Progress Report: The Global Warming Flip-Flop

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American Progress Action Fund- Progress Report

 

by David Sirota, Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and

Jonathan Baskin

August 30, 2004

ENVIRONMENT The Global Warming Flip-Flop

CONVENTION Extremism No Vice, Moderation No Virtue?

 

Under the Radar

 

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ENVIRONMENTThe Global Warming Flip-Flop

President Bush and other top administration officials

have long argued that there is no clear scientific

proof to link human activities to global warming. Last

week, that stance appeared to change. The Bush

administration released a report, signed by Secretary

of Energy Spencer Abraham and Secretary of Commerce

Don Evans, which " supported the view of many

scientists that human action from driving automobiles

to running power plants helped cause global warming. "

According to President Bush, however, this does not

constitute a change in position. Asked during an

interview by the New York Times why his administration

switched its view, Bush replied " Ah, did we?...I don't

think so. " Despite the administration's own claim that

the report was based on " the best possible scientific

evidence, " White House Spokesman Trent Duffy insisted,

" The president's policy is the same...we need to fill

in the knowledge and the scientific gaps. "

 

GLOBAL WARMING ALREADY MAKING AN IMPACT: The

administration report found that global warming is

already making a significant impact on the environment

in the United States. According to the administration,

" the severe drought that has affected the Western

United States since 1998 is part of a persistent

climate pattern. " Additionally, " a large number of

studies of plants and animals across a wide range of

natural systems worldwide have found that many species

have shifted their geographic ranges or changed

temperature-sensitive behaviors - such as migration,

flowering, or egg-laying - in ways consistent with

reacting to global warming. " The administration report

also found that carbon dioxide concentration is " more

of a curse than a blessing for farmers and ranchers. "

Studies show " increased CO2 stimulated the growth of

five of the most important species of invasive weeds

more than any other plant species yet studied. "

 

STILL IGNORING THE PROBLEM: But no matter how severe

the problems are, the Bush administration is fully

prepared to ignore them. John H. Marburger, the

president's top science advisor, said that the report

has " no implications for policy. " James R. Mahoney,

director of the administration's climate change

science program, called the report " not a significant

science finding or policy finding. "

 

BUSH REPEATEDLY IGNORES HIS OWN POLICY ADVISORS: This

also isn't the first time President Bush has ignored

his own administration's conclusions on global

warming. Two years ago, a report by the Environmental

Protection Agency found " human activities are behind

climate change that is having significant effects on

the environment. " President Bush dismissed that report

as something " put out by the

bureaucracy. " #160;#160;#160;#160;#160;

 

BUSH WAS FOR CAPS ON C02 BEFORE HE WAS AGAINST THEM:

On the campaign trail in 2000, Bush promised to impose

mandatory caps for carbon dioxide on industry to

control global warming. Soon after taking office -

after a relentless lobbying campaign by the coal

industry - Bush switched his position, and announced

his opposition to mandatory caps. In making the

switch, Bush cited the " incomplete state of scientific

knowledge of the causes of, and solutions to, global

climate change. " For more Bush policy reversals see

this American Progress document.

CONVENTIONExtremism No Vice, Moderation No Virtue?

As the Republican National Convention kicks off this

week in New York City, the GOP is doing everything it

can to hide the far-right conservatism that has

gripped the party over the last four years. The key

prime time speakers include Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a

serious critic of the president who has repeatedly

broken with the White House, and former New York Mayor

Rudolph Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki, who have

split with their party on critical social issues. But

as the St. Petersburg Times editorial board notes,

" the moderate face the Bush convention presents to a

national television audience will be cosmetic, and

voters should not be fooled. " In truth, as the Ft.

Worth Star-Telegram points out, " Republicans [are]

working to reinforce their conservative base, "

utilizing everything from right-wing radio to invasive

requests to churches to fire up the most extreme

elements of the party.

 

THE MODERATES - FORMER GOP OFFICIALS CRITICIZE BUSH:

AP reports that a group of former GOP officeholders

launched a new advertising campaign today urging the

Republican Party to " come back to the mainstream. " The

problem lies with the " extremist element that controls

the Republican Party, " said former Virginia Gov.

Linwood Holton, who added that these extremists have

" polarized this country. " In its ads, the group called

on Bush and the GOP to " stop weakening environmental

law; start using 'pay-as-you-go' budget discipline to

end deficits; clear the way for embryonic stem cell

research; and appoint mainstream federal judges. " The

group's president, Jim Scaratino, said the convention

is a " moderate face that is going to be draped over

the GOP of Tom DeLay. " Former Sen. Edward Brooke

(R-MA) wrote in the New York Times that many Bush

officials " show signs of arrogance, self-righteousness

and intolerance, and of losing touch with the basic

values of the vast majority of Americans. "

 

THE EXTREMISTS - BUSH-CHENEY WEEDING OUT DISSENT: The

Washington Times reports the Bush-Cheney campaign

" stifled debate " in the party's platform and is

working to make sure there is no serious moderate

dissent at its convention this week. As the

conservative paper notes, " the White House and the

Bush campaign did that by ensuring that only loyalists

willing to accept discipline from the top became

convention delegates. " Knight Ridder notes, " the GOP

platform on social issues widens the rift " between

conservatives who control the party and moderates who

are being squeezed out. Despite the prime time lineup

of social moderates, the GOP last week " approved a

platform that supports a constitutional amendment

banning same-sex marriage and opposes other legal

recognition and benefits for same sex-couples, such as

civil unions. The platform also reaffirms the party's

longstanding call for an amendment banning abortion "

and supports a ban on stem cell research.

