Over the weekend, supposedly moderate, supposedly reasonable 2016 GOP Presidential candidate Carly Fiorna discussed climate change — for four long minutes — with Yahoo News’ Katie Couric. In the bargain, as climate journalist David Roberts of Vox.com noted, “everything she said was wrong.” Really wrong.
Roberts joins me on today’s BradCast to dissect Carly’s clap-trap, and to discuss a new report from those lefty, environmentalist, tree-huggers over at Citi GPS (the research arm of Citigroup), finding that moving to clean renewable energy now, in order to try and help mitigate climate change, is ultimately less expensive for the world than sticking with our current fossil fuel economy status quo.
“Moderate Republicans have decided that outright science denial is no longer working for them,” Roberts explain in regard to Fiorina’s bizarre climate comments. “They’ve concluded that it makes them look old and cranky and backwards, and it’s hurting them with young people and Latinos. So there’s at least a small collection of Republicans who have started thinking ‘How do we oppose doing anything without denying the science?’ That’s the dilemma that’s in front of them. That’s what Fiorina is trying to solve here.”
The results, for the failed businesswoman and failed U.S. Senate candidate, as we discuss point-by-point — from her silly claims to Couric about wind farms and birds, to the one about solar power requiring “huge amounts of water” — were as disastrous as her failed reign as CEO of HP.
“Republicans have spent so long dug in on this stupid science debate over climate change,” Roberts tells me, “they haven’t bothered to notice or look around or educate themselves at all about what’s going on in this area. So, now they are leaving science denial behind — slowly but surely — [and] wandering out into this territory where they know almost nothing. They’re just stepping on rakes everywhere.”
Summarizing Citi’s new report, Roberts explains its findings this way: “It’s basically, ‘Do you do the same thing you’re doing at enormous risk, or do you take this alternative route which costs about the same and avoids this enormous risk?’ At the end of all this they basically say, ‘Why would you not do this? It’s got so many benefits and so little downside. Why aren’t we doing that?’ And, of course, why we aren’t has everything to do with politics.”
“If you want to say that the transition to clean energy is going to destroy the economy, then the burden of proof is on you at this point, because there’s so much research saying otherwise,” he adds during our wide ranging — and kinda fun — conversation!
Also on today’s show: Glenn Beck’s coming-soon tyranny apocalypse; Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump both continue to surge in New Hampshire polling…
Damn good coverage on the BradCast !
Her republican counterpart of sorts in Florida, is ruling over a jump in flood insurance costs from $7,500 per year to $24,000 per year.
If one can even get that “insurance” (You Are Here – 5).
What an awesome bradcast! You had me damn near sobbing on the bus on my way to work with the brilliant reporting on the surreal confluence of Cindy Sheehan’s courage and Katrina’s destruction. You and Desi are true national treasures, brother, and I just upped my monthly donation to you guys as a small token of my appreciation. I am so grateful for the daily show and for all the great work that you both do. Keep up the good fight–it does not go unnoticed and it does have an impact. Thank you so much.
Posted the above in the wrong thread. What can I say, it’s Monday! But if anybody hasn’t heard Friday’s bradcast, do yourself a favor and listen to it. Powerful stuff.