Republicans are pandering on climate change

Few things hack me off more than pandering. Too many politicians do it. We’re watching it right now in the Democrat primaries. Talk to a union group and they’re all about the “working man.” Talk to a black group and they're all about civil rights. Talk to some rainbow group and they’re all about gay rights. Whatever it takes to get the vote, right?

Well, the Republicans are just as bad. The House GOP leadership is coming out with their own climate change agenda. Call it Green New Deal Lite. Why? Because they’ve been polling again. They found out that the younger end of their party believes all this hogwash. Instead of debating people on the facts, they’d just rather pander. It’s easier. Doesn’t require much intellect. Just give the people what they want.

Never mind that the whole green agenda is designed to end America as we know it. You see, socialism is at the heart of the green agenda. Just listen to AOC some time. She’ll start off railing on the “carbon polluters” then segue into asthma sufferers (like CO2 has anything to do with asthma) and then she’s quickly on to making the rich countries pay the poor countries for this climate crisis they’ve caused.

By the way, where is the climate crisis? Oh, it’s everywhere. Floods, droughts, snow, lack of snow, heat, cold. It’s what we used to call weather. Now it’s climate change. The only problem is there’s absolutely no evidence that anything we’re doing is causing the climate to change. Doesn’t matter. It’s the “in” thing. Notice how hysteria has been substituted for proof? If you can’t prove, shout it.

The Republicans have found it easier to succumb to the shouting rather than debate the issue. They’re more afraid of losing younger voters who’ve been brainwashed by Bill Nye the Science Guy than losing their country. Because, after all, holding onto power is the most important thing. Only it isn’t. Holding onto our country is the most important thing.

President Trump understands this. That’s why he’s ignoring the pandering pachyderms and boldly extracting the last vestiges of climate change hysteria from his budget. Trump’s budget would eliminate funding for the Energy Star program and shift that cost to businesses that want to participate in it. I’ve never really understood the notion of conserving something there’s not a shortage of. You conserve water in a drought. You conserve money if you don’t have any. It makes little sense to conserve energy when we’re not running out of it. I’m all for saving money, but that should be my prerogative, not a mandate from the government.

“If you look at what the president says and does, it’s clear that he and his administration do not believe in the need for climate action, investment in clean energy, or protecting clean water and clean air,” so says Josh Freed to Roll Call. He’s the senior vice president for the climate and energy program at liberal think tank Third Way. Josh is a liar. President Trump has made it crystal clear that he’s all about clean air and clean water. Josh wants you to think he’s not so he can persuade you somehow that clean air and clean water have something to do with carbon dioxide. They don’t.

But the Republicans are no better. Part of their plan to fix climate change is to address all the plastic in the ocean. I’d love to clean that up too, but it has nothing to do with climate change. It’s time to stop pandering and tell the American people the truth.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show, on SuperTalk 99.7WTN in Nashville. He's also co-host of The PodGOATs podcast and I'm Calling Bovine Scatology.