Republicans Opposing Trump Say he is Dangerously Unqualified to be President

An unprecedented number of Republican insiders have indicated that they cannot bring themselves to support Donald Trump even if he is their party's Presidential nominee. Some have said they will vote for Hilary Clinton, others have opted to leave the GOP altogether.  Republicans who refuse to endorse Trump include past presidents, governors, senators, representatives, experts and aides.

The reasons for the exodus should be obvious to all. Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims.

Make no mistake about it the GOP is not a victim of Trump, they created this monster through their own failed strategies. Trump was conceived through their pandering to the basest aspects of the American electorate. They are responsible for the outrage at government due to their legislative obstructionism.

Republicans had been flirting with racism for a long time. The election of Barack Obama appears to have sent older white Americans over the edge. They see their power being diluted by people of color and progressive ideologies. Rather than assuage their insecurities, and usher them into the modern world, Trump stokes the fires of fear.

It is the Republican party that is broken not the American political system. The current Republican presidential nominee has taken the Republicans far from thier roots and in so doing it has ignored African Americans, Latinos, millennials and women.

Trump has played the fear card and in so doing he has created a passionate following. His racist xenophobia panders to an angry disaffected segment of the American population. However, at present it is nowhere near sufficient for him to win the presidency.

Repeated displays of erratic behavior have forced Republicans to question Trump's temperament. Many worry that he is a threat to national security. What is most troubling for Trump's prospects in November is the fact that he is hemorrhaging support from the core of his own party.

President Obama and others has questioned why Republicans would endorse Trump. Some Republicans have vowed to vote for Hilary, others have said they will stay home on election day. Either way Trump currently has no viable path to the White House.

Women

It is clear that at this point Trump has been criticized by almost everyone who still supports him and the numbers of his supporters appears to be shrinking by the day. Trump does not have support from the black community, he has very little support from Latinos and millennials.  Perhaps the most disconcerting stat is the fact that Republican women's vote is slipping away. While Trump used to enjoy the backing of Republican women, that support is eroding fast. The female vote is pivotal for Trump. In the last presidential election ten million more women voted than men. According to polls conducted by The New York Times and CBS News Trump's support from Republican women has fallen by 13 percent recently.

These women are described as "an electoral cornerstone for the party's past nominees," in a New York Times article. Mitt Romney secured the support of 93 percent of Republican women as did George Bush. The article explained, "high-profile Republican women are abandoning decades of party loyalty and vowing to oppose Mr. Trump."

Dina Vela, a lifelong Republican voter has said she will break ranks and vote for Hilary. a project manager in San Antonio

"For people like me, who are Republican but reasonable and still have our brains attached, its hard to see Trump as a reasonable, sane Republican," she said. It would seem that female voters do not take kindly to his calling for Hilary's assassination.

According to the polls, twice as many women support Hilary over Trump in important swing states like Pennsylvania.

Former presidents and presidential candidates

Trump does not have the support of any living former President including those in the GOP. His presidential bid has been opposed by James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981 George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993 William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001 George Walker Bush, 2001-2009 and Barack Hussein Obama, 2009-2016.  Trump's presidency has also been opposed by former GOP Presidential candidates john Kasich, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush.

Experts

Trump has also failed to secure or lost the support of a number of expert Republicans. Earlier this summer many GOP officials signed letter opposing Trump. In August 50 GOP national security experts opposed Donald Trump in a letter. The fifty signatories are prominent Republican foreign policy and national security experts. This includes many veterans of George W. Bush's administration. The letter denounces Donald Trump's presidential candidacy and specifically warns: "We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history." The letter also says: "He is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior," the letter claims. "All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and Commander-in-Chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal."

Its signatories include former CIA and National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, the former directors of Homeland Security under George W. Bush, Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, former Director of National Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. neocon leader and member of the Council on Foreign Relations Robert Kagan, former Under Secretary of Defense Policy during the first Bush administration and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman, former World Bank president, U.S. trade representative, deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick and dozens of others former Republican presidential administration officials and conservative think tank members.

The deputy secretary of state under George W. Bush, Richard Armitage said he will vote for Hilary. He explained his decision by saying Trump "doesn't appear to be a Republican, he doesn't appear to want to learn about issues." Brent Scowcroft, the National Security Adviser to Presidents George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford, who worked in the White House of Presidents Richard Nixon and George W. Bush also endorsed Clinton.

Aides

It is not only high profile Republicans that are deserting Trump. The RNC has reportedly lost staffers over Trump. Republican aides are jumping ship and voting for Hilary. This includes an ex-Reagan political director Frank Lavin and Maria Comella, Chris Christie's longtime aide who said Trump is "a demagogue"who preys "on people's anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the 'other'." Sally Bradshaw, a top Jeb Bush adviser has even left the GOP altogether saying, Republicans are "at a crossroads and have nominated a total narcissist -- a misogynist -- a bigot." The former top adviser to Sen. John McCain Mark Salter tweeted his support for Clinton saying "the GOP is going to nominate for President a guy who reads the National Enquirer and thinks it's on the level. I'm with her." The former aide to President George Bush Lezlee Westine also supports Hilary.

Senators

Trump has also been criticized by a a number of high profile Republican Senators including John McCain and Paul Ryan. However, they have yet to formally withdraw their support.

