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Those GOP Congressmen Are Traitors! Traitors!
Andrew Stuttaford remembers the good old days when liberals defended the president’s critics from accusations of deficient patriotism, or even treason. Normally, I wouldn’t call out Paul Krugman twice in one day, but this exception is worth it. Krugman writes,
As I watched the deniers [who voted against the Waxman-Markey climate change bill] make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.
Surely the good Prof. Krugman doesn’t mean that literally. His words must be a clever amalgam of sarcasm and irony. Then again, this is how his column ends:
Is it fair to call climate denial a form of treason? Isn’t it politics as usual?Yes, it is — and that’s why it’s unforgivable.
Do you remember the days when Bush administration officials claimed that terrorism posed an “existential threat” to America, a threat in whose face normal rules no longer applied? That was hyperbole — but the existential threat from climate change is all too real.
Yet the deniers are choosing, willfully, to ignore that threat, placing future generations of Americans in grave danger, simply because it’s in their political interest to pretend that there’s nothing to worry about. If that’s not betrayal, I don’t know what is.
In theory, bloggers are the ones who don’t understand civil debate, whereas professional journalists are above name-calling. Yet this is nothing new for Krugman. Earlier this month, Krugman was telling us that mainstream Republicans are no different than black-helicopter conspiracy theorists.
I don’t think the GOP will suffer any because of Krugman’s distemper, but it would help those of us with a serious interest in climate change if prominent writers focused a little more on substance. There are certainly some facts in Krugman’s column, but he seems far more interested in exposing alleged extremists than he is in talking about policy.
Cross-posted at Conventional Folly
9 Responses to “Those GOP Congressmen Are Traitors! Traitors!”
Krugman is correct. The core of the GOP is represented by Crazy Michelle Bachmann and Senator “Don't confuse me with the facts” Kyl.
Those who decry people who question cap and trade or have rational questions about the scientific supposition of human caused global warming regularly characterize opponents as “deniers.” By labeling the other side of the debate via ad hominem characterizations, GW advocates undermine their own positions. This is exactly like pro-life groups who call pro-choice people “baby killers” when “discussing” abortion rights.
Name calling is a refuge for an intellectually weak argument.
Every now and then Krugman goes off the deep end. Brilliant people tend to be a little “out there”.
I don't agree with some of his opinions, but I appreciate the mind and honesty behind them.
Those who voted against climate change legislation are in fact betraying future generations by refusing to protect their living space in favor of maintaining today's profits and lifestyle.
And calling them “deniers” is no more an ad hominem attack, than calling the President of Iran a Holocaust “denier.” It accurately describes their actions and attitudes toward a well documented and supported fact, and it relates to the issue.
In both cases, now is the time to stop pretending that the facts are open to debate. Krugman uses exactly the language and tone he should.
I wrote a post about this very thing today. I agree that it is a bit too much to accuse these folks of being traitors. Call me old fashioned, but I think the label ‘treason’ should be reserved for actual treason, like giving our military secrets to another country.
That doesn't mean we should use other harsh words for the anti-science crowd.
Krugman's worse than worthless, but what kind of _thing_ would actually stoop to saying something like “treason against the planet” to describe intelligent rejection not only of irresponsible and destructive legislation (compounded by Congressional Democratic deliberate misconduct) but of the related leftist pathology as well as idiocy related to environmentalist extremism about climate and modern society?
You owe us an admission you are wrong, and owe us an apology, but you're unlikely to do this any more than the Dems and Krugman for his earlier misdeeds, etc. Are you good enough? I'm not confident.
“Those who decry people who question cap and trade or have rational questions about the scientific supposition of human caused global warming regularly characterize opponents as 'deniers.'”
“Heretics” and “apostates” would be more befitting and honest words they could use instead. (Not misusing words like “science” and others they have defensively or dishonestly misappropriated.)
The worst of them can't even handle rejection of cap-and-trade in favor of a tax on combustion fuels.
“GW advocates undermine their own positions”
Not to mention so many of these people's reputations…
The intellectually and morally weak have additional balm in addition to the godawful Waxman-Markey and related last-minute Democratic Congressional misbehavior, and in addition to HR 1835 whenever that will be addressed by Congress. EPA is joining the stampede and appealing to the politics-over-real-science beat-off brigade; it's letting California free to engage in activist legislation, which will eventually affect other places and people. The mass-hysteria alarmist crowd will now be additionally appeased, at cost to us all.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/…