Comments on: Science Questions for the Candidates

By: dean

dean — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 18:51:13 +0000

“I put this down to his current concern about getting votes in Michigan.”

Possibly, but his entire history of interaction with the people in Flint is bizarre. There is his most recent visit to a church, where his account of what happened is as opposite to what the video of the same appearance shows it’s astounding. There is his first visit when, at every turn, he placed responsibility for the Flint water issue on the “Democrats in charge” when that was an entirely Rick Snyder and cronies issue.

Neither appearance gave him a gain in friends in that region.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 18:18:48 +0000

None of the candidates wrote any of the answers. They were written by the staff with varying degrees of involvement by the candidates. Which is fairly normal.

But, I’m betting dollars to donuts that the Climate Change answer by Trump was either written by Bjorn Lomborg, or copied almost exactly from something Lomborg wrote, because this is exactly his song and dance.

By: Christopher Winter

Christopher Winter — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 16:43:30 +0000

Trump’s* answer to Q10, about clean water, is creditable. I put this down to his current concern about getting votes in Michigan. Contrast that answer with those for Q4 (preserving biodiversity) and Q8 (education) where his emphasis is on market solutions. I read his answer to Q4 as implying policies the occupiers of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge would approve of.

He also emphasizes market solutions in Q3 (energy), Q12 (food), and Q14 (regulations). Market solutions have a place here, but so does federal government regulation. His answers smack of Rothbardianism, which is totally unsuitable.

* It’s impossible to know, of course, whether Trump really wrote these answers.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 16:31:01 +0000

I think Stein’s answers were generally better than I expected.

She frequently tossed in stuff that most will see as not related to the questions. However, in some cases, there may be a relationship, but she did not make the case.

By: Christopher Winter

Christopher Winter — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 16:23:30 +0000

Young CC Prof: Stein, however, really is pretty ignorant. A very nice person I’m sure, but one who doesn’t know anything about science.

She shares those qualities with another former physician, Dr. Helen Caldicott.

By: dean

dean — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 19:50:54 +0000

I’d say Trump’s answers are quite in line with the modern republican view: fundamental science isn’t important, perhaps some emphasis should be put on battling certain diseases and ensuring water quality and availability (but no promises, and certainly no plan to do it for non-whites), government environmental policies and agencies are bad and need to go away, and climate science doesn’t matter. Never mind the fact that the EPA has led the charge in fighting for clean water, and the diseases he says might need to dealt with are made stronger by climate change. His responses could be worse, but not by much.

Johnson? ” Libertarians don’t believe in science policy.” The only policy people like him have is “I got mine. Fuck everyone else.”

And Stein? We knew she was a loon when she danced with the vaccine deniers and pushed the dangers of wifi in the classroom. Her latest dalliance with the 9/11 truthers should mark her off the list for any position above ditch digger.

By: Young CC Prof

Young CC Prof — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 19:20:45 +0000

The first few answers were one of the more coherent things that’s come out of the Trump campaign. Rather close to the Republican party line, in fact, and surprisingly coherent for him. He deteriorated towards the end of the page, though.

Stein, however, really is pretty ignorant. A very nice person I’m sure, but one who doesn’t know anything about science.

Why, oh why, can we not get a politician to run on an environmental platform who actually has a clue how to protect the environment?