Aaah, just got to read the linked item — i had to run to class earlier.

Leaving aside conspiracy theorists being welded to their favorite hobby horses, and bullies being haters; I’d guess that politically it’s about entrenching the base in part to cover their rears in case of a backlash, but also to hold on until they can come up with something that will fubar everything once and for all. In other words, it’s just a front in their broader culture war, in this case using harassment and distraction to spread general misery.

Because the University of Arizona is about to release the emails of several scientists

Because?

By now I wonder how much the right needs his efforts: I don’t have a handle on the percentage of people who are still on the fence about climate change: either you understand and appreciate the science, or you deny and lie about it (as our president and local denialist rickA both do). Do you have a sense of the cardinality of the “on the fence” set?