Pat Mullins: Leader of the "Know Nothing" Party

Pat Mullins once again proves that he's the worth successor to Jeff Frederick as leader of the "know nothing" party, aka the "Republican Party of Virginia." Check out his latest, hysterical, false and misleading email.

In this time of economic crisis, every policy that can influence job growth has increased importance. Cap and Trade is certainly near the top of the list. This idea is a lethal job killer – based on liberal orthodoxy and not science. The estimated costs to a middle income family are well over $1,000 annually, but range up to over $2,100 a year for other families. Additionally, the burden on private enterprise would be substantial, limiting the ability of businesses to create jobs and spur economic growth.

Bob McDonnell has rightly stood firm in his opposition to this terrible idea, but sadly, his opponent Creigh Deeds remains silent. It is time for Creigh Deeds to state his position on this important issue, if he is willing to step out from under Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

A few points here.

First, I know we'll never convince ignoramuses and rigid ideologues like Pat Mullins, but this has nothing to do with "liberal orthodoxy" and everything to do with science. In fact, the scientific evidence regarding anthropogenic climate change is overwhelming, arguably no more controversial than the theory of gravity or evolution (which, I'd point out, many in Pat Mullins' party also don't believe to be true).

Second, the way "cap and trade" is currently structured, with most emissions permits being given away and with many other concessions to the fossil fuel industry, it's extremely unlikely that this will be a "job killer" of any kind, let alone "lethal." In fact, it's much more likely that the transition towards a clean tech/green economy will create millions of good, sustainable, American jobs that can't be outsourced and that will bring prosperity all over this nation, including in poorer, rural areas.

Third, Mullins' complete ignorance on this is stunning, but sadly a sign of where the Republican Party is today. The fact is, being the "know nothing"/"flat earth" party of Sarah Palin, Tom Coburn, James Inhofe, etc. will not get Republicans anywhere with anyone who has half a brain or has ever studied biology, chemistry, physics, or just about anything else.

Fourth, Mullins' comment about a $2,100-per-family annual cost due to "cap and trade" appear to have no basis in fact whatsoever. See here for an analysis which concludes that this is a "blatant distortion" and that, in fact, the actual cost is $340 and even that "can be completely offset by returning allowance revenue to these households."

Finally, the overall point here is that Republican leaders simply have their heads in the sand on climate change specifically, energy and environmental issues in general. The fact is, anyone who knows anything about these subjects - and who isn't completely bought and paid for by ExxonMobil's climate change denial shop - knows that for a combination of powerful economic, national security and environmental reasons (thin, "geo-green") we need to move forcefully and rapidly to transition away from a carbon-based economy. The options to accomplish this are either raising the price of carbon through a tax (which can be completely revenue neutral and non-regressive, by cutting the payroll tax for instance) or via some sort of cap on carbon emissions (it could be just a cap, a "cap and dividend" or a "cap and trade" system, but the idea is to reduce carbon emissions over a period of years).

Sadly, for a party that once had a strong conservationist and progressive wing (think Teddy Roosevelt), today's know-nothing Republicans reject both approaches (carbon tax or capping carbon), preferring to completely deny and/or ignore climate change, while continuing the false claim that we can "drill baby drill" our way out of our dependence on foreign oil. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Did I mention "wrong?" How about "totally ignorant?" How about "short sighted and foolish?" How about "harmful to U.S. national security?" Did I miss anything? Sadly, that's today's Republican Party, including the Republican Party of Virginia under the "leadership" of Pat Mullins and Bob McDonnell. Pathetic.