Liberal MSNBC anchor Ed Schultz on Monday used the cold snap hitting much of the country to push two left-wing agendas. He lectured "heartless and cruel" Republicans to extend unemployment because of the chill and, at the same time, blamed the low temperatures on global warming. [See video of both clips below. MP3 audio here.]
The Ed Show host blasted, "Not only can we [sic] stop the wind from blowing, we can't stop the Republicans from being heartless and cruel!" Schultz concluded that since it's very cold out, "we need to be taking...some special measurements to help people who have been unemployed for a long time." Later, the anchor wondered if climate change was the culprit for the deep freeze.
Talking to Minnesota meteorologist Mace Michaels, Schultz theorized, "What's your analysis of this cold snap? Is it climate change? The aftermath of what we've seen happen in our environment?"
Michaels tried to walk him back, noting, "It could be just one of those years. We're cycles sometimes. You go back in history. You think here, 15, 20 years ago, had a big cold snap."
A transcript of the two January 6 exchanges can be found below:
5:08
ED SCHULTZ: Here it is from North Dakota all the way around past Chicago to Detroit, we are below zero. [Sarcastic voice] Of course, we know these states don't have people who are losing their unemployment benefits and heating the home? Not a problem. Just throw another log on the fire. This is where it is cruel. No one can control the weather. You know what? Not everybody can control their employment situation. Not only can we [sic] stop the wind from blowing, we can't stop the Republicans from being heartless and cruel. There is no doubt that we have special circumstances. Just like people are taking special conditions in their lives to deal with these kinds of numbers, we need to be taking certainly some special measurements to help people who have been unemployed for a long time.
5:26
ED SCHULTZ: What's your analysis of this cold snap? Is it climate change? The aftermath of what we've seen happen in our environment? How do you call it, Mace?
MACE MICHAELS: It could be just one of those years. We're cyclical sometimes. You go back in history. You think here, 15, 20 years ago, had a big cold snap. You look back in the records then, again 15, 20 years ago, then, maybe a little longer than that. So, sometimes, it's cyclical with these cold snaps. But this one just is so much further to the south. So many folks, you know, not used to seeing temperatures this low for so long.