“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
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Dean Baker: A dual cure for global warming and economic stagnation
As the world prepares for another round of climate negotiations in Paris starting Nov. 30, it is worth repeating a few simple points.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the world is already paying a substantial price for global warming. Sure, extreme weather events will never come with a stamp that says “caused by global warming.” But we know that global warming will change weather patterns in ways that are not entirely predictable. That means that we will see unusual weather events where global warming was likely a factor, but we can never know for certain. [..]
This is a problem for which measures to confront climate change present an obvious solution. We know that reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) to acceptable levels is a massive undertaking. It will take an enormous amount of capital and labor to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient, and to convert them to clean sources of energy as quickly as possible. The same applies to our transportation network: We have to promote mass transit and make all of our transportation vehicles cleaner.
This can be done, though it costs money. But the story that is missed is that secular stagnation means we have the money. The resources are the unemployed and underemployed workers who could be employed in this massive undertaking. In terms of money, contrary to the whining of the deficit hawks, there are no practical limits to how much the United States, Europe and Japan can borrow right now. We hit limits on our ability to borrow when the economy is near full employment, not when there are still large numbers of unemployed workers.
Jessica Valenti: Republicans think being pro-family means forcing women to have babies
It’s not a surprise to me that in the race to win the Republican nomination, the candidates are working hard to find ways to win over women. Each has gushed on stage about their own mothers, or the importance of motherhood, and Marco Rubio made a point in the last debate to talk about the cost of child care. Issues at the top of mind for many women, like reproductive rights and equal pay, of course, will go mysteriously unmentioned.
As the election looms, the Republican’s transparent efforts to appeal to women in the only way they know how will only intensify. As it does, I hope the Democrats will recognize the opportunity they have and call out the right on the shocking hypocrisy of claiming to be pro-women or pro-family while continuing their witch hunt against Planned Parenthood and efforts to stop women from obtaining legal abortions.
Because the truth is that you cannot be pro-family without being pro-choice. The right to have an abortion is about bodily integrity, equality and, yes, family. There is nothing pro-family about forcing women to give birth; respecting families means respecting women’s life choices and ability to have a child if and when she wants to.
Bill Schneider: Fear throws its hat into the ring for 2016 race
Fear is back. It looks like 2004 all over again.
In 2004, the terrorism issue spelled doom for Democrats. It was the first presidential election after 9/11. Democrat John Kerry was challenging President George W. Bush’s re-election. [..]
Bush won in 2004. Former President Bill Clinton had warned his fellow Democrats, “Strong and wrong beats weak and right.” Nevertheless, there are reasons why it may be different in 2016.
One of them is Donald Trump. The latest Reuters poll of Republican voters nationwide shows Trump surging into the lead for the 2016 Republican nomination, with nearly 40 percent of the vote. If congressional Republicans are unable to block Obama’s plan to admit Syrian refugees, conservatives may erupt in fury at GOP leaders and rally to Trump’s support.
Even if Trump doesn’t win the Republican nomination, he is defining the Republican Party’s image for 2016. It’s not a good image. All the polls for the past month show a majority of Americans with an unfavorable opinion of Trump (the average is 55 percent unfavorable to 37 percent favorable).
Rep. Alan Grayson: My Grandma Used to Lose at Checkers
My mother was born in Canada. There’s no shame in that. If you don’t believe me, then just ask Ted Cruz’s two children.
There is a reason why my Mom was born in Canada. Her parents, my grandparents, were refugees from Eastern Europe. And America wouldn’t let them in. So they took a right turn, and ended up in Canada.
My Grandma was not a terrorist. She just needed somewhere to go, when it wasn’t safe for her to stay in Eastern Europe any more.
When I was a small boy, my Grandma taught me how to play checkers. And then she lost to me, over and over again, to show me the thrill of winning.
She was a good person. So was my Grandpa. But if Canada had turned them away, like the United States did, then they both would have died in the concentration camps, and I never would have been born.
Every one of those refugees from Syria is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son. And if Life smiles on them, they might one day be somebody’s grandma, somebody’s grandpa. But only if they have a safe place to live. Otherwise, for them, it will be just ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The only question is whether there would be anyone left alive, to say whatever their version of Kaddish (the Jewish prayer for mourning) is for them.
Emily Schwartz Greco: Why Justin Trudeau Makes Me Jealous of Canada
Asked why half the members of his cabinet are women, Justin Trudeau replied with three words that spoke volumes: “Because it’s 2015.”
The nurturing father of three kids under 10 is a master of effortless statements that spread inclusiveness and tolerance. Four Sikhs will serve in the new cabinet that Trudeau boasts “looks like Canada.” And he calls himself a “proud feminist.”
Once he became prime minister in early November, a year-old snapshot of Trudeau went viral. It showed him with Scott Brison — another member of Canada’s diverse cabinet — alongside Brison’s husband and their twin daughters. By grinning while holding one of the men’s baby girls aloft, Trudeau expressed solidarity with same-sex parents.
He’s quickly sweeping away ill will sowed by his predecessor — the arch-conservative Stephen Harper — both at home and abroad. Mindful of current events, Trudeau has beefed up Canada’s role in the global climate talks that will soon begin in Paris. He’s also taking the high road on Syria’s refugee crisis.
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