Obama agrees government climate polices are unnecessary
To be honest, President Obama did not say it in so many words. But what he did say in his speech at the Climate Conference in Glasgow was quite supportive of private sector solutions. For sure, that it was not his intent. He probably did it inadvertently.
As would be expected, he harshly criticized President Trump’s “hostility” (his word) toward climate change policies. He specifically pointed to the former President’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords. He claimed that after four years of the United States backing away from the globalist view of the problems of a warming atmosphere and the globalist mandatory solutions, America was back in the fore of world leadership.
Then he said something remarkable – almost unbelievable. He said that despite the hostile atmosphere created by Trump for the past four years, America’s business leaders and other private sector organizations rose on their own to reduce carbon emissions. Thanks to the private sector, America had achieved the short-term goals set down by the Paris Climate Accords, according to Obama.
Stop to ponder that for a moment. Obama was telling the world climate change activists that American private-sector free-market capitalists achieved the short-term goals WITHOUT the leather bootheel of government on the back of its neck.
That has been the conservative view – that business would respond to a real problem in a pragmatic manner. Businesses would not be wasting billions of dollars installing electric charging stations where there are virtually no electric vehicles. Business would be converting to electric vehicles and support systems as the technology and the costs expand the market.
When the gasoline engine came along, Uncle Same did not build gas stations across the country – especially not where were virtually no gas cars were on the roads. The business community grew the gasoline stations in a pragmatic, evolutionary and cost-efficient manner.
Ironically, even as Obama gave backhanded praise to the private sector, he noted that most of the nations that remained in the Paris Climate Accord had failed to meet even the minimal and insufficient – by Obama’s estimation – goals.
Obama criticized China and Russia for not even attending the Conference. Those nations do not have the sort of private sector that can rise to the challenge. That is because they are the sort of powerful central government that Obama touts as necessary to address the issue.
Government tends to politicize problems and then act accordingly. The Biden energy agenda – which Obama supports — is chaotic, wasteful, overly expensive and prone to high level corporate cronyism. The proposed policies are based on hyperbolic Draconian visions designed to engender fearmongering.
Obama laid out some very important facts in Glasgow. It is just that they did not support his hypothesis of the necessity of massive government manipulation. Quite the contrary.
It was sort of funny to hear Obama summarize the challenge by saying that “Since we’re in the Emerald Isles here, let me quote the bard, William Shakespeare,” who said, “‘What wound did ever heal but by degrees.’”
It caused a bit of a diplomatic kerfuffle since the “Emerald Isles” is a reference to Ireland and William Shakespeare is the bard of England. He would have been better served by quoting for Robert Burns, the Bard of Scotland. Those two allusions are not endearing to the Scots for obvious reasons.
So, there ‘tis.
Oh, come on, Larry. I think you need a vacation, your rants are getting ridiculous! Obama neither said nor meant what your headline implies.
All government programs rely on partnerships with private industry. The government provides the funds, and that’s the incentive for business to support the programs. Private businesses believed in the programs that Obama created, and when Trump came along and tried to roll back all environmental protections, they knew these fundamental facts:
– Trump was rolling back environmental protections because he hated Trump
– It only bailed out a few of Trump’s wealthy donors in dying industries
– it was bad for the vast majority of businesses
– Obama’s environmental policies had a wide majority of support
– they knew that Trump’s policies were SO BAD that they would not only get challenged immediately, they would also get rolled back by the courts and future administrations.
– People need a clean environment, and fighting against global warming is important for the survival of the himan race. In the end, Obama’s policies were was step in the right direction, and Trump’s were 5 steps backwards. Ultimately, programs that attempt to do the right thing will survive, those who are clearly the result of graft and cronyism will not.
What Obama is really saying is that government policies are necessary and can inspire the private sector to do the right thing. He is telling the world that governments have to come together to lead, not follow. You missed the most important point of the whole speech, in favor of your heroes Grover and Ronnie “drown the government in a bathtub” and “government is the problem” rhetoric.
You write: “The Biden energy agenda … is chaotic, wasteful, overly expensive and prone to high level corporate cronyism” based on fearmongering. What evidence do you have for that? Tell me what’s in Biden’s environmental agenda and what studies you’ve done or read that would support your statement? I would wager that your entire opinion is based on FOX News, Newsmax, and Republican Party fearmongering. Trump’s entire term was chaotic, wasteful, expensive, and not only prone to but rife with corruption, and you dare to accuse Biden of the same thing before his policies have even passed Congress?
