August 17, 2011

Perry: Climate Change a Hoax to “Keep the Money Rolling In”

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eschipul/5047775028/sizes/m/in/photostream/">eschipul</a>/Flickr

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Rick Perry only entered the presidential race on Saturday and I’m already tired of writing about the wacky things he says about climate change. But on Wednesday the Texas governor managed to outdo even his own previous climate change claims, arguing that scientists created the whole issue in order to earn big research bucks.

Via TPM:

“A substantial number of scientists [have] manipulated data to keep the money rolling in,” New Hampshire Union Leader editorial page editor Drew Cline quoted Perry saying on the stump in a tweet. Before that, Cline quoted Perry saying, “I do believe the issue of global warming has been politicized.”

Another Granite State reporter listening to Perry, this one from New Hampshire Public Radio, tweeted that Perry said “Scientists are ‘coming forward daily’ to disavow a ‘theory that remains unproven.'”

I’ll make sure I relay that message to all the BMW-driving, mansion-dwelling climate scientists out there. Meanwhile, Perry has has enjoyed lavish support from the oil industry, to the tune of $11 million over his political career so far.

Perry is already a favorite among climate deniers for saying things like this. But he might find himself in hot water over climate change anyway. Earlier this week, he attempted to defend his work as the Texas state director for Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 1988. Gore, of course, is the subject of much derision in the climate denial world. “This was Al Gore before he invented the Internet and got to be Mr. Global Warming,” Perry said. (It wasn’t. Gore was already campaigning on climate change at that time.) Anyway, Perry has mocked Gore on climate change for years. I don’t expect any big changes of heart from Perry on this issue anytime soon.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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