Pressed during the second debate on whether she believes human activity is a cause of climate change, [Karen] Handel demurred, saying: “I am not a scientist.” [Jon] Ossoff shot back: “Well, neither of us are scientists. That’s why we have scientists. And 97 percent of scientists, as well as the military and the intelligence community, […]
D.R. Tucker
D. R. Tucker is a Massachusetts-based journalist who has served as the weekend contributor for the Washington Monthly since May 2014. He has also written for the Huffington Post, the Washington Spectator, the Metrowest Daily News, investigative journalist Brad Friedman's Brad Blog and environmental journalist Peter Sinclair's Climate Crocks.
Posted inPolitical Animal
This Friday, Call Congress to Demand Action on Climate
Now that Donald Trump’s voters have pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, what’s next for those who don’t want to see their kids drown? Climate hawks cannot give up now; surrender will ensure victory for the plutocrats and polluters. More than ever, those who want a sustainable future for their children […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Will Democrats Allow the Perfect to Be the Enemy of the Good in 2020?
Do you get the sense that it won’t be enough? Do you get the sense that after all of Donald Trump’s outrages, his deceptions, his lies, his depravity, his chicanery, it still won’t be enough? Do you get the sense that three years from now, the Democratic Party will still be divided along “establishment” vs. […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Spread the Word: The Survival of Lawrence O’Donnell
And you thought “It’s hard to keep a good man down” was just a cliche. The news that MSNBC has decided to change its mind about axing Lawrence O’Donnell is a relief for those of us who feared that yet another voice for justice and integrity would be chased off the airwaves. NBC News President […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Terror Can Never Win
For every one person who gives in to fear or hate, there are always at least four or five more who refuse to. This is why terrorism is painful but futile; it cannot break the human spirit. Two weeks ago, after the horrific assault on an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, I thought that if […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
“The Evil That Men Do Lives After Them”
About thirty years ago, the Long Island Regional Poison Control Center ran a semi-famous ad campaign encouraging children not to treat prescription medicine as candy. The spot featured blue pills singing the following: This is serious! We could make you delirious! You should have a healthy fear of us– Too much of us is dangerous! […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
The Main Event: Ossoff vs. Handel Has the Importance of a Presidential Election
It would have been a key race even if Rob Quist had defeated Greg Gianforte in Montana last week. Now, it’s a crucial one. The June 20 special election to determine the next representative from Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District is, at this point, every bit as important in terms of its ramifications as the 2016 […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Trump’s Voters Are Responsible for Killing the Paris Climate Agreement
Forty years ago today, in an article Donald Trump and his supporters apparently never bothered to read, the New York Times reported: To avoid accumulation in the air of sufficient carbon dioxide to cause major climate changes, it may ultimately be necessary to restrict the burning of coal and other fossil fuels, according to Dr. […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
The Other Main Obstacle to Single Payer
Last week, Nancy LeTourneau accurately observed: There’s been some chatter lately among liberals that the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee will likely run on a platform that includes a commitment to single payer health insurance. While that would be appealing to a lot of people for a whole host of reasons, it doesn’t take into consideration […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Dirty Deeds: The Trumpist Threat to Clean Air and Water
Presumably, Donald Trump didn’t bring the hack he hired to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, along with him to Saudi Arabia because the fossil-fuel fetishist wouldn’t want to leave that petrostate. The New York Times, presumably trying to reduce the public’s contempt towards its decision to hire climate-change denier Bret Stephens to foul […]
