#50by30

[miles-traiser]

For some reason I thought this race was on Sunday. Fortunately, I realized it wasn't. Unfortunately, it was just 11 hours from the start meaning my nutrition was COMPLETELY off. Oh well. Can't be mad about a second-place finish on the most beautiful course I've run to date. #Boston's up next! #50by30 #RoadToBoston (at Sand Hollow State Park)

[miles-traiser]

Humidity + Wind + Hills = PAIN! Gotta say this is a pretty sweet medal, though (if only @audi sponsored a race...)! Not thrilled about flying 3 hours after crossing the finish line, but a series of first class upgrades from @delta will help! 😊 #50by30 #runmercedes2017 #RoadToBoston (at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport)

[miles-traiser]

Nice little confidence booster in #Pocatello today! @pocatellomarathon #FullMarathon in 2:55 and one spot off the podium. Another state to check off the list! #50by30 #RoadToBoston (at Lower Ross Park)

[the-whistlestop-blog]

To Be or Not To Be a Scientist: Sens. Cruz and Rubio

Given the crumbling bromance between Senator Cruz and Senator Rubio, we thought we’d play peacemaker and talk about an area where they share some common ground.

As it turns out, both Senators have said some reasonably nutty things about climate change. Which is shocking, we know. But even here, they’ve taken slightly different approaches that are consistent with their political personas.

It’s hard to figure out who gets credit for coining a phrase… but we’re pretty sure Marco Rubio gave birth to the “I’m not a scientist” line back in 2009, even though he wasn’t specifically talking about climate change at the time. That line, clearly pushed by some low-rent, poor man’s Frank Luntz, was seized on by candidate after candidate who was terrified of offending the climate deniers but also had just enough shame not to come right out and say they believed every scientist in the world is lying. It has largely been abandoned because, well, it’s really pretty stupid.

Ted Cruz, however, is congenitally incapable of even faking the humility required to hide behind the “I’m not a scientist” defense, so he obviously went the other way: instead of declaring himself not a scientist, he compared himself to one of history’s most famous scientists, Galileo.

That’s right: Senator Ted Cruz has somehow determined that he is heir to the father of science.

Just so we’re clear: the politician who seeks to reject the views of scientists is claiming the mantle of the scientist whose views were rejected by politicians.

This has been a ridiculous cycle so far, and the absurd has become the norm. But even in the funhouse mirror-in an echo chamber-in a clown car that is this campaign, Senator Ted Cruz comparing himself to Galileo should still merit at least a “Wait, did he just say what I think he said?”

There’s room for debate about the best way to combat climate change—we happen to think a forward looking strategy like 50 by 30 would be best for our national security and our economy—but our guess is that Galileo would probably side with the scientists over the lawyer/politician on this one.

[the-whistlestop-blog]

Catalog of Crazy:  Five Members of the House and Senate Who Went Off the Rails on Climate Change

Presidential politics is good and fun, but to focus on the tirades of the few at the expense of the nuttiness of the many is any political sniping blog’s folly. TWS is proud, therefore, to re-introduce as a recurring feature the Catalog of Crazy, where we dredge up great bits from state and local electeds that will make you laugh to keep from crying.

The Paris climate talks kicked off this week, and when it comes to the erratic musings of climate change deniers, our cup runneth over. While leaders across the country are embracing smart plans to counter climate change (like international agreements, cap-and-trade, and the ‘50by30’ campaign for clean energy), check out five legislators in particular who each bring their own ‘unique’ perspective to the conversation.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)

There are plenty of climate deniers in Congress, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler makes the list only because she’s emblematic a particular kind: those who confuse the terms ‘weather’ and ‘climate.’ Her commentaries on Twitter—alternatively being excited about global warming and wondering how it could be cold outside if the globe is warming—inspired a great piece from The Fix’s Philip Bump. No better response exists, however, than Stephen Colbert’s: “Global warming isn’t real because I was cold today! Also great news: World hunger is over because I just ate.”

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ)

Rep. Paul Gosar gained notoriety recently when he proudly (and at face value, paradoxically) became the only Catholic congressman to boycott Pope Francis’s historic address to the United States Congress. The reason why? His Holiness’s focus on climate change, “wrapped in false science and ideology” with “socialist talking points.” In the days following, Rep. Gosar proceeded to fundraise off of his decision to not attend because, hey, go big or go home, right?

