I remember, when President Bush was in office, the mere mention of 9/11 or the threat of terrorism was immediately labelled the "politics of fear" by Democrats who understood that the more people were comfortable with how Republicans handled the issue of terrorism. Never mind that Al qaeda and other terrorists are actively plotting to kill Americans and destroy our way of life, the public need not be reminded of the realities of the world we live in, if there's a chance that ignorance can help Democrat gain and maintain power.
Out of curiosity, I did a Google News search for the terms "bush," "politics of fear," and "terrorism" for the year 2004, and found a direct connection to an increase in the occurance of those terms leading up to the election.
Now few would argue that terrorism is a real threat, yet for some reason, when it come to elections, Democrats would much rather talk about virtually anything else. For instance, global warming.
Ironically, when Democrats talk about global warming, they become exactly what they accused President Bush and Republicans of over the past eight years. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), in urging action climate change legislation, warned of such dire consequences as "droughts, floods, fires, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more," if the bill isn't passed.
The Obama Administration feels that we should never waste a good crisis, and since environmental alarmists have been predicting doom for years and years, it is obvious that while no crisis exists, some in government (and I think we all know who) are perfectly willing to create the illusion of a crisis through the politics of fear. Boxer has been working on environmental issues long enough that she smells the opportunity through all that terrible pollution in the air.
Aides say that Boxer, who's spent her political career focused on environmental issues, is keenly aware that this is her big moment, a chance to cement a legacy that would include passage of legislation with a worldwide impact. Three more committee hearings are set for next week, and a vote by the full Senate could come as early as October.
Boxer has been working closely with top White House aides and Reid, a close ally, to figure out a way to pass the bill. To reach out to farm-state and coal-state senators, she's enlisted a team of lieutenants: Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts , Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota , Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Thomas Carper of Delaware, among others.
While Boxer has yet to introduce specifics of her bill, it's expected to build on a House plan that was approved 219-212 last month, which would set the first enforceable limits on global warming pollution. The cap on emissions would reduce them by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Among other things, it also would require that the nation get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable energy in 2020 and set energy-saving standards for buildings, appliances and industries.
It is coming. They'll say anything to get this climate change legislation passed. It's the politics of fear from the same people who wanted the country to turn a blind eye to the very real threat of terrorism... only now they want people to focus on outlandish predictions of environmental calamities that they cannot prove and have no factual basis. Considering their desperation, the dire predictions will have no boundaries:
"Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!"
"Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes..."
"The dead rising from the grave!"
"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"