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The 5 Worst Climate Change Truthers In Congress

The 5 Worst Climate Change Truthers In Congress

Throughout his presidency, Barack Obama has taken tremendous strides toward combating climate change and the dangers that it poses. But he hasn’t gotten much help from Congress — and now that Republicans hold majority control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he probably never will.

Although scientists overwhelmingly agree that human activity has caused the climate to rapidly warm over the past century, the majority of congressional Republicans flatly deny the facts.

Here are five of the most notable climate truthers in the 114th Congress:

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Rep. Smith, a 14-term Republican from Texas, currently serves as chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He is also an outspoken climate change truther who seems to believe that scientists and the liberal media are teaming up to mislead Americans about the threat. In November, Smith shrugged off a frightening United Nations report on climate change as “clearly biased,” before acknowledging that he didn’t actually read it.

Despite not having faced a competitive election in nearly two decades, Smith has raised more than $600,000 from the oil and gas industry throughout his career — including $112,050 in the last election cycle alone.

Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX)
Rep. Weber, chairman of the House Subcommitee on Energy, is a relative newcomer to Congress; he was elected to succeed Rep. Ron Paul in 2012. But he’s quickly become known for his strident refusal to accept the facts on climate change. Most notably, Weber attempted to ridicule White House science advisor John Holdren during a hearing last March, and ended up making a fool of himself.

Weber — who, ironically, owns an air conditioning company — is a favorite of the oil and gas industry; it donated $87,250 to him in the last election cycle, nearly double the total he raised from any other industry.

Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Senator Cory Gardner moved up from the House in 2014, when he defeated environmentalist Democrat Mark Udall in a significant upset. Along the way, he refused to answer questions about climate change — a strategy that actually represented a minor step forward from his previous insistence that “I don’t believe humans are causing that change.”

Gardner currently sits on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — which helps to explain why the oil and gas industry contributed $658,049 to his campaign, second to only Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) among House members.

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman Jim Inhofe is one of the world’s most outspoken climate change deniers. During his tenure in Congress, Inhofe has described global warming as the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” compared Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, insisted that climate change is impossible because “God’s still up there,” and attempted to disprove the scientific consensus with a snowball, among other incidents.

Unsurprisingly, Inhofe is also beloved by the oil and gas industry; it contributed $576,250 to him in 2014, and nearly $2 million throughout his career — easily the highest total of any industry.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Senator Cruz chairs the Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, which oversees NASA and the National Science Foundation, among other responsibilities.

This is very bad news for NASA and the National Science Foundation, given Cruz’s proud hostility to science. The newly minted presidential candidate is under the mistaken impression that global warming ceased in 1997, and that cold weather disproves climate change altogether. He also appears to believe that his ignorance on the topic makes him a modern-day Galileo.

Over Cruz’s brief four-year career as a federal candidate, he has raised a whopping $1,086,368 from the oil and gas industry.

Photo: CSIS: Center for Strategic & International Studies via Flickr

This Week In Crazy: Behead The Cable News Infidels!

This Week In Crazy: Behead The Cable News Infidels!

Welcome to “This Week In Crazy,” The National Memo’s weekly update on the wildest attacks, conspiracy theories, and other loony behavior from the increasingly unhinged right wing. Starting with number five:

5. Louie Gohmert

Two weeks into its existence, the 114th Congress is picking up right where its predecessor left off: with paranoid, unhinged Benghazi conspiracy theories.

As Brian Tashman explains at Right Wing Watch, certain segments of the right have long believed that former CIA director David Petraeus didn’t actually resign from his post in 2012 because of an extramarital affair. He was really trying to cover up the truth about the Benghazi attacks.

News that the Justice Department is considering criminal charges against Petraeus for leaking classified information to his then-paramour would seem to confirm that an affair took place. Or, if you’re Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), it confirms that the conspiracy goes straight to the top.

“This administration knows that General Petraeus has information that would virtually destroy any credibility that the administration might still have nationally and internationally, so what else would this administration do but leave over his head for a year and a half the threat, ‘We’re going to prosecute you so you’d better keep your mouth shut,’” Gohmert explained.

“If you wonder why General Petraeus has not come out in the last year and a half and said, ‘No, those weren’t our talking points, somebody that created them needs to be prosecuted, it was a fraud on the American people,’ he’s not going to say that,” he continued. “He’s got this administration hanging a prosecution over his head. What do you expect? I doubt he’ll ever be able to say it without worrying about something over his shoulder coming on after him.”

That’s right — David Petraeus will never be able to tell the horrible truth about Benghazi, which must be why he’s already given up and said that Hillary Clinton would make “a tremendous president” due to her “extraordinarily resolute, determined, and controlled” response to the attacks.

There’s only one question left: What dirt does Obama have on the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee to get them to join the conspiracy?