Here is a list of Republican Senators that have publicly abandoned Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.). Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)

Many GOP Senators have told their constituencies to break party ranks and vote their conscience. Here are some of the reasons why:

Sen. Jeff Flake from Arizona senator said: "It's becoming increasingly difficult to see that he's going to make the changes that he needs." Sen. Dean Heller from Nevada said Trump "did a lot of damage" and that he thinks it'll be difficult for the Republican nominee to "recover from his previous comments. "I'll give him a chance, but at this point, I have no intentions of voting for him," Heller said. Rep Mike Coffman from The Colorado said in a TV add, "People ask me, 'What do you think about (Donald) Trump?' Honestly, I don't care for him much."

Sen Lindsey Graham from South Carolina senator said he won't vote for Trump. He explained that he thinks the Republican Party has been "conned" by the Republican presidential nominee.

Sen. Susan Collins from Maine said she will not vote for Trump, she wrote in a Washington Post op-ed, that "Trump is antithetical to GOP values"

Sen. Mark Kirk from Illinois said that he "cannot and will not support" Trump, who he said, "does not have the temperament" to be commander in chief."

Sen. Ben Sasse from Nebraska said he will not vote for Trump because he, "does not even know what the Constitution is about."

Former three-term senator Larry Pressler from South Dakota has endorsed Clinton saying she "would be able to handle such explosive situations which are terrorist inspired much better than Donald Trump."

Former senator from New Hampshire Gordon Humphrey said he won't support Trump, and would vote for Clinton. "I am ever more confirmed in my belief that Trump is a sociopath, without a conscience or feelings of guilt, shame or remorse," Humphrey wrote.

Representatives

A similar story is unfolding with House Republicans, here is a list of representatives that have indicated they will not support Trump. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (R- Fla.), Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.), Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Me.), Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Rep. Reid Ribble, (R-Wis.)

Former Representatives that do not support Trump include Chris Shays of Connecticut, Connie Morella from Maryland, Larry Pressler from South Dakota, David Durenberger from Minnesota, Joe Scarborough from Florida, Norm Coleman from Minnesota, Mel Martinez from Florida, J.C. Watts from Oklahoma. Here is a summary of reasons provided for not supporting the Republican nominee:

Rep. Adam Kinzinger from Illinois said that he doesn't see how he can support Trump following his comments about NATO and the Khan family. "I'm an American before I'm a Republican."

Rep Charlie Dent from The Pennsylvania House member said he will not support Trump saying "I think some of us have to stand up once in a while and just have to say how we feel about this."

Rep. Bob Dold from Illinois said, "I will not support Donald Trump," referring to Trump's comments about women, Muslims, Latinos and POWs. "We're looking for a uniter, not a divider," he said.

Rep. Richard Hanna from New York was the first Republican member of Congress to openly announce he will vote for Hillary Clinton. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida said that she won't back Trump. Rep. Scott Rigell from Virginia said he will not vote for Trump and he will not run for reelection.

Lobbyist and former three term congressman from Minnesota Vin Weber said that he rejects Trump's candidacy. He called Trump's nomination, "a mistake of historic proportions."

Former congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut wrote "I think many Republicans know Donald Trump could cause great damage to our country and the world at large, and still plan to vote for him. But not me. He represents practically everything I was taught not to be, and everything my wife and I taught our daughter not to be."

Governors

In addition to Kaisch there have been other Republican Governors who have indicated that they will not vote for Trump either. This includes Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker who said he likely won't support Trump because of, "The things he said about women and Muslims and religious freedom, I just can't support."

Former Michigan governor William Milliken said he won't support Trump. He further indicated that he will vote for Hilary. The former governor of Montana and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Marc Racicot wrote in an op-ed, he "cannot endorse or support" Trump.

Party elders

Former first lady Barbara Bush said Trump has said "terrible things about women, terrible things about the military." "I don't even think about him," she said. "I'm sick of him." The 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney has railed against Trump saying he will not vote for him and pointing out his racism and misogyny.

The Republican Treasury secretary Hank Paulson endorsed Clinton. In an op-ed he said, "a Trump presidency is unthinkable." "To my Republican friends: I know I'm not alone," Paulson wrote.

The longtime conservative commentator and columnist George Will said he left the Republican Party because of Trump -- "I decided that in fact this was not my party anymore," he said.


Business leaders

The president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Meg Whitman is a major GOP donor who has said she will support Hilary both financially and with her vote. She explained her decision by saying that Trump's "demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character."

Republican donor Paul Singer said he will not support Trump neither will Charles and David Koch who have been important supporters of Republican candidates with financial and logistical support. They also have a vast network of think tanks and conservative groups that have helped influence electoral outcomes. Also included in the list of business leaders who will not support Trump is former GM CEO Dan Akerson who has indicated he will vote for Hilary.

As reported by Quartz, Jim Greenwood, the CEO of the Biotech Innovation Organization has expressed serious reservations about the implications of a Trump presidency for business. Robert Atkinson, the head of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said. “A number of companies are explicitly sitting to the side. There’s a different feel.”

According to Politico corporate donors reneged on millions in donations to the RNC, this includes companies like Apple, BP, United Health, Visa, FedEx, Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Environmental leaders

It is widely known that a Trump presidency will spell disaster for the environment and efforts to address climate change. As reported by Grist, 2 former Republican EPA chiefs have publicly refused to support Trump and endorsed Hillary for president. William D. Ruckelshaus, who ran the agency under Richard Nixon and again under Ronald Reagan, and William K. Reilly, who was EPA administrator for George H. W. Bush, both argue that Donald Trump would roll back decades of environmental progress made under both Republican and Democratic presidents.

"Donald Trump has shown a profound ignorance of science and of the public health issues embodied in our environmental laws," Ruckelshaus and Reilly write in a joint statement.

