New York Times environmental activist reporter Lisa Friedman, whose paper has taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to push liberal causes, now regrets Republicans have “seized” on (wholly justified) fears about Democratic environmental policy in her piece entitled, “G.O.P. Aims to Use Pain Of Shutdown to Tarnish Climate Change Policies.” Also, Matthew Rosenberg and Jim Rutenberg offered more biased labeling in their latest attempt to unmask the right-wing propaganda machine of their fevered imaginations.
Friedman makes a habit of shouting “climate denial,” and did the same on Saturday:
The coronavirus and the struggle to contain it has tanked the economy, shuttered thousands of businesses and thrown more than 30 million people out of work. As President Trump struggles for a political response, Republicans and their allies have seized on an answer: attacking climate change policies.
....
Critics said the Republican line of attack smacked of some desperation. Recent national polling shows Mr. Biden’s lead over Mr. Trump expanding as even some Republicans lose faith in the president’s leadership. Eager to avoid talking about Mr. Trump’s response to the pandemic, Republicans have blamed China for the rising U.S. death toll, accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of failing businesses, and now are warning that the Green New Deal is coming.
Republicans have “talking points,” while big-spending Democrats have ... science?
Republican political strategists expressed hope that the conservative talking point ricocheting around the right-wing echo chamber could appeal more broadly as voters’ attention focuses on health and personal finances.
More hostile labeling:
The most explicit attack so far has come from the Heartland Institute, a climate denialist group with ties to the Trump administration, which held a recent online conference asking, “Is the Coronavirus Lockdown the Future Environmentalists Want?”...
Friedman quoted former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry calling “Republican talking points on climate change policy" just "another lie."
Rosenberg and Rutenberg on Saturday morning offered similar bad faith reporting: “Fight Over Virus’s Death Toll Opens Grim New Front in Election Battle -- Elements of the right have sought to bolster President Trump’s political standing by turning scientific questions into political issues.”
At the forefront of the fight are a number of climate skeptics who have long exploited the imperfections of scientific research -- statistical margins of error, the subjective elements of projective modeling -- to cast doubt on the conclusive finding that humans have contributed to global warming.
Steven J. Milloy, a fervent denier of that scientific consensus, was early to play down the coronavirus threat....
One part of the hit job was particularly pathetic, focusing on Scott Jensen, a doctor and Republican state senator in Minnesota.
Dr. Jensen, though, has stayed true to his skepticism in his own life. Last week, he plugged into a remote State Senate hearing on easing restrictions on telemedicine for addiction disorders while playing a round of golf, without a mask.
Assuming social distancing, a golf course is about as safe a place from the pandemic as it gets.
