We’d expect nothing less from Yglesias. Last month, the lefty hack got his Godwin on, comparing Mitt Romney to Hitler. Oh, how ca-LEVAH! Today, Yglesias turned to the noted “real journalists” and paragons of objectivity at The Washington Post for evidence of his claims about Ryan:
Now, Ryan’s suggestion that scientists have tried to “intentionally mislead the public” is a charge without much evidence. A series of investigations — from Penn State, the University of East Anglia, Britain’s House of Commons, the National Science Foundation and the EPA — looked into this question and found little evidence of wrongdoing by climate scientists. What’s more, since 2009, the scientific consensus that humans are warming the planet has only strengthened. (Ryan does not appear to have followed up on the topic.)
Ryan’s track record on environmental issues is certainly less green-tinged than Romney’s. For one, Ryan has consistently voted against government efforts to tackle climate change. Like many House Republicans, he has voted to block efforts by the EPA to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions. He approved an amendment that would bar the Department of Agriculture from studying how best to adapt to a warmer planet. Ryan voted to defund various climate-advisory positions within the White House. He also voted for an amendment, proposed by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), to cut $50 million from funding for ARPA-E, which funds long-shot energy research and development.
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More broadly, Ryan appears to have had a firmly conservative record on the environment since joining the House. He has long supported more oil and gas drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He opposes subsidies for clean energy. He’s skeptical of further EPA efforts to regulate air pollution.
Skepticism about anthropogenic global warming in the wake of ClimateGate? Support for offshore drilling? Distrust of the EPA? Alert the authorities! Paul Ryan is a menace!
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