GOP II: When Clarity Begins at Home
A politician knows he has a problem when his own children warn him that they might vote against him.
That is what happened to Representative Bob Inglis of South Carolina, who like President Bush and most of his Republican peers has been skeptical about global warming despite mounting evidence that the planet is in crisis because of rising carbon dioxide levels and temperatures from greenhouse gases and other substantially man-made factors.
Inglis learned that the political winds might be shifting not on Capitol Hill but back home when his eldest son, Robert Jr., 22, told him that he’d better “clean up his act on the environment.”
His daughter was no less blunt, while Inglis said “I have three more kids coming up — and they seem to share the same view.”
The family pressure worked and Inglis traveled to Antarctica and Greenland to witness first-hand the effects of global warming the effects of rising CO2 levels and temperatures.
Inglis now believes the science behind global warming, as well as the politics: Republicans, he said, will “get hammered†if they don’t confront the issue soon.
More here.
16 Responses to “GOP II: When Clarity Begins at Home”
But the real question is what are the children willing to give up to do something about global warming. Are they willing to live in a high rise apartment filled with the children of blue collar families? Are they willing to ride the bus to work? Are they willing to give up vacations, concernts, sporting events, etc in order to lower their carbon foot print.
Fromt what I have seen, global warming is much like diversity, something people can feel important by taking a certain position but then avoid once the costs are passed out.
There are smaller steps that can and should be taken. Denial has been the GOP’s cover for avoidance of the problem, because any solution that might be found might damage our economy. That’s not a good enough excuse to do nothing.
[...] all the details here [...]
kritt,
The elite are not willing to give up their mansions, their bench front views, their car services, their multiple homes, their world travel. Why should the middle class give up jobs and standard of living when the elite has been unable to give up anything? When I see Kareen Gore-Schiff at the bus stop with her kids in tow, then I will believe that the left is really serious about the environment.
[...] From TMV: A politician knows he has a problem when his own children warn him that they might vote against him. [...]
SD- The elites will always live a different lifestyle—they just may have to pay more for it than before. I don’t see that as an excuse for the rest of us to ignore reality. Our children will have to breathe the same air as the Gores, Clintons, Bushes, etc. The plain facts are that the poorest among us will be suffering the worst consequences. This is already occurring in other parts of the world. But even you should be somewhat concerned when a drought is so severe that the water supply of three southern states is affected (after all they are red states, lol)
Call me unimpressed with the GOP sudden realization that Global Warming is a threat. The only threat that seems to concern them is to their own re election chances. and so far, the only solutions they seem to support are the ones which give the major polluters & energy users a free ride with the rest of us picking up the tab.
While the big wigs argue over such confusing topics as ‘cap & trade’, there are much simpler steps that can be taken that address some of the root causes of both warming & overdependency on foreign oil. An increase in carbon taxes on oil products reserved to improve our transportation infrastructure is a start. I admit it would hurt those living in poverty, like me, disproportionately . Perhaps there are remedies to alleviate that. But one effect would be to make those who buy SUVs & burn excess megawatts of electricity think twice about their energy use habits.. It has been working in Europe for about 50 years, fer crying out loud. It’s past time for us to suck it up also.
superdestroyer,
lets be serious here, you are saying that you don’t want to scarify anything because the elite like bush and cheney aren’t doing anything about it.
that is like saying, why should poor american sacrify their children to fight in wars for the benefit of the rich, such as that of iraq when the children of the elites like jeena and barbara bush or mary and elizabeth cheney are having the time of their life, and can come home every single night with their beautiful little minds never being corrupted by the idea of enlisting to fight in iraq nor having to join.
also, to said that you will scarify when you see al gore daughter riding the bus is like saying that antiwar protestor would stop protesting when they see jenna/barbara bush and mary/elizabeth cheney in a military uniform and being sent over to iraq.
you are more likely to see al gore daughter riding the bus than jenna/barbara bush and mary/elizabeth cheney doting on an uniform to fight in iraq.
