Obama Flexes His Muscles As Powerless Republicans Can’t Stop Climate Change Deal

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/12/obama-flexes-muscles-powerless-republicans-stop-climate-change-deal.html

Obama Flexes His Muscles As Powerless Republicans Can’t Stop Climate Change Deal
By: Jason Easley
Wednesday, November, 12th, 2014, 8:13 pm


Republicans in Congress are throwing a fit over President Obama’s climate change deal with China, but there is nothing that they can do to stop the agreement.

The president announced the deal at a joint press conference in Beijing,

Today, I can also announce that the United States has set a new goal of reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025. This is an ambitious goal, but it is an achievable goal. It will double the pace at which we’re reducing carbon pollution in the United States. It puts us on a path to achieving the deep emissions reductions by advanced economies that the scientific community says is necessary to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change. It will help improve public health. It will grow our economy. It will create jobs. It will strengthen our energy security, and it will put both of our nations on the path to a low-carbon economy.

This is a major milestone in the U.S.-China relationship, and it shows what’s possible when we work together on an urgent global challenge. In addition, by making this announcement today, together, we hope to encourage all major economies to be ambitious — all countries, developing and developed — to work across some of the old divides so we can conclude a strong global climate agreement next year.

Republicans reacted by treating the agreement like it was the end of the world.

snip//

Republicans are powerless to stop the president from taking action on climate change. Politico discussed the reality that Republicans are facing, “The kicker for Republicans eager to stomp all over the president’s agenda: Congress has little immediate recourse, despite McConnell’s pledges to use “the spending process” to rein in EPA. With so much action rolling through the pipeline, Republicans will have to choose their battles carefully if they want to make headway while proving they can govern.”

The good news for Democrats is that President Obama is in legacy building mode, and his already strong presidential legacy will be boosted by action of climate change. Thanks to the Clean Air Act, President Obama doesn’t need congressional approval for his actions on climate change. (Since the agreement with China isn’t a treaty, it also doesn’t require Senate approval.)

Republicans are going to scream and yell, moan and groan, and stomp and scream, but in terms of practical action there is little that they can do. The party of big oil and the Koch brothers can only stand on the sidelines and watch as President Obama makes history by dealing with the issue of climate change.

[Hekate]

1. Off to the Greatest with you!

[Zorra]

2. Even the Senate Democrats can't stop him now. nt

[Cha]

7. Good f****** Point, Zorra!

[Andy823]

10. All I can say is

This is really going to piss off all the Obama bashers. They tried their best to convince the board it was never "really" going to go anywhere, it was all just hype. Once again they proved just how full of BS they really are!

[lovemydog]

3. K & R big-time.

Fuck those corporate toady science denying lying scumbag republicans in Congress.

[ReRe]

4. [phone]

[babylonsister]

5. What you said!!!

[Cha]

6. Yes! It's Obamacare for the Planet, MoFos.

mahalo babylonsistah!

[Triana]

8. He should talk to the Senate about KeystoneXL, which I understand

they want to vote TODAY to ram into approval.

NO ADMINISTRATION can pretend to give a flying fig about climate change while approving anything like KeystoneXL.

[Andy823]

9. How could this be

Last edited Thu Nov 13, 2014, 06:48 PM - Edit history (1)

Just yesterday I read here on DU that it's all BS that the president is just blowing smoke, trying to fake everyone out just to look good. How could the doom and gloom crowd be wrong?

[Omaha Steve]

11. Maybe IF they had worked with him for six years....

[Enrique]

12. this is actually true

not the usual hype from PoliticusUSA.

By the way, the GOP can stop the deal, but they can't do it by obstruction, they will have to win the Presidency in 2016. Because any Democratic president, including Hillary, will follow through on Obama's work on this.

[JNelson6563]

13. Well played Mr. President.

Rock on sir!

Julie

[FreeJoe]

14. is this a real deal?

Or is it just fluff? It can't be a treaty out it would require Senate approval. I don't understand how it can be enforced.

[babylonsister]

15. Well,

the NYT is hailing this as a breakthrough.

A Major Breakthrough on Climate Change

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
NOV. 12, 2014

The deal jointly announced in Beijing by President Obama and China’s president, Xi Jinping, to limit greenhouse gases well beyond their earlier pledges is both a major diplomatic breakthrough and — assuming both sides can carry out their promises — an enormously positive step in the uncertain battle against climate change.

The announcement provided the high point of a surprisingly productive trip that also resulted in steps to cut tariffs on information technology products, extend visas and strengthen military contacts to build trust and avoid confrontations in the South China Sea. But the two countries have major differences, including over cybersecurity and human rights.

The climate accord represents a startling turnaround after years of futile efforts to cooperate in a meaningful way on global warming. It sends two critically important messages, one to the world and the other to the United States Congress. China and the United States together account for about 45 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Their new commitments are thus almost certain to energize other countries to set more ambitious targets of their own before negotiators meet to frame a new global agreement at the climate summit meeting in Paris in December 2015.

In the United States, the agreement cuts the ground from under people like Mitch McConnell, the next Senate majority leader, and others who have long argued that there is no point in taking aggressive steps against greenhouse gases as long as major developing countries refused to do likewise. This argument effectively undermined Senate support for ratification of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The climate deniers in Congress will find other reasons to oppose a strong climate strategy, and are doing so even now. But the “China” argument has effectively disappeared.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/opinion/climate-change-breakthrough-in-beijing.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

[Andy823]

16. K&R nt