Chamber Of Commerce Rewrites History: ‘We’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming’
Chamber Of Commerce Rewrites History: ‘We’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming’
Tom Donohue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
Energy companies are abandoning the sinking ship of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in droves over its opposition to clean energy action, whether by the EPA or by Congress.
Under pressure, Chamber president Tom Donohue today claimed the Chamber “continues to support strong federal legislation and a binding international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.” And spokesman Eric Wohlschlegel recently argued that the Chamber respects the science of climate change:
We’ve never questioned the science behind global warming.
This is a blatant falsehood, by any definition. Just last month, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President William Kovacs called for the “Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century” to put “the science of climate change on trial.” The Chamber, dominated by pollution-industry skeptics such as Don Blankenship, Harry Alford, and Fred Palmer, has questioned climate science since at least 1992:
2008: Chamber President Tom Donohue Says ‘Scientific Inquiry’ Into Climate Change ‘Should Continue’ Because Of ‘Cooling Trend.’ [U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 3/4/08]
2001: Chamber Claims Global Warming ‘About One Percent From Human Activity,’ Says ‘Things Just Change.’ [CNNFN, 7/16/01]
1992: Chamber Sponsors Global Warming Denier Pat Michaels To ‘Refute The Global Warming Warnings.’ [Chicago Sun-Times, 5/13/92]
In addition to being the Chamber of Commerce president, Tom Donohue works for Union Pacific, a company opposed to climate regulation.
If you want a clean energy future with millions of clean energy jobs, this is the bill. If you want a chance at a global climate deal and hence a chance at preserving a livable climate, this is the bill. . . . This bill is key to taking back control of America’s future from Big Oil, the corporate polluters and their lobbyists, and you can be sure they are going to fight as hard — and as dirty — as possible to kill it.
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YOU LIE!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 5:27 pmDoes Dodohue really think he’s going to get away with that? What a blantant LIAR.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:29 pmtoo late, mr. donohue
the dues payers are already filing out the door,
like advertisers leaving the glenn beck show.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:34 pmLet’s see this Dcik spin this one.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:34 pmChamber Of Commerce Rewrites History: ‘We’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming’
– - Donohue: “This is a position we religiously stand behind.”
September 29th, 2009 at 5:36 pmWell. What do you know?
They’re a bunch of g*dd*mned f**king liars.
No one could have predicted THAT.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:36 pmNo character. No integrity. No honor. The party of No.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:40 pmThe Republican party just self destructed. MSM – prepare to re-tool.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:41 pmWe’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming
Of course they never questioned it. Their minds were made up before they even knew what the science was.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:41 pmWe’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming
This insults all former members who left because of the Chamber’s unprincipled stance. Don’t think it’s going to cause former members to rejoin, though.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:41 pmThe Chamber of Commerce is just another wing of K-Street.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:43 pmThese people still haven’t figured out that, in this age of instant recording and transmission of virtually every public statement, honesty isn’t optional.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:43 pmYou know, Thank’s to these idiots who have basically blew the chance to advance in Green technology for years. Now all other Countries are kicking our ass and we are a friggin joke. I think it may be too late to save ourselves. We should have tried to conserve years ago.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:44 pmIt just fine to change your stance on any given subject. All you need to do is give your justification for the change. What the Chamber of Commerce is doing is showing it’s lack of integrity.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:45 pmI’ll also bet Donohue and the other deniers will be “spending more time with their families,” real soon, as former members start putting on the pressure.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:45 pmIdiocy in the age of the YouTubes.
*eyes rolling*
September 29th, 2009 at 5:45 pmIt’s amazing how the Right Wing treats the truth with less respect than a teenager treats his or her status on Facebook
September 29th, 2009 at 5:49 pmHey, give the CoC some credit. They never did question it. That would be rational and call for reasoned discussion.
