Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Mitch McConnell's decision to bring the Green New Deal resolution to the floor for a vote, although Schumer noted that McConnell's intent was far from a good-faith effort to address climate change. On Tuesday, McConnell announced he wanted a vote on the resolution, hoping maybe such a vote would somehow reveal DEEP RIFTS among Senate Democrats, especially the thousand or so running for president. Schumer essentially said great, we know this can't pass in a Republican-controlled Senate, but we're happy to call your bluff, Mitch. Now, how about you guys get on the record that you reject the international scientific consensus that Earth is getting warmer, that humans are causing it, and that we need to take action?
Here's Schumer's speech, a nice response to what he called a "cheap, cynical ploy" on McConnell's part:
Chuck Schumer 24/7 Live as the he speaks Climate Change on the Senate floor.www.youtube.com
Schumer noted that McConnell often makes a big deal about how he would never ever waste the Senate's time on political stunts," because heavens, there's no point in debating or voting on bills Donald Trump won't sign. But for the Green New Deal, Schumer points out, McConnell's all up for a stunt because it's a stunt likely to go over well with the Republican base, particularly since they've had such great success lying about how Dems are going to TAKE YOUR COWS AWAY SO YOU WILL HAVE TO RIDE BIKES INSTEAD OF COWS.
[On] Tuesday, the Republican Leader announced he would bring his Green New Deal resolution up for a vote because he wants to "make sure everybody has the opportunity to go on record and see how they feel" about it – knowing full well his entire party will vote against it, including himself, and that it won't pass.
But as Schumer pointed out, Republicans have never taken climate change seriously. Since they took control of the Senate, there hasn't been a vote on a single Republican proposal to actually address climate change, although there was an attempt to roll back methane regulations, which would have made greenhouse emissions worse. Schumer thanked "a few brave Republicans" for joining Dems to put the kibosh on that. But now that there's a proposal to actually tackle climate in a big way, the Rs think it's politically advantageous to have a vote as a political stunt. Schumer 'splained that McConnell is bringing forward a resolution "he wants all of his members to vote against. Let me say that again: the Republican Leader announced that he's going to bring up a resolution he intends to vote against."
The American people need to see that this is all there is to the Republican plan to deal with climate change. This is all they can muster. A political stunt. Not designed to make progress. Not designed to move the ball forward. They're bringing a resolution forward so they can vote against it. This cheap, cynical ploy evidently represents the sum total of Senate Republicans' leadership on the vital issue of climate change. [...]
They're taking their lead from the President, a man who is so willfully ignorant and foolish that he thinks he's clever by ridiculing the global scientific consensus on climate change whenever it snows.
Fine, said Schumer. Let's have a vote on a measure the majority party will reject. But let's make it a real debate at least, and get Republicans on the record.
So when the Republican Leader says he wants to bring the Green New Deal resolution up for a vote, I say: go for it. Bring it on. You think it might embarrass Democrats to vote on a non-binding resolution that maybe some of us support but not others? Trust me; we'll be fine [...]
I challenge Leader McConnell to say that our climate change crisis is real, that it's caused by humans, and that Congress needs to act. This is what two-thirds of the American people agree with. Two-thirds.
But if there is a vote, let's make it a real vote, Schumer said, and let's allow amendments to the resolution. Like for instance the "sense of the Senate" amendments affirming the reality of climate change. Schumer noted McConnell has voted against such resolutions six times.
Let's see if anything has changed since 2015 when only five brave Republicans were able to vote yes on a resolution saying climate change is real and caused by humans. Two of them aren't even here anymore.
If Leader McConnell blocks amendments, we'll know where he and his party stand – against science, against fact, ostriches with their heads buried in the sand as the tide comes in.
OK, even with that rather charmingly befuddled mixed (and biologically inaccurate) metaphor, Schumer is doing some pretty impressive counter-trolling here. Schumer emphasized that while of course Democrats would lose the vote, it's worth playing along, if only to emphasize the difference between the parties. One accepts science, and the other accepts huge donations from big oil. (Attention DNC, you may use that with no charge, but you must credit Wonkette.)
Hilariously, a big chunk of the wingnuttosphere focused solely on one line in the speech. Schumer noted that the entire world, minus the USA, is on board with taking measures to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The rest of the world isn't laughing, either – not when basically every country in the world, including Syria, North Korea, and Iran, are working together to reduce carbon emissions while the Trump Administration has forced the U.S. to sit on the sidelines.
OMG SCHUMER WY U HATE AMERICA????? To be fair, two of the pieces we linked were just parroting the Washington Free Beacon, with variations on how much Chuck Schumer loves our enemies instead of His President, so sad. (We've removed some ads for you in these images.)
Deleted: ad for "liberal Tears" travel mug.
We should never laud our enemies on climate change. Our enemies must only be lauded with no apparent reason other than showing Vladimir Putin how much we like him and respect his opinion, the end.
Also, we like this new character arc for Schumer. Congratulations to the writers for giving the guy a hint of spine.
And by "writers," of course, we mean "Nancy Pelosi."
[WaPo / Senate Democrats / Politico / Washington Free Beacon / Daily Caller / Daily Wire]
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