to suggest that the left isn’t serious about global warming because al gore daugther arn’t riding the bus is like saying that bush/cheney and the rigth winger aren’t serious about the war on terror and protecting american from terrorist because jenna/barbara bush, mary/elizabeth cheney, college republican and the children of the republican senators/representatives are not lining around the street to enlist to fight in iraq nor are planning to enlist and fight the global war on terror.
you don’t judge bush-cheney, college republican, and republican senators/representatives sincerty on their detication on the war on terror/iraq even thouhg none of their children will ever be scarify themselves for the global war on terror/iraq why are you doing that to the left?
if you do judge the left sincerty on global warming, than it is logical to conclude that you are extremely consistant with your belief and acknowledge that bush/cheney, college republican, and republican senators/reperesentatives don’t believe in the war on terror/iraq and that they are forcing average american to scarify their children so that they can make money off their death?
Since the U.S. has an all volunteer military, the Bush Administration is not forcing anyone to go to Iraq who did not voluntary joint the military. However, the right has done as poor a job with their actions as the left has with theirs. A have been consistent that the current Republican leadership has demonstrated almost no leadership ability.
Of course, if you believe that the right should send their children to Iraq, do you support the idea that the left should send their children to the public schools in cities like NYC, LA, DC, etc.
My comments is that Gore, etc do not really believe that the global warming is as significant as they imply with their public statements. If climate change cannot wait, the Al Gore would be living in a one bedroom apartment in SE DC somewhere instead of living in a mansion. If Gore, Kerry, Clinton, Edwards really want to send the message that global is worth paying a high costs to correct, then they should lead the way in paying the cost.
Dear lgrf4evr…you’ve used the word ‘scarify’ in both your posts. Is that the word you meant? If it isn’t, tell me what you meant and I will correct it for you. Scarify is a pretty good word regardless.
dr.e
SD- Al Gore thinks he can do more good educating others on this issue. If he moved into a one-bedroom apt he would not be taken seriously- he would be seen as another left wing moonbat. His status and wealth help him be taken more seriously. After years of denial, the right has a lot of ground to make up.
dear SD,
when you said, “My comments is that Gore, etc do not really believe that the global warming is as significant as they imply with their public statements. If climate change cannot wait, the Al Gore would be living in a one bedroom apartment in SE DC somewhere instead of living in a mansion. If Gore, Kerry, Clinton, Edwards really want to send the message that global is worth paying a high costs to correct, then they should lead the way in paying the cost.”
than it is logical to conclude that a god fearing man like you filled with intregrity, honesty, truthfullness with the power of god rushing through you vain like a mighty stream would be so consistant with his belief in denouncing the left for not giving up their lifestyle, it is than logically to conclude to said that you would advocate that Bush-cheney, college republican, and republican senators/representatives to send their children to iraq or enlist to fight the global war on terror as a way of “sending the message that the war on terror/iraq is worth paying a high costs to correct, then Bush-Cheney’s daugthers, college republican, and republican senators/representatives should lead the way in paying the cost.”
i just know that you are a god fearing man who is a lover of honesty, intregrity, and turth who is so consistent with his belief that just as you advocate for al gore to give it his lifestyle , you would advocate for Jenne/Barbara Bush, Mary/Elizabeth Cheney, college republican and republican senators/representatives to send their own children to iraq and fight the global war on terror. after all, a god fearing man like you would do such a thing because you are so consistent with your belief.
you know, you don’t had to fellow what al gore said and you can continue to believe that the left are a bunch of nutcases but that doesn’t mean that you need to attack them personally, and i only added the Jenna Bush going to iraq to make a point about how you should be consistent with your belief, i had nothing against Jenna and wishes her will. i believe in global warming and i chose to life a green lifestyle, but i find it sad that you need to attack the messenger so that you don’t had to listen to the messages. beside i would must rather perfer al gore over george bush. even if al gore is rich at least he is trying to advocate a stop to what he is passionate about and had decided to scarify some of this lifestyle unlike george bush who had made no personal scarify whatsoever on the global war on terror/iraq.
like i said, you are more likely to see Al Gore daughter on a bus or buying a hybrid than you will ever see Jenna/Barbara Bush, Mary/Elizabeth Cheney, College Republican, and republican Senators/Representatives enlisting or sending their own children over to iraq.
