2 that ACTUALLY DO cause politicians to promote policies that ACTUALLY DO kill millions and harm billions every year.
RAC says:
Sorry RAC, but you have to show me some documentation for your claims.
The effect of carbonatation of concrete is well documented and has a high cost to society as is described in the link I provided.
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonatation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_degradation
http://www.understanding-cement.com/carbonation.html
or simply search “concrete carbonation” in Google
/Jan
One absurd meme of the present day is that tomorrow’s problems will be tackled using today’s technology. Like, “they’ve gone about as fer as they can go” in “Kansas City”. Why do folks base faith on dire predictions rather than their grand-children’s resourcefulness? Negative thought is the underlying driver of anxiety and impatience so prevalent in many societies. It provokes the need to guess what’s going to happen next and prevent or modify the outcome. I see the media alarmist litany as spawned from negativity and harmful to the “global mentality”. When positive thought is adopted and information is filtered through critical rules of analysis, perspective of the future becomes less frightening and more exciting. My Utopian dream of the future is worldwide enlightenment through optimism, rather than world government control of resources
Jan Kjetil Andersen December 25, 2014 at 2:37 am
Near as I can tell, we have no actual evidence that anybody’s emissions matter in the slightest.
Jan, if you want to go to the developing nations and inform them that they should further impoverish their citizens by fighting the imaginary menace of CO2, be my guest. Many people have tried it, and to a country, the developing nations have told them to piss off … and so they should.
And rightly so, because nobody should pay for such a useless pile of merde. Jan, we’ve just (over my objections) instituted Cap-and-Trade in California. It will cost us untold billions of dollars with a “b”, and is estimated to produce a cooling of … wait for it … 0.02°C by 2050. I can’t tell you how sick I am of well-meaning folks like yourself earnestly assuring me that that’s a good deal. See here for more about this insane proposal.
As to the idea that if the US leads the others will follow, we’ve already tried that with the Kyoto Protocol and guess what? The people who signed on to Kyoto aren’t even following their own lead, much less the developing nations..
Look, India and China are not suicidal. They’re not going to sentence their people to eternal poverty just because well-meaning wealthy people like you think it’s a brilliant plan. Meanwhile, the fight against CO2 has already driven electricity costs in Germany and Spain and the UK through the roof.
People are freezing all over Europe in fuel poverty, but noooo, Jan thinks sentencing people to shiver in their homes is such a brilliant plan that the US and all the other countries should follow suit …
Sorry, pal, but some of us are smarter than that. You do not get to claim the moral high ground when you are putting your damn foot on the neck of the poor. Your proposal is immensely destructive, and the only good news is, the developing nations are paying absolutely no attention to your maniacal delusions.
w.
PS—LOOK AT THE CHART! The emissions of the industrialized nations are nearly flat. Suppose we make them actually flat … will that make any difference? Emissions in the developing world are skyrocketing, and that’s the best news that the world could have. It means that they will actually able to have things like refrigerators in their health clinics, and their housewives and farmers will be released from endless, backbreaking work. How anyone can oppose that is a mystery to me.
Willis
As I answered to David above, I am most concerned about the long time consequences. With business as usual scenario we may get a CO2 level in the end of this century of more than the triple of the pre-industrial level. That may have serious effects which I think it is hazardous to ignore.
It will be a considerable economic cost to reduce the carbon emissions, and the rich world has to carry most of the burden. However, we have to remember that we expect the world economy to grow anyway. In the next 30 – 40 years the economy per capita will probably more than double in most of the developing world and it will probably also increase considerably per capita in the industrialized world.
The cost of carbon reduction will not take all this growth, but it can reduce it by a few percent. This put the choices in perspective. We do not talk about going back to poor conditions and to shiver in our homes. The question is whether we should choose a course with somewhat slower economic growth to avoid tripling the CO2 content in the atmosphere.