Christine Todd Whitman is another American Republican politician who was Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and  head of the EPA under administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She said  that she would probably support Clinton over Trump.

Supporters

Trump does have supporters. His core demographic is composed almost entirely of old, white, uneducated men. This is a group that pines for the glory days when the white man ruled and "colored" people knew their place. They have watched that world slip away and they fear further erosion of their privileges.

He also has some international admirers. Trump was lauded as a "genius" by Russia'a Vladimir Putin and he is also respected by North Korean crazy-man Kim Jong Ill. As reported by Reuters, DPRK, North Korea's State controlled press called Trump "a wise politician and a prescient presidential candidate."

Trump also enjoys the support of professional wrestlers (Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Hulk Hogen), a bevy of ditzy airheads (Fran Drescher, Tila Tequila and Jessica Simpson), a convicted rapist (Mike Tyson), a drug addict (Charlie Sheen), and a couple of celebrities whose sanity is highly questionable  (Denis Rodman and Gary Busey).

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Climate Action and the Binary Choice between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump

When it comes to climate and the environment, the DNC made it abundantly clear that the Democratic ticket is a far better choice than the Republican alternative. Despite what some are saying the Democrats are the only choice. However, Trump's lies and ignorance are being bolstered by misrepresentations from the left.  At the DNC speakers praised Hilary Clinton's support for climate action and they lauded the most progressive Democratic platform in the party's history. This is in stark contrast to the Republican National Convention, the GOP's platform and Donald Trump's own words.

The Democrats not only accept science, they embrace it. While the Republican nominee flouts science and subscribes to a populist world view that tells older white men what they want to hear. The GOP are bereft of reason, and Trump's combination of ignorance and lies have thus far been the foundation of his bid for the presidency.

At the DNC in Philadelphia, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were among a number of people who pointed to Hilary's stance on climate action. While at the RNC fracking kingpin Harold Hamm was the only one who mentioned climate change saying that it "isn’t our biggest problem." He went on to say we need to see more oil and gas production. This is a position that has been supported by Trump.

At the DNC Sanders said,

"This election is about climate change, the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet, and the need to leave this world in a way that is healthy and habitable for our kids and future generations. Hillary Clinton is listening to the scientists who tell us that ― unless we act boldly and transform our energy system in the very near future ― there will be more drought, more floods, more acidification of the oceans, more rising sea levels. She understands that when we do that we can create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs. Donald Trump? Well, like most Republicans, he chooses to reject science. He believes that climate change is a “hoax,” no need to address it. Hillary Clinton understands that a president’s job is to worry about future generations, not the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry."

As reported by Politico, Trump was once again rebuffed by the Koch's after he reached out to them this weekend. Very early on when he was still vying for the party's leadership the Koch's said that Trump was unelectable, this position persisted even after Trump reluctantly agreed to have Mike Pence serve as his Vice Presidential running mate. With this most recent rejection, it looks as though the Koch brothers money and sophisticated king-making apparatus will not be put in the service of The Donald. Trump maintains that it was the Koch's who reached out to him, something that a Koch brothers spokesman denied.

Despite the fact that Hilary is the best choice for climate action, a dedicated group of people in the so called "Bernie or Bust" movement stubbornly refuse to back her. It would appear that they would rather remain true to their ideals than accept a compromise that may be our last best chance of saving the planet. In a powerful DNC speech President Obama refuted this approach and reminded the American people about the intentions of the founding fathers and the need for compromise to make democracy work.

Green Party leader Jill Stein said, "If you don't want to vote for a warmonger or racist billionaire, there are more options." While she will not come close to winning, if enough people buy into her lie, she may be a spoiler candidate who succeeds in splitting the vote just enough to allow the Republican presidential abomination to win the White House.

We have seen a few examples of how vote splitting changed the outcome in the presidential elections in recent years. This includes the elections of 1992, 1996 and 2000. Ross Perot split votes away from Republican president George H.W. Bush (1992) and senator Bob Dole (1996), causing Democratic candidate Bill Clinton to win. Similarly in 2000, Ralph Nader split votes away from Democratic candidate Al Gore, contributing to the victory of Republican candidate George W. Bush.

With runaway climate change in the balance, this election is arguably the most important in American history. If climate hawks and others on the left do not vote strategically, they will have only themselves to blame.

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Trump Promises to Kill Climate Action in RNC Speech: The False Flags of Fear and Division

As the Republican National Convention drew to a close Donald Trump delivered a speech in which he made it clear that he will dismantle US efforts to address climate change all while exacerbating its cause. He wants to get rid of environmental regulations and expand the domestic production of fossil fuels. Here is a succinct analysis of climate and environment related remarks made by Trump during his acceptance speech at the RNC on July 21, 2016.
Trump reiterated his climate destroying policy positions as follows:

"Then we are going to deal with the issue of regulation, one of the greatest job killers of them all....we will end and it very quickly. We are going to lift the restrictions on the production of American energy...Our steelworkers and are miners are going back to work again."

The RNC of 2016 was a reflection of the Trump campaign and the man himself lots of bluster with little substance. Although Trump tried to suggest that the convention was a success, it was defined more by who did not show up rather than those who did. Despite the talk of unity, it was a convention marked by division and discord. 

While Trump mentioned the crises faced by Americans, he was referring to minor threats compared to the dangers of climate change.  Comparatively speaking, Trump's fear mongering on the subject of domestic terrorism is a false flag as is his reference to attacks against law enforcement. Neither one of these issues is anywhere near as devastating as climate change, let alone what it will be if we fail to act. While climate change kills more than a quarter of a million people annually, the most recent statistics show that 18 Americans were killed by terrorism in 2014. The Guardian reports that except for 2013, last year (2015) there were fewer police fatalities than at any point in the last quarter century. Millions are expected to die each year if we do not address climate change.

