Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
Are you familiar with RGGI, or the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative? In short, it is 10 states who got together to conduct Cap and Trade without the feds being involved. New Jersey became one of them a couple of years ago.
Chris Christie, to the delight of many conservatives, this past week announced that New Jersey is pulling out of the deal.
What hasn't been trumpeted is his reasons why.
First, Chris Christie announced he is firmly in the anthropogenic climate change camp, and believes we need to do something about it.
Do any of you find that disturbing? The man conservatives want most to jump in the Presidential race thinks as Al Gore does on climate change.
Maybe that point got lost in his announcement about his pulling NJ out of RGGI, because he said his reason for the pull out is that market forces are doing a better job at reducing greenhouse gasses than RGGI.
"Hooray" cheered conservatives! We love market forces! But should we really cheer that? What if markets shifted and suddenly government tax and cap initiatives were reducing greenhouse gasses better than the markets? Would that mean Chris Christie would be for Cap and Trade at that time?
Take a listen to his speech wherein he annouced he is pulling New Jersey out of RGGI, and let me know if you think Chris Christie's position on climate change should be a concern for voters if he ever enters the Presidential race, be it now or four years from now:
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Comments :
Aug '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
Ah me. A very good man, but confused on this one. Sad, but there's still hope that a real scientist might sit down with him.
Aug '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
I'm sad to say that the evidence points to Christie being a very clever phony. This was exposed here on Ricochet a couple of weeks ago. He wouldn't let New Jersey join 27 other states in their suit to block ObamaScare, for one example.
Apr '11
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
At least he's getting rid of it, which is more than what most Democrats would do. Still, he's probably the best we could hope for in New Jersey.
Dec '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
I know several otherwise intelligent people who have swallowed the hook on "climate change." From listening to Christie, he sounds like one of them. He defers to the "experts" and then moves on to the obvious fact that big brother's boot on everyone's neck is not the solution. If he's not going to argue the science (since he's not a scientist) then at least he's arguing against authoritarianism as the solution.
Mar '11
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
Tommy De Seno:
Do any of you find that disturbing? The man conservatives want most to jump in the Presidential race thinks as Al Gore does on climate change.
Yeah, that is a deal-breaker for me - much worse than Cain's ignorance of the right of return. And I don't think he is the man conservatives most want - that would be Paul Ryan. Oh, and there are a coupla women, one of whom cannot be named.
Oct '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
Yes, he's the best one for New Jersey. And he's not the best one for America. The whole cap-and-trade AGW fiction is such a no-brainer that it's a deal-breaker for me. I wrote off Newt the moment he appeared in that Pelosi lovefest, and I just wrote off Christie a few minutes ago.
Sep '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
This is exactly the kind of fuzzy position conservatives need to be taking on numerous issues. I know it may sound dishonest to some, but political communications seems to me to be largely about lies of omission. We need to justify our actions or in this case inactions without opening ourselves to some wider attack (e.g. conservatives are anti-science).
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
The King Prawn and Ross Conatser make divergent but equally compelling points.
Nice job to the both of you!
May '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
There's a world of difference between saying market forces can handle a problem and saying market forces should handle a problem.
The "can" argument leaves open the possibility of government assistance and / or regulation.
Edited on May 28, 2011 at 9:49amDec '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
Concerning climate change, I really doubt we will ever win on the science whether we are right or wrong. It is simply too easy for the adherents to use fear to bully those who are either too busy or too lazy to dig deeply enough to form their own opinions. However, a much better case can be made that whether or not man is the cause of climate change (if it did exist in such a way) that the abdication of individual liberty is simply not an effective or appropriate solution to the perceived problem.
Dec '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
AGW is simply a religious belief now. Nothing more, nothing less.
People who "believe it" simply believe because priests tell them so.
And it's sacrilege for any politician or prominent person to deviate from the line.
A lot of our beliefs regarding science are taken on faith. You can't do complex experiments yourself. Climate science is now riddled with proven fraud, unfalsifiable hypotheses (climate "change") and an inability to make the models match any data. There was a recent story with a climate scientist ridiculing data in favor of the models.
Moreover, Christie's a lawyer. He views science as metaphysical certainty to be preached by experts from a witness box.
As for me, I'm in favor of global warming. The globe is too cold.
Oct '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
I agree with Christie; rising oil prices will work just as well as cap and trade would; think about what the alternative to oil is: natural gas, and natural gas burns cleaner.
May '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
I for one am embarrassed by conservatives on this one. Taking a firm position when there is NO REAL PROOF one way or the other, but the position is defined by politics is just silly, something that liberals do for emotional reasons.
Christie seems to be taking a pragmatic, businessman's approach to this, and I can find no fault in it. To be upset because he doesn't swear off Global Warming is not worthy of conservatives. A pragmatic, business like approach, is a "deal killer?" This nation can do well without that type of black and white thinking.
May '11
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
The reason there appears to be such a broad 'consensus' on AGW is that, for years now, anyone daring to even question the orthodoxy is labeled a heretic and a nut. Researchers quickly lose funding, public figures are attacked and marginalized. This is true for the general public as much as celebrities and politicians. The far wiser approach these days is to publicly confess your belief that humans are altering the world's climate while quietly working to dampen the extreme measures some have suggested. Safer to stay in the closet for now.
Sep '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
With respect to political communication again...
I expect we are all aware that Bill Clinton never even sent the Kyoto treaty for ratification. George Bush did not support cap and trade and it appears Obama is quietly taking the same position.
Part of this is media bias and part of this is just smart politics by the Dems. Remember the WV senate race with the guy shooting a hole in Waxman Markey. The Dems seem to be very flexible when it comes to changing their policies to win elections, even if they believe the fate of the world depends on it. We don't need to compromise on principles but we need to stop walking into punches.
Sep '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
He backed out because PA isn't going to do it. So, would it be safe to assume that he does support cap and trade as a federal mandate? It sure sounds that way.
Edited on May 31, 2011 at 5:01amNov '10
Re: Mixed Signals From Chris Christie On Human Caused Climate Change
No, he doesn't. Al Gore is an authoritarian who wants to tax us into oblivion. Chris Christie wants to let the market handle it. This is not an insignificant distinction.
Disbelief in AGW should not take on the facets of inarguable dogma that its acceptance has on the left. Our opposition should be to those who would use AGW as a Trojan horse for the destruction of property rights, not to those who simply find the theory plausible.