/Jan
Jan Kjetil Andersen wrote, “With business as usual scenario … ”
When in the last 100 years has there been a “business as usual scenario”? We stopped cutting trees for heat, replacing them with coal, oil, gas and nuclear power. Horses are now used only for recreation. Commercial buildings are supported by steel. Pocket calculators and street maps are relics.
The only constant is change, driven by man’s curiosity and ingenuity and desire to invent new things and make life better.
plus we could have a good El Nino to assist the CO2 levels:
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2009/05/global-warming-causing-carbon-dioxide-increases-a-simple-model/
I sympathize. We’re anticipating Carbon Taxes here in the Green Mountain State of Vermont and with renewal of the Production Tax Credit (what marketing outfit writes this crap?), we’re looking forward to more good jobs dozing ridge lines and installing worthless whirligigs.
My wood shed is full.
Happy New Year and thanks Willis.
What is seldom mentioned, or taken into account when estimating the amount of CO2 released by 20xx (e.g., 2040, 2050, etc.) is what is referred to as ‘peak oil’. The ‘Save the Earth’ crowd seem to be rather one-tracked in their catastrophe predictions and incapable of considering more than one at a time, or the effects of one on the other.
Since the availability of (usable) hydrocarbons seems to be a function of cost-to-extract, and at current rates that cost is rapidly increasing, it is highly probable that by the 2040 to 2050 time frame other less costly forms of energy that are also less carbon intensive will be discovered/developed and the remaining hydrocarbons reserved for better uses. I was in Houston during the OPEC initiated petroleum crisis in the ’70’s where several Oil Industry executives were quoted as saying that it was a shame to burn crude oil, it was much more valuable to mankind as chemical feedstocks.
I’m not against spending a bit of my tax money on research, but to commit thousands of old pensioners to freezing to death as parts of Europe have done is totally unacceptable to any caring individual. I have to agree with Willis on that.
speed says:
Yes, we could of course be lucky. Perhaps new technologies will give us some cheap and carbon free energy which will outperform carbon based energy on pure economical terms. Perhaps carbon based energy will be history before the CO2 level raises to extreme levels.
But that doesn’t seem to happen in the foreseeable future, and I think it is a rather bad practice to base long term planning on luck.
/Jan
Jan – we don’t need luck, we already have technology that could replace hydrocarbon fuels for power generation. Nuclear. Unfortunately the left is even more afraid of the scary lies they spread about nuclear then they are the ones they spread about CO2.
Jan, Free renewable energy provides the most expensive unreliable electricity, proven actual results. Get your foot off the neck of the poor.
My response to the 97% argument:
Know what else has 97% agreement? Election results in Nord Korea.
Normal,
It was more than that I think. Kim eel demands nothing else……
A REAL consensus……..
new normal,
your point has relevance beyond the obvious.
Sufficient political pressure can achieve a near monolithic consensus in favor of the most wildly unlikely propositions. The following picture shows North Koreans mourning the death of the vile dictator Kim Jong Il
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/12/20/1324395848795/North-Koreans-mourn-the-d-007.jpg
Think of them as government climate scientists.
Never been a fan of truth by comittee.
And I do think that sosiologly the climate change circus wouldn’t be possible without the evil wave of political correctnes gripping the western world.
Happy Xmas to you all.
The Fact the democrats fear the most is no longer the Republican Uncle, it’s the Republican Niece and Nephew. They seem to be popping up everywhere like Spring Flowers.
AGW is an invention of the Club of Rome to frighten the Plebs into accepting loss of freedom of speech and personal liberties to ‘save the world’ and make it easier to achieve the New World order. see http://www.theeuroprobe.org 2014 – 002 From: Watts Up With That? To: mickgreenhough@yahoo.co.uk Sent: Thursday, 25 December 2014, 6:24 Subject: [New post] Automated Twits #yiv1008520438 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv1008520438 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv1008520438 a.yiv1008520438primaryactionlink:link, #yiv1008520438 a.yiv1008520438primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv1008520438 a.yiv1008520438primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv1008520438 a.yiv1008520438primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv1008520438 WordPress.com | Willis Eschenbach posted: “Guest Post by Willis EschenbachPeople wonder why anthropogenic global warming is a politicized issue. Here’s one reason among many. In a presentation aimed at the holidays that is impossible to parody, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has put u” | |
The halting rhytm of the “poem” does not bode well for the Democrats.
