Think Progress

Ollie North Launches New War Against ‘Cap And Tax,’ ‘Bird Eating Machines,’ And The ‘Myth Of Global Warming’ - Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Lt. Col. Oliver North (Ret.) has launched a new war against the “cap and tax” plans of President Barack Obama and the “socialists in Congress.” North — when not serving as a Fox News correspondent — runs the Freedom Alliance, an organization supposedly dedicated to “defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a [...]

The Board Of The ‘Voice Of Business’ Is A Republican Money Machine - Saturday, November 14th, 2009

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which purports to be “the voice of business,” is run by a Republican money machine. As the nation’s largest lobbying shop, the Chamber is spending millions of dollars from its corporate members against President Obama’s progressive agenda of health care, energy, and financial reform. The Chamber claims that the “board’s [...]

Diane Sawyer Uses Glenn Beck To Attack Al Gore For Not Eating ‘Tofurkey’ - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

ABC’s Good Morning America host Diane Sawyer sandbagged Vice President Al Gore this morning with an attack by Glenn Beck. Gore was appearing on the show to discuss his new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. Smiling, Sawyer introduced a mocking clip from the Fox News pundit. “Here’s Glenn Beck,” she [...]

Jon Stewart Praises ‘SuperFreak’ Author: ‘I’m Sorry You’ve Taken So Much S**t’ - Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

On last night’s Daily Show, host Jon Stewart heaped praise on the contrarian approach to global warming taken by SuperFreakonomics author Steve Levitt, a University of Chicago economist. Stewart was dismissive of the widespread criticism of Levitt and co-author Stephen Dubner, asking, “Have you stepped on a secular religion?” Stewart, often a tough interviewer, coddled [...]

SuperFreakonomics Gets Climate Change Super Freaking Wrong - Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Today is Blog Action Day, with thousands of blogs discussing global warming. Matt Yglesias, the Wonk Room, and now ThinkProgress have participated.
SuperFreakonomics, the forthcoming sequel to the pop-economics bestseller Freakonomics by economists Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, devotes 44 pages to a contrarian view of climate change, calling global warming a “religion.” Much [...]

President Barack Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize. - Friday, October 9th, 2009

The Nobel Committee announced early this morning that President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Obama has “created a new climate in international politics,” the committee said in its announcement, referencing Obama’s agenda to reduce the world’s nuclear stockpiles through [...]

ThinkFast: August 5, 2009 - Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, accompanied by President Clinton and CAP President and CEO John Podesta, arrived back home in California this morning after being held for five months in North Korea while reporting for Current TV. Current co-founder Al Gore released a statement, reading, “Our hearts go out to them – and [...]

Shimkus: ‘Corporate Titans Are My Friends’ - Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Today, conservative extremist Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) engaged in a one-man debate whether corporate America is good or evil. The Republican Party’s attempts to characterize the Waxman-Markey green economy legislation as economic catastrophe have been neutered, as the bill has gained the support of a broad coalition of corporate America, poverty advocates, labor unions, and [...]

Gingrich uses climate change hearing to personally slam Gore. - Friday, April 24th, 2009

Today, both Newt Gingrich and Al Gore testified before Congress on the Waxman-Markey clean energy economy legislation. While Gore spent the majority of his time explaining the global warming crisis and how investing in clean energy can simultaneously solve the problems of climate, economy and national security, Gingrich chose to spend his time launching into [...]

Gore tells GOP deniers they’re victims of ‘the Bernie Madoffs of global warming.’ - Friday, April 24th, 2009

Vice President Al Gore, testifying to Congress, told GOP global warming deniers that they are the victims of “the Bernie Madoffs of global warming.” After Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) mocked global warming as being responsible for the woes of the Dallas Cowboys, Gore said that he and other climate change deniers have been receiving bad [...]

After Appearing In Gore Ads Last Year, Gingrich Now Decries Green Economy Bill As ‘Path Of Destruction’ - Friday, April 24th, 2009

Last year, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared in a “We Campaign” advertisement for former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking alongside Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Gingrich said, “We do agree, our country must take action to address climate change,” adding, “if enough of [...]

ThinkFast: April 21, 2009 - Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Congress is launching the “mother of all climate weeks” today, where 54 witnesses will “testify on climate change legislation in three full days before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.” Among the witnesses set to testify are former Vice President Al Gore, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. [...]

Al Gore to rally action around climate change with new book. - Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Today, Al Gore announced that he will be publishing a new book, “Our Choice,” set to be released on Nov. 3, 2009. In a press release put out by his publisher, Rodale, Gore said:
An Inconvenient Truth reached millions of people with the message that the climate crisis is threatening the future of human [...]

Poll: Number Of Americans Who Think Global Warming Is ‘Exaggerated’ Is Increasing - Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

In a Q&A at the Wonk Room today, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) was asked why “the media still giving space” to global warming deniers. “I’m hopeful that while the old talking heads are still singing the ‘anti-science’ tune, most of America doesn’t really believe it,” replied Edwards.
Unfortunately, a new Gallup poll shows that while [...]

ThinkFast: January 29, 2009 - Thursday, January 29th, 2009

The Iraqi government “will not allow Blackwater Worldwide to continue providing security protection for U.S. diplomats in the country, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Thursday, a move that would deprive U.S. officials of their primary protection force.”
New data from the Labor Department show that “the number of people receiving unemployment benefits has reached an all-time [...]

Inhofe Declares Victory Over The U.N.-MoveOn-Soros Global Warming Conspiracy: I’ve Prevailed - Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

On his radio show this morning, conservative talker Bill Bennett hosted the most prominent global warming denier in Congress, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK). Opening up the conversation on the subject, Bennett declared, “I think you’ve prevailed on this.”
“I really believe it,” replied Inhofe, claiming that his opponents “won’t say global warming any more, they’re trying [...]

Gore not interested in ‘climate czar’ post. - Thursday, November 13th, 2008

In recent weeks, there has been increased talk of possibly creating a White House “climate czar” position in the Obama administration, which would “oversee various government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department, to focus on tackling global warming and fostering clean energy to jump-start the flagging economy.” While many of these [...]

ThinkFast: November 13, 2008 - Thursday, November 13th, 2008

President Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office. “The Bush administration overstepped in its exertion of executive privilege, and may very well try to continue to shield information from the American people after it leaves office,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The Bush administration has so far committed $290 [...]

‘Coal Booster’ McCain Would ‘Put Coal Out Of Business’ - Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Speaking before a crowd at the University of Scranton, PA, Sunday afternoon, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) gave himself a new title, “coal booster“:
My friends, you know what Senator Obama said about a year ago, he said he had not been a, quote, coal booster. My friends, I’ve been a coal booster and it’s going to [...]

Presidential Debate Live-Blogging - Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

10:59: McCain made zero mentions of “middle class” tonight — the same number he offered in the first debate. (UPDATE: McCain mentioned “middle-income” Americans three times.)
10:42: On Fox, Nina Easton notes that we observed the “sinking ship of free-market Republicans” go to the “bottom of the sea,” with McCain’s proposal of a $300 billion “nationalization” [...]