Do you really believe that we don’t need to address climate change? You don’t take notice of the increased frequency and severity of 100 year disasters that are happening on an almost yearly basis? Glaciers that supply water to most of the world are melting. The oceans that feed us are becoming more acidic because of our air pollution and rising CO2 levels. Tne polar ice-caps that drive our ocean currents and weather systems are melting, causing stronger and more frequent storms. Remember all the disasters that Trump mishandled, multiple hurricanes and tornadoes and flooding disasters and fires, and, oh, a PANDEMIC? You don’t believe any of the science that says it’s accelerating and we only have a short time to reverse it?
Do you think that we don’t need a clean environment to live in? Do you really believe that coal and oil reserves, which are limited and pollute the air and water, and which are only competitive because of previous subsidies – that’s the industry in which to invest public funding? And that solar and wind power, and the infrastructure to move electricity around the country, and a modern data infrastructure that allows better worker efficiency, is not needed?
I’ve said this many times before: Progressives are the REAL conservatives. They want to invest in the models and systems and public works that will support the country that we’re becoming, not what the country was 50 years ago, before it became clear that our wastefulness and corporate greed were destroying our standard of living while making a few people rich. The so-called Conservatives of today have no idea what is required to move the country forward – Larry, you’re stuck in the 1960’s and 1970’s – it’s time to hang up the commentary business and become un-semi, completely, retired. It’s clear that you won’t be pulled into the 21st century even kicking and screaming.
And as far as Obama’s “diplomatic kerfluffle” – Obama was respected by every leader in the world. Trump was reviled by all of our aliies (although Putin sure did appreciate him!). Trump made much worse gaffes than that on a daily basis, while President, tweeting his dark racist thoughts from his crapper. He made racist statements in public, insulting and encouraging ridicule of private individuals, putting their lives in danger. He encouraged Nazi wannabees and white supremacists to violence, violated norms of decent behavior that most people followed up until he came along. He tried to overthrow an election, committing treason right out in the open and bullying the Republican Party into doing the same.
Obama is NOT the current President, and his Emerald Isle comment wasn’t widely reported, so I doubt it had the impact that was even worth the two paragraphs you gave it. It’s just your typical “attack the Democrats for anything you can” hogwash.
I think Obama said business reacted this way because it helped the bottom line. Same way they became “woke” over the summer. Fact is. Boomers are shrinking, millennials are a growing consumer demographic and they know how to vote with their wallets.
Obama’s key point; the main point. Is we all beed to do better; citizens, governments, businesses. everyone needs to do better.
Just seems your opinion on what Obsma said does not match the actual transcript.
Except for the emerald isle, Shakespeare, blunders which were weird indeed.
Who cares what the mulatto from Kenya said?
I care a lot about what Obama says. He’s general spot on, eloquent, with a great turn of the word.
Who cares about what the self-professed Southern Native American racist says? Just a name calling weak tea usually who can’t back up his trash talk with any facts. Just Dantasy.
There you go again. More stupidity
Says the self-proclaimed Southern Native American racist. Didn’t you use “mulatto from Kenya” just now as a racist term? Because Obama is neither? At leadt not that yiu or Donald J Trump, the self-proclaimed pussy grabber failed businessman caould ever prove.
Racism is ok if it’s blacks attacking the businesses of honest white people. You can’t have it both ways. You seem to have a problem with native Americans. Aren’t you a little bit racist
Dan is a racist. I called him on the use of this term over a year ago. Nothing has changed. Try not to waste too much of your precious time on his racist comments.
Tom did you used to post on a site called renewed right? And no, Dan isn’t a racist. He’s just frustrated with the left using the race card to bully people. Sometimes I wonder if he makes some statements just to rile the liberals who post on the blogs. Real racists are normally not so open about it.
Tom are you sure that I’m a racist? Or do I post bullshit to piss off the left that stands behind teaching white kids in some schools that being white is evil? Or kids being kicked out of school for believing that there are only two genders? Blacks are not always right and neither are white people. But commiecrats do more to hinder race relations than to help. You probably won’t respond but that’s ok. I just believe that teaching that blacks are underprivileged is racist. But trolling for victims help keep getting commiecrats elected. And yes. I believe that they are as Marxist as hell. But you know what they say about opinions.