Hey, Willis, Merry Christmas and don’t let your blood get angrified.
Typical orthodox arrogance, but with a peculiar insecurity that might arise from ultimate belief in social institutions. Merry Christmas everyone.
CARBON pollution. Is that diamonds, graphite, graphene or other pure carbon substances? Or is that all carbon containing substances: DNA, carbohydrates, carbonate rocks, hydrocarbons? Once you buy into the inaccurate use of the language, you start giving credence to the argument.
A little carbon pollution with methyl carbinol can lubricate the family discussions.
Merry Christmas
when I studied organic chemistry, back in the early 80’s, it was widely understood that the building block of all organic compounds was….carbon.
go figure.
It was that way earlier. I wonder if it’s being changed to pollution chemistry.
people suck.
Yeah, Merry Christmas
Im sorry mikerestin…
most people (the vast majority) are pretty good. a few suck.
I hope your Christmas is a happy one.
The Democrats received a swift and broad-based rebuke in the last election. They are a damaged brand, and will NOT recover until they jettison the radical left wing, progressives which comprise about a third of their base (and are the ones who are the ardent true believers in the global warming nonsense). I’ve already seen evidence that the middle working folks who have been faithful Democrats over the years have already moved on.
I think if they took a good hard run at Prohibition, a rebound in 2016 would not be too difficult. Remember 1932?
Having a U.S. president serve his last 2 years under congressional opposition is quite common (at least in the last 60 years):
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/11/05/obama-republican-senate-elections-eisenhower-reagan-clinton-bush/18525043/
So I am not sure that the Republican congressional takeover says much about anything except the continuing dissatisfaction and low approval of congress in general:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/19/us-usa-congress-confidence-idUSKBN0EU1SC20140619
Twas the night before Christmas,
And accross every state
The families were gathering
To celebrate.
Things were going smoothly
‘Til one auntie did cry:
The Earth’s burning up!
We’re all going to die!
If this sounds like something
You’re starting to fear,
We’ve got something for you,
Take a look – just click here!
We’ve had all along
A site filled with facts
So you’ll have what you need
To counter attacks.
The climate is just fine —
The temperature too —
To worry is just silly
No need to boo hoo.
So no matter what she’s heard
From Gore or TV news
Your democrat Auntie
Is just going to lose.
Show up with the facts
(And some hollandaise sauce)
And enjoy being home
Instead of being cross!
Much better, thanks!
I was afraid someone was going to beat me to this. Aw, what the heck, since I already wrote it in my notes I guess I’ll post it. But your poem humbles mine. Merry Christmas to you, sir. And to all.
”Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the home
Everybody was freezing
They were chilled to the bone
Things weren’t really going smoothly
Then one uncle did roar:
“Obama – socialist or not
Has become quite a bore!
He really caused my electrical rates
To skyrocket and soar”
If this sounds like something
You’re starting to fear,
Pour down a stiff drink
There’s plenty more to hear!
From climate to healthcare —
The economy too —
Will make the day you voted for him
Be a day you’ll always regret and rue
He’ll warm up in Hawaii
(But for you, you’re holiday cheer)
Will be trying to forget him
Now come all, let’s have a beer!
Obama is not a socialist. He is a communist.
Worse than that even, he’s a Progressive.
Eh, communists are socialists… the only real difference is that communists will tell you that at some unknown time in the future, but certainly “soon,” society will no longer need the brutal totalitarian government currently in place – utopia. The socialists offer no such hope. At least in this one sense, the socialists are more honest.
