My current working theory is that people write and say amazingly silly things in the political arena, most of which I can safely ignore.
For instance, former congressman Allen West (R-FL) writes all sorts of crazy in his new book. But after listening to him long enough, I know just to tune out everything that comes from his mouth. (My friend Dan sent me this: “It’s like I always say: would you send lamb chops to recruit sheep? Then don’t send black Republicans to recruit black people.”)
There’s some silly stuff about Hillary Clinton orchestrating Vanity Fair’s article with Monica Lewinsky, the young intern who had a dalliance with Bill Clinton while he was President because she wants the piece about one of the most humiliating periods of her life dredged up again over 15 YEARS AFTER THE FACT so people can forget about it again by 2016. (Wha?)
Blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove ahave become comedy fodder for The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.
Whereas I hear about the west Antarctic ice sheet’s collapse, which triggered a sea-level warning of about four meters (c. 13 feet) in the coming century or so, an “unstoppable” process. And Marco Rubio, another Florida Republican, decided that all those scientists that tell us that it is human activity that is in large part behind the rapid acceleration of the planet’s temperature. John Oliver explains, in NSFW language, why this is rubbish.
Since Rubio is running for President and has a good a chance as any of getting his party’s nod – 2014 poll numbers are meaningless – I need to pay attention to what he has to say. I must conclude, therefore that either 1) he believes that all this warming is from natural fluctuations, and he’s planet-threateningly wrong, or 2) he doesn’t but is saying he does because he wants to appeal to certain citizens who vote in the Republican primaries. In either case, this issue alone is enough to make me feel that he is not worthy of the office of President, and I shall not vote for him, or any other climate denier.
I have a daughter who will inherit this mess.
I think Marco Rubio is a liar (my honestly held opinion), so I think that option 2 is the reality: He so desperately wants to be treated like a big boy that he will say anything, no matter how stupid or absurd, to appeal to the frothing base of the Republican Party. To be totally honest, I don’t know if he’s really a moron or if he just pretends to be one to get Republican votes, but either way, he’s dangerous.
Very wise. When a politician says that he is a climate change denier, it makes me question who he is listening to other than scientists.
I also wonder how he develops his opinion other science topics. It’s like I tell my students: “Science is not always right, but it is vastly superior to unfounded opinion.”
One thing’s for sure, it will be an interesting presidential campaign.
I think that the Re-pub Party is about to break up, but in its wake the Democratic Party will break up too. Basically, the One Party With Two Heads is tottering and about to collapse. I’m very unhappy with what we have now, but I’m much apprehensive about what will replace it.