Kerry takes on climate deniers, launches debunking website

[wtmusic]

"So, on the biggest issue we can deal with in this Congress, President Obama just weighed in big-time: "There's been some good work done by John Kerry and Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. Let's go. Let's not wait. Let's show the American people that in the midst of this crisis, all of us are opening our eyes to what's necessary to fulfill the promise to our children and our grandchildren." That's right -- the President is pounding the bully pulpit to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

But, ahh, Washington -- if you want a peek at why important statements like this get lost and why the 24/7 cable coverage turns into food fights sadly removed from the reality of real problems, look no further than the garbage churned out on a near daily basis by big monied interests dressed up to look like "think tanks," which publish pieces to distort the debate.

We get a great example today in the Hill, where a William Yeatman from the Competitive Enterprise Institute takes a big nothing-burger off the grill to muddy up my argument that climate change endangers our national security."

http://theenergycollective.com/TheEnergyCollective/66745?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

His website not only debunks skeptic talking points, but allows you to report new ones:

http://www.truthfightsback.com/

[Cha]

1. Good..I'm sure mary matalin will

be interested in this.

Thanks Kerry and wtmusic.

[blm]

2. hate to be the one to say it, but, even on DU many ignore the heavylifting that needs doing

on a daily basis in favor of the media-chosen 'issues' of the day/week.

[politicasista]

3. Kick

:kick: :patriot:

[stuntcat]

4. oo, kickity!

:kick:

[joshcryer]

5. To bad he was against the Cape Wind Project...

...I highly doubt he's any more involved in this project than saying "ok do it, put my name on it."

[politicasista]

6. Yep. Another do-nothing fake environmentalist

:sarcasm:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=273x164968



Goes to throw dishes, chairs, and food on the floor. :rofl:

[joshcryer]

7. Oh yes because he threw glowing support for the project from the beginning.

Political posturing does not an environmentalist make.

[politicasista]

8. Called any senators to encourage them to support the president's call for an energy bill?

Nah. You probably too busy screaming at Kerry and hating that Lieberman's name is on this bill to notice. Luckily opinions are not always the facts.

[joshcryer]

9. Yes.

And emailed.

But I don't support Kerry-Lieberman, I support Waxman-Markey, as fixed energy efficiency standards are technically feasible, low cost, and our best bet of avoiding catastrophic climate change.

Kerry's legislation will not have it.

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/05/12/kerry-lieberman/

Funny how the chart works, the bill keeps getting dumbed down the further along it goes.

[politicasista]

10. Fair enough n/t

[karynnj]

12. Could it be a House bill needs 50% to pass and a Senate bill needs 60%?

Don't even think of mentioning "reconciliation here, not only was there no enabling language for that, the Johanns' amendment prohibits that. Now, look at the people who voted for that amendment. You will then see why Kerry can not get a bill as strong as he would want - if only his own vote mattered. (Markey incidentally had praise for Kerry's work on this.)

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00126

Here are the 67 Yes votes

YEAs ---67
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)

[karynnj]

11. Kerry was NEVER against Cape Wind

His only position for years, was to speak positively about wind in general and saying that he would be happy to support it if it passed all the environmental siting tests. When it did, Kerry immediately supported it. http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=324285

The fact is that as Al Gore said in 2004, Kerry has the best environmental record in the Senate. (Before he was in the Senate, he was key in pushing the NE Governor's conference to have the first cap and trade to lower sulfur dioxide levels to reduce acid rain.) You might remember that in 2004, the League of Conservation voters broke tradition and for the first time endorsed in the primaries - they endorsed Kerry.

I know quoting yourself is rather silly, but in 2008, I was lucky enough to be one of a number of bloggers on conference call with Senator Kerry. He brought up a new positive environmental report on Cape Wind that no one had then heard of. He sounded both happy and enthusiastic about the project. In 2008, I wrote:

"He sounded very positive on Cape Wind, referring to a very positive environmental report and saying if the remaining reports continue to be positive, he hopes to be very happily in favor of it. He said he is a strong advocate of alternative energy, but also strongly in favor of process."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=273&topic_id=147106

Many of the Blue Mass group were also on that call. Also on the call was a marine biologist. She and Kerry ended up speaking of the importance of going through the process - citing some California examples where this was not done.