They went right to this is bull puckey.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:56 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
conservatism = junk political science.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:58 pmThe weird thing is that, despite the shouting, Americans are pretty forgiving of honest people and never forgive proven liars. If you will forgive a sports analogy:
Pete Rose never really came clean and he’ still not in the Hall of Fame. Mike Vick manned up, admitted his crimes and did his time. He his well on his way to redemption. One would think there would be one, self-professed, moderate who would try to form a new third party built on the motto:
We effed up. We’re sorry. We’ll try not to do it again.
So many recent disasters could have mitigated or prevented if those responsible simply stated they made mistakes and tried to fix them instead of rewriting history and outright lying about current events.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:01 pmPrimitive Man: What we do not understand, we fear and hide from.
Global Warming Deniers…. I’m just saying….
September 29th, 2009 at 6:03 pmFor all of the people like the CoC and conservative guy and such, how about you just go on a diet of Big Macs, that great American food, and get back to us in a few months.
Junk food for your junk science.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:03 pmThe CG troll is stupid but he’s not stupid enough to do anything beyond a crap and run on global warming threads. He’s not even up to the minimum troll standard and knows it.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:05 pmpete, real Republicans (and real men) never apologize. They don’t have to because they are always right. It is part of their belief about don’t confuse me with facts, I already know all the answers shtick.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:06 pmDamn, they’re shifting into reverse so fast you can hear the gears grinding.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:09 pmThis is the perfect time to watch “Pleasantville” for the denoument in the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce :D
September 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pmI fear you’re right, Hoodathunk. But then, I’ve written off the hardcore GOoPers for a long time and about all they have left is the hardcore. Greedy slobs, religious fanatics, and angry adolescents just aren’t up to the test. Such a party as I propose simply couldn’t come from a current GOoPer. If they tried they would be eviscerated by their own.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:13 pmThere is a reason the Repubs and their kind are in trouble. Who would want to party with a bunch of flaming arseholes?
September 29th, 2009 at 6:17 pmSuppose this signals an actual change-of-mentality — I don’t think it does, since self-capitalist brain decay stays incurable as research continues, but — suppose change of CoC-brain happens, just for the sake of argument wedge.
Then it shows ‘responsiveness of leadership to constituent common sense,’ more faster than Congress shows or individual corrupt Careerist Pols show. Maybe signifying an (ad hoc) Economy Congress (’commerce businesses’) in the body politick overruling the As-Constituted Congress (US Legislative branch) in governing the country.
That was only my point. CoC (or some organization, or organization of organizations like CoC), effectively replacing US Congress.
The ‘wedge’ word in such an argument is driven between to separate Chamber of Comm (lobbyizing money) away from elected Representatives (lawmaking). Set those two ‘institutions’ in opposition against each other.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:18 pmThe ‘wedge’ word in such an argument is driven between to separate Chamber of Comm (lobbyizing money) away from elected Representatives (lawmaking). Set those two ‘institutions’ in opposition against each other.
Even easier, quit treating companies as the equal of humans.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:22 pmHow is it that not conserving the natural world is not a conservative value?
September 29th, 2009 at 6:29 pmBTW – when the Republicans finally crash and burn they will be squealing about the end of America and the end of the World. It has already started, but just wait until the end of the Republican party is upon us.
They will swear America is on the precipice when in reality things are getting better. It’s their way – corrupted.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:30 pm‘We’ve Never Questioned The Science Behind Global Warming’
No you haven’t, you have flat out lied about it.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pmconservatism = mental illness
September 29th, 2009 at 6:36 pmThe past thirty years of this sort of activity has been like a giant boil growing on the backside of America. It has finally been lanced and we are seeing the abscess drain. It isn’t pretty, pretty disgusting as a matter of fact, but now maybe we can start to heal.
The CoC is just realizing that they are part of the draining.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:38 pmHoodathunk: The comment about treating companies as equal of human beings is right on target. Try google on Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and read about when the trouble started.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pmClimate change legislation would disturb the natural habitation of oompa loompas, forcing them to migrate to America’s backyards.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:47 pmWe’re in a process of cooling; in fact, my microwave has transformed itself into a freezer.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:49 pm(PhysOrg.com) — Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA’s ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a Space Age high.