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)

If you can say one thing about Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, it’s that he sticks to his guns. Lesser men would have paused to consider how higher temperatures and severe droughts might be connected to the colossal wildfires devastating his state in 2013, but not him. Instead, the congressman insisted that “global warming is a total fraud” being used by the likes of President Obama to “create a global government.” Based on this, we suspect his tin foil hat will be fastened on tight as nefarious forces gather at the Paris conference.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

No list of climate deniers is complete without Sen. Jim Inhofe, who has made combating efforts against climate change—“the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people”—his primary shtick in the world’s greatest deliberative body. Sen. Inhofe is perhaps best known for literally bringing a snowball to the Senate floor in order to argue against those “eggheads” at “science laboratories.” More recently though, the senator has indicated he might want to head over to Paris as the self-proclaimed “bad guy,” a foil to the president in promoting international cooperation on scientific consensus. Needless to say, we hope he doesn’t.

Fmr. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)

Rep. Broun left the House after failing to secure the Republican nomination for an open Georgia Senate seat in 2014, but his anti-science soundbites simply too surreal to be included in this catalog. During his time in office, he insisted “there is no scientific consensus” on climate change and also denounced evolution and the big bang as “lies straight from the pit of hell.” The pattern indicates that he may not know what scientific consensus means. The kicker? Before his exit from the House, Rep. Broun was a top member of the House Science Committee. He is also a physician.

[the-whistlestop-blog]

Five Foreign Policy Questions for Tonight’s Republican Debate

Another week, another GOP debate—this one slated to focus on “jobs, taxes, and the general health of the economy, as well as domestic and international policy.” So…everything? Nonetheless, should moderators choose to zero in on questions of foreign affairs, we’re still waiting for answers on the following!

1.  Tomorrow is Veterans Day, yet there still has yet to be any substantive conversation about veterans issues in any of the six GOP debates held so far. Can anyone on stage conjure an original thought about improving policies to better care for our veterans?

2.  Many Republicans take issue with the executive exercise of authority by the Obama administration, yet Congress has failed in its constitutional duty to set the parameters for military action in the Middle East. What authorization for the use of military force would you propose for your administration?

3.  At the end of this month, the nations of the world will convene to discuss countering the threat of climate change. Noted snowball salesman Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has threatened to crash the conference. Many Republicans argue President Obama has abdicated U.S. leadership abroad; do you support using that leadership to rally the world and counter climate change?

4.  Aside from Sen. Graham (whom we will miss dearly), Gov. Huckabee’s “big boy britches” are the closest thing to an actual plan to combat ISIL unveiled by any candidates. How would your strategy differ from the administration’s current efforts of airstrikes, advising and training, and assembling a coalition of allies?

5.  Clean energy strengthens American jobs, resilience, and security across the country. With more lawmakers pushing for 50% of our national electricity to be generated by clean sources by 2030, how would you argue against the benefits of American innovation in developing a clean energy economy?

[the-whistlestop-blog]

Five Foreign Policy Questions for Tonight’s Republican Debate

Tonight’s GOP Debate (the third in a never-ending series) is going to focus on the economy, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still room for questions of national security and foreign policy. In keeping with what is becoming a TWS tradition, here are five questions we’d like to hear moderators ask the candidates!

1. International development aid promotes democracy abroad, tackles tremendous challenges like health crises and extreme poverty, and builds a growing global middle class that more willingly embraces American ideals. Strikingly, these programs—employed all over the world—amount to less than 1% of the entire federal budget. Would you increase or decrease that number?

2. Congress has spent upwards of $4.1 million taxpayer dollars to “investigate” the tragedy at Benghazi, but eight investigations and eleven reports have found no wrongdoing that hasn’t been addressed. Do you agree with Sen. Lindsey Graham that this is work to be proud of, or the majority of the American people who say that this is a partisan investigation and a waste of the power of the purse?

3. Lawmakers across the country—including most recently in Iowa—are stepping up to endorse the ’50 by 30’ plan, pushing for 50% of our nation’s electricity to be generated by clean sources here at home by 2030. Are you willing to endorse this plan as a path forward for energy innovation, job growth, and national security?

4. Veterans’ issues have been a non-topic in the GOP debates so far. If elected president, would you seek to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs?

5. The across the board cuts of sequestration are preventing resources from going to essential organizations that deal with defense issues, from the State Department to the Department of Homeland Security. The current budget compromise is a step forward to fund those other essential capabilities: Do you endorse that compromise, and if not, how would you fix the funding problem?

[chessa-l]

We arrived in Ireland this morning, reaching my goal of 50 countries in 30 years. Blackrock is a small seaside village in Louth county with plenty of pubs and a killer cottage pie. #bucketlist #Ireland #travel #50by30 (at Blackrock, Louth, Ireland)