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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRomney's Rising Oceans Joke
Just a quick note on one part of Mitt Romneys big speech. He didnt simply dismiss global warming, or reject policies intended to address or mitigate against sea level rise, which is closely tied to global warming. Politicians do those things all the time. Its ill-informed and irresponsible. But Romney took this a step further: he used the very idea of controlling sea level rise as a mere rhetorical device, a laugh line to mock Barack Obamas grandiosity. And he milked it for a few long seconds as the crowd at the Republican National Convention laughed.
President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family.
I dont buy that this is solely about Obamas alleged hubris. Its a twofer: of course the crowd was laughing at the hubris angle; while I dont have a poll to prove it, its safe to say most RNC attendees are not too keen on the current consensus on climate science either. So: double rimshot. But this remark is, needless to say, unhelpful. Sea level rise is a genuine problem. The oceans are actually rising as the planet warms up, in part because the volume of water is expanding due to the extra heat, and in part due to the ongoing melting of polar ice. Evidence suggests that for most of the past 3,000 years, sea levels were stable, but that they began rising in the 1950s. Since then, they crept up at an annual rate of 1.7 millimeters per year. Lately, though, sea level rise has apparently been accelerating: This 2010 paper published by Science magazine (paywalled), notes that over the past 20 years, global sea level has risen an average of 3.3 millimeters a year.
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmcquaid/2012/08/31/romneys-rising-oceans-joke/
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Romney's Rising Oceans Joke (Original Post)
cali
Aug 2012
OP
imanamerican63
(13,668 posts)1. Walk on water?????
I think Romney feels that he can walk on ther water and never will get the meaning behind what it means to "raise the ocean".
sofa king
(10,857 posts)2. He doesn't realize he's pursuing Moses...
... And that he's not walking on water, he's walking on the muddy floor of the Red Sea.
imanamerican63
(13,668 posts)3. LOL!!!!!
Nicely said!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)4. He doesn't give a shit about the environment - it's not made of money.