Faux News: "Most Republicans Crazy Like a Man Stuck in a Toilet"

Truth be told, the title isn't an exact quote, but it isn't far off.

Yesterday on Fox News, anchor Shep Smith was recounting the story of a man in Pennsylvania who was stuck in a port-a-potty. According to the York Daily Record (PA), the man was "drunk, naked and wedged up to his waist in the hole of the toilet." Toward the end of the segment, Smith compared people who get stuck in toilets to "people who deny the whole global warming thing." "They're just a little crazy, you know?" said Smith. "What do you do?"

Where do the Republicans come into this? The majority don't believe that humanity is driving Global Warming.

Yes, thank you Think Progress (Amanda) for highlighting Smith's comments and making the all-too-clear link to the Republican Party. As Amanda notes,

A new National Journal poll of 39 GOP lawmakers found that 74 percent of them don't believe in manmade global warming and are, according to Smith, "a little crazy."

Republican denialism isn't news, of course. From a Rasmussen poll last fall:

45% of Americans consider Global Warming a Very Serious issue. But, there are partisan divisions visible throughout the data. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Democrats say human activity is the cause while 51% of Republicans identify long-term planetary trends as the culprit.

And, sadly, the situation might actually be getting worse. From last month,

A new survey by the Pew Research Center indicates that U.S. Republicans, never warm to the idea of human-induced climate change or rising global temperatures, are growing even cooler to the idea. ...

"Republicans are increasingly skeptical that there is solid evidence that the earth has been warming over the past few decades: just 49 percent of Republicans say there is evidence that the earth's average temperature has been rising, down 13 points since January 2007," ...

about half of Americans or 47 percent believe global warming is the result of human activity but views on the subject reflect a sharp partisan divide. It said 27 percent of Republicans hold this view versus 58 percent of Democrats.

To be honest, that 47 percent total figure is distressing and just 58 percent of Democrats don't know what science is saying. Sigh ...

And, what is amazing is that these views are far from hidden. Joe Romm, at Climate Progress, who did some transcription of Republican Senators' speeches opposing any serious discussion of Global Warming. [Note to self: must get Congressional Record for painful task of reading through these in entirety.] For example,

Jim Bunning (R-KY): "We don't even know if carbon has a bigger impact on climate than solar radiation." [Yes, we do ...] "Just 20 years ago the same scientists were talking about an ice age." [FALSE!!!]

Allard (R-CO): "I have concerns about the science. ... Based on the reports I have read, I think it's unclear what the long-term trend of the temperature of the Earth is ..." [Glad to know that he can read.]

Etc ...

NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE

Al Gore says that Global Warming should not be a partisan issue, but it is a moral challenge, an imperative for us to tackle together. This is core to the We campaign and the cutesy ads of people across the political spectrum sitting on couches (or elsewhere) together, agreeing that dealing with Global Warming matters.

Sadly, these ads don't reflect the myopic, reality-denial core of the Republican Party, who are fighting against even discussion (any discussion) of meaningful action to turn the nation toward a saner energy future.

Comments

[jacobomorales]

this is why the republican congress and senate must be defeated totally. It must be replaced with thoughtful and intelligent people who will come together to face the challenge. In this case these famous words run true "if they are not with us they are against us!!"

[MikeDu]

The Repubs refuse to believe in global warming simply because they're afraid the result would be additional restrictions on their actions. This is classic stuff. Remember way back the cry among the 'live free or die crowd' about mandating seatbelts into cars? Remember the enraged protests over taking lead out of gasoline? The anguish over wearing motorcycle helmets? The cries of horror over the prospect of doing away with pull tabs on beers cans? The tears shed over bottle recycling? The denunciations of OSHA safety rules? I'm not making this stuff up. If you were to listen to the 'conservatives' on each of those topics you would've thought the world was coming to an end. Seat belts in cars = the death of freedom. This all of a piece.