 

THE EXTREMISTS - GOP CONTINUES SLAMMING NYC: Last

week, House Speaker Dennis Hastert continued the

Republican Party's smear on New York City, this time

by disparaging those who wanted Congress to adequately

fund the city's reconstruction after the 9/11 attacks.

Last year, former GOP congressman and right-wing talk

show host Joe Scarborough attacked the city for " not

standing by us in the looming attack on Iraq " when the

Big Apple's city council supported a resolution

against the war. Two years ago, then White House

budget director Mitch Daniels said those who demanded

reconstruction funds were " money grubbing. " In the

1980s and 1990s, Newt Gingrich attacked Democrats for

holding their 1992 convention in New York, saying the

party would be " standing in the middle of the collapse

of the welfare state. "

 

THE TACTICS - CHURCH EFFORT RAISES OBJECTIONS: The

Bush-Cheney campaign believes " religious conservatives

are at the heart " of their electoral strategy. Earlier

this summer, the president's campaign tried to

identify 1,600 " friendly congregations " in

Pennsylvania and encouraged religious conservatives in

that state to " send your church directory to your

state Bush-Cheney '04 headquarters or give to a BC04

field rep. " According to the Lexington Herald, that

effort " was roundly criticized not only by groups

favoring separation of church and state but by leading

Catholics, evangelicals and mainline Protestants. "

Just recently, the Bush campaign's top official on

Catholic outreach was forced to resign after the

National Catholic Reporter exposed his sordid sexual

forays and ensuing sexual harassment charges filed

against him.

 

THE SPEAKERS - " MODERATE " GIULIANI SHILLS FOR DRUG

INDUSTRY: Although the media have trumpeted Giuliani's

solid pro-choice credentials, few talk about his close

connections to the pharmaceutical industry and his

current work to make sure Americans continue paying

the highest prices in the world for medicines. Earlier

this year, the drug industry's main lobbying group put

Giuliani on its payroll to help fight bipartisan

proposals to allow Americans to purchase lower-priced,

FDA-approved medicines from Canada. The proposal is

being pushed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), among others,

and is supported by 70 percent of Americans. The

former mayor of New York has long-time ties to the

industry: before leaving the Senate race in 2000, he

raked in almost $100,000 from drug industry executives

in just the few months he considered running.

 

THE SPEAKERS - " MODERATE " PATAKI VETOES MINIMUM WAGE:

Pataki has touted himself as a moderate and potential

2008 presidential contender, but a look at his recent

behavior shows how closely aligned with the far right

he really is. Late last month, he vetoed a bill

raising New York's minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 by

2007 - a small increase over three years. The bill was

so mainstream, it passed the 212-member state

legislature with only 26 lawmakers dissenting.

Currently, a strong majority of Americans support

raising the minimum wage.

 

THE SPEAKERS - WHERE ARE MCCAIN'S PRINCIPLED

OBJECTIONS?: Many are wondering where Sen. John

McCain's principled leadership against GOP extremism

is. The senator has broken with the White House on " a

roster of key domestic issues, " including " tax cuts,

stem cell research, global warming and gay marriage,

among others. " McCain has also demanded the White

House end the smear campaign its Texas cronies are

financing against Sen. John Kerry's war record. As

McCain noted, the tactics reflected " the same kind of

deal that was pulled on me [by the Bush campaign in

2000]. " The White House, however, has refused to

disavow the ads, with First Lady Laura Bush offering a

tacit endorsement of them in a new Time magazine

interview.

Under the Radar

IRAQ - CALCULATING THE COST OF WAR: The Center for

American Progress teamed with Project Billboard to

unveil a billboard in Times Square as well as a full

page ad in the New York Times on the skyrocketing cost

of the war in Iraq. According to calculations by

American Progress, the war in Iraq has drained over

$144.4 billion from American taxpayers' wallets. With

troops committed to Iraq for the foreseeable future,

that bill is expected to grow by at least $50 billion

next year alone. (You can check out the ticker on the

web or view it live at 47th and Broadway in New York

City.) Here are some ways that money could have been

used to secure America: adding two new divisions to

the Army; putting 100,000 new police officers on the

nation's streets; doubling the size of the

Firefighters Grant Program; doubling America's Special

Operations forces; undertaking significant

improvements to safeguard ports; and funding important

initiatives to safeguard loose nuclear weapons.

