Liberal CBS late night host David Letterman interviewed President Jimmy Carter on Monday night and used the opportunity to lobby the former president to push for greater action on “climate change.”
Speaking with the Georgia Democrat, Letterman gushed over how as president Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House before asking if “it will take a global mandate to do anything about climate change?” [See video below.]
As the interview continued, Letterman lamented that Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan had the solar panels removed and remarked that, “Symbolically, to Reagan, perhaps, leaving those solar panels in place gave an indication that we were leaning away from petroleum in this country. Well, you wouldn't want to upset the petrol lobbyists.”
Carter and Letterman conveniently ignored the little fact that it was the Carter Administration that instituted price controls which caused the price of oil to skyrocket. It was only when President Reagan ended these price controls that the price of oil and gasoline declined.
The CBS comedian then urged Carter for greater action on global warming and asked if a “global mandate” on the issue will result in “the countries that would do that, China, the United States or whomever, would be heroes.” After asking if both the United States and China “possess this kind of wisdom?” needed to tackle climate change, Carter exposed how left-wing he truly is:
It would have to be involving some things that would be very unpopular in the United States with the Congress, like a carbon tax. A tax on carbon that we put into the air which would discourage that being done and move toward solar energy and others and the conservation of energy in all forms.
Much like he did while president, Carter pushed policies that would drastically increase the cost of energy in America and Letterman was all too eager to jump on the Carter bandwagon. Letterman showed that like the rest of the liberal media he is nothing more than a Carter sycophant and refused to challenge the Democrat on anything.
See relevant transcript below.
CBS
Late Show with David Letterman
March 24, 2014
11:57 p.m. EST
DAVID LETTERMAN: Vladimir Putin decides he wants Crimea to be under Russian control. This is similar to an experience you had when you were president, when the Russians went into Afghanistan.
JIMMY CARTER: The Soviets. Christmas weekend of 1979. And they invaded Afghanistan. And I withdrew our ambassador. I declared an embargo against them. I joined with the American Olympic committee to withdraw from the Olympics. And we began to arm the freedom fighters in Afghanistan. And I warned Brezhnev that if he went any further, that we would respond militarily.
LETTERMAN: And did these actions have an effect on –
CARTER: I think so. It never went any further. And of course the freedom fighters slowly but surely gained capability of beating the Soviet troops successfully, and eventually under Gorbachev the Russians realize they were making a horrible mistake and they withdrew from Afghanistan. So it was successful in stopping them there.
(...)
LETTERMAN: When you were president, I don't know if I knew it at the time but it's fascinating to read about this now, that you had installed – and help me out here if I've got this wrong – on a roof of one of the buildings at the White House.
CARTER: The Oval Office.
LETTERMAN: – The Oval Office – solar panels.
CARTER: That's right.
LETTERMAN: This was 1979.
CARTER: That's right, 36 of them. >
LETTERMAN: Yeah. Because then you realized the importance of other forms, alternative energy. And what became of that?
CARTER: They stayed there until I left office.
(Laughter) (Applause)
CARTER: And then I think, unfortunately for the United States and for other people, the next president, President Reagan decided that the panels should not be there. We should not make any foolish moves towards admitting that the United States wasn't all powerful and that we should save energy, that we didn't have to save it we could just waste it as long as we wanted to so it went –
LETTERMAN: That's a fascinating point. Because symbolically, to Reagan, perhaps, leaving those solar panels in place gave an indication that we were leaning away from petroleum in this country. Well, you wouldn't want to upset the petrol lobbyists.
CARTER: Some wouldn't, I did. But some would not.
(Applause)
LETTERMAN: But now it will take a global mandate to do anything about climate change?
CARTER: Well, we should. I go to China every year. I normalized relations with China and I met with Xi Jinping four times. And so I go there every year. And my thinking is that the global warming is real. And that the only way, ultimately, to resolve it is for the United States and China to form a bilateral commitment with the United States, a very wealthy country and so forth and with China suffering as a developing nation with air and water pollution that is very bad, if our two great countries could get together and say look, why don't we make these mutual concessions, in my opinion, Europe and the rest of the world would go along with it.
LETTERMAN: Yes. Now do these two great countries possess this kind of wisdom?
CARTER: Well, it would have to be involving some things that would be very unpopular in the United States with the Congress, like a carbon tax. A tax on carbon that we put into the air which would discourage that being done and move toward solar energy and others and the conservation of energy in all forms. But also it would result in the more efficient automobiles, more efficient house insulation, more efficient refrigerators and stoves and so forth. And I think an effort both to produce alternative methods of energy, sources of energy, and also to conserve what we don't need.
LETTERMAN: And the countries that would do that, China, the United States or whomever, would be heroes, really, wouldn't they?
CARTER: I think so. And the Europeans have been trying to do this but they haven't been able to get the United States to join in with them. I would say since George H.W. Bush left office. He was a champion of conserving energy. But since then, the United States has withdrawn from our leadership role.
