Monday, April 24, 2006

Some are Finally Getting Onboard

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Representative Bob Inglis, a South Carolina Republican, says he ``pooh-poohed'' global warming until he trekked to the South Pole in January.

``Now, I think we should be concerned,'' says Inglis, who heads the U.S. House Science Research subcommittee. ``There are more and more Republicans willing to stop laughing at climate change who are ready to get serious about reclaiming their heritage as conservationists.''

U.S. companies including General Electric Co. and Duke Energy Corp. have come out in support of national limits on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions that scientists say contribute to global warming. They are now being joined by Republican lawmakers who have parted company with President George W. Bush on the issue.

In addition to Inglis, who says he saw evidence of heat- trapping gases in the atmosphere during his trip to Antarctica, the list includes Senators Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the chairman of the chamber's Energy Committee; Mike DeWine of Ohio; and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as Representative Jim Leach of Iowa.

``Resistance to action on climate change is crumbling,'' says Reid Detchon, an Energy Department official under former President George H.W. Bush who is now head of energy and climate at the United Nations Foundation. ``The business community has a number of prominent leaders arguing for action, and the science on climate change becomes clearer and more inescapable by the day.''
You know, just because hunters and fishermen liked to call themselves conservative and it makes sense to be 'conservationists'...well, that doesn't mean that Being a conservationist is Conservative. it shouldn't be liberal or conservative in the first place. despite that, conservatives have been almost EXCLUSIVELY among the groups fighting against environmental protection. Seriously, are there any liberal, anti-environmental groups? (yes, i know there are a few conservative conservationists, but to call this a 'conservative tradition' or to imply that they were in any significant numbers at any point in history is a bit off) Anyone, please feel free to cite any examples to the contrary. i may need my memory refreshed.

3 comments:

CSH said...

How would you classify Teddy Roosevelt?

Polly said...

A progressive. he fell into the presiency after the death of McKinley and promptly became the antagonist of the trust building tycoons. his presidential policies were certainly liberal compared to any of his republican brethern that came along after him. he left the party bc of his differences w/ the leadership as well.

its also a little hard to completely compare the prior political climate as the US was climbing out of the Reconstruction era. i mean HELL, we're talking about an era there where Hiram Revels was MS's Senator (first black senator in the US Senate).

anyway, i'd say that he was distinctly more progressive or liberal or whatever you'd like to call it than any of he GOP contemporaries. He also did more in the way of worker rights than any of his GOP predicessors. he was even the first Prez to entertain black people as a guest of the white house.

Any GOP'er that embraces Teddy (and they should, he was one of our best presidents and among their top 2)...well, they should just be a Democrat. He'd certainly have no home in the GOP of today.

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