4. Dave Agema

Photo: @DaveAgema via Twitter

Photo: @DaveAgema via Twitter

The Republican National Committee has a problem. On one hand, it would very much like to improve the GOP’s terrible numbers among minority voters. On the other hand, it is composed of people like Dave Agema.

Agema is a well-known bigot who serves as a committee member from Michigan. Despite his long history of incredibly offensive rhetoric, the RNC can’t do anything to get rid of him (the committee’s bylaws provide no mechanism to remove members). So they generally keep their fingers crossed, and hope that he doesn’t embarrass them.

This strategy is not working.

In advance of this year’s RNC winter meeting, Agema took to Facebook to share an article from a white supremacist website. The money quote:

[B]lacks are different by almost any measure to all other people. They cannot reason as well. They cannot communicate as well. They cannot control their impulses as well. They are a threat to all who cross their paths, black and non-black alike.

According to Agema’s post, the article is “very enlightening for anyone who is concerned about crime in America.”

Unsurprisingly, the post sparked outrage. The RNC’s top officers even went so far as to officially sanction Agema. But the former state representative would like you to know that he’s not a racist. He got the article from a black friend!

Unfortunately, that friend was Allen West.

But again, the RNC can do nothing to stop Agema unless he chooses to resign (which he has thus far refused to do). So until then, all Reince Priebus can do is hug a copy of his Growth and Opportunity Project and hope for the best.

3. Randy Weber

Photo: CSUF Photos via Flickr

Photo: CSUF Photos via Flickr

Many Americans were upset over President Obama’s failure to attend the unity rally held in Paris in the wake of last week’s horrific terrorist attacks; even the White House admitted that it had erred. But that apology wasn’t good enough for Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX), who took to Twitter to express his outrage.

“Even Adolph [sic] Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons,” Weber tweeted.

Don’t let the poor spelling and absurdly flawed logic fool you; that is an elected member of Congress describing the president as worse than Hitler (perhaps fittingly, he succeeded fellow Godwin’s Law enthusiast Ron Paul in Texas’ 14th district).

Unsurprisingly, Weber’s tweet sparked outrage, causing the congressman to delete it and apologize less than 24 hours later. That actually represents progress for Weber, who declined to delete his last offensive message.

But while Weber’s judgment may be slowly improving, unfortunately his spelling is not.2. Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Speaking of Dr. Paul, his insane think tank weighed in on the Charlie Hebdo massacre on Wednesday. It went just about as well as you’d expect.

The institute published a piece by Paul Craig Roberts which claimed that the attack may well have been an inside job organized by the U.S. government:

The Charlie Hebdo affair has many of the characteristics of a false flag operation. The attack on the cartoonists’ office was a disciplined professional attack of the kind associated with highly trained special forces; yet the suspects who were later corralled and killed seemed bumbling and unprofessional. It is like two different sets of people.

Usually Muslim terrorists are prepared to die in the attack; yet the two professionals who hit Charlie Hebdo were determined to escape and succeeded, an amazing feat. Their identity was allegedly established by the claim that they conveniently left for the authorities their ID in the getaway car. Such a mistake is inconsistent with the professionalism of the attack and reminds me of the undamaged passport found miraculously among the ruins of the two WTC towers that served to establish the identity of the alleged 9/11 hijackers.

According to Roberts, there’s a simple explanation for why the U.S. would arrange the brutal murders of a dozen innocents: “Clearly, France was showing too much foreign policy independence. The attack on Charlie Hebdo serves to cow France and place France back under Washington’s thumb.”

Roberts then goes on to compare the devious plot to America’s most successful false flag operation (yes, he is a 9/11 truther), before concluding with an attack against Americans. We’re the crazy ones, not him:

Americans are a pitifully misinformed people. All of history is a history of false flag operations. Yet Americans dismiss such proven operations as “conspiracy theories,” which merely proves that government has successfully brainwashed insouciant Americans and deprived them of the ability to recognize the truth.

Americans are the foremost among the captive nations.

Who will liberate them?

Probably not Rand Paul, if his father’s institute keeps publishing crazy rants like this.1. Joe Walsh

This week’s “winner,” former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), has always had a hot temper. But even by his standards, Walsh’s response to the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo is pretty startling.

Many media outlets have declined to show the cover of the special “survivors’ edition” of the satirical magazine, which features a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign. Walsh disagrees with their decision, to put it mildly.

Yes, the former congressman hopes that terrorists behead the “infidels” working in American cable news. When challenged on his rhetoric, Walsh refused to back down.

So terrorists have to murder those working at CNN and MSNBC… or the terrorists win. Got it.

With any luck, Walsh will one day return to CNN to defend himself.

Check out previous editions of This Week In Crazy here. Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments!

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This Week In Crazy: Suing King Obama, And The Rest Of The Worst Of The Right

Welcome to a special State of the Union edition of “This Week In Crazy,” The National Memo’s weekly update on the wildest attacks, conspiracy theories, and other loony behavior from the increasingly unhinged right wing. With apologies to Bryan Fischer, Bob Barr, and many others, this week’s list will only cover the many, many awful reactions to President Obama’s Tuesday night address to Congress. Starting with number five:

5. Randy Weber

It may not shock you to learn that most Republican members of Congress were not thrilled with President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address (at least one — the inimitable Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) — didn’t even bother to listen to the whole thing).

