Quote:It's interesting to me. Obviously, democrats in power are generally completely ineffectual across the board and are basically political waifs floating ideas but never doing anything.


Republicans in power on the other hand have generally had a more cohesive (albeit evil) message. You know where they stand on issues and how stupidly stubborn they can be.


In regards to this particular dilemma, the dems certainly recognize the problem, think something ought to be done about it, but they, in fact, do nothing, like always, and nobody bats an eye.


It's much more telling looking at how republicans are attacking the issue: deny, deny, deny.


That tells me that this is a problem without a solution. Obviously, the intelligent core of the republican apparatus doesn't discount science. They know what the numbers mean. But yet we are still in denial mode.


I think the republicans have a very cynical (realistic?) take on how this will all play out, especially on a global, political level. Consequently, the idea is if they don't acknowledge the problem, they don't have to deal with it.

 

This is the way I see it: 

 

1) Generally, people of all political stripes believe what they want to believe.  They first take a position and then find facts to support that position. 

 

2) Global warming will be expensive and troublesome to deal with effectively.  Therefore, people feel a lot better if they believe it doesn't exist at all.  See #1 above. 

 

Therefore, the global warming denialist leaders have a winning formula: they provide a steady stream of talking points and arguments for all the people who have decided to believe that global warming doesn't exist.  And that sows enough confusion and dissension on the issue that we will never be able to deal with it effectively. 

 

I've had conversations with conservatives who deny global warming, and every one of them is the same: they all fear that if they acknowledge global warming exists, it will lead to a big government solution.  That is their real fear: big government.  This is why global warming denial is concentrated among small government conservatives.   They don't like the solution, therefore they refuse to acknowledge the problem. 

 

Like I said before, it's like telling someone there's a car coming and they better get out of the road.  And since they don't like people telling them what to do, and they don't want to get out of the road, they decide there is no car. 

---