 

FOX REJECTS THE NATION: A new ad that The Nation was

hoping to run during the Republican National

Convention has been rejected " out of hand " by Fox

News, according to executives at the magazine. The

commercial says, " Nobody owns The Nation. Not Time

Warner, not Murdoch. So there's no corporate slant, no

White House spin. Just the straight dope. " Arthur

Stupar, senior vice president for circulation at The

Nation, said, " I find it ironic. They are the G.O.P.

cable station, a champion of free markets, and they

got spooked at the thought of running an ad that

doesn't publish spin or serve the agenda of corporate

conglomerates. " The ad will appear on Time Warner's

CNN, as well as NBC Universal's MSNBC and Bravo.

 

REED'S CANCEROUS ACTIVITY: Ralph Reed, Southeast

regional chairman of the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign and

former executive director of the Christian Coalition,

" confirmed on Sunday that he accepted more than $1

million in fees from a lobbyist and a public relations

specialist whose work on behalf of American Indian

casinos prompted a federal investigation. " Roll Call

reports Reed, who has formerly referred to gambling as

" a cancer on the American body politic, " was paid more

than $3.8 million during a yearlong period in 2001 and

2002 by Michael Scanlon, a former aide to House

Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) (DeLay is currently

the subject of four major investigations involving

possible ethics and lobbying violations). An inquiry

is underway, led by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a senior

member of the Indian Affairs Committee, involving at

least $45 million in lobbying and public relations

fees, alleged misuse of Indian tribal funds, possible

illegal campaign contributions and possible tax code

violations.

 

IRAQ - SANCHEZ GOES TO THE DOGS: According to the

Washington Post, a new investigation by the U.S. Army

into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq shows

responsibility for the abuse goes all the way to the

top. The senior U.S. military commander in Iraq at the

time, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, has denied he ever

approved the use of dogs in interrogations. However,

the report exposes a secret cable Sanchez sent

describing the interrogation techniques he was set to

authorize. One of the tactics: " Exploit Arab fear of

dogs while maintaining security during

interrogations. " Army officials say the practice of

using police dog handlers to help intimidate detainees

" helped sow the seeds of prison abuse in Iraq. "

 

EDUCATION - THE STUDENT LOAN LOOPHOLE: According to a

new report by the Government Accountability Office

(GAO), student loan companies are exploiting a

loophole in a government subsidy law to the tune of

nearly $1 billion a year, four times the amount it was

only three years ago. This unnecessary subsidy does

nothing to expand student access to colleges; instead,

it allows companies to siphon money away from college

grants for students to line their corporate profits.

The Bush administration has dragged its feet on

kicking these corporate interests away from the

trough, however. It's no surprise: the Bush White

House has cozy political ties with lenders. For

example, Don R. Bouc, the president of one of the

largest student loan companies, Nelnet, was tapped to

serve on a financial aid advisory committee in the

Department of Education. " According to federal

records, provided by members of Congress, Nelnet's

quarterly payments from the government at the old

subsidy rate have gone from about $4.6 million at the

end of 2002 to $48.7 million in June. " It's vital to

act immediately to close the loophole: the Institute

for College Access and Success estimates that " waiting

another year to close the loopholes could cost an

extra $2.8 billion. "

 

ELECTION - FIRST LADY STANDS BY SMEAR TACTICS: The

Bush White House has refused to condemn the scurrilous

smear campaign perpetrated by the Swift Boat Veterans

against John Kerry. In the latest example, Time

magazine asked First Lady Laura Bush if she thought

the ads - which hurl nasty, unfounded accusations at

Kerry's war record - were unfair. The First Lady's

response? " Not really. " Meanwhile, the White House has

denied a recent Freedom of Information Act request for

records " detailing White House contacts with

individuals connected to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

(SBVT). As grounds for the denial, the White House

claimed that it was exempt from having to disclose the

information. " Last week, " Bush-Cheney legal adviser

Benjamin Ginsberg and retired Air Force Col. Ken

Cordier, an unpaid adviser to the campaign on

veterans' issues, resigned the campaign " over their

involvement with the swift boat group.

 

 

FeaturesDON'T MISS

DAILY TALKING POINTS: No Moderates in NYC

 

SWIFT BOAT: The New York Times reports conservative

columnist Robert Novak has a personal connection to

the Swift Boat Veterans' book, " Unfit for Command. "

 

IRAQ: According to new calculations by the Center for

American Progress and Project Billboard, the Iraq war

has drained over $144.4 million from American

taxpayers' wallets.

 

CONVENTION: Lobbyists " indulge " GOP in NYC.

 

ELECTION: Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes says

he is " ashamed " that he helped President Bush get into

the Texas National Guard so he could avoid serving in

Vietnam.

 

DAILY GRILL

" I think his service is heroic.I think him going to

Vietnam was more heroic than my flying fighter jets.

He was in harm's way and I wasn't. "

 

- President Bush on John Kerry's service in Vietnam

 

VERSUS

 

" I don't think so. "

 

- First Lady Laura Bush, asked if the ads by the Swift

Boat Veterans group attacking John Kerry's service

were unfair.

 

DAILY OUTRAGE

Fox News rejected " out of hand " an ad The Nation was

hoping to run during the Republican Convention, even

though the network will have an ad in the newest issue

of the magazine. A spokesman for Fox News said, " We

reject ads all the time, " and declined further

comment.

 

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