Trump said that he will protect the LGBT community from ISIS but who is going to protect them from Republicans? The GOP party platform is the most anti-LGBT position in the party's history. Who will protect African Americans from Republicans? There were fewer African Americans at the 2016 RNC than at any previous convention in over a century.

Trump said, "We will completely rebuild our depleted military." And yet the pentagon and the various branches of America's armed services are saying that we must act on climate change as it represents one of the greatest threats to American security. He also wants to take care of veterans however he fails to mention that they support clean energy.

The urgent need for climate action makes the US election of 2016 critically important.  The misguided frustration of the American people may very well propel Trump to an election victory and if this happens we all will lose.

Like petulant children millions of disaffected Americans want to vent their frustration against the system by making a self defeating choice at the ballot box. Rather than blame the the fossil fuel powered obstructionism of Republicans many ill informed Americans are laying blame equally on both parties.  They are prepared to express their outrage by cutting their nose to spite their face, very much like Britain's Brexit vote. The facts are our only hope, we must believe that reason will prevail and people will see Trump for who he is and what he represents.

Trump concluded his speech by saying, "History is watching us now. It's we don't have much time. We don't have much time. It's waiting to see if we will rise to the occasion," He went on to talk about "every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future..." He is right that we don't have much time and he is right that we must rise to the occasion. However the elephant in the room that he and his Republican cohorts fail to mention is climate change. On this, economic and foreign policy issues, a Trump presidency would be an anathema for anyone who dreams of a better life for their children.

History is indeed watching and if Americans vote for this man, they will be voting for an unprecedented disaster that will augur suffering on a scale never before seen.

Trump said that "Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country." he also made the ridiculous and impossible claim that violence will "come to an end" on the first day that he takes office. As Trump explained, "The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead." If he took his own advice he would disqualify himself and his party from vying for the highest office in the land.

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Climate Avoidance, No-shows, Discord and Nepotism Mark the Start of the Republican National Convention

As an omen of what is to come, the Trump motorcade had an accident on the way to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. A Trump presidency would not only be calamitous for the economy it would likely push us past climate tipping points. Trump has indicated that he will double down on fossil fuels and this means that if Trump wins we all lose. 

There continues to be determined focused resistance to Trump's Presidential bid from almost all quarters of American society. The small but growing number of Republicans who accept climate science will not be at the convention along with a surprising number of others. Trump has little support from Hispanics, blacks, millennials and women.

Women and minorities tried to shine some light into the proceedings with an art installation focusing on the value of progressive women's voices. The artist behind the project, Spencer Tunick, said the installation was a way for people to positively channel “their anger through art against the hateful repressive rhetoric of many in the Republican party.”

The 2016 Republican National Convention is noteworthy more for who is not attending than for those who are speaking. The speakers lineup is composed largely of Trump family and friends. Conspicuously absent are a bevy of GOP stars including John McCain, Mitt Romney, George Bush (junior and senior), John Kasich.

Although Trump does not have the support of political insiders, he does enjoy support from a number of other groups including white supremacists and bikers. There was also an armed group of Trump supporters who stood outside the convention hall ready to shoot "thugs" who get too uppity.

The list of speakers says it all. Instead of the kind of political thinkers that normally speak at these conventions, Trump has lined up an assortment of supermodels, soap opera stars and reality television personalities.

One of the highlights is Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander and star of Duck Dynasty. Although speakers like Robertson may lack political acumen, his show has good ratings and he is nothing short of a god to rednecks.

Although some Republicans are trying to convey party unity, many delegates do not appear to have gotten the memo. The #NeverTrump contingent, headed by Utah senator Mike Lee, drove the Republican leadership from the podium on the first day of the convention. Those who continue to oppose Trump claimed they had secured signatures from a majority of delegates from 9 different states or territories to keep their hope of dumping Trump alive. The powers that be refused to hear their pleas. The effort to depose Trump as the party's nominee is far from settled. As frustrated Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh said on the convention floor, "you will see more insurgency, because, and I have nothing to do with the fact that people now know that their voices were squelched."

Republican delegates did however pass the party's platform which is in stark contrast to the progressive climate and environment platform passed by Democrats. One of the planks of the GOP's climate destroying platform is borrowed directly from the Clean Coal Coalition. It involves the absurd notion that coal is an “abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.”

As reviewed in a Progressive Pulse fact checking post, not only is coal a major driver of climate change it is also responsible for air pollution.

"From the mine to the pit, from the ash pond to the smokestack, coal is in reality, a very dirty form of energy. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest emitters of mercury and arsenic. They also emit numerous hazardous compounds, some of them cancer-causing, plus sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which help form acid rain."

The convention, like Trump's campaign, is fueled by the rage of old, ignorant white men.

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Trump's Pick for VP Fails to Secure Support from the Koch Brothers (Videos)

The Republican presidential nominee's choice of VP suggests that the Trump camp may have been hoping to secure support from conservative Christians and the Koch brothers (David and Charles). Earlier this week Donald Trump unceremoniously revealed that Michael Richard "Mike" Pence as his pick for his Vice Presidential running-mate.

Pence is a climate denier and supporter of dirty energy who has sat in the House of Representatives where he amassed an anti-climate and anti-environment voting record.  He has been the governor of Indiana since 2013 where he has been a vocal critic of the Clean Power Plan.