Mark
He is nothing of the sort. He is a mainstream Democrat.
Communist, socialist, mainstream democrat – why split hairs? Today it’s all the same thing.
From Why Daddy is a Democrat:
http://littledemocrats.net/images/Sick.JPG
(that’s not satire)
Then what is it, Khwarizmi?
It’s one of the few things they ARE good at….. propaganda.
Generally, medical thermometers work best when you insert the bulb side into your mouth. I’m supposing that they must have consulted the NCDC for technical assistance with the illustrations…[heh]
Didn’t see your comment. vvv
Yeah, it looks like CDC approved climate science at its finest.
I always thought “rectum” was the answer to that question. If it is truly “mouth,” then I think I’m legally dead in many places (just over 97).
Mark
Don’t worry, they’ll adjust the data afterwards to get the correct result.
He’s got the wrong end of the thermometer in his mouth.
Maybe that explains the real reason that warmists believe there is a problem and the data don’t agree with the theory? 😉
In my experience, I find many cases within the progressive ranks where education has greatly outstripped IQ.
Wishing all skeptics a wonderful New Year.
Wishing all CAGW proponents some much needed enlightenment and escape from the grips of the propaganda.
Bruce
I salute them. “Why Daddy is a Democrat” is the very best recruiting tool an opposition party (to the Democrats) could possibly hope for. I remember the words to a song (I believe by Art Garfunkel) that went: “When I look back at all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” Well, the vapid, simplistic, devious, and blithering author of ‘Why Daddy is a Democrat’ (WDIAD) has assured that any sentient being will now have the chance to look back on ‘all the crap they learned’, not just in high school, but also in grade school, and pre-grade school. Talk about adolescent rebellion getting a head start. I particularly liked the very first presentation in WDIAD (even before the ludicrous sick Earth representation – rocks don’t get sick) where Democrats provide fire departments and the police the tools to do their job. You mean like the leftist, Democratic, Oakland California city council deliberating to give police hollow point bullets? (A bullet form outlawed for warfare by Geneva Conventions dating back to the late 1800s.) Or, howze ’bout the Obama administration providing surplus military armoured personnel carriers to local police – vehicles I think are a little OTT for civilian police forces? Once the trusting, naive, vulnerable children grow up and discover they’ve been lied to, taken advantage of, and manipulated by this crap; well, it just might cause a wee bit of blowback.
Some of their message is on target:
Good advice for all sides.
Thanks to the entire WUWT family for providing facts and good cheer all year round.
>and for Antarctica it’s a tenth of that, only a thousandth of a percent (0.001%) over three years
When you figure that Antarctica has 4.5 sq miles of land, that figures out to be half an inch per year. It is absurd to think that “they” can even measure that. I doubt a satellite could accurately measure the change in snow depth of my house lot to an inch, and it’s relatively flat.
These people may be lacking facts, but the real problem is that their general critical reasoning and questioning ability is non-existent.
Which is why they don’t do facts, but feelings, and why giving them facts is useless.
Best thing to do here is to not either not bother (you’ll be wasting your time and the mood will be trashed), but work on their ability to think straight instead, the rest will (eventually) work itself out. And if it doesn’t, well, there is nothing you can do anyway, might as well try to teach the cat to do the washing up instead.
So far, my cat has learned how to press the on button on the dishwasher 😉
(Merry Christmas everyone!)
Yes, but they have moral superiority which is more important than any fact or critical reasoning nonsense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxaxJNs15s
So does the cat.
Leftists keep confusing critical thinking/reasoning with critical theory.
At the end of the day, US Democrats, the British and Australian parties, the French and German Socialists, the ecoloon activist groups (Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth etc) all have as their core belief that natural climate change/cycles abruptly stopped around 1950 (for the first time in 4 billion years) and then the effects of man took over.
Yeah right……………
Oops, the British and Australian Labor parties……….
