Environmentalists Don’t Know When To Cheer
Obviously, our country and the world as a whole would be better off if honest and well qualified people were appointed to key cabinet posts. But the converse isn’t always true, i.e., it seems that there are occasions in which having a total imbecile serve in a job that requires an understanding of basic science actually serves to highlight how completely dysfunctional the current administration is, perhaps helping to bring it to a premature end.
A good example of this is the nomination of Kathleen Hartnett-White to lead the Council on Environmental Quality. From the Huffington Post:
Hartnett-White, a former Texas regulator, eked through the confirmation process last year with only Republican votes despite radical views on issues like climate change and a humiliating public hearing at which she struggled with basic science questions. Democrats sent her nomination back to the White House in December as part of a deal with the Republican majority to close out the legislative session. But President Donald Trump re-nominated her early last month.
But on Saturday, The Washington Post reported the administration’s plan to pull the nomination after it ”failed to gather momentum even as some of the administration’s other senior environmental policy picks had won approval, with some Senate Republicans raising questions about her expertise.”
Aw, come on, Republicans; you’re taking this too seriously. You love Rick Perry as Energy Secretary, and the guy behind the counter at the local liquor store is far more qualified to run the DoE.
My perverse sense of humor is tickled to know that I could walk into a science class at the public high school, pick out a kid at random, and have a high confidence level that he/she had a better grasp of science than the head of the Council on Environmental Quality.
Oh well. Maybe next time.
Craig,
Kathleen Hartnett-White may not be an ideal candidate to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, despite having held a similar position in Texas.
However, labeling her a “total imbecile” serving a “Dysfunctional Administration”, only reflects your antipathy to all those who don’t share your political or ideological perspective.
Such invective and use of terms like “premature end” only display how much you have lost touch with reality.
The administration is functioning surprisingly well for a slimmed down, inexperienced government. The current administration has effectively achieved many of it’s goals and is keeping faith with election promises. The reality gap is between media hype, based mostly on unsubstantiated gossip, and rabid commentators unable to accept the Trump administration is changing the style of government in Washington away from the inaccessible, insider controlled, bureaucratic, Obama administration where the use of “temporary” Presidential edicts replaced proper legislation and debate.
Kathleen Hartnett-White, obtained a bachelor and master’s degree from Stanford University. She Attended Princeton University’s comparative religion doctoral program and completed one year of law school at Texas Tech University School of Law.
Such qualifications don’t make her a scientist, but then they don’t deserve her to be labeled a ” Total Imbecile ” either.
Many of Ms Hartnett-White’s opinions are accurate and reflect the thinking of most American’s, indeed most of the world’s population.
It’s true some people, especially the more extreme left, have turned “Climate Change ” into a sort of new religion, with lots of emotive doctrine but very little science.
It’s also true that many “green” assumptions and “scientific” predictions are inaccurate, speculative or plain fantasy. Adhering to the delusions of rabid advocacy and denying any process of continuing skeptical criticism and analysis, is not just unscientific but irresponsible.
Ms Harnett-White criticism of Climate Science Special Report, was misreported.
In context, her criticism was valid. The report, although comprehensive, was compiled by a group of specially selected career staff members of the Department and Obama administration.
Hartnett- White observed, “I view this report as a product of the past administration, not of this one.”
She didn’t say the report was false, inaccurate or without merit. Her criticism was a any report written by a small group of elite insiders , should not be regarded as immutable tenets set in stone, simply because it was compiled during the Obama administration.
Ignoring growing doubts and continuing to sniffle dissent by millions of people, while yearning for the halcyon day’s of the Obama Era when any “green” sounding hypothesis was met with a rousing chorus of “Amen” and heretics were reviled and hounded out of office, is one of the factors that produced the Trump Presidency.
Fairness and moderation seem to have disappeared in the current political and media climate.
All sides of politics and advocates of all hues must accept the blame for this deterioration.
The American people are growing immune to the vehemence and hysterical abuse leveled at the President. Large numbers of voters are learning to make a distinction between Trump the President, and Donald Trump showman.
This may account for his steady rise in recent polling. The Monmouth poll reported a jump of 32% to 42%, CNN 35% to 40%, Fox News 38% to 45% , CBS 34 to 44%, even the NYT reports polling showing a “significant” improvement in the President’s approval. What’s even more interesting is the drop in his ‘disapproval ‘rating’.