Climate denier supporter of dirty energy

Pence is not overly delicate on the subject of climate change, in fact he has dismissed it as a hoax. In 2001 he explained that he did not agree with the scientific consensus on climate change, he added that the Earth was “actually cooler than it was 50 years ago and that global warming was a “myth.”

“Global warming is a myth...The [Kyoto] global warming treaty is a disaster. There, I said it … The chant is ‘the sky is warming! the sky is warming!’. The only problem is that many Americans, including Vice President Al Gore, didn’t learn of their deceit the last time around and are buying this new bit hook, line and sinker....I think the quiet expansion of the liberal environmentalist agenda by Al Gore and Clinton White House that will cost thousands of jobs could be more important. Say no to the global warming treaty.”

In 2009, he told MSNBC, “I’m all for clean coal technology." In the same interview, he insisted the science of climate change is “very mixed” and he claimed that in “the mainstream media, there is a denial of the growing skepticism in the scientific community on global warming.”

In a 2014 interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Pence said that he didn’t think the science of climate change was “resolved,” he supported his statement with the observation that Indiana had a “tough winter” that year.

"I don't know that that is a resolved issue in science today ... just a few years ago we were talking about global warming. We haven't seen a lot of warming lately. I remember back in the 70's we were talking about the coming ice age."

Here are some other energy and climate comments made by Pence in an interview with Chris Matthews:



Pence even supported more offshore drilling in the wake of BP's deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform and devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. He was also a strong supporter of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Voting record in the House of Representatives

When he was in Congress the League of Conservation Votersreported that he voted 201 times against environmental interests and just 18 times in favor. He twice voted against climate legislation and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Opposition to the Clean Power Plan

Pence does more than just question the existence of climate change he works to thwart national efforts to address it. Pence is one of the governors that sued the federal government over the Clean Power Plan. Released on August 3, 2015, the plan imposes emissions regulations that will cut carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030 from levels recorded in 2005. The opposition from Pence comes despite a host of economic and employment benefits. Pence has said that no matter what the outcome of his legal challenge, under his leadership Indiana will not comply with the Clean Power Plan.

Anti-science

As reviewed above, Pence has consistently ignored and derided the science of climate change. In a bid to encourage him to engage in a policy informed by science Indiana scientists came together and drafted a letter to Governor Pence criticizing his stance on climate change.



Koch brothers

In tapping Pence, Trump may have hoped that he could access both funding and big data, however it has not worked. As explained in an NPR article, Pence's ties to the Koch brothers has not won the oil billionaires support for the Republican ticket.

Pence is a climate denier of the first order but what sets him apart from the others on the short list of VP possibles are his close ties to evangelical Christians and the Koch brothers. Pence describes himself as a religious conservative and he is also a supporter of the Tea Party movement. It should be noted that the founding of the Tea Party has been linked to the Koch brothers.

Pence is much loved by the Koch front group Americans For Prosperity (AFP). Two years ago Pence attended the American Dream Summit, the annual grassroots convention organized by the AFP. Pence has made several appearances at other AFP events.

The Koch brothers ties with Pence run deep and go all the way back to 1991 when he became president of the Koch's Indiana Policy Review Foundation. As a member of the House, Pence's chief of staff was Marc Short, who later became president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce which is a central office of the Koch network. Pence's congressional press aide, Matt Lloyd, went on to become communications director for Koch Industries. Then Lloyd returned to Gov. Pence as a deputy chief of staff.

As Charles Koch said early on in the Republican primaries, Trump is "unelectable." Charles described the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as voting for either “cancer or a heart attack.” The Koch brothers disdain for Trump is a serious obstacle to the Republican presidential bid in 2016.

Although David Koch has reportedly given Pence hundreds of thousands of dollars, he has withdrawn a million dollar donation to the Republican National Convention because Trump is the party’s nominee. 

Choosing Pence may have been an attempt by Trump to access to the Koch brothers i360 voter data, which is replacing the RNC voter data platform. Trump has been banned from using the Koch brothers big data project. Trump desperately needs access to this sophisticated machinery as he has no ground game of his own.

In selecting Pence the Trump campaign hoped to tap into the $900 million that the Koch network has earmarked to influence outcomes in this election cycle.

However, a terse email from Freedom Partners spokesman James Davis appears to indicate that the Trump camp's strategy has failed. As explained in the email: "We are not engaging in the presidential. Our focus will remain on the Senate."

Failure to secure support from the Koch brothers is a disastrous blow to the Trump campaign.

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Hilary Clinton is our Last Best Hope of Tackling Climate Change

Anyone interested in climate action needs to appreciate that Hilary Clinton is our last best hope. Clinton has emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and she is a far better choice than the Republican candidate Donald Trump. To get a handle on what is at stake, voters need to understand that without US involvement, efforts to reign-in climate change are doomed to fail. Clinton has recently received endorsements from the greenest candidate in this election cycle Tom O'Malley and Potus himself, President Barack Obama.

Clinton is now in a position to be the first women ever to be president of the United States. This is even more significant following on the heels of the successful presidency of Barack Obama. The first African American president and the greenest president in US history. Regardless of who becomes president Clinton is the first female presidential nominee of the two major US parties.

Arguably even more import than this historic achievement, Clinton is now the only one who can stop the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Make no mistake about it, a Trump presidency at this juncture would kill any hope we have of reigning in climate change. We are rapidly running out of time before we trigger unstoppable tipping points from which we could not recover. So in this sense, Clinton is the best hope we have to tackle climate change.