But no representative summed up the right wing’s attitude going into the speech better than Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), who tweeted the following from the House chamber:

 

Rep. Weber presumably meant “Chief,” not “Chef” — although honestly, comparing the president to a Nazi cook makes roughly as much sense as Weber’s intended barb. And if Weber really sees President Obama as an evil German, then maybe he should stop demanding that he build militarized walls.
4. Louie Gohmert

Not to be outdone, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) also came to the State of the Union prepared for mockery — but in a much odder way.

While Gohmert awaited the start of the speech with his official guest — Sean Hannity, naturally — the unhinged congressman explained his choice of attire:

“Well I thought, ‘I can’t wear that. That’s Santa Claus,” Gohmert said as he described his choice of a tie. “And then I realized, we’re going to be listening to Santa Claus tonight promising whatever anybody wants they can have.”

“The trouble — and this is what breaks my heart — is he’s got the children paying for the gifts to the parents,” Gohmert added, “and that’s not right.”

Gohmert should probably have been more careful about that comparison while Hannity was around; after all, Fox News does not take kindly to black Santas.

H/t: Right Wing Watch
3. Glenn Beck

After the president delivered his relatively modest, moderate speech, many wingers focused on the president’s vow that “wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.”

If you read that and thought, “American democracy is officially dead,” you may be Glenn Beck.

Calling the speech “horrific from start to finish,” Beck lamented that “looking us in the eye, [President Obama] said he would use his executive power to get his way. He bragged about it!”

“I would like you to remember and write this down in your diaries — write it down in your diaries, and keep it for your children and grandchildren,” Beck implored. “This was the State of the Union where our president declared he would become America’s first dictator.”

It may be best to take Beck’s suggestion rhetorically, rather than literally. Because making a written record of every time Beck warned that an Obama dictatorship was imminent would kill an awful lot of trees.

H/t: Right Wing Watch
2. Steven Andrew

Steven Andrew

The least coherent response to the president’s address belongs to pastor Steven Andrew of the right-wing USA Christian Ministries, who took it upon himself to offer “God’s State of the Union” on Tuesday night.

In his presumptuous speech, Andrew explained how to “restore God’s blessings” to the United States. As you might have guessed, getting rid of President Obama is step one.

“People like Barack Obama have a totally different vision of America. His vision is to follow Satan, and we know this because of his homosexual sin that he just is open about,” Andrew explained.

In addition to being a gay satanist, Andrew also charged Obama with a long list of sins including “death panels,” “IRS spying,” and repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell — which is apparently responsible for the Iraq War.

“Look, with Barack Obama bringing homosexual sin to the military, they can’t even win in Iraq!” Andrew exclaimed.

Of course, God’s State of the Union wasn’t all criticism — Andrew also offered some concrete policy solutions.

“There is great economic problems in the United States of America. We have the biggest debt in the world. How is this going to go away?” Andrew said. “This debt is going to go away by humbling ourselves before the Lord and not by serving Mammon but by putting Jesus Christ first.”

The Republican Party may have been widely mocked for its many, many responses to President Obama’s speech, but all of them — even Michael Grimm’s — were more on-point than Pastor Andrew’s attempt to speak for God.

Video of “God’s State of the Union” can be seen atThe Raw Story.

1. Michele Bachmann

michele bachmann

This week’s “winner” is once again Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who seems determined to spend every day before the end times providing entertainment for This Week In Crazy readers.

Much like Beck, Bachmann was appalled by President Obama’s speech, in which she claims “The president renewed his commitment that he is going to be King Obama.”

But unlike Beck, Bachmann won’t just sit idly by while King Obama is “eviscerating the Constitution,” as she put it. No, the former tax lawyer has a better idea: Sue the president!

“If he wants to move forward with this unilateral activity, he better be prepared for the lawsuit that the United States Congress will bring to him,” Bachmann warned. “He may think he’s king, he may declare he’s a king, but that’s not what he is under the Constitution.”

Bachmann’s plan has at least one supporter: her frequent collaborator, Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

“He knows what he’s saying,” King said of President Obama. “He wouldn’t have to remind Congress, ‘I’m going to use all my real executive authority,’ that wouldn’t be in the speech. What he’s saying is, ‘I’m going to use some of your authority.’ So I agree with her that we need to take him to court.”

Sure, wasting taxpayers’ time and money to sue the president for the theoretical use of entirely legal executive orders may seem like a mind-numbingly stupid idea. But it’s also exactly the brand of “fiscal conservatism” that we’ve come to expect from Congresswoman Bachmann and her crazy caucus.

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Check out previous editions of This Week In Crazy here. Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments!