<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Presidential candidates answer dumb question about global warming]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by justlou http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:29:33 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/1 Well

It couldn't be that the Republicans, banking on the money from those dastardly special interests, who "blocked progress" in the congress and the administration?  That'd be a little too much straight talk for McCain.  

Ole Johnny boy, caps many of his comments with that "little straight talk" lately.  Pretty lame.  

]]> Well

It couldn't be that the Republicans, banking on the money from those dastardly special interests, who "blocked progress" in the congress and the administration?  That'd be a little too much straight talk for McCain.  

Ole Johnny boy, caps many of his comments with that "little straight talk" lately.  Pretty lame.  

]]> Comment #2 by Sam Wells http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:17:26 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/2 Politics

Hey David, I can see as much of a message in your posting as the snippets from Presidential candidates you quoted.  You're playing politics, they're playing politics, but does that make life any better?

Absolutely not.  

In the old days there always a "bright red line" between the political wonks and the technical teckies. Rule number one was that the U.S. wonks were always wrong, and that includes Al Gore, who I am beginning to hate with a passion because he blew so many prognostications about Climate Change.  

But when teckies try to get into the policy arena and "wonk," they always sound fake, insincere, and cold.  Unfortunately, Grist is a major offender in this department - like a political science class in the Stamford engineering department. Sorry to say, you just proved me right in this posting.

Onward through the fog

]]> Politics

Hey David, I can see as much of a message in your posting as the snippets from Presidential candidates you quoted.  You're playing politics, they're playing politics, but does that make life any better?

Absolutely not.  

In the old days there always a "bright red line" between the political wonks and the technical teckies. Rule number one was that the U.S. wonks were always wrong, and that includes Al Gore, who I am beginning to hate with a passion because he blew so many prognostications about Climate Change.  

But when teckies try to get into the policy arena and "wonk," they always sound fake, insincere, and cold.  Unfortunately, Grist is a major offender in this department - like a political science class in the Stamford engineering department. Sorry to say, you just proved me right in this posting.

Onward through the fog

]]> Comment #3 by Biodiversivist http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:33:17 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/3 Bold is one word,

is stupid the other?

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

]]> Bold is one word,

is stupid the other?

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

]]> Comment #4 by Pangolin http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:54:37 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/4 The pig won't sing. Really.

The current crop of politicians having been raised like pigs for slaughter at the trough of big oil, big agriculture and big coal is not about to lift it's collective nose from the feed back and go looking for acorns in the deep dark woods.

Not without a major boot in the rear.

Thank you John Howard for being the first volunteer at the climate change bar-b-que. Maybe the smell of roast pork will get to Bali from Oz.

Put the Carbon Back

]]> The pig won't sing. Really.

The current crop of politicians having been raised like pigs for slaughter at the trough of big oil, big agriculture and big coal is not about to lift it's collective nose from the feed back and go looking for acorns in the deep dark woods.

Not without a major boot in the rear.

Thank you John Howard for being the first volunteer at the climate change bar-b-que. Maybe the smell of roast pork will get to Bali from Oz.

Put the Carbon Back

]]> Comment #5 by clicknathan http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:05:26 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/5 Misquoting

To be clear, I'm no Republican and I read your blog regularly, so I'm not completely trying to rip on you here...but it's very misleading to change people's quotes.

You have Mike Huckabee sounding like an idiot when you state that he said he wants us to be free of energy consumption. What he actually said is he would like to see us free of oil-based energy consumption.

Best to play fair. :)

]]> Misquoting

To be clear, I'm no Republican and I read your blog regularly, so I'm not completely trying to rip on you here...but it's very misleading to change people's quotes.

You have Mike Huckabee sounding like an idiot when you state that he said he wants us to be free of energy consumption. What he actually said is he would like to see us free of oil-based energy consumption.

Best to play fair. :)

]]> Comment #6 by justlou http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:38:16 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/6 Re: Misquoting Huckabee

You are right.  I listened to the video.  Huckabee was misquoted.  

No consequence to Huckabee the candidate.  There is blood in the water.  The recent revelations of all his ethical lapses as governor of Arkansas will seal his fate with the voters.  The evidence is damning -- he didn't leave a clean campsite in Arkansas.  

My guess is that McCain is going to be the Republican default candidate after all the front runners have run the gauntlet.  

]]> Re: Misquoting Huckabee

You are right.  I listened to the video.  Huckabee was misquoted.  

No consequence to Huckabee the candidate.  There is blood in the water.  The recent revelations of all his ethical lapses as governor of Arkansas will seal his fate with the voters.  The evidence is damning -- he didn't leave a clean campsite in Arkansas.  

My guess is that McCain is going to be the Republican default candidate after all the front runners have run the gauntlet.  

]]> Comment #7 by kayser http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:32:02 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/7 Huckabee Misquote

The other commenters are right, but I bet the first draft of this transcript left out the word "oil" leading to the quote that David wrote.

It looks like the transcript is a real rush job. Apparently they didn't proofread (Hillary Clinton: "We cab drastically lower our use of electricity...")

]]> Huckabee Misquote

The other commenters are right, but I bet the first draft of this transcript left out the word "oil" leading to the quote that David wrote.

It looks like the transcript is a real rush job. Apparently they didn't proofread (Hillary Clinton: "We cab drastically lower our use of electricity...")

]]> Comment #8 by Greta http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:00:18 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/8 The Stepford Candidates

Much agreed about the pathetic question!

A happened upon this CBS moment while flipping channels.  Came in at Fred Thompson.

My overall impression after listening to those who I heard was:

Voters learned nothing about the presidential candidates except that they all can recite each other's message on cue.  (The only real distinction being the promotion of nuclear.) It was a bit like listenging to the "whant whant wha" of the teacher in the "Peanuts".

Even the republicans regurgitated the "we need to do something about Climate Change" mantra.  But, no surprise, they were asked a question on a specific topic.

Bottom line is which candidate do you believe will actually walk the talk?  (I completely discount the republicans, here.)

I have not yet looked at the candidate's voting records, but that would be the only indicator that we have to judge.

But, how many voters will actually go to that much trouble.  Very few.

www.NoPunProductions.com ~ AmericaTheGreen.org

]]> The Stepford Candidates

Much agreed about the pathetic question!

A happened upon this CBS moment while flipping channels.  Came in at Fred Thompson.

My overall impression after listening to those who I heard was:

Voters learned nothing about the presidential candidates except that they all can recite each other's message on cue.  (The only real distinction being the promotion of nuclear.) It was a bit like listenging to the "whant whant wha" of the teacher in the "Peanuts".

Even the republicans regurgitated the "we need to do something about Climate Change" mantra.  But, no surprise, they were asked a question on a specific topic.

Bottom line is which candidate do you believe will actually walk the talk?  (I completely discount the republicans, here.)

I have not yet looked at the candidate's voting records, but that would be the only indicator that we have to judge.

But, how many voters will actually go to that much trouble.  Very few.

www.NoPunProductions.com ~ AmericaTheGreen.org

]]> Comment #9 by David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:11:48 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/9 Huckabee quote

As some of you have pointed out, the quote from Huckabee about energy consumption was wrong in the first draft of the transcript, which I was working with yesterday. I've updated the post.

grist.org

]]> Huckabee quote

As some of you have pointed out, the quote from Huckabee about energy consumption was wrong in the first draft of the transcript, which I was working with yesterday. I've updated the post.

grist.org

]]> Comment #10 by nikki http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:41:48 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/10 McCain & global warming mitigation

I'm not sure who's noticed, but although he has a decent environmental platform thus far, this campaigning Arizonian Senator did NOT vote for this recent energy bill that just got SQUASHED by the Senate last week - FYI.....what gives?

