Radio host exposes Democratic senator's hysterical rhetoric on climate change: 'Voters are not stupid'



Climate change alarmists raised an alert Sunday after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced he would not support President Joe Biden’s “Built Back Better” plan. The bill contained more than a half-trillion dollars of climate change spending.

However, radio host Hugh Hewitt pointed out the alarm is not as serious — or as sincere — as Democrats claim.

What was claimed?

People concerned about the alleged impacts of climate change said, for example, that Manchin's decision to not support the Build Back Better Act, essentially killing the bill, is "devastating for the planet."

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) was one such person raising alarm over the climate aspect of Build Back Better's sudden death. In fact, he called it a "climate disaster."

"Losing Build Back Better would be a climate disaster. We must power everything with renewable energy. I won’t stop fighting for this vision," Merkley said.

That we still don\u2019t have 50 votes tells you how far we\u2019ve fallen. Losing Build Back Better would be a climate disaster. We must power everything with renewable energy. I won\u2019t stop fighting for this vision.
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley) 1639937797

The Biden administration billed its "Built Back Better" climate provisions as the "largest effort to combat climate change in American history."

Specifically, the plan sought to:

  • Significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions — 50%-52% lower than 2005 levels — by 2030
  • Offer "substantial consumer rebates" for families who transition to renewable energy
  • Ensure that "clean energy technology ... will be built in the United States"
  • Invest in "coastal restoration, forest management, and soil conservation"

Of course, the plan also sought to advance "environmental justice."

How did Hewitt say?

The conservative radio host exposed how rhetoric from climate change hawks like Merkley is more hyperbole than substance.

According to Hewitt, if climate change presented such a grave threat to humanity and the giant space rock called "Earth" that scientists estimate has been floating in perfect gravitational distance from the sun for billions of years, then Democrats would have advocated for legislation that only addressed climate change — not a bill promoting a partisan social agenda.

"If this was true Senate Ds would have stripped everything out of #BBB except climate-related measures and added in a huge subsidy for nuclear power plants and research," Hewitt pointed out.

"Voters are not stupid Senator," he added. "They don’t agree w/ you, and the actions of the @SenateDems belie your urgency."

If this was true Senate Ds would have stripped everything out of #BBB except climate-related measures and added in a huge subsidy for nuclear power plants and research. Voters are not stupid Senator. They don\u2019t agree w/ you, and the actions of the @SenateDems belie your urgency.https://twitter.com/senjeffmerkley/status/1472631974632243213\u00a0\u2026
— Hugh Hewitt (@Hugh Hewitt) 1639938761

As the Wall Street Journal explained, the Biden administration still has several avenues through which it can enact its agenda on climate change, such as through a separate bill, executive action, regulatory measures, and state-led campaigns.

One wonders, however, why Democrats did not lead with a climate-change-only bill if, as Merkley proposed, climate disaster is on the horizon because one country did not enact partisan legislation.

Republican senators promise to block Susan Rice from any cabinet position: 'Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander'



Multiple Republican senators promised Tuesday that Joe Biden's potential cabinet nominees will face harsh scrutiny from Republicans in the Senate, promising to repay Democrats for what they viewed as harsh treatment given to President Trump's cabinet nominees four years ago. Specifically, they also indicated that any attempt to nominate the controversial Susan Rice for any cabinet position would be rejected by Republicans.

Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) appeared on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" Tuesday and discussed with Hewitt how a Republican Senate might treat cabinet nominees in a potential Biden administration. Specifically, both senators were asked about reports indicating that former president Barack Obama is pushing Biden to nominate former National Security Adviser Susan Rice to be secretary of state.

Both Blackburn and Cotton indicated that Republicans in the Senate would likely refuse to confirm Rice to that position, or to "any position" requiring Senate approval.

Also from @SenTomCotton: “There will not be two sets of rules” for nominees. The rules that governed… https://t.co/yhhULf4fWL
— Hugh Hewitt (@Hugh Hewitt)1605621592.0

Rice has been the subject of intense controversy for years due to a number of issues, most prominently including her role in spreading the Obama administration's false claim that the attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the deaths of four Americans was the result of a spontaneous uprising caused by local reaction to a YouTube video produced by an American.

November 17, 2020: Senator Cotton Joins Hugh Hewitt www.youtube.com

This theory of the attacks was later discredited, and the Obama administration later claimed that errors made by Rice during television interviews on the subject were the fault of the CIA, which they claimed provided Rice with bad information.

When reports surfaced that Biden was considering Rice for the position, Biden transition team members reportedly dismissed concerns that Rice would face an uphill battle in a Republican-controlled Senate, apparently in the belief that Republicans may have forgotten about the Benghazi debacle.

Cotton's and Blackburn's comments may indicate that Biden has gravely misread the Senate chamber he is likely to inherit. More ominous for Biden than the specific remarks made about Rice are the remarks made by Cotton that the Republican Senate will treat Biden's nominees by the same "rules" Trump nominees faced.

Although some of Trump's initial cabinet nominees (like Secretary of Defense James Mattis) received relatively easy confirmation hearings, the vast majority of Trump's nominees faced almost unanimous opposition from Democrats. Overall, at least 17 of Trump's non-judicial nominees who required Senate approval got over 40 "no" votes. Six of those nominees were confirmed without a single "yes" vote from Democrats.

If Republicans are able to maintain their control of the Senate by winning at least one of the two runoff races in Georgia, that may indicate that Biden could have a difficult time getting the cabinet he wants confirmed.