How did Global Warming become a left wing vs. right wing issue?

January 19th, 2009

Why is it that is you believe in Global Warming you are on the left and if you deny it you're on the right?

Regardless of whether or not you think it exists, doesn't conserving energy and making the air cleaner make sense? It benefits everyone!

I don't see how some people are against this!

"Global warming is a very serious problem"
-George W. Bush-
When even GWB admits global warming is a problem maybe you should pay attention.

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24 Responses to “How did Global Warming become a left wing vs. right wing issue?”

  1. Comment by Massive Mann

    To answer your third question, yes, we should all make an effort to lower usage. The first and second question….it's an issue on what you believe, unfortunately, the right doesn't and the left does. Seems kinda silly, huh? It's here, folks, so what will it hurt to stop pumping trash into the air…can't hurt, right??
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  2. Comment by Susan

    Global warming has been overstated dramatically by certain people who tend to be liberal in an attempt to find an issue that may result in their obtaining political power. The temp has only raised about 1 degree in the last 100 years. The benefits we have derived from things that they say have caused global warming FAR outweigh the cost of that 1 degree in my opinion. Al Gore has got everybody in a frenzy again.
    By the way, do you think Al Gore should do his part too? If he truly believes that Global warming is the threat he says it is, what does his outlandish "carbon footprint" say about him as a human being?
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  3. Comment by alyson c

    Republicans are dumb.
    Susan proves it.
    Research.
    Temp has raised 1 Celcius, but that was with much lower CO2 concentration. Now, with the artic tundra melting and releasing Methane, a gas 20 times worse than CO2, we are screwed.
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  4. Comment by Ninja Rabbit 007

    Because the left embraces the wacko environmental movement that wants more government control and regulation of businesses and private property, in the name of the environment. The left LOVES big government with more control over everything!

    I'm against the kind of regulations the left and environmentalists want, because it would infringe on our constitutional rights to own property, and would adversely affect the economy. I'm all in favor of the private sector coming up with cleaner more efficient renewable fuels, lower consumption, and recycling everything. But the way the left wants to go at it, would destroy our economy and take away property rights!

    EDIT: Another side effect of the wacko environmentalists on the left is: The ferocity of the CA wild fires. Clinton was coerced by them, to pass legislation to not allow the clearing of fallen dead trees or brush from the forests. Clearing them would have taken easily combustable fuel away from the fires. Not to mention, access roads were not allowed to be built into the forests, which would have allowed fire fighters to fight the blaze up close, instead of doing a bunch of less effective fly bys!

    And, environmentalists blocked a bid back in the 1970's to build flood gates in New Orleans, which would have kept the flooding at bay in the event of a hurricane. So, it's safe to say, that environmentalists actually contributed in a way, to a lot of people dying!
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  5. Comment by satcomgrunt

    I am trying to conserve energy that is why I try to do what Al Gore creater of the internet does.
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  6. Comment by Ashley

    Good question, I actually never thought about that.
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  7. Comment by subwlimnuflik

    "Global warming is a very serious problem"
    -George W. Bush-
    When even GWB admits global warming is a problem maybe you should pay attention.
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  8. Comment by Barry

    Because these " The Sky Is Falling " emergencies only seem to occur when the Liberal Socialist Dimokratz are "not" in power ! Damn; Al Gore was in office for 8 years and you didn`t hear a peep from him about his Gorebal Warming while he was in office ? So now this Gorbal Warming crap has just become a world and life threatening issue all of a sudden in the last 7 years !! B*** S***.
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  9. Comment by pOrkrOd

    Yeah, right… You would think someone that calls themselves a "conservative" would be in favor of conserving resources and finding alternative fuel sources. The right wing needs to get real & stop referring to themselves as conservatives.
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  10. Comment by Shadowed

    Im a moderate conservative, to me global warming is real and its a threat to us. I dont believe the government should have any more involvement, but I think people should take it seriously and do what they can to help out. Peopl think oh it wont affect us, yeah sorry but it will. Do some research, and find out how the Pacific ocean is becoming more acidic. Ever wonder what that could mean for the food chain? Look at how the sea level could rise. There goes part of the East coast and most of Florida. Al Gore doesnt over exaggerate in any of this. What he says is true.
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  11. Comment by eric l

    The bush administration was given huge donations from producers of greenhousee gases. It would threaten their record profits if we tried to get the greenhous gases under control. This is why W tried to stop all efforts to curb the production so his friends would get even richer and donate even more to Bush and the Republicans.

    While the Democrats were posting scientific evidence, the bush republicans were in a state of denial and tried passive aggressive stalling tactics.

    Loyal Republicans stuck to W's line because that is what Republicans do. They wont change their minds because they want the donations. It is more important than what is best for the world.
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  12. Comment by Doc Adams

    Because it is left-wing politicians who have brought it up and campaigned on it. And just like many politicians do, they are exaggerating about what global warming will cause to be able to use people's fear to get them to vote the way they want them to.

