Top House Republican: Idea that CO2 is harmful is ‘comical’
Published: April 20, 2009
Updated 1 year ago
In a boisterous exchange with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, the top House Republican said that declaring carbon dioxide a pollutant was “almost comical” and repeated denials that humans are responsible for global warming.
“George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) quipped. “Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.
“So you don’t believe that greenhouse gases are a problem in creating climate change?” Stephanopoulos interjected.
“We’ve had climate change over the last 100 years — listen, it’s clear we’ve had change in our climate,” Boehner replied. “The question is how much does man have to do with it, and what is the proper way to deal with this? We can’t do it alone as one nation. If we got India, China and other industrialized countries not working with us, all we’re going to do is ship millions of American jobs overseas.”
The ABC host seemed a bit flummoxed, and struggled to nail down Boehner’s position on emissions.
“It sounds like from what you’re saying that you don’t believe that Republicans need to come up with a plan to control carbon emissions?” Stephanopoulos remarked. “You’re suggesting it’s not that big of a problem, even though the scientific consensus is that it has contributed to the climate change. ”
Boehner pivoted: “I think it is — I think it is an issue. The question is, what is the proper answer and the responsible answer?”
The following video is from ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, April 19 2009:
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well, 2 things quickly come to mind aside from the usual - What did Boner say today…
1 - He’s not human so what does it matter to him if Humans caused this
2 - let’s put him in a room and slowly increase the amount of CO2 in the room and see if and when he changes his mind on whether or not CO2 is harmful…
Climate Change, which is conveniently no longer ‘Global Warming’, has been occurring ever since this planet began.
We’ve had plenty of Climate Change over the past 1000 years that is well-documented, and was pre-industrialization.
There has been Climate Change on Mars and Jupiter recently too — are we responsible? Could the Sun possibly playing a role? Could the increased cooling we’ve seen have anything to do with the Sun’s recent inactivity?
Anyone who is truly concerned about the planet needs to look closely at these questions.
For now, it appears to be pure politics.
First of all, cow farts are mostly methane, not CO2. A guy from Ohio should know that. Secondly, CO2 is not a carcinogen, it’s a pollutant, and any 5th grader knows that. Thirdly, John needs to lay off the tanning bed - the radiation is frying his brain.
Boehner is an idiot. First off, WHO said ANYTHING about it being a carcinogen? That has NEVER been part of the discussion. And now this idiot says that someone is saying that it is? Typical republican clouding the issue.
Second, like trevinla says, let’s put him in a room full of nothing but CO2, and see just how long that moron can live in that.
Third, Boehner has proved that he has NO sense of reality, or even of telling the truth. If this ass told me that it was raining in the middle of a rain storm, I STILL wouldn’t believe him. He has proved that he is a liar and a dir bag on so many occasions, it’s impossible to believe ANYTHING he says.
Why does this ass keep getting elected? I would be seriously embarrassed to have to call HIM my rep. I hope that his district throws him out on his ear at the next possible opportunity.
If he were drowning, we have to assume he would also find water a pretty comical thing to die of.
No-one ever said CO2 was a carcinogen. There is no argument that CO2 leads to “green house” effect. It does. There *may* be some argument about CO2 levels and how much effect it causes. There may also be an argument regarding how much of the “CO2 budget” is due to man vs. other “natural” occurrences (volcanoes what have you).
Yet, to argue with a fool like Boehner is folly. It is a shame to let this kind of thing go on the public airwaves. Freedom of the press does not extend to the freedom to *not* yell fire, in a crowded theater, when, there is obviously a conflagration, no?
Karl Hudnut, UCAR - COSMIC
peteasdf, you, like boner, are clearly ignorant of the SCIENCE going on here. At the end of the day, we’re burning hundreds of billions of gallons of CO2 producing substances every year, that’s hundreds billions of tons of gas that would not be there if it weren’t for humans burning that fuel, and those billions of tons a year are more than the “system” can absorb.
If you understood thing one about ecosystems, you’d understand. But, since you’re most likely barely a 1/2 a stutter step above shit flinging monkeys, I don’t expect you to get it.
You can do the entire world a HUGE favor, though.. you, and boner, and all those that think “CO2 is harmless” can get in a BIG room together, and we’ll stop the air flow into that room.. Since you “breath out CO2 and it’s harmless”, you won’t mind when we ignore that you all fall over and die.. right?
morons?
fucktards?
shit flinging monkeys?
