Maybe Senator Mike Rounds needs to send the insurrectionist liars in his party the message Republican Colorado State Senator Kevin Priola sent yesterday: excusing the un-American denialism of Trumpists pose a serious threat to democracy and the planet. Senator Priola finds the threat from his fellow Republicans so grave that he is leaving the GOP and joining the last sane show in town, the Democratic Party:
Like many Coloradans, I watched the events on January 6th with horror. I felt that clearly this would be the last straw and that my party would now finally distance itself from Donald Trump and the political environment he created. Week after week and month after month, I waited for that response; it never came. To my dismay, brave and honorable Republicans like Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, and Adam Kinzinger have fought to defend the constitution and rule of law only to be met with ridicule and threats. Fear-mongering to raise money or motivate voters is nothing new, but it has been taken to a dangerous and destabilizing level. I cannot continue to be a part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen [Colorado State Senator Kevin Priola, open letter to fellow Coloradans, posted to Twitter 2022.08.22].
Senator Rounds, recall: the Republicans who berated you in Spearfish last week peddled the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and they threatened a violent response if the 2022 election doesn’t go their way. You responded to their threats by commendably rebutting their Big Lie about 2020 but uncommendably minimizing their threat by saying they are good patriots who are just “frustrated”.
They aren’t just “frustrated”, Senator Rounds; they are a threat to civil society. Senator Priola says they also endanger our entire planet:
Though deeply concerning, the attack on our democratic system is not the only existential threat that the Republican Party is choosing to ignore. I have become increasingly worried about our planet and the climate crisis we are facing. The Republican party I joined decades ago created national parks, preserved federal lands, and protected wildlife. President Nixon signed the legislation that established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, my Republican colleagues would rather deny the existence of human-caused climate change than take action. I increasingly believe this inaction is counter to our responsibility as political leaders. With a near year-round wildfire season here in Colorado and a seemingly never ending drought already upon us, Coloradans are already feeling the effects of the climate crisis, and I believe it’s immoral to saddle the next generation of Coloradans with even worse impacts. Yet my Republican colleagues consistently, and proudly, seek to impede progress on any reasonable climate measures the legislature has undertaken—and I can’t in good conscience, be silent about that [Priola, 2022.08.22].
Rather than remain under the banner of lies about elections and science, Senator Priola has changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat:
Even if there will continue to be issues that I disagree with the Democratic party on, there is too much at stake right now for Republicans to be in charge. Coloradans cannot afford for their leaders to give credence to election conspiracies and climate denialism. Simply put, we need Democrats in charge because our planet and our democracy depend on it. It continues to be the honor of a lifetime to serve my constituents, and I will continue to fight, first and foremost, for their best interests. I believe my decision to align with truth over conspiracy is indicative of that commitment [emphasis mine; Priola, 2022.08.22].
Save democracy, save the planet—put Democrats in charge. That’s the message from a legislator who was a Republican until yesterday, when the lies of his party became too much to bear.
Cory, after Trump we must tread CAREFULLY. Even if Trump is completely out of the picture, I still do NOT trust Mike Rounds or the rest of the Republicans. The Republican Party after Trump is still the Republican Party that supports the wealthy, big banks, corporations and the military industrial complex (as warned by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower). The Republicans prove time and time again they do not care about working class people. That has not changed. Most of us are working class people and we need to better inform ourselves of who really cares about our interests and it is NOT the Republican Party – with or without Trump. I encourage all of my working compadres to actually get informed on the issues instead of falling for the same old repeated political slogans from Trump, Noem, Rounds, Thune et all. Just because they wave a flag, wear a flag pin, look good doesn’t mean they give two hoots about you. What has President Biden done compared to former President Trump? Well, I remember when Trump flew around non-stop to rallies across the nation during the 2018 mid-term elections. Like Noem, it was all about campaigning and throwing-out red meat. During the 2022 mid-terms, President Biden has stayed in Washington to work full-time in ensure the passage of both the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act, which comes a year after the passage of the Rebuilding our Infrastructure Act. All three measures to help working class Americans and one increases taxes on corporations and the super wealthy. That brings me to Colorado Senator Kevin Priola switching political parties, maybe he finally sees that President Biden and his party, the Democrats, by their ACTIONS of accomplishing things for working Americans is more of what he wants to be a part of moving forward?
Okay, borrowing from the headline phrase, “Save the Planet” . . . this is a slight hijacking of the post.
Bank Australia will not loan money for new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2025 going forward. Those ICE vehicles will be worth less than the loan value soon after purchase, thus disincentivizing loan holders to pay back the loan.
Folks, the “Future is Faster Than You Think” . . . book by Diamandis.
Other auto lenders will soon follow suit. A private lender offers a year of free charging. The example from ICE vehicle owners in Norway is that they are unable to resell their low mileage ICE vehicles.
The Australian, Electric Viking, explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXCclMpYJkM
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/22/australian-bank-to-scrap-loans-for-new-diesel-and-gasoline-cars-.html
And now California is moving to ban ICE vehicle sales in 2035.
Excepts from a paywalled New York Times article.
“California is expected to put into effect on Thursday its sweeping plan to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a groundbreaking move that could have major effects on the effort to fight climate change and accelerate a global transition toward electric vehicles.
This is huge,
said Margo Oge, an electric vehicles expert who headed the Environmental Protection Agency’s transportation emissions program under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
California will now be the only government in the world that mandates zero-emission vehicles. It is unique.
The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board, will require that 100 percent of all new cars sold in the state by 2035 be free of the fossil fuel emissions chiefly responsible for warming the planet, up from 12 percent today. It sets interim targets requiring that 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 produce zero emissions. That would climb to 68 percent by 2030.
The restrictions are important because not only is California the largest auto market in the United States, but more than a dozen other states typically follow California’s lead when setting their own auto emissions standards.”
Change is hard. We’ll listen to whining, loud and long whining, about the ‘end of our civilization’.
Recall in the New York City Easter Parade in the early 1900s there was a photo of 1 car surrounded by horse carriages. Ten years later a photo of the same parade shows 1 horse carriage surrounded by hundreds of cars. (The largest selling fresh meat for a couple years was horse meat.)
California will, again, lead the nation. This time with ushering in EVs. https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23320148/california-gas-car-ban-2035-ev-climate-change
A 2022 UPDATE ON ELECTRIC CAR SALES: CHINA TAKING THE LEAD, THE U.S. CATCHING UP, AND EUROPE FALLING BEHIND
https://theicct.org/2022-update-ev-sales-us-eu-ch-aug22/