As revealed by Clinton's recent evisceration of Trump, she has the toughness that it takes to do what the field of Republican presidential contenders could not. 

Clinton has made her views on climate change known in the first Democratic primary debate and through her published policy positions. Here is a brief summary of her climate and energy policies:

Paris Climate Agreement

Clinton accepts the veracity of climate change and the 1.5 - 2.0 degree Celsius upper threshold temperature limits included in the Paris Climate Agreement. She will increase US emissions reductions to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. This is a slight improvement on the Obama administration's goals of cutting emissions 26 to 28 percent. She will also work to preserve Obama's climate actions including the Clean Power Plan, which faces stiff opposition from Republicans. Clinton will also continue Obama's national fuel efficiency standards and the new methane rules.

Social and Environmental Justice

She has also indicated that she will try to make the transition to cleaner sources of energy more palatable to the majority of Americans. To illustrate she has indicated that she will work on economic development in coal mining communities that are out of work. Clinton recently released a comprehensive plan on environmental injustice that includes efforts to address lead.

Renewables and Efficiency

On her website she pledges that all American homes will be powered by renewables within a decade and she will oversee the installation of half a billion solar panels by the end of her first term. She will also work to make America more energy efficient saving $8 billion a year in energy and health care costs.

Clinton has also proposed a National Infrastructure Bank that would support grid investments for distributed energy, and investments in clean energy R&D. She would also ease permitting on new electricity transmission, increase the amount of renewable energy used in federal buildings and on public land. raise the bar on efficiency standards for all federal procurement and federally funded infrastructure.

Through a program called the Clean Energy Challenge, she has promised $60 billion in grants provided to states who show climate leadership.

Fossil Fuels

One of her biggest climate fails may be her support for natural gas as a bridge fuel. However, Clinton wants natural gas to be cleaner. She has proposed a National Infrastructure Bank that would reduce the number of leaks in natural gas pipelines, Through clean energy and efficiency measures she has also promised to reduce US oil consumption by a third. She does not support oil and gas production in the Arctic and the Atlantic coast, and she supports Obama's moratorium on new coal leasing. She does not support a blanket ban on new oil and gas leases on public land.

Nuclear

Clinton wants to keep existing nuclear plants operational. While Bernie Sanders has indicated that he would like to phase them out over time. Nuclear power provides 20 percent of all electricity generation in the US and 60 percent of all zero-carbon energy. Clinton also wants to increase investment in new forms of nuclear power.

Comparison

There are a number of differences that have emerged between Clinton and Sanders. A side by side comparison reveals that Clinton is not be as green as Sanders and certainly not as green as O'Malley, but she is the last person standing capable of taking on Trump.

Anyone but Trump

Trump's policy positions, if you can call them that, are largely unintelligible. His populism appears to be cobbled together on the spot so it is hard to weave a coherent narrative out of his rants. Although he may not have a proper platform, many of his stated actions would cause great harm. This is not only about climate change and the environment. A Trump presidency would hobble the economy and derail America's energy agenda. When compared to the horror-show that a Trump Presidency would augur, Clinton is the best choice by a country mile. Those who support climate action may not have an ideal candidate, but unless they want to abet disaster by abstaining to vote, they must support Clinton.

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Trump Takes his First Beating with More to Come

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken his first beating. His ill informed and contradictory statements make for easy fodder. Thinking people recoil in horror at Trump's populism. The man known as "The Donald" has been variously described as a con-man, pathological liar and fascist. On June 2nd the likely Democratic Nominee Hilary Clinton lashed out at the Republican presidential nominee. The verbal lashing was the first time that a rival has taken on Trump since failed GOP contender Ted Cruz took his best shot.

By most accounts Hilary KOed Trump in what promises to be his first of many beatings. It is not that Hilary is such a great orator, it is simply that Trump's litany of absurd statements make him especially vulnerable.

"He's not just unprepared -- he's temperamentally unfit" Hilary said. She is not the first to suggest he is unfit to be president. There have been many serious commentators who have questioned Trump's ability to be president. This point was reiterated in a recent Washington Post op-ed that said essentially the same thing.

"Donald Trump's ideas aren't just different -- they are dangerously incoherent," Clinton said. "They're not even really ideas -- just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds, and outright lies." Clinton said in her speech. "We cannot put the safety of our children and grandchildren in Donald Trump's hands. We cannot let him roll the dice with America."

Hilary pointed to the stark differences between her and her rival. She described the forthcoming presidential election as a a choice "between a fearful America that is less secure and less engaged with the world, and a strong America that leads to keep us safe and our economy going."

All around the world Trump is perceived as an offensive joke. As Mexican reporter Luis Kaim Gebara wrote: "It is difficult for a person of his ilk to be taken seriously,"

President Obama said that the Trump presidential bid has "rattled" world leaders. As the world's wealthiest and most powerful nations were meeting in Shima Japan, the President told reporters that the leaders of G7 nations (Italy, Japan, Britain, Canada, France and Germany), are "rattled" by Trump. He added "and for good reason. I think it’s fair to say that they are surprised by the Republican nominee; they are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements."

Obama went on to explain that

"A lot of the proposals that he’s made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what it is that is required to keep America safe and secure and prosperous and what’s required to keep the world on an even keel."

At the end of the summit Obama said: "[Trump] doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean Peninsula or the world generally. We don’t want somebody in the Oval Office who doesn’t recognize how important that is."

While the Republican nominee may be reviled by heads of state around the world he has received an endorsement from North Korea. An editorial in the state-owned DPRK Today praised Trump as a "wise politician" and "far sighted presidential candidate."

