Wingnut of the Day: James Inhofe

It is a fucking disgrace that James Inhofe is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Unsurprisingly, oil and gas is the number one industry donating to Inhofe's campaigns. Dirty Energy Money has a graph that shows a who's who of energy companies donating to the Senate's leading science denier. Campaign cash might explain why Inhofe makes incredibly stupid statements like this.

“I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax. That conclusion is supported by the painstaking work of the nation's top climate scientists.”

Fun fact: Koch Industries, an oil companies of the Koch Brothers, is one of Inhofe's leading donors.

Wingnut of the Day: Jim Inhofe

It amazes me that Republicans have so little faith in the Constitution and the political process. Jim Inhofe is one of the most extreme U.S. Senators. So he might actually believe America won't be around in 16 months.

“I never dreamed I would see an administration try to disavow all the things that have made this country different from all others,” Inhofe said to more than 300 people at a town hall meeting in the Grove Community Center.

“I have never seen so many things happening at one time so disheartening to America.

“Those of you who think like I do hope this country can hang on another 16 months” until the next congressional elections, the Oklahoma Republican said.

Inhole doesn't bother to say what great American things the Obama administration is disavowing. Unless Inhole thinks torture and the Iraq war are things that make America great. It certainly didn't improve America's international image.

Does Inhole believe America can not be great if Democrats are in the White House? In Inhofe's mind was America a shithole during the Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy administrations? Perhaps Inhofe would prefer an administration that would be more tolerant of him discrimination against gays. A Republican administration let Inhofe lead Oklahoma in pork barrel spending. Now Inhofe is worried about fiscal conservatism.

I have more faith in America than Inhofe. If the U.S. SEnate can survive Inhofe than Obama will not sink America into the ocean.

Read the Bill Or Maybe Not

Tea Baggers have been disrupting townhall meetings with chants of "read the bill." I am not holding out hope for tea baggers and conservative bloggers will condemn Senator Jim Inhofe. The Senator publicly stated he has no interest in reading the Senate health care bill.

At a town hall meeting Wednesday Sen. Jim Inhofe told Chickasha residents he does not need to read the 1,000 page health care reform bill, he will simply vote against it.

"I don't have to read it, or know what's in it. I'm going to oppose it anyways," he said.

I feel bad for Okahoma having the double-header craziness of Inhofe and Tom Coburn as their Senate representatives.

Quote of the Day

"Oh, I think so. I really do. In fact, there’ll be a lot of Democrats. You know, I liken it to the cap and trade thing. Now that’s the one that I’ve been kind of in charge of for ten years, and we know where we are on that now. We know that if, as long as people keep talking the way they are right now, we’re going to defeat it. They only have 34 votes. They need 60 votes. I’d say health care right now is somewhere in the neighborhood of, they have maybe 45 votes. But every day, they lose votes, because people find out what it is, what it’s going to do, and what it’s not going to do. When you tell people that the mortality rate in Canada is 25% higher for breast cancer, 18% higher for prostate cancer, you know, they say why in the world would we emulate a system like that? This is life threatening. And so we have all the issues on our side on this thing, and I think, you know, I just hope the President keeps talking about it, keeps trying to rush it through. We can stall it. And that’s going to be a huge gain for those of us who want to turn this thing over in the 2010 election."

James Inhofe

Bonus Quote:

"They ought to know, they ought to know from history. This is a losing proposition for them. And for those out there who believe, that would like to have something optimistic to look at, we are plotting the demise on a week by week basis of where Bill Clinton was in 1993 and where Obama is today and his demise ratio is greater than Clinton’s was in 1993. So, he’s trying to do the same things, except more extreme."

The Republicans aren't fighting Obama for the quality of health care. This is nothing more than cynical posturing. Howard Fineman reports Republicans do not have their own health care plan. The Republicans believe killing health care reform will help them in the midterm elections. The GOP is devoid of policy ideas that don't involve the words "tax cuts."

Barbara Boxer In Charge

Barbara Boxer let's James Inhofe knows who holds the gavel in the Environment and Public Works Committee now.

Update: Inhofe called global warming a "hoax."

Update: NPR has an audio report.

Update: Gore got into a heated exchange with Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas).

"You're not just off a little, you're totally wrong," said Texas Rep. Joe Barton, the leading Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as he challenged Gore's conclusion that carbon dioxide emissions cause rising global temperatures. Barton and Gore's exchange grew testy at one point — Barton demanding that Gore get to the point and Gore responding that he would like time to answer without being interrupted.

"Global warming science is uneven and evolving," Barton said.

Gore insisted that the link is beyond dispute and is the source of broad agreement in the scientific community.

"The planet has a fever," Gore said. "If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, `Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant. You take action."

Barton is a former winner of the Earth Killer Award. Hope for Peace & Justice gives the award to "those who have worked tirelessly to remove and prevent regulations that would ensure clean air and water for future generations."