Willis – agree with nearly all of what you say as usual, but I think your voting philosophy – “I vote for the person not the party” – is a big mistake. Unfortunately, it’s shared by many others as well who are independent thinkers. But it’s a major tactical error. The big decisions in Congress are determined by numbers, especially in the Senate. Because of overall senate or house leadership and committee control, the party with the most members runs the show – determines what legislation is introduced, who testifies at hearings, what gets voted on, what kinds of votes are allowed, and of course, which way individual members must vote. A dissenting party member on a topic such as climate change may be allowed to vote contrary to the party line, if it’s necessary to fool his constituents into supporting him, but that’s only when the votes have been counted ahead of time and there’s no danger of the dissenter swaying the total the wrong way. There used to be a species of voter – nearly extinct now – known as the yellow dog Democrat. – “I’d vote for a Democrat even if he was a yellow dog.” The term is a pejorative, but in reality, rigid party-line affiliation is the only way to go. If you want socialized medicine and climate change lunacy with their desired goal of total control of the economy and the populace, then vote for Democrats. If you don’t, then vote Republican, no matter how doglike the candidate might be. It’s a simple binary decision.
What has evolved over the last decades since Woodrow Wilson is Progressives vs (is there a counter side?). While we still have a 2 party system, it is the Progressives in both parties who are winning by giving what he people want to hear. And in recent years, giving the western world entitlement society what they want, regardless if the wealth of the nation can sustain the “gifts”. The Progressives use government to enrich their elitist friends while enhancing their power to do so.
How many politicians arrive in office less than a millionaire and leave a multi-millionaire? Follow the money.
“I vote for the person not the party”
I used to do that until I realized that the person votes with the party better than 95% of the time. Now my voting strategy is pretty simple: Which non-Democrat is closest to my position on things. After the health care fiasco, I’ll never vote for another Democrat at any level of government ever again. Basically they stole from me and my family once they forced my employer to shed a health care plan they had offered for a decade that worked very well for my family and I. In return, I will never vote for a member of their party again, for the rest of my life and that goes all the way down to the office of city dog catcher.
Yep. The lesser of two evils. That’s really all that is left until there is a legitimate 3rd party. Democrats are statists who will rob you blind. Republicans are only slightly better.
My general response to my liberal, fact oriented friends has been sending the blog entry
Eleven signs of cooling. A new little Ice Age coming? http://lenbilen.com/2014/07/01/eleven-signs-of-cooling-a-new-little-ice-age-coming/
To those that are more political and ideological I send: CO2, the life giving gas, not “Carbon Pollution”. A Limerick – and explanation. http://lenbilen.com/2014/02/22/co2-the-life-giving-gas-not-carbon-pollution-a-limerick-and-explanation/
When I send it to a liberal, “climate science” website it is usually flagged as “offensive” or “spam”. Some ask who is paying me to spread such lies.
If they claim to be Christian, I have just penned: On “The sin of the world” and “The lie”, what does that mean? http://lenbilen.com/2014/12/22/on-the-sin-of-the-world-and-the-lie-what-does-that-mean/
The fight to learn the truth about the Climate must go on. We cannot leave it to the politicians. They have no idea, but a rather large agenda. And it has nothing to do with climate.
From above:
“While that might sound impressive, that’s an ice loss rate for Greenland of 0.01% per year … and for Antarctica it’s a tenth of that, only a thousandth of a percent (0.001%) over three years … bad scientists, no cookies. That’s unbridled alarmism from people who should know better”
What is the error in these measurements? How can they measure something to 0.001% over three years? Do be more forthright, I make measurements for a living and I don’t believe they can do that! There error bars must be at least 10 times as big as their measurement.
If anyone has the knee-jerk audacity to bring up such talkings points on Christmas day to their uncle or anyone else, they should be conned into watching this mock you toon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZrqdZFFb5c Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanks Willis for all your generous work this year and happy holidays to everyone who comments and contributes here. WUWT is a gift that gives every day of the year. Thank you!