    Of course, we should be sensible but this is not about making sense. This is about politics trying to come up with a just cause.

    I think everyone who can't see how far gone this has gotten should read the following article which gives links that show just that.

    http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Speeches&ContentRecord_id=dceb518c-802a-23ad-45bf-894a13435a08&Region_id=&Issue_id=

    I don't follow or condone radical techniques to get votes by either party. I am not a blind Bush follower and am against many of the things he does. I look for the truth in any issue. It's sometimes very confusing, but for myself it is better than being blind.

    I must add that A plague on your houses's answer is right on target. Now there's someone who looks at the issues.
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  13. Comment by locksmithite

    conserving energy or having cleaner air is fine with me and probably most people. but not when it comes with paying a new tax or giving up another freedom.

    when i see al gore grounding his private jet and riding a bike to work and using solar powered energy in his oversized mansion, then i'll take it seriously.
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  14. Comment by A Plague on your houses

    You've obviously swallowed the liberal bait; hook, line and sinker. I suggest you learn to form your own thoughts, and stop regurgitating what you read online and on MSNBC.

    Many conservatives, myself included, believe in global warming. And the idea that only liberals want to "conserve energy and make the air cleaner" is such a simplification it sounds like a third grader's logic.

    Liberals are promoting a radical, neo-agrarian model–the same model they've been promoting since the 1960s. Their proposals to stop global warming would decimate the economy. They also have exaggerated the dangers and risks of global warming. They talk about Republicans being "fear mongers" because they warn of the very real risk of terrorists attacking our major cities, then tell fairy tale stories of New York City and all of Florida disappearing into the ocean in the next 20 years.

    There are clear solutions to global warming. Funny enough, the pro-green Kennedy's rioted when windmill farms were about to be built near their compound in Mass. Like Gore in his private jet, apparently all the sacrifices for the environment are designed for the prols, not the elites.

    Bush is pushing the technology of hydrogen fuel cells. Repubs also want to mirror France (yes, France) which gets 80% of their domestic power needs from nuclear energy. That alone will greatly reduce the global output of CO2 and other gases. But the Kyoto measures which Bush vetoed would have forced draconian cuts on US businesses, while allowing Indian and Chinese manufacturers to continue and even increase their CO2 production. The outflow of jobs to those countries would have quadrupled as manufacturers fled to the third world to avoid the restrictions in the US.

    Unlike Dems, which make broad prounouncements and speeches, Repubs are offering real solutions. But they are realistic (adult) about the dangers of global warming, and the dangers of over-reacting to global warming. Global warming can be decreased, but not stopped. It would take a massive de-industrialization to acheive this, and the world economy could not survive. Al Gore might have to give up his private jet.

    Global warming will be limited responsibly, if we let the adults (Repubs) address the problem. But people have to remember that weather patterns have fluctuated throughout history, and people have always adopted to those fluctuations. Sea levels will rise. But only gradually, not in massive tidal waves as Gore and co. pontificate. People will adapt. The "grain belt" will probably move north a couple hundred miles. This will actually benefit Canada and Russia, which have huge areas of land which will one day be arable and harvestable.

    Change and adapt. That is the response to global warming. Wailing and gnashing of teeth is a child's response.
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  15. Comment by cliffpotts2007

    It always has been.
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  16. Comment by sfaa

    Man-made global warming is a scam. And more and more people are realizing it. I'll listen to scientists not politicians. Every single claim made by man-made global warming activists has been dunked. Every single prediction to date (those predictions that were suppose to be happening by now) made by man-made global warming activists have failed to come true. Is global warming real? Yes and it has been for several hundred years. Is it an apocalypse? No.

    Besides, how the hell am I suppose to take this seriously?

    http://globalwarminglife.com/articles/science-news/cattle-farm-emissions-leading-environmental-pollution/

    "A University of Chicago study examined the average American diet and found that all the various energy inputs and livestock emissions involved in its production pump an extra 1.5 tons of CO2 into the air over the course of a year, which would be avoided by a vegetarian diet. Thus, the researchers found, cutting out meat would do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than trading in a gas guzzler for a hybrid car."

    Short answer: It is insanity. Longer answer: What the hell, so to save the planet we should all stop eating meat. What's more, hybrid cars and carbon credits won't be enough anyway, cows do more harm than EVERY mode of modern transportation. And just not eating the meat won't be enough. Hell, if we don't eat the meat less cows will die and that means more global warming. So no, we have to kill every single cow to save the planet. But the vegetarians will tell us cows have rights to, they're living beings to, so we shouldn't eat them. So now we have to commit GENOCIDE to save the planet.

