ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama said denying climate change is like arguing the moon is made of cheese, as he issued a call to action on global warming to Saturday’s graduates of the University of California, Irvine.
Obama issued the call to the tens of thousands gathered at Angel Stadium even though he said Congress “is full of folks who stubbornly and automatically reject the scientific evidence” and say climate change is a hoax or fad.
Obama said others duck the question.
“They say, ‘Hey, look, I’m not a scientist.’ And I’ll translate that for you: what that really means is, ‘I know that manmade climate change really is happening but if I admit it, I’ll be run out of town by a radical fringe that thinks climate science is a liberal plot,'” he said.
Obama’s address to about 8,000 graduates from the Orange County campus comes two weeks after he announced a contentious plan to dramatically cut pollution from power plants. Obama also used the address to announce a $1 billion competitive fund for communities who have experienced natural disasters to rebuild and prepare for the impact of extreme weather.
He described a political system consumed by “small things” but said Americans should be determined to do “big things” like addressing climate change, despite the type of opposition he faces from Congress.
“There’s going to be a stubborn status quo and people determined to stymie your efforts to bring about change. There are going to be people who say you can’t do something. There are going to be people who say you shouldn’t bother trying. I’ve got some experience with this myself,” Obama said.
“It’s pretty rare that you’ll encounter somebody who says the problem you’re trying to solve simply doesn’t exist. When President Kennedy set us on a course to the moon, there were a number of people who made a serious case that it wouldn’t be worth it,” he continued.
“But nobody ignored the science. I don’t remember anybody saying the moon wasn’t there or that it was made of cheese,” Obama said.
The president said today’s young dreamers are fed a steady diet of cynicism but argued they have a right to be optimistic.
“Consider this: since the time most of you graduated from high school, fewer Americans are at war,” Obama said. “More have health insurance. More are graduating from college. Our businesses have added more than nine million new jobs. And the number of states where you’re free to marry who you love has more than doubled. That’s just some of the progress you’ve seen.”
While in Orange County, Obama also raised money for the Democratic National Committee at a closed-door fundraiser at the Laguna Beach home of Getty oil heiress Anne Earhart. About 25 people paid up to $32,400 to participate in a roundtable discussion with the president.
He’s spending the rest of the Father’s Day weekend on vacation at the Rancho Mirage home of White House decorator Michael Smith and his partner, U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos.
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He’s right. When the deniers say, “I’m not a scientist” - it means I know the facts, but I choose to deny they exist.
He is getting more bold in language and in action ( to the degree he can take action, without a crankypants congress). I love it.
It might have taken 5 years but I think he’s finally figured out that you cannot compromise or even have a civil discussion with conservatives. More like this Mr President, and don’t be afraid to be bolder…call them out by name.
Since it’s obvious that the “scientists” who claim climate change is man made are cut from the same elitist cloth as those people who gave you the Nobel Peace Price without any merit, Mr. President Obama, having doubts about this “science” is more than legitimate. Telling us that 97% of scientists agree climate change is man made proves zero to nothing, because we well know how the elitists at the helm of this “science” marginalize and ridicule those scientists who dissent with them. You are either with them or against them and when against, all sort of obstacles are thrown at you, including denial of funding.
For years Al Gore and mainstream “scientists” have gone around telling us all about “Global Warming”, it’s catastrophic effects and what we need to do to change course. Now that it’s over 15 years that there is no registered warming at all, it’s no longer “global warming” but “climate change”. DUH!!! Climate has changed since the beginning of times, it’s like saying that tomorrow we will have 50% chances of rain, a win-win situation. As the old folks always say, don’t fix something that ain’t broken.
Hmmm…1%ers and Oil Magnates discussing privately with the President…how I wish to have been a fly on those walls…Have the feeling climate change was off the round table.