but of course, you are so blindsighted by your hatred of Al Gore and the left that it is impossible for you to see the forrest for the tree or whatever that qoutes go. even if you don’t believe in global warming, you shouldn’t let your hatred stand in the way of curbing global warming. and not only that, buying green product is economically beneficial to you.
if you buy a green bulb instead of the regular white bulb (you get more energy and it last longer) or a hybrid instead of regular car (think of all the money you save from buying gas) or even chose to built solar panel on top of your roof (my good friend who did this didn’t even had to paid the electricity company), it will help you. you don’t had to believe in it, you can continue to call Al Gore a hyprocrite, but you do need to acknowledge that being energy independant is extremely important and that buying green product a good economic investment.
As for demanding the left to send their children into the cities to get their public education because they supported that is so farfetched, i believe in better education and i want to school to be much better and i know that the it can be much better.
since you insists that al gore lead by example, you would also advocate Geoge Bush to lead by example for his war on terror/iraq by sending his daughters to iraq?
you know even Richard Cizik, a conservative christian agree with me and he explain why he believe in global warming et al ” For some people in the evangelical community there is a mistrust of science in general and a mistrust of science on climate in particular…We need to move beyond that. Happily, there’s a growing number of evangelical scientists who are helping us overcome this barrier…I am a pro-Bush conservative, but I believe this is neither a conservative issue, a liberal issue, a Republican issue, a Democrat issue, a red issue, a blue issue, or a green issue…Take mercury. If you reframe mercury regulations as a pro-life issue — curbing mercury emissions protects children from learning disabilities and unborn children from brain damage — that gets people’s attention.”
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/10/05/cizik/index.html?source=friend
you know, i am sure that your attack on Al Gore had more to do with your hatred of the left than anything else. it is just so sad that some people hates the left and Al Gore so much that they are willing to let their children get asthma from air polluction or their let their children brains get destroy with mercurey instead of finding a way to fix it.
oh, DR. CPE, when i said scarify i mean asking for a shared scarify, like how americans was ask to ration certain product or not eat certain food on a given day like during WW2.
a soldier duty is to fellow orders and not to question authority, when a poor american sign up, he never think to himself, gosh, i can’t wait to get kill for oil, blackwater, or halliburton. he did it because he loved his country, and the only thing he ask in return that is the commander in chief don’t sent them to die for corporate enrichment.
just look at what Hermann Goering said before he was hung for war crimes at nurmberg ” Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship…Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
KR – Gore’s lifestyle is a little hypocritical, his stance would carry greater weight if he didn’t live the patrician life. True leaders share in the sacrifice. Gore is a environmental spokesman, not a Gandhi or MLK style environmental leader. Very few of our leaders really lead.
Gore needs more Salt March and less limousine Liberalism. But the Right is just as guilty, if not more, of flying on corporate jets and munching on fish eggs.
lgrf4evr said,
You wrote a very long, very poorly puncuated posts to say that the Bush’s are hypocrites and I agree. However, you must have so much hatred for Bush that you want him to stop being a hypocrite while finding every excuse in the book for the hypocrisies of Gore. If nothing else, the Gore’s, Kerry’s, Clinton;s, and Edwards could at least sell all of their houses except for one. That would lower their carbon load significant.
I only own one home, I drive a fuel efficient car that gets better mileage as the Prius (there are many gasoline using cars that do), and work in the environmental industry. Gore lost all credibility with me when he stacked worst case assumptions on stop of each other. Anyone who does that in the environmental risk business is seen as a fraud.
The absolute worst hypocracy is how Gore, et al, are selling carbon reduction as cost free. If there models are great, they should be talking the lost of jobs, reduction and GDP, and decreased standard of living (for others). But they do not and even fail to estimate it.
“oh, DR. CPE, when i said scarify i mean asking for a shared scarify, like how americans was ask to ration certain product or not eat certain food on a given day like during WW2.”
Dear lgrf4ever, I understand now. Your word is exactly there as you first placed it in your comments. Thank you for taking the time to clarify.
dr.e