.
I sat in complete disbelief yesterday as I heard Boehner utter this remark: “George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical”.
It is not “almost” comical, it is genuinely comical. The problem, however, is that CO2 is not being identified as a pollutant because of a (non-existent) claim that it is a carcinogen, which it clearly is not, but because its emission is judged to harm the environment (as a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming).
Once again, when dealing with Republicanspeak, I am left with only two possibilities:
(i) Boehner is a complete idiot, not actually conversant with the meaning of the term, “pollutant”, confusing it with “carcinogen”.
(ii) Boehner is simply a a liar intentionally creating a false argument to support a position which he actually supports for other reasons (e.g., money from the oil & coal lobbies, disinclination to disturb the existing income streams for corporate America, etc.). Well of course this is just typical Republican sophistry which has grown from the level of folksy aphorism with Goldwater and Reagan to a truly abstruse art form with today’s republicans.
I suspect the truth is closer to (ii), although I would not be surprised to discover that his understanding of environmental issues is pretty fuzzy. I was VERY surprised that Stephanopolous did not challenge his assertion that CO2 is a carcinogen. This just strengthened my growing sense that he is at best careless about and at worst seriously ignorant of important technical issues in public policy.
Proof that it doesn’t require any particular intelligence to be a senator,
Boehner evades questions worse than a 5 year old.
Let’s see…
0. Farts consist of primarily carbon dioxide and nitrogen, with small components of hydrogen sulfide and methane.
1. Some people are taking “harmful” out of context to make a personal attack. Implying that Boehner is referring to actual physical harm instead of environmental harm shows that you should not be posting on this article because you lack intelligence. Also your use of swear words shows you shouldn’t even be posting on the internet because you are incapable of composing a solid sentence.
2. Freedom of the Press is one of the most important rights that we have in this nation. Just because you are left-leaning and want to see the government controlling every aspect of our lives does not mean the Consitution is invalid. You may not disagree with it, but it is not rendered useless because of your opinion.
3. Someone please refer me to one actual scientific finding with exact figures and time frames and references and measurements and locations. The only articles I have seen with precise, exact locations and measurements and references are ones that deny global warming. I just read an article today talking about antartic ice is growing in size, not shrinking. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25348657-401,00.html <—- that’s the one. Do some research, let me know what you find.
4. People like to say the scientific “consensus” is that “global warming” is “man made”. Consensus may very well be that more than 50% of science agrees, but I don’t think, on an issue that will cost the world trillions of dollars, 51%, 60% or even 80% is enough “consensus” to enact a solution.
5. Science can’t even predict tomorrows weather, so how am I supposed to listen to the gibberish that I am going to be boiled alive in five years. If I saw a report that said, “Scientist predicts weather will be 55 deg. and sunny on October 15th, 2013.” I would tell him to get lost.
Evil Talking Head of the Petroleum/Nuke Industry - sounding more idiotic every time he speaks. Um, there are Polar Bears drowning as Ice Melts…that’s not “normal”… What’s the big deal here? Exxon/Mobil keeps up with the record profits and everybody keeps driving around burning gasoline when there are Aftermarket Companies (real car companies won’t do it) that add battery systems to Hybrid SUV’s so they can get 150+ MPG (PHEVs). This technology has been around a long time(since WW1 actually), and my ‘82 VW diesel Jetta will get 45 MPG on Veg Oil (outside temp permitting) in the stock tank. Demand Veg Oil PHEVs for even more MPG and even cleaner exhaust. Recharge with Solar Panels covering your carport at work. Boycotting Fossil Oil is the FUN thing to do. Do the research and you can avoid being another Slave to the Oil Industry, save alot of money and support local fuel suppliers or be your own. Check out SolventFreePaint.com as well, they have non-toxic all natural organic purified Linseed Oil paints that are like the natural preservatives that coated the wood of wooden sea vessels centuries ago - no petroleum products and 50 year lifespan - Grow Flax! Grow Hemp! Grow Here! Grow Now! Here’s some vids of a gasifier powering an Internal Combustion Engine to turn 5 KW using shredded pine animal bedding and horsemanure for fuel and getting a clean burn… http://gekgasifier.pbwiki.com/Planet-Green-Solutions
Screw Your Fossil Oil! Grow Here! Grow Now! -and obviously: Nukes R 4 KooKs …. GO!