Here's an excellent example of why our political choices this year - a Republican Party that had become a cult of personality for a charlatan, or a Democratic Party wholly given over to coercive collectivism and identity-politics militancy - were about as dismal as could be imagined.
It's also why, as unappealing as Loeffler and Perdue are, it would be far better for the nation and for human freedom if they beat Ossoff and Warnock in the Georgia runoff on January 5.
The incoming Biden administration intends to bring climate alarmism back to the fore in the national discourse.
There are the appointments of Gina McCarthy and John "Great Reset" Kerry to "climate" posts. There are Biden's own statements.
And now comes a Washington Post op-ed by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley entitled "How Joe Biden Can Act Boldly To Address the Climate Crisis." It's behind a paywall, but the part I want excerpted is included in a National Review piece by Andrew Stuttaford:
Our ability to take on the climate crisis through legislation will be challenged by the realities of the Senate. If Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) emerges as the majority leader following the runoff elections in Georgia, no serious climate bill will ever get a hearing in committee, much less get to the Oval Office. And even if Democrats win the Senate, passing adequately ambitious legislation will be a struggle with such a razor-thin margin and the need for filibuster reform.
But we cannot wait. We need bold executive action that treats this crisis — quite literally — as the emergency it is.
The National Emergencies Act (NEA) and the Defense Production Act (DPA) give the president broad powers to act in the national interest during grave national emergencies. While President Barack Obama used the DPA to purchase green transportation fuels, neither of these acts has been fully used to address the climate emergency.
Declaring the climate crisis a national emergency under the NEA would not only send a powerful signal about the urgency of bold action, it would unlock powers that allow our nation to take significant, concrete actions regardless of congressional gridlock. Examples include redirecting spending to build out renewable energy systems, implementing large-scale clean transportation solutions and financing distributed energy projects to boost climate resiliency — all of which would help safeguard our communities and slash harmful pollution.
Invoking the DPA would complement a national emergency declaration and help address the national security threats posed by our climate crisis. These powers would allow the Biden administration to take essential steps toward strengthening our emergency preparedness, such as constructing resilient energy infrastructure and mobilizing domestic industry to ramp up manufacturing of clean energy technologies. These are necessary steps to protect Americans from the deluge of violent storms and extreme weather events that are on the horizon. Plus, spawning a robust clean energy industry could generate millions of high-quality American jobs vital to rejuvenating our post-covid economy.
"Unlock the powers." My God, what a bone-chilling phrase. Whenever someone in government speaks of unlocking its powers, the hair on the back of your neck ought to stand straight up.
And then there's "mobilizing domestic industry."
Listen up, you totalitarian, "domestic industry" is comprised of particular companies owned by particular shareholders and having particular customers. What the hell they decide to do in the way of offering particular products or anything else about conducting business is none of the concern of government.
One reason it would be good to get the whole Trump post-election meltdown dealt with and removed from center stage is that there's going to need to be adequate focus on what Democrats intend to impose on the nation in the name of a "climate crisis."
And I don't mean to borrow trouble, but I can easily foresee the Left conflating the controversy surrounding measures to address the pandemic with the bundle of truth and lies surrounding the global climate. "You're the crowd that militantly refused to wear masks or modify business practices" and such.
Be ready to respond. They are two different matters. The COVID pandemic is real, as demonstrated by hard statistics over the last nine months. It's been unprecedented and we've been feeling our way through. The extension of grace is warranted. Rigid and extreme takes are not. But the climate situation is shot through with bad-faith falsehoods that truly are intended to curb human freedom and stunt human advancement.
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