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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Trump's Climate Ignorance Would be Laughable if the Implications weren't so Serious

Trump is likely to be the Republican nominee for President of the United States and at first glance this is hilarious, however if he were to elected it would be an unprecedented disaster for climate and the environment.

It is surreal that the man who is likely to secure the Republican nomination for the most powerful office in the world could be so incredibly ignorant about the scientific consensus on climate change.

Here is a review of some of his absurd climate statements and a summary of what he would do to the environment if he were to be elected President.

Trump is Unelectable: So Say the Koch Brothers and Others

Trump may be may be many things but one of the things he is not is electable. It would be easy to dismiss Trump, but at this stage he is the unchallenged leader in the Republican presidential race. Trump is a leader in many ways. In addition to being a first class asshole, Trump is a climate denier of the first order. He is among those who believe that cold weather and snow disprove the veracity of global warming. "With the coldest winter ever recorded, with snow setting record levels up and down the coast," Trump said last February, "the Nobel committee should take the Nobel Prize back from Al Gore."

Obama Clean Energy Budget and Republican Opposition

Here is a summary of the green elements in President Obama's $4 trillion budget for 2016 which he sent to Congress on Monday February 2. Republicans are already expressing their opposition to a number of proposals contained in the budget. This includes higher taxes on wealthier Americans and corporations as well as a number of climate oriented mitigation and adaptation initiatives.

GOP Denial and President Obama's Climate Legacy

Republicans continue to resist the veracity of anthropogenic climate change despite an endless stream of scientific warnings. The GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address was given by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and she did not mention climate change once. The only time she mentioned the environment was in the context of her party's support for the Keystone XL.

Video - Stop the Republican Environmental Assault

Republicans were planning their assault on environmental protections even before they won big in the 2014 midterms. It did not take them long to identify targets in their anti-climate/anti-environment crusade. No single agency is more maligned by the GOP than the EPA.

Cromnibus Bill Foreshadows the GOP's Legislative Agenda

In the December budget bill, Republicans gave themselves and their friends a number of Christmas gifts. The so called Cromnibus bill is a pale reflection of what Republican legislators will do when they have even greater control in 2015.

After the House voted in favor of a 1.1 trillion government funding bill, the Senate followed suit and passed the bill on Saturday night (December 13) with a vote of 56 to 40. To avoid a government shutdown, Republicans demanded some non-germane amendments that amount to big gifts for themselves and their friends in the oil industry and on Wall Street.

Anti-Environmental Tidings in a Bill to Keep Government Running

A pre-Christmas bill contains some bad tidings for the environment. Republicans had an extortion list to avert a government shutdown that included blocking environmental protections. The so called Cromnibus bill, narrowly passed in the House with a vote 219 to 206, it will keep the government running until next September. The $1.01 trillion, 1,603-page spending bill is chalked full of pork including a number of anti-environment provisions.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and many of her colleagues were particularly displeased with two attached riders that would significantly increase the ceiling for political donations from wealthy patrons while scaling back the Dodd Frank Wall Street reform act designed to reign-in the kind of Wall Street activity that sparked the financial crisis of 2008.

The Weapons Republican will use in their War on Climate Protections

There are a number of weapons that the GOP will use in their war against climate protections. The planning has already begun as the new slate of Republican legislators and governors prepare to be sworn in in January. Here is the array of resources each side has at its disposal.

Republicans are already zeroing in on targets. They will try to pass legislation that eliminates climate change mitigation efforts and environmental protections. They will support fossil fuels and resist cleaner forms of energy.

The right to filibuster and a Presidential Veto are all that stand in the way of the GOP's legislative assaults. When the Democrats avail themselves of their only option or the President uses his veto, Republicans can be expected to wreak bloody havoc.

Republicans Pass Anti-Science Bill in the House

Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed a bill that would keep the EPA from using science to inform and support their policy positions. Republicans have a long history of resisting science particularly when its serves their partisan interests. However, with this new bill they have sunk to a new low as few pieces of legislation are as blatently anti-science as this one.

In November the House passed a bill that would limit the type of scientific research available to the EPA for crafting regulations. The bill deceptively named the Secret Science Reform Act of 2014 passed in the House with a vote of 237 to 190. While the legislation purports to restrict the EPA's use of science that is "hidden and flawed" it is actually an attempt to undermine access to things like medical research which guarantees that the medical records of those who participate are kept confidential.

Republicans Declare War on the Environment and Surrender to Climate Change

Even before the new slate of Republican's take their seats in Congress early in 2015, they have already begun their assault on the environment and efforts to fight climate change. They have promised to take on the EPA and President Obama's climate change agenda.

Led Mitch McConnell, the man destined to be the next Senate majority leader, this climate-denying-coal-loving Senator has made his anti-science, anti-climate and anti-environment intentions clear. In his home state of Kentucky he campaigned on the promise of combating what he has terms Obama's "war on coal." One of the top items on the Republican agenda is fast tracking of the Keystone XL.