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The Warmongering, Corporation-Loving Republicans Taking Over the Senate
The incoming GOP committee chairs have a frightening disregard for America's bedrock programs.Although many have their eyes trained at incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), equally important is the fact that gaining control of the Senate allows the GOP to elect new committee chairs. Although the new Congress is not yet in place, we can use seniority to reliably estimate who will be elected the chairs of the various committees in the Senate.
These committees have large sway over the sorts of hearings that the body holds and the legislation that makes it to the floor. Who controls them is incredibly important, and who is about to control them is incredibly troubling.
The Republican Who Claims Global Warming Is Good For Us Leading The Environment Committee
The New Republic's Rebecca Leber notes that Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is next in line to lead the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee – the chief committee that deals with the environment and climate issues.
Inhofe has taken various positions on global warming, all arguing for some variation of not doing anything to stop it. In 2003, he said that global warming could actually improve humanity, saying that “that increases in global temperatures may have a beneficial effect on how we live our lives.” In 2012, he pivoted to citing the Bible for a reason we shouldn't act on the climate: “[T]he Genesis 8:22 that I use in there is that ‘as long as the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.’ My point is, God’s still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.”
These committees have large sway over the sorts of hearings that the body holds and the legislation that makes it to the floor. Who controls them is incredibly important, and who is about to control them is incredibly troubling.
The Republican Who Claims Global Warming Is Good For Us Leading The Environment Committee
The New Republic's Rebecca Leber notes that Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is next in line to lead the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee – the chief committee that deals with the environment and climate issues.
Inhofe has taken various positions on global warming, all arguing for some variation of not doing anything to stop it. In 2003, he said that global warming could actually improve humanity, saying that “that increases in global temperatures may have a beneficial effect on how we live our lives.” In 2012, he pivoted to citing the Bible for a reason we shouldn't act on the climate: “[T]he Genesis 8:22 that I use in there is that ‘as long as the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.’ My point is, God’s still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.”
http://www.alternet.org/warmongering-corporation-loving-republicans-taking-over-senate?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark
