Climate witchcraft

I guess the big news today is that President Obama is going to the Copenhagen climate conference next month. And why not? I'm sure it'll be a grand old time discussing substantive ways to cut pollution, emissions, and investment in green technologies. Sure, once someone turns to him during the talks and says "So...you can get this passed through Congress...right?", he'll have to fake a seizure to avoid telling some poor leader that the only thing he could get through the Senate is a bill encouraging people to eat more coal. Perhaps he can get a bill through the reconciliation process that calls for 28% of the populace to be beaten with a scientific journal. Why? America got dumber again.

The percentage of Americans who believe global warming is happening has dipped from 80 to 72 percent in the past year, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, even as a majority still support a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions.

The poll's findings -- which also show that 55 percent of respondents think the United States should curb its carbon output even if major developing nations such as China and India do less -- suggest increasing political polarization around the issue, just as the Obama administration and congressional Democrats are intensifying efforts to pass climate legislation and broker an international global warming pact.

The increase in climate skepticism is driven largely by a shift within the GOP. Since its peak 3 1/2 years ago, belief that climate change is happening is down sharply among Republicans -- 76 to 54 percent

A hearty round of applause for the energy industry, folks! It takes a lot of lying, money, lying, money, and lying to drive down those numbers. Real shocker about those GOP numbers. Actually, those Republican support numbers are about the same as the ones for people who believe that ACORN stole the election for Obama. I guess climate change sounds like too much of a conspiracy theory for some, just enough of a conspiracy theory for others. But, who am I to argue with the arguments put forward by Republican voters in the article? I mean they range all the way from "Al Gore is fat" to "I don't think the science says what the scientists say it says." Eat that, U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change!

On the bright side, by a margin of 53-42, Americans support cap-and-trade legislation. Hell, just look what popularity did for the health care reform bill. See...wait, why are you crying? It's the holidays, cheer up!

Let's see: a good idea that substantively reduces our carbon footprint and emissions, is popular with scientists and large swaths of Democratic legislators, and is also popular with the American people. Sounds like something that can't ever be allowed to pass. Coal state Democrats, you start joining with Republicans while the Blue Dogs and other "moderates" can start larding up the bill with a few billion down the money hole for clean coal and corn ethanol. After a few weeks we can knock cap-and-trade out of the bill and everything will be up to the legislative standards of the United States Congress. Get to work boys, that thing isn't going to fuck itself up.