Inhofe to Dems defending EPA, clean air: “Get a life.” Markey replies, “More like ‘save a life’.”
"Inhofe to Dems defending EPA, clean air: “Get a life.” Markey replies, “More like ‘save a life’.”"
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So Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) proposed changing the title of the GOP’s anti-EPA bill to the “Koch Brothers Appreciation Act,” as TP reported. Then Sen. James Inhofe (R-OIL) responded by telling House Dems this afternoon to “Get a life” — a standard refrain for the pro-pollution Oklahoman.
Since the health impacts of unrestricted carbon pollution have been widely documented, Ed Markey (D-MA) took the opportunity to tweak and tweet Inhofe back,
Get a life? More like “save a life.” http://politi.co/gA5wet That’s why defeating the Upton-Inhofe #DirtyAirAct is job one.
Snap!
Here’s more from TP on the “Koch Brothers Appreciation Act”:
Weeks ago, Koch-funded climate change denying Republicans on the House Energy Committee voted unanimously in favor of the Upton-Inhofe bill to eliminate the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The Republican-controlled House is expected to pass the bill later this week and Rep. Gerry Connollly (D-VA) wants to call a spade a spade and officially change the name of the bill to a more appropriate title:
Rep. Gerry Connollly (D-Va.) wants to change the title of a bill that would permanently block Environmental Protection Agency climate regulations to the “Koch Brothers Appreciation Act,” a reference to the billionaire brothers who are active in Republican politics.
Connolly has submitted to the House Rules Committee a series of amendments that would change the title of the bill to everything from the “Middle Eastern Economic Development and Assistance Act” to the “Head in the Sand Act.”
Others include the “¦ “Oil Producing Economy Capitulation Act.”
The Upton-Inhofe bill is not expected to pass the Senate. But If approved, the bill would would overturn a 2007 Supreme Court decision which ruled that the EPA has the right to regulate car tailpipe emissions under the Clean Air Act. This legislation has been a top priority for the Kochs and their network of the conservative think tank and astroturf groups.
For more on the Kochs, see “The tentacles of the Kochtopus: What you need to know about the financiers of the Radical Right.”
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We haven’t heard from or about George Will in a while. Paul Krugman takes him to task for a recent column in which Will argues that progressives favor trains because riding trains will foster a sense of collectivism in the American people. So who did Krugman spot getting off the Amtrak 161?
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/diminished-individualism-watch/
When Inhofe says “get a life”, he’s talking about his- luxury suites for football games, single malt scotch with prime rib at Georgetown restaurants, and a horrifying wood and vinyl mansion on the prairie near Tulsa. That will bring a grin to a hillbilly’s face. For the rest of us- no thank you.
Environmental Defense Fund President blames environmental community for failure to pass climate change legislation. “We have to be more humble.”
Unbelievable.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/04/05/05greenwire-edf-chief-shrillness-of-greens-contributed-to-37964.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
I was going to post about the EDF press release too. The article said that guy’s been at that helm for 26 years and he wants climate hawk citizens to remain meek and humble while the paid lobbyists continue to do…. what exactly?
On the other hand, I do agree with him in one respect. I’ve been having a hard time getting folks to listen. The cues they give say they see me as coming off just as the EDF director described. Somehow, for ordinary swayable folks, it’s important to bear in mind…. they won’t care how much you know until they first know how much you care.
Inhofe is the biggest hoax ever played on America. I know, I have to endure this twit since I live in Oklahoma. Unbelievably, he has become a millionaire via the taxpayer.
I’ve been wondering why the climate-deniers have as much traction as they do (and why folks like the EDF are so willing to cower before them), and I’ve noticed that all the reports and discussions about the EPA focus on recent history (“over the last 40 years, the Clean Air Act has ….”etc.). I think this is part of the problem: anti-regulation types are framing the EPA and regulations in general as a recent phenomenon, tied to those awful liberals who want to take away corporate rights. (For shame!)