    There's another side to it as well: propaganda. You did it yourself. If we don't accept man-made global warming, then we're obviously not for conserving energy or making the air cleaner. That is simply a lie. Nearly every Conservative I know or have heard or seen or read is all for clean energy for all sorts of reason. Less dependence on foreign oil, lower gas prices, cleaner air, better quality of living, less pollution. And yet Liberals, YES Liberals, ignore all of that to push the man-made global warming hysteria then turn around and lie about what those evil Conservatives want. That's propaganda. Liberals, AGAIN Liberals, blame President Bush for global warming (and everything else). Not once will any of these Liberals admit that President Bush has spent more on researching clean technologies than any other President. Again, ignoring the truth to further your own agenda is propaganda. Note that in both examples I said Liberals, not everyone who believes in man-made global warming. For perfect examples of propaganda see the posts by alyson c, suspensionsdontwork10 and pOrkrOd. Simply repeating a party line and falling back on insults and personal attacks.

    Which brings me to the final point. It is not a left vs right issue. There are a lot of Republicans in and out of politics who believe in man-made global warming (I point to Shadowed above). There a lot of Democrats in and out of politics who do not believe in man-made global warming. And yet Liberals want us all to believe its a left vs right issue. And you never stop to ask yourself why. You just repeat it.
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  17. Comment by Lil' Kim

    because the right has the power to reduce science to an opinion. They are after all the founders of the creation museum.
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  18. Comment by Tmess2

    It actually predates global warming and goes back to other environmental legislation.

    Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay got involved in politics because he hated the regulations that government placed on pesticides (he was in the exterminator business). Likewise, many conservatives did not like the degree of control contained in the first generation of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts (having government agencies decide the appropriate technology to reduce polution from new major sources — e.g. new power plants, major factories and refineries).

    On Clean Air and Clean Water, the conservatives originally supported a cap and trade type system. From a free-market economics perspective, such a system makes sense because it recognizes that there is a cost to pollution (the health impact on people downwind and downstream) and places that cost on the polluter. The polluter can then decide whether it is a cheaper to reduce the pollution from their source or to buy spare credits from another polluter. In addition, such a system gives an incentive for the development of more cost-efficient technology.

    The conservatives have opposed such a system on global warming because of the difficulty of implementing a fair system. Contrary to some suggestions, it is clear that there will be a cost on future generations if there are not drastic reductions in green house gases. However, those are future generations, and, as with other issues, it is easier to pass on the costs to the future rather than give up the benefits we receive today from the status quo.
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  19. Comment by Maxx P

    Sure conserving energy and clean air are things people of any political persuasion can support.

    The problem is that the global warming advocates are not using proper science to advance their agenda.

    The Kyoto Protocols and other concepts tied to the concept of global warming have as much to do with the advancement of a socialist agenda as they do combating pollution.

    If the global warming conspirators will stop lying and change their goals to making a cleaner environment you might be able to get a few more conservatives on board.

    Until then kindly stop p!ssing on my leg and telling me it is raining.
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  20. Comment by joey's back

    I got a kick out of the answer that said it would destroy the world's economy to really clean up our act! What if we leave the economy intact, but lose the world?????? (Or, at least all the living things except the cockroaches–which we KNOW can live thru' anything!)
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  21. Comment by iceman

    You are right on! And I don't believe so much ignorance using GW for dirty political games ?? It's a scientific issue. Got nothing to do with your useless, dumb politics ??!!
    Forget about it ??
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  22. Comment by tallthatsme

    It's not a left wing v. right wing issue, although some people try to cast it that way.

    Newt Gingrich just published a book on a conservative view of global warming. He's very green.

    Historically, many republicans have been leaders in the conservation movement.

    Global Warming is not an us or them matter. It's some that that we all need to work on together to find the best solutions.
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  23. Comment by dana1981

    This is a very good question. I asked a somewhat similar one yesterday – "Do you know of any liberal anthropogenic global warming skeptics?"

    http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApKvie5J_.B1pnQlT7eTH0fsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071029112829AA3u4UJ

    While there are many conservatives who acknowledge anthropogenic global warming (some famous ones are Bush, Gingrich, Giuliani, Huckabee, and Brownback – those last 2 are Creationists, by the way), it's true that virtually everyone who denies the issue is a conservative.

    My explanation is that almost everything in the USA has become politicized, including many scientific issues. Stem cell research and teaching evolution in schools are 2 notable examples. On many such issues, conservatives take a faith-based approach over a scientific one. The same is true of global warming – many conservatives seem to have faith that humans are not responsible or that it's not a critical problem despite the vast amounts of scientific evidence otherwise. I think liberals in general hold science in higher regard than conservatives.
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  24. Comment by sid v

    I as a conservative support ecology, what I oppose is hypocrite pigs like al gore mr mega consumer and all you lib pukes who are consumers just like the rest of us, unless you live off the land and your home is a cave just shut the fuck up.
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