“In 2009, cosmic ray intensities have increased 19% beyond anything we’ve seen in the past 50 years,” says Richard Mewaldt of Caltech. “The increase is significant, and it could mean we need to re-think how much radiation shielding astronauts take with them on deep-space missions.”
Hurm.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pmYou can be sure that all the people that are now criticizing
September 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pmthe science, will be the first ones to reassure us, that “science will find a solution”.
Truly excellent, albeit belated and hypocritical.
OTOH, Mr. Donohue is simply demonstrating that in the corporate world, money (annual dues payments, in this case) trumps politically driven boob science every time.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:16 pmIt seems the CoC is flexible. When corporate interests hand them money, they say whatever they are told to say. This is not to be confused with an entity called the Chamber of Commerce that represents the business interests of local municipalities that encouraged the development of said local businesses.
The key word here is local. The national entity just likes mega bucks from mega corps.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:24 pmOf course they didn’t question the science behind “global warming”–they made a statement about it. No question marks.
Besides, I’m sure they’re hiding behind the fact it’s called “climate change” right now–of course they didn’t question it, since “global warming” no longer exists in the vocabulary of some.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:35 pmFor the first Century of the United States Corporations were forbidden to participate in politics! It’s time to return to the values that our country was founded on, and restrict Corporations from being involved in and funding politics! Why do the Extremist Republicans hate our Constitution and our Values?
September 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pmPlease call it what it is. A LIE. “Blatant falsehood” is three too many syllables. It was a LIE. The Chamber lied, pure and simple. Please just say “This is a lie”.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:07 pmHey conservative guy, when you say ridiculous things about global warming not being real you do that just to get a response from us libs. Right. I figure if your a con and your smart enough to figure out the internet,and your not afraid of it then you must be smart enough to listen to real scientists. Global warming is real. If you dont think that all the toxic fumes that man spews into our atmosphere everyday isnt harming our planet, then you truley are an ignorant wingnut. Stop listening to limpo and beck. They talk about handing over a huge national deficet to our children and grandchildren. If we keep going the way we are without trying to reverse the damage that we have done to our planet,then a deficet will not even matter to them. They will look back and ask why we didnt do anything to try and save our planet. Beck and limpo obviously already live on another planet, fck them. We need this planet. Get real before its to late.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:22 pmSome day I’m gonna invent a way to use my computer to see what people said in the past. Maybe I could come up with a neat name like Lexis, Google, or even videos named the You Tubes.
You’d think these folks would learn that these tools exist and worse than being found in the wrong is lying about it and being found out.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:51 pm@ 44. Hoodathunk, you are so exactly and precisely correct.
There is a split between the local chambers and the national. That’s not unique though; it happens in other organizations with local chapters and a national office. Our local chamber busts it butt working business development issues and that sort of thing.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:31 pm.
Rift at U.S. Chamber of Commerce over climate change
Tue Sep 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE58S5XH20090929
(embolden M-I-N-E)
.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:00 amThe Chamber of Commerce is one of the most powerful unions in the world.
Remember, unionizing is BAD when workers do it, but GOOD when corporations do it.
Union money in politics is BAD, but CoC money is what drives the wheels of capitalism!
The CoC, as most conservatives say about all unions, has totally outlived it’s usefulness and has become nothing but a cesspool of corruption and does nothing but enrich it’s members at the cost of everyone around them.
Corporate socialism = good, citizen-level socialism = BAD!
Damn, if there’s any union fueling the class-war, it’s the Chamber of “Commerce”.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:23 amNow here is some truth on all this:
http://americaspeaksink.com/2008/12/global-warming-and-the-jonestown-koolaide/
http://americaspeaksink.com/2009/09/will-roman-polanski-be-raped-in-prison/
September 30th, 2009 at 9:03 am