At the end of May Trump shared his views on America’s energy future at the North Dakota Petroleum Council conference in Bismarck. He derided the Obama administration for blocking production of oil and natural gas and he indicated that he would dismantle the EPA's Clean Power Plan.

"Here is my 100-day action plan: Rescind all the job-destroying Obama executive actions, including the climate action plan," Trump said.

Trump went on to explain that his "America First" energy policy would exploit "$50 trillion" worth of untapped coal, oil and gas by dismantling safety and environmental regulations. Saying that "Federal regulations put coal miners out of business," and his plan would put coal miners back to work. He would also review the Keystone XL pipeline.

Trump said of the COP21 deal: "We’re going to cancel the Paris climate treaty." While the agreement worked out at COP21 may be hard to cancel, by not honoring it he can effectively kill the deal.

"We are going to turn everything around," Trump said "and quickly, very quickly."

Trump further indicated his eagerness to kill any form of climate assistance to developing nations. "We have deep problems and we can't be sending our money all over the world," he said.

Among his many dishonest statements, Trump saved some of his biggest lies for the wind industry. He disparaged wind turbines by saying they kill millions of birds. He also stated that "wind is very expensive."

Lets be clear, a Trump Presidency would signal the death knell for climate action capable of keeping the world from warming more the the upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius.

"Trump’s energy policies would accelerate climate change, protect corporate polluters who profit from poisoning our air and water, and block the transition to clean energy that is necessary to strengthen our economy and protect our climate and health," said Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist.

Trump's hypocrisy and opportunism are revealed in his dismissal of global warming as "bullshit" on the one hand and efforts to protect his own assets on the other. All this while while promising to undue protections for Americans.

In response to rising seas attributable to global warming, his seaside golf resort, Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, has applied to build a sea wall.

As reviewed in Politico:

"Trump’s company has warned not only the county council of the perils of climate change, but also local residents."

Trump's presidential aspirations do not appear to be helping his brand. In a classic case of people voting with their wallets, bookings at Trump Hotels have plummeted by almost 60 percent since he became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

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A Trump Presidency Would Kill Climate Action and Push us Past Irreversible Tipping Points

The fate of climate action and by extension the health of the planet and all its inhabitants depends on who Americans choose as their next President. The choice is between two unpopular candidates, however the leading Democratic candidate has indicated she will stay the course of the Obama administration's climate leadership while the Republican nominee has vowed to end President Obama's slate of green policy initiatives.

As reported by US News the next President will be pivotal. A number of leading climate activists are calling for immediate action and urging Americans to understand that we simply cannot afford to delay this important work.

The science is clear and the wealth of scientific data shows that we are rapidly running out of time to deal with the climate crisis. We must act now before it is too late. 

Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center at Georgetown Law said we cannot afford to wait another four years. "It is urgent and the timeframe is critical and it has to be right now," she said. And Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonpartisan energy research group said, "There is absolutely no doubt we have to act now."

The key to climate action is transforming our energy infrastructure. We must transition away from fossil fuels and radically increase our use of renewables. According to Deutsche Bank, at least half of all known fossil fuel reserves must be left in the ground if we are to have a chance of avoiding runaway climate change.

We know that to curtail emissions we must keep the majority of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground. We have seen that market forces are already helping to eradicate fossil fuels. We are also seeing how investments in renewables are eclipsing fossil fuels.  However, governments have a pivotal role to play to expedite this process. Trump would do exactly the opposite.

If Trump is elected President of the United States he will double down on fossil fuels and kill government support for renewables. This will send shock waves around the world and effectively stymie the progress made at COP21. Trump has promised to renegotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and this would be tantamount to tearing up the deal.

It is not hyperbole to say that a Trump victory would be suicide on a planetary scale. A wealth of scientific evidence calls us to act and act quickly and a strong economic case has been made for climate action. In fact the economic data keeps pouring in suggesting a plethora of economic benefits associated with transitioning to a low carbon economy. The data shows that not only are we able to act to stave off climate change we can do so while creating a vast number of economic opportunities and new jobs. In addition to these economic incentives there are powerful disincentives that are moving investors away from fossil fuels.

The alternative to action is the stuff of nightmares prompting PwC to say that we are on the cusp of a "climate catastrophe". 

"If we are going to avoid catastrophic, irreversible climate change impacts, we have to be ramping down our carbon emissions dramatically in the years ahead. The current administration has begun that process, but our next president must not only continue but build on that progress," Climate scientist Michael Mann said.

We are ebbing ever closer to irreversible tipping points.However it is not too late, we can tackle climate change, but to do so we must ride fossil fuels into the ground. If Trump wins the election this fall he would accelerate our race towards what can only be described as a climate doomsday.

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Trump Could Win and We All Could Lose

Anyone who cares about the environment, the economy, business, responsible governance, civility or basic human decency is quite right to be terrified by the prospect of a Trump presidency.

Many people think that the combination of deep political divisions within the GOP and Trump's own lunacy will make the Republican nominee unelectable. However, as Van Jones has cautioned, he could still win. The divisions will be smoothed over and the powerfully machinery of the GOP will add to the horrifying prospect that Trump could actually be elected President.

Trump is making inroads with the GOP and with individual conservatives, however he has not yet secured the endorsements of some prominent conservatives including Jeb Bush, former President George W. Bush, and John McCain.

In an NPR interview Mark Salter, former chief of staff to John McCain and a senior adviser in both of McCain's presidential campaigns, said he will vote for Hillary Clinton.