[A. Siegel - Huffpost Blogger]

See A. Siegel's Profile

Similarly, on each of these were cries that dealing with the problem would be destructive to the economy. Eliminating CFCs was going to be so expensive that average citizens wouldn't be able to afford refrigerators and air conditioning. Have an air conditioner?

[Cathexis]

Wait ... someone on FOX news actually derided some rightwing lunatic positions?!?

I feel my world shifting ...

[Insideout143]

Regardless of whether global warming is caused by humanity, we still have an obligation to our children, their children, etc, to do whatever we can to make our world the best it can be. Pollution of all kinds needs to be reduced as much as possible. Look what is happening not just with supposed global warming, but with the poisoning of food, water, the air we breathe, and products we use everyday. Isn't that ultimately what we should be thinking about? Worldwide, humanity has been too shortsighted. A cleaner world is a better world, no matter which way you try to cut it. So, the repugs are continuing to propagate the ignorance. Plain and simple. Power, war, money, dominance... that's all they care about. I guess it doesn't matter to them if their heirs will have a filthy world to cope with.

[egal]

HuffPost's Pick

Well, since the Republican party turned its back on conservatism and toward insularization, they can't win on morality issues so they make partisan stuff sound like it's morally driven and moral stuff sound like it's mere agenda. And thus those too stupid to think for themselves don't have to expend precious braincells qestioning their backwards beliefs, and they get something to fight against in a partisan way that makes up for no family feuds.

[CFAmick]

"they can't win on morality issues so they make partisan stuff sound like it's morally driven and moral stuff sound like it's mere agenda."

Very well said.

[certainot]

denial of climate change has a major champion in rush limbaugh- he reaches tens of millions for 15 hours a day and last i heard he does a regular daily segment reading the latest fossil fuels propaganda.

no one single person does more to enable the insane GOP denial that blocks action on our most important issue.

[Thermodynamics]

Try swimming at a beach on the Gulf of Mexico during August. The water is so warm that it feels like a bath. It is an experience that makes the concept of global warming real.

I know swimming in warm water it does not prove anything. Incidentally, warm Gulf water is the engine that drives hurricanes.

[americaforme]

Oh God, cant you see a red herring, when its presented...These Repugs are all about carefully manipulating commerce...I was at the Pharmacy last week, and the lady layed it on to me that my albuterol would be no longer in existence in Dec.because the company was going green. Take that one for breathe...The financial crossover is here, cost of meds will more than tripple, with this new product. Generic gone, we'll be like the porpices, beached...We depend on rescue breathe atomizers, us seniors, or are we expendable too?

[GOP4MoreTears]

Truth be told, global warming is of little concern in the short term.

Avarice and ignorance should be our number one priority, without clearly confronting those two problems, forget about solutions for any of the other problems that plague Humanity.

"There is only one good, knowledge and one evil, ignorance." - Socrates

[certainot]

"Truth be told, global warming is of little concern in the short term."

tell that to the hurricane, tornado, flood, extreme cold and heat and drought victims- all of us really

[A. Siegel - Huffpost Blogger]

See A. Siegel's Profile

"global warming is of little concern in the short term." Even if you do not see the impacts already occurring, our actions today drive impacts tomorrow. Delaying action until tomorrow only worsens the extent of those impacts.

I think that much can be done to ameliorate Global Warming, even without eliminating avarice and ignorance. I somehow doubt that we will wipe those out before we either find a solution path or are devastated by catastrophic climate change.

[indypete]

Avarice and ignorance are by far the main contributers to the human-caused part of global warming. Eliminate them and we can then say, if the planet gets warmer then it's not our fault.

[avicenna]

Was it Craig up to his old Airport stalls tricks again? It should be noted a man his size likely leaves a bigger carbon footprint in the American sewer system.

[TheDisenchanted]

Ask these same people during the summer, they do not understand the concept of the polar ice caps melting when it is still cold during May in many parts of the US.