]]> McCain & global warming mitigation

I'm not sure who's noticed, but although he has a decent environmental platform thus far, this campaigning Arizonian Senator did NOT vote for this recent energy bill that just got SQUASHED by the Senate last week - FYI.....what gives?

]]> Comment #11 by OAUTAMEFE http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:55:31 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/11 useless

"Yes there is a problem..."
and...what are we going to do about it? Why don't they ask a question that actually requires some brain matter to answer?

A wise man once said - I am neither an Athenian nor a Spartan, I am a Cosmopolitan!


]]> useless

"Yes there is a problem..."
and...what are we going to do about it? Why don't they ask a question that actually requires some brain matter to answer?

A wise man once said - I am neither an Athenian nor a Spartan, I am a Cosmopolitan!


]]> Comment #12 by tidal http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:06:41 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/is-the-competence-of-cbs-news-overblown/12 commentary on the Huckabee answer...

although Mark Kleiman recognizes that Huckabee's original quote is incorrect, he assumes it is referring to "imports"... even so, an interesting short commentary... and the Nixon-era quote is classic!
Obviously, when Mike Huckabee said that "we ought to declare that we will be free of energy consumption in this country within a decade," he meant "imports" rather than "consumption."

But does that make his comment any less absurd? While "zero energy imports" isn't physically impossible the way "zero energy consumption" is, it's equally impossible economically, politically, and administratively. Those constraints aren't any less real for not involving the laws of thermodynamics.

Huckabee's ten-year deadline reminds me of Nixon's commitment to "make the United States energy-independent within ten years." My old Kennedy School colleague Bill Hogan tells of his service on the Energy Indepenence Task Force charged with making good on that promise. "The first thing we had to do was re-define 'energy independence.' The second thing we had to do was re-define 'ten years.' "

In some ways would be even worse to have a President who doesn't distinguish between feasible and infeasible solutions to public problems than it would be to have a President who doesn't understand physics. A politician is much less likely to imagine that he knows physics when he doesn't, or to imagine that physical law will yield to the exercise of political will, than to make the same errors about economics.

A promise to do something impossible amounts to a lie. But the fundamental dishonesty of such "visionary" proposals seems not to count as a "character issue" in contemporary political journalism. It would be nice to have a political press corps that understood, and cared about, the difference between a (feasible) bold initiative and an (infeasible) hare-brained scheme, but that, too, seems to be outside the feasible set.


]]> commentary on the Huckabee answer...

although Mark Kleiman recognizes that Huckabee's original quote is incorrect, he assumes it is referring to "imports"... even so, an interesting short commentary... and the Nixon-era quote is classic!
Obviously, when Mike Huckabee said that "we ought to declare that we will be free of energy consumption in this country within a decade," he meant "imports" rather than "consumption."

But does that make his comment any less absurd? While "zero energy imports" isn't physically impossible the way "zero energy consumption" is, it's equally impossible economically, politically, and administratively. Those constraints aren't any less real for not involving the laws of thermodynamics.

Huckabee's ten-year deadline reminds me of Nixon's commitment to "make the United States energy-independent within ten years." My old Kennedy School colleague Bill Hogan tells of his service on the Energy Indepenence Task Force charged with making good on that promise. "The first thing we had to do was re-define 'energy independence.' The second thing we had to do was re-define 'ten years.' "

In some ways would be even worse to have a President who doesn't distinguish between feasible and infeasible solutions to public problems than it would be to have a President who doesn't understand physics. A politician is much less likely to imagine that he knows physics when he doesn't, or to imagine that physical law will yield to the exercise of political will, than to make the same errors about economics.

A promise to do something impossible amounts to a lie. But the fundamental dishonesty of such "visionary" proposals seems not to count as a "character issue" in contemporary political journalism. It would be nice to have a political press corps that understood, and cared about, the difference between a (feasible) bold initiative and an (infeasible) hare-brained scheme, but that, too, seems to be outside the feasible set.


]]>