But conservation has deep historical roots, no less among conservatives (whom one might expect to have sympathy for, well, conserving things). In fact, there have been legal regulations on pollution for several centuries; air-specific regulations came into real force with the Industrial Revolution, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but the first known instance of air quality regulation comes from 1273 (yes, the Middle Ages): a smoke abatement law prohibiting the use of coal as detrimental to human health.
If it was obvious back then, clearly our problem now is due to ideology, not lack of evidence. I think we need to broaden our arsenal of tools for debate beyond sophisticated climate models, which most people won’t understand anyway. A little historical perspective and some ethical perspectives are sorely needed. After all, it’s awfully hard to argue that anyone has a right to dump toxins into your water, or pump mercury into home, or dump pesticides onto your garden. We wouldn’t tolerate such behavior at the community level, but somehow corporations (despite now being declared “persons”) aren’t held to the same civil/ethical standards.
http://wwwmiscellaneousmusings.blogspot.com/2011/04/broadening-context-part-2-historicizing.html
Chris Winter#1, the anti-public transport push on the Right has always been about destroying any collective activity. The Right hates, fears and wishes to dominate and exploit other people, so being crowded on a bus or train with others is one of their existential nightmares. Some years ago a British Thatcherite visiting Australia at the invitation of a local Rightwing ‘groupthink-tank’, announced on the radio that ‘public transport is Stalinism’. No-one’s laughing any more.
It’s nice to see the hawks getting feisty
@ Mulga:
While I agree completely that destroying collective activity is the excuse that the right wing uses (and certainly it resonates with the “rank and file” among them), I suspect that isn’t the true motive for the position among their leadership.
IMO the real reason is their longtime allegiance to the fossil fuel and automotive industries. A good example of this is the killing off of the street cars by General Motors. It’s just another way to expand the market for the corporations that control their party.
At least that’s my opinion.
Inhofe wants us to get a life? He should get one now. Lives are going to be in short supply once his pollution policies start killing people.
Greenhouse gas regulation blockage isn’t all the Republicans are trying to do. They have amendments in the House budget bill that blocks regulation of mercury, regulation of ground level ozone, regulation of water pollution in the chesapeake bay, and other smaller regulations. They really are just being puppets for Koch. I’m just surprised Democrats aren’t hammering in such an easy message. I mean come on. MERCURY pollution? That’s a powerful message.
We tolerate plenty of unethical behavior at the local level including not protecting our water from pollution. Why? Because hardly anyone pays attention. Just wanted to put in another plug for getting deeply invoved at the local level. That is where we change the current politics of this country, IMO.
Mark 3 and Mark 4
Thanks for the link to the article featuring Fred Krupp’s comments at the Fortune green think.
I tried to access the session on the Fortune web page but gave up because I did not want to ruin my day hearing his pathetic apology to the denial industry.
We have no one at the environmental wheel and the detour sign is just ahead. EDF is a climate dove and we are in a fight for the existence of humankind.
Reminds me of a conversation with a true climate hawk working at WWF. I asked him why his international juggernaut environmental organization has yet to pull the climate change fire alarm. His answer: we bring this up all the time in staff meetings but our marketing people shut us down…put it on a tee shirt and talk to us!!!!
Add all this up and maaybe the detour sign is now in the rear view mirror and all we can do is tighten the seat belt.
Our children will come to hate us when they see what we have done to their future.
Fred, get in the game!
John McCormick
I hope the Dems don’t lose themselves in monikers for the Dirty Air Act. That’s not good communication. Stick to just one. I prefer ‘Dirty Air Act’, blunt and clear.
At times like this I really doubt that our democracy can effectively deal with a problem like global warming/climate change because of a lazy and proud to be ignorant electorate.
Should we be more worried about the idiot Inhofe or the voters that sent him to DC?
Voter IQ tests anyone?
I like this Connolly guy. A Democrat with some stones. Who’d a thunk it?