As reported in the Washington Post, the conservative twittersphere has been awash with conservatives denouncing Trump.

Ben Howe, a contributing editor at the conservative Red State blog, said that will live up to his pledge to never support Trump. In a series of tweets he reiterated that he will not be voting for Trump.Referring to Trump as an "egomaniacal authoritarian" Howe also announced that he would vote for Hilary. Kyle Foley, a contributor to the conservative Hypeline news site said he would do the same.

Jay Caruso, another Red State contributing editor sent out a tweet quoting Alexander Hamilton:

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures."

Conservative writer and radio host Erick Erickson wrote on the Fox News Channel website that he won't vote for either party.  Despite everything that Trump has done most polls put him within striking distance of the Democratic nominee. Trumps prospects should improve as he benefits from a raft of endorsements.

Republicans are coming to terms with the fact that it will have to live with the Donald as their nominee for President. They will circle the wagons and the GOP will put their national organization at Trump's disposal.

This pivot is already well underway with former conservative opponents now portraying themselves as Trump allies. The Republican nominee has met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, and they seem to be slowly burying the hatchet. Both Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Governor Rick Perry have already unreservedly endorsed Trump.

As Trump tries to be presidential he will likely tone down his rhetoric or at least direct it towards his next political opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton.

He will surely be far more polished than he presently appears. This may succeed in swaying some voters to offer their support. As of this point, independent fact checking has found that more than 9 out of every 10 things that come out of Trump's mouth are a lie.

Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his ignorance on climate issues, in fact he is completely disconnected from reality on the subject.  has said that he will massively expand the extraction of fossil fuels if he becomes president. In places like Canada and Australia we have seen how destructive political leaders influenced by fossil fuels can be.

If the world's largest economy were to do a climate and energy policy u-turn it would almost certainly ensure that the planet would warm beyond the upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius. A Trump presidency would be devastating for the US and for the planet.

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Trump Wants to Mine Coal Frack for Gas and Drill for Oil

Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump is not only invested in the fossil fuel industry he is seeking to expand its role in American energy production.

Coal is among the dirtiest sources of energy, as a consequence coal plants and mining operations are being shut down in the US and around the world. Against this backdrop Trump is promising a revival of the American coal industry.

On Thursday May 5th, Trump was endorsed by the West Virginia Coal Association. Trump donned a miners hat and touted the virtues of coal in front of a supportive crowd of more than 10,000 at the Charleston Civic Center. He was joined on stage by Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton. Trump said that he plans to help coal miners by weakening regulations.

"If they didn’t have ridiculous regulations that put you out of business and make it impossible for you to compete, I’m going to take that off," Trump said to loud cheers. "You are going to be proud of me."

In Trump's book, Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, he supports drilling for oil and fracking while deriding sustainable sources of energy. He points to America's abundant oil and gas reserves and believes it should be developed. He attacks climate change and renewable energy, he opposes carbon pricing and want to eviscerate the EPA.

If Trump thinks America is crippled now, wait until he is President of the United States. Yes he can bring in outside expertise, but judging by the caliber of people he is currently surrounding himself with, that does not give us much reason to hope.

Trump may love the oil industry but the feeling is not reciprocated. If the voting record is any indication Trump is not popular in oil country. He did not win any primaries in oil states. It would appear that oil billionaires and others see him as unelectable.

However, now that Trump is the only Republican left standing fossil fuel interests will be eager to try and "educate" him. Paul Ryan may not be willing to support Trump today, but like the oil industry he will in the end. 

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Climate Doomsday Clock Advances as Trump Wins the Republican Presidential Nomination

For many Democrats and supporters of climate action, Trump's victory was heralded with a grin and a nod. "He will be easy to beat," they say. But all thinking people everywhere are just a little bit uneasy today. The prospect, however distant, that The Donald could be the next president of the United States warrants concern, if not outright terror.

Despite his overt racism, misogyny and climate confusion, millions of Americans support Trump. Even the Koch brothers have said that Trump is unelectable. Nonetheless a trifecta of nefarious forces have coalesced to create the right conditions to make this possible.  The GOP, and of course Trump himself, along with a large number of Americans are all inadvertently complicit in this iniquitous drama.
The implications of a Trump Presidency loom large over the future of climate action not just in the US but around the world. Trump would destroy the Clean Power Plan a central pillar of US climate policy and he would try to kill the Paris Climate Agreement. Trump's economic and trade policies would be just as harmful.

It is hard to find an example of anything that compares to a Trump presidency, the only thing that comes close is a zombie apocalypse

Trump has openly dismissed anthropogenic global warming and the need for climate action. He has uttered a host of absurd inaccurate statements. He has considerable holdings in the fossil fuel sector. If his campaign positions on the economy and trade became US government policy he would augur a veritable end times.

Ted Cruz did everything he could to stop the billionaire mogul. Cruz's last ditch all out assault on the Teflon Don failed to resonate with voters. Trump's victory in Indiana appears to have been the final straw for Cruz who withdrew from the Presidential race immediately after the results were announced. With Cruz out of the way, Trump now appears to have locked-up the nomination.

No one should shed a tear for Ted Cruz.. This is a man who once tweeted: "Dems kill jobs, ignore facts. CO2 is what every human breathes out; every plant, in turn consumes CO2." He even had the audacity to add the hashtag: #ScienceFacts to his ridiculous tweet.

The former speaker of the House, John Boehner recently called Ted Cruz, "Lucifer in the flesh." He went on to say "I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life."

Cruz may very well be Lucifer and he would have made a terrible President, but he is still a better candidate than Trump.

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