Brute
December 25, 2014 at 3:00 am
Please. The only thing republicans seem to think long term about is that they are happy losing one election after another. Neither party has ideologies to speak of and their political programs are just opportunistic. Consider that, for instance, climate warming was in fact invented by the Thatcher government. Look it up.
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There are so many inaccuracies here, it’s hard to know where to begin. Republicans are now in power in more higher places across the country than they have been since the 1920s. They have an ideology and so do Democrats. You need to read the party platforms to understand them in depth but the differences are stark and telling. The problem, of course, is that the political system is set up so that no ideology can become overly dominant. Do you believe, for example, that the EPA would have been running wild for the last 6 years if a Republican had been president?
As for Thatcher inventing “climate warming,” that’s the most ridiculous claim of all. Both Reagan and Thatcher and their advisers took the claims of climate scientists at their word during the 80s. Like most of us, they implicitly trusted that climate science was on the level. It turned out it was not, but the virus spread and eventually most people who have found the time to study the issue now know that the science is agenda driven and on very shaky ground.
Here’s a link to Michael Oppenheimer bragging about the IPCC defrauding the Reagan Administration.
http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/11/01/ipcc_beginnings/
“Do you believe, for example, that the EPA would have been running wild for the last 6 years if a Republican had been president?”
The problem is that they are BOTH parties of extremes. One wants to regulate down to the level of carbon and the other wants to deregulate everything, especially their buddies at the banks and industrial cronies specializing in dumping toxic waste wherever and whenever. Just no one in the middle with a chance because both candidates have to tow the lines on the ridiculous party platforms, and also because the system has been rigged against any third parties. Might explain the continuing low voter turn out, as in why bother…….
The reason their “buddies at the banks” have the power they do is purely a result of the regulation you so favor. Take it away, and you take away the ability of the government to grant favors. Pretty simple. Oh, and suing for dumping toxic waste actually works… particularly when a lawsuit brought by a private citizen(s) can amount to orders of magnitudes greater payout than the pittance levied by government fines (plus, the payout goes to those actually harmed, not some benevolent government agency with its own agenda).
Mark
^^^^ THIS +1 Merry Christmas to all!
From BFL: republicans want “to deregulate everything, especially their buddies at the banks and industrial cronies specializing in dumping toxic waste wherever and whenever.”
hyperbole much? What a ridiculous statement. Stop listening to CNN/MSNBC/HuffPo propaganda.
A growing number of republicans are trying desperately to get back to the limitations on government that were intended by the founding fathers. That is a limited government that confines itself to creating legislation related to the 18 things in the USC, Article I, Section 8. That includes making rules for commerce that represent an equal playing field for all and let the chips fall where they may for those in the game. That is how capitalism works, and has worked in the past history of the US to lift more people out of poverty and into a middle class than any other form of government in the history of the world. There is typical envy and jealously in your statement. You shouldn’t be jealous and resentful of bankers making more money than you. I know two bankers and I’ll bet they work much harder than you and are two of the most ethical, caring people that I know in my community. And, are you assuming that CO2 emissions are toxic waste? The EPA thinks so and will soon make your life a living hell, reaching into your pocket and taking as much cash out as possible and widening the gap even more between you and those evil bankers you hate/envy so much.
Get a brain. Please…
Bruce
PS: I’m an independent conservative and unaffiliated voter.
“You need to read the party platforms to understand them in depth”
Actually, no. The party platforms are non-binding and are generally for the amusement of party delegates at the respective conventions.
“Non-binding” has nothing to do with it. I was responding to the claim that Republicans have no ideology. Of course they have an ideology that is laid out in general principles and positions in the platform. The differences between the Republican and Democrat platforms are stark on a variety of issues. The platforms are where ideology is written. Politics is where ideology often needs to be sublimated.