Chris Christie Joins the Yahoos, Says No ‘Proof’ Climate Change Caused Sandy

[DonViejo]

by Michael Tomasky May 20, 2013 10:04 PM EDT

Months after his state was ravaged by extreme weather, the New Jersey governor is now publicly denying climate change. Expect more of that kind of idiocy as he gears up for 2016.

So now Chris Christie is a climate-change denier. He was at a ceremony Monday, just a few hours before Moore, Oklahoma, got pounded for the sixth time in recent years, doing the sort of thing governors love to do—pounding the ceremonial final nail into the rebuilt boardwalk in Lavallette, New Jersey. A reporter from WNYC/New Jersey Public Radio asked him about her stations’ investigative report on the state’s extreme lack of preparedness for Hurricane Sandy. Should state agencies, he was asked, have made preparations with climate change in mind?

Well. It wasn’t so long ago that Christie spoke like a rational person on these matters. Campaigning for his first term, he got the endorsements of some environmental groups, like the New Jersey Environmental Federation. In August 2011, just a few months into his term, he said that “climate change is real” and “human activity plays a role in these changes.” As recently as February, Mother Jones was optimistic enough to run a piece speculating that Christie could lead the Republican Party to a sane position on the issue.

Back in February, Christie was still fairly fresh off his post-Sandy Obama hugfest. He didn’t say anything then accepting that climate change was real to him. He said he didn’t have time for such “esoteric” questions and might ponder them later. Well, later has arrived. Something else that has arrived, just a week ago, is the devastating WNYC/NJPR report by Kate Hinds and Andrea Bernstein showing that New Jersey’s preparations for Sandy were a joke compared with New York’s.

Hinds and Bernstein filed freedom-of-information requests to obtain emails and other documents and interviewed dozens of officials on both sides of the Hudson. Result: New York’s MTA—which runs New York City’s trains as well as much of the regional system that serves the city—had subway service up and running quickly after the hurricane and had made extensive preparations for Sandy, including consultations with scientists who specialize in transit planning for climate-change-related incidents. NJ Transit, by contrast, lost more than a quarter of its fleet, some of the cars brand new, because it parked them in a yard that was a bad spot. Hinds and Bernstein suggest that better planning would have told them that.

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/20/chris-christie-joins-the-yahoos-says-no-proof-climate-change-caused-sandy.html

[global1]

1. Please Help Me Here: What Kind Of Mileage Do Repugs Get By Denying Global Climate Change?......

Basically who are they kowtowing too? Are the money people like the Koch's wanting to deny global climate change so it doesn't cost them money?

What's the reason that Repugs deny global climate change?

[liberal N proud]

3. Corporations who do not want to innovate

Namely big oil and coal companies who own them!

American corporations in general are through with innovation, they will make product unless they can buy it cheaper overseas. Addressing climate change requires innovation and investment. Corporations no longer want to do either.

[SunSeeker]

8. In other words, corporate short-sighted greed. nt

[liberal N proud]

11. Simply put yes

[Myrina]

2. "Specifically", no. As part of a bigger paradigm change, yes.

Is Christie parsing words in order to cover has rather-large backside? Methinks so.

[Sunlei]

4. who cares Chris Christie? get off your rearend and get ready for the next hurricane

You better start cutting the cushie living and huge paychecks your state Gov. leadership enjoy. You've lost billions in your to high state property taxes forever!
The casinos are moving online -offshore.

Cut those private jets and mansions & prep for the next storm!

[BlueCaliDem]

5. People of New Jersey - how do you like him now?

He's a Republican and always will be. Vote for a Democrat next time.

The ONLY time Republicans soften up and act sensible is when they're personally afflicted. Then all of a sudden, they become Democrats. The moment they get theirs, they revert back to their Neanderthal ways.

New Jersey - boot this tub of lard OUT and vote Democratic Party.

[Mike Daniels]

6. Dude's going to contort himself more than Romney in order to try to get the GOP nomination

And it's all going to be for naught. He'll either still remain too reasonable for the tea-party types that now control the primary or he'll go so far to the right and somehow get the nomination that he won't be able to backpedal towards the center for the general election.

[bemildred]

7. Ah, the old "no proof" dodge. nt

[SunSeeker]

9. There's no "proof" you have a soul, Christie. nt

[Ter]

10. There is proof of climate change

There is no proof it caused Sandy, or any one event. Hurricanes were not up 2012, and it happened to come with a full moon.

[NewJeffCT]

12. And a step to the right...

part of a calculated move by Christie to appeal to the hard right wing base that votes in primaries.