Moron vs Moron in W Virginia

[realthog]

Ken Ward Jr of the South Charleston Gazette has posted a frightening piece about the fact that, in the upcoming gubernatorial contest, West Virginia's voters have this choice:

• a moron
• another moron

Here's how his article opens:

Well, given their earlier answers to similar questions during the primary campaign (see here, here and here), none of this should have come as much of a shock. But it’s still something to see when the anti-science attitudes of West Virginia political leaders and candidates are put out there so clearly . . .

At last night’s debate between the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates (the broadcasters group that sponsored the event refused to allow third-party candidates to take part), Hoppy Kercheval of  West Virginia MetroNews asked: Do you believe man’s actions are causing the world to warm?

Republican Bill Maloney replied simply: We’re in a cooling cycle.

Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin said: Once again, there are differences of opinion as to whether we’re in global warming now.

Now, we all expect Republican politicians to choose the moron option when asked anything about science -- after all, their science education comes in the form of packets of high-denomination used bills from Exxon and the Koch Brothers -- but it's alarming to find a Democrat doing the same.

Proof of human beings co-existing with DINOs, I suppose . . .

h/t Climate Progress

Comments

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

We're in a cooling cycle? What's the evidence for that? Decreased cyclonic activity, perhaps? Lower average summer temperatures? Higher average winter temperatures? An earlier start to winter?

[realthog.livejournal.com]

We're in a cooling cycle? What's the evidence for that?

Maloney's evidence is that climate experts like Rush Limbaugh have said this often enough that it must be true.

This particular climate lie (among many others!) is all over the rightwing denialist echo chamber; these people live in a different reality than the rest of us, where facts are the things you'd like to be true, like Santa Claus, while objective facts are just pesky irritations that can be -- indeed, must be -- disregarded or roundly abused.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

The facts that year-round temperatures average higher, we're seeing climate zone shifts further north (and south on the other side of the equinoctial line), and that weather patterns are becoming more extreme do seem rather hard to ignore. Of course, little will shake the determinedly struthionine.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

The facts that year-round temperatures average higher, we're seeing climate zone shifts further north (and south on the other side of the equinoctial line), and that weather patterns are becoming more extreme do seem rather hard to ignore.

One of their tricks -- as popularized by climate expert Ann Coulter -- is to point at higher snowfall and pretend it's a sign of cooling rather than increased precipitation because of the increased evaporation from the ocean surface.