So it’s come to this.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden was pressured to tackle the bonkers right-wing conspiracy that the federal government is controlling the climate, steering catastrophic hurricanes into conservative communities in an effort to affect the 2024 election.
“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene … is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather,” he said during a briefing on the federal response to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton. “We’re controlling the weather? It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop.”
Biden additionally debunked the far-right declare boosted by Donald Trump, his household, and his allies that the federal government redirected disaster-relief assist to migrants—fallacious—and would offer solely $750 to the victims of Hurricane Helene—additionally fallacious. To dispel these falsehoods, the Federal Emergency Administration Company needed to create an entire rumor-debunking part of its web site.
Is there something that the GOP received’t politicize? Help? Politicized. Loss of life? Politicized. Acts of God? Attributable to the Democrats.
As Every day Kos’ Markos Moulitsas just lately reported, the concept that the federal government can management the climate began circulating as early as late September in right-wing social media circles. The conspiracy was popularized by conservative influencer Matt Wallace, who posted, “Don’t worry guys, weather modification isn’t real! It’s just a coincidence that Hurricane Helene is one of the most devastating “inland damage storms” in historical past and that tons of of pro-Trump counties are being massively impacted throughout crucial election of our lifetimes.”
Quickly it took off on social media, the place fact-checking goes to die. (Although many media organizations have since stepped in to debunk the lie.)
Whereas many Republicans might even see Democrats as a bunch of demonic, witchcraft-loving boogiemen, no one is highly effective sufficient to fabricate a hurricane. It’s one factor for tin-foil-hatted Republican voters to consider in these loopy conspiracies, nevertheless it’s one other for elected officers to hawk them.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—or as my Every day Kos colleague Walter Einenkel poignantly known as her, “the Georgia-based conspiracy theorist who moonlights as a congresswoman”—has spent a lot of the previous week peddling the weather-control lie.
“They can control the weather,” she posted on X final Thursday. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
The spiritual far-right quickly adopted go well with. Christian nationalist Lance Wallnau, with whom Trump operating mate JD Vance just lately campaigned, posted on X, “Is the government trying to learn how to manipulate the weather?” he requested. “If they succeeded, do you trust them not to use this ability to stop Trump (a threat who says he will expose them and prosecute) from being elected?”
After being rightfully criticized for her feedback, Greene doubled down on the lie on Tuesday and Wednesday, blaming the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal company chargeable for climate monitoring. In different phrases, the important thing company relaying data on Hurricane Milton because it bears down on Florida.
“Everyone keeps asking, ‘who is they?’” she posted on Wednesday, including that “some of them are listed on NOAA.”
Not all Republicans, although, may get on board with this one. North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards known as it “outrageous” in a assertion.
“Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” stated Edwards. “No person can management the climate. Charles Konrad, director of the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Local weather Middle, has confirmed that nobody has the expertise or capacity to geoengineer a hurricane.”
Nonetheless, different Republicans proceed to politicize a senseless storm. Chris LaCivita, Trump marketing campaign senior adviser, known as Fox Information’ choice to air Biden’s Hurricane Milton briefing “literally propaganda.”
Too many Republicans simply aren’t treating this devastating storm with the seriousness it deserves.
