Liberal megadonor Tom Steyer issued a statement that if President Donald Trump pulls America out of the Paris climate deal, that would not just be treason, but an “act of war” against the American people. He ended his statement by demonizing Trump, the fossil fuel companies, and the Republican Party.
“If Donald Trump pulls the United States out of the Paris agreement he will be committing a traitorous act of war against the American people,” Steyer declared in a statement Sunday. “The Paris Agreement is essential to leaving a healthy, safe and prosperous world to our children, but Trump is making it clear that he’s willing to sacrifice America’s best interests for the sake of special interest profits.”
If Trump pulls the US out of the #ParisAgreement he will be committing a traitorous act of war against the American people. My statement: pic.twitter.com/Qjgxm4fELp
— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) May 29, 2017
The liberal donor implied that the United States had agreed to the Paris agreement, but that position is debatable. While President Obama signed the accords last September, a formal treaty must receive the support of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate. Trump advisers are reportedly considering the idea of Trump declaring the Paris agreement to be a treaty, which would allow him to nullify Obama’s promises to other nations.
Steyer strenuously warned against such an outcome, writing, “Generations of Americans will suffer the destructive effects of Trump’s greedy, selfish, and immoral decision.” But Trump ran on an anti-climate change platform, so he arguably owes it to his voters to reject the Paris deal.
Ironically, the liberal donor said that Trump has “abdicated American leadership and sent a clear message to both our allies and enemies alike: In the search for courageous and moral solutions to the challenges of the 21st century, don’t count on America to lead.”
This seems particularly rich, coming after eight years of President Barack Obama. But liberals who accept the climate change hysteria cannot understand another viewpoint on the issue. So people like Steyer indulge in unrestrained hyperbole.
Steyer spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and founded the climate change nonprofit NextGen Climate in 2013. He was a major bundler for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and donated over $87 million for liberal candidates last year. Liberals have called him the Left’s answer to the Koch brothers.
The science is very far from “settled” on climate change, however. Climate models fail over and over again. Senate Democrats launched an inquisition last year aimed at silencing free inquiry and speech about this issue. Activists like Bill Nye give very unscientific answers when pressed on the issue, and a Georgia Tech climatologist resigned rather than give up her scientific integrity by toeing the party line.
Steyer’s comments merely underscore the Left’s fear of debate on these issues. Treason and war are serious words and serious issues, not to be bandied about lightly. Treason is the only crime fully defined in the Constitution. “Treason against the United States shall consist in levying War against them, or in adhering to their enemies, given them Aid and Comfort.”
If Steyer is seriously accusing Trump of treason, he is calling the fossil fuel industry America’s enemies, since no one could possibly argue that Trump is carrying out a war against the U.S.
Then again, he certainly does seem to consider legitimate business interests America’s enemies. The liberal donor’s conclusion makes that painstakingly clear.
“Time is running out, and now it’s up to state and local leaders to protect their citizens from Trump, the fossil fuel companies, and the Republican Party,” Steyer concluded.
In the eyes of liberals like Steyer, the science is settled, and anyone who disagrees is the enemy. There can be no negotiation, and even questioning his conclusions is treason. When you think like that, there can be no escape from politics, and no friendship with the “enemy.”
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