Obama On Perry: ‘You’ve Got A Governor Whose State Is On Fire, Denying Climate Change’

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

JOSH PETRI SEPTEMBER 26, 2011, 9:20 AM 13678 129
President Obama took a swing at Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) while speaking at a fundraiser at the Silicon Valley home of John Thompson, Symantec Corp. chairman on Sunday.

“You’ve got a governor whose state is on fire, denying climate change,” he said according to the White House pool report of the event. Texas has been hard hit in recent weeks with a series of wild fires that have only recently been brought under control.

The president didn’t limit his comments to the candidates. He also took the opportunity to address recent audience behavior at the debates, singling out those who applauded the prospect of a young man dying because he didn’t have health insurance and those who booed a gay service member.

“That’s not reflective of who we are,” the president said of the GOP audiences. “This is a choice about the fundamental direction of our country. 2008 was an important direction. 2012 is a more important election.”

Read more: http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/obama-criticizes-perry-and-gop-audience-behavior.php?ref=fpa

[Kalidurga]

1. Obama is good for the zingers...

and I am glad he is speaking out. He is using humor which is great it seems to sting more than anger.

[AverageJoe90]

20. He's headed in the right direction.

Let's just hope he can continue doing so. =)

[lunatica]

2. This is what we wanted to hear him say

And he's right to say these things. Let the Republicans know that he's quite capable of accusing them and their antics. Maybe some of them will decide to play nice rather than be the culpable subject of his speeches.

[toopers]

3. Yes, because there were no brush fires prior to global warming . . .

eom

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. And that is exactly what Global Climate Change deniers will come back with as a reply.

So his little jab wasn't helpful at all.

[toopers]

11. It was not meant to be helpful . . .

it was meant to be truthful. And I believe in global warming.

[Atypical Liberal]

18. Exactly. I can hear my mother now. n/t

[harun]

16. He should have said, the increase in CO2 levels have his state burning

and yet he is still denying there is a problem.

Saying "Global Warming" or "Climate Change" just makes more problems for us. Expansion of CO2 levels will not cause warming everywhere or immediately, and the climate has always changed. North America had glaciers all over it just 10k years ago.

Not arguing with you just with the terminology.

[PavePusher]

17. "the increase in CO2 levels have his state burning"

Huh? Is there some new chemistry at work here?

[harun]

26. Alright, what year of Chemistry did you study Global Warming

chemical reactions?

CO2 warms up the climate, causing a drought in Texas. Easy enough for you?

[PavePusher]

27. Sorry, thought you were talking about the chemistry of combustion.

Your statement was a bit awkwardly worded...

[freeplessinseattle]

24. yeah, we get it but they don't

heavy rain earlier this year (probably due to climate change) led to more growth of burnable material, and the long drought (also probably connected to climate change) created more burn potential, so a really nasty situation is the result.

[Dogtown]

4. K&R n/t

[raouldukelives]

5. Glad to hear our Pres taking a stand on climate change

This must mean the tar sands pipeline is toast! :woohoo:

[midnight armadillo]

25. Thanks for the chuckle

Don't bet on it.

[Zambero]

6. True. It's also a matter of frequency and intensity

Fire and other natural disturbances have always had a role in affecting and shaping ecosystems. As a consequence of prolonged human effects on the global environment, these events are occurring well beyond their historic range. So instead of low-level or occasional events, we're seeing major catastrophic events on a huge scale -- not just wildfire, but bigger and more frequent weather events such as flooding, prolonged drought, mega-tornadoes, glacial meltdown, and 4&5 level hurricanes. The climate change we're experiencing is often (conveniently) dismissed as a normal cyclical event with a slight bump in temperature. What's more perceivable as well as catastrophic are the accompanying extremes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and storm events. The frequency of events are what I sense Obama was alluding to. I would also have noted that Perry has been fiddling (with the anti-scientific crowd) while Texas burned, but that's just me.

[brooklynite]

7. C'mon...it was Summer Time! It gets hot...

How many brush fires have you seen in winter, huh?

[kenfrequed]

8. Liar, liar, state on fire?

Yeah, it is amazing that global warming seems most likely to affect the south more severely than the northeast and yet the anti-science and anti-reason conspiracy theorists down there can't handle liberals being right about anything.

[RedCloud]

9. Even if he sees the devil himself lighting fires, he will deny it.

[Selatius]

14. Because he will cite the Charlie Daniels' Band song "Devil Went Down to Georgia"

As evidence the devil isn't in Texas.

[saras]

19. I'm sorry. I tried and tried to resist this. I failed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a4gyJsY0mc">Don't you want to know how we keep starting fires? It's my desire! It's my desire!

Danger. High voltage. Link not safe for work, children, or adults. DO NOT watch while drinking beverages.

[certainot]

12. if all the RW blowhards can scream the denial 24/7 from 1000 radio stations and no one complains to

the stations, and the same stations also do athletics broadcasting for our universities, it must be okay.

[gratuitous]

13. Hilarious response about "politicizing" tragedy from the GOP

Apparently, there are folks in Gov. Perry's administration who are just ever-so-angry that the president is making a political statement out of people's tragedy. I hear Barbara Bush is going to weigh in any moment now.

[vminfla]

15. God hates Texans

If there are wildfires in Texas, it is because God hates Texans. After all, Perry sees signs and portents in the world. And, God hates Eric Cantor because he sent a hurricane, flooding, and an earthquake to his district.

[Highway61]

21. Thank you Mr. President

One big OUCH! I can just see him half smiling when he said it.

[newspeak]

33. I don't know, it seems it would be more damaging

to say that you took the federal money and then cut your fire services. His constituents could understand it more than talking about global warming.

[Fire Walk With Me]

22. Ha!

[TomCADem]

23. Plus, Perry's Party Is Denying The Need For FEMA or Disaster Relief

Think of Ron Paul questioning the need for FEMA.

[0rganism]

28. climate change? weak.... how about firing most of the firefighters?

as in "You’ve got a governor whose state is on fire, who just gutted the budget for the Volunteer Fire Departments."

much better campaign messaging, IMHO.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

29. The Texas fires were God's judgment on the state for the JFK assassination

that resulted in the needless deaths of 58,000 Americans and two million Indochinese, as well as it's role in the rise of George W Bush, who was a willing idiot in allowing 911 to happen, promoting the addendent wars that have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. I'd say that God let Texas off pretty damn easy!

[MicaelS]

31. What a load of crap...

And I guess all the earthquakes and wildfires in California since 1968 are God's judgement for RFK assassination? :sarcasm:

[goforit]

30. And we have a president in office doing nothing about it

[mvd]

32. That's the type of stronger language I want to see

I know it's close to election season, but it needs to be said.