RUSH: We have two from Obama January 17, 2008, at an editorial board meeting of the San Francisco Chronicle. During a discussion about energy and the environment, one of the board members at the Chronicle says, “Senator, you introduced a bill promoting coal to liquid fuels, and then you said youÂ’d only support them if they emitted fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline. Now, all of the scientific evidence supports to coal being dirtier than pretty much anything else. So how are you going to square your support for coal with the need to fight global warming?”

OBAMA 2008: What I’ve said is that we would put a, uh, cap-and-trade system in place that is more — that is as aggressive if not more aggressive than anybody else’s out there. So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that, uh, greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.

RUSH: There you have it. We played this sound bite. I can’t tell you how many times we played this sound bite during the 2008 presidential campaign. The guy’s gonna put the coal business out of business. He just telegraphed it! He just promised it. For this baseless, phony objective of “saving the planet” from climate change. It is stunning. And now he’s done it. Here it is seven years later, and he’s on the way. He announced it today. And then he also added to put pressure on the states, that if you states join me in this effort to wipe out the coal industry, why, you can qualify for subsidies if your state emissions get below whatever my target levels are. So, in addition to Obama inflicting pain on the people of this country, he’s now added an incentive for the states to do it, too. Because state governments will be subsidized in their efforts to whatever the heck they’re doing in this regard. And Obama, one little thing he wanted to tag on to this, and this is what he said.

OBAMA: When I was asked earlier about, uh, the issue of coal, uhhh, you know, under my plan, uh, of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.

RUSH: On purpose. “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” This was something he was proud of; he was excited about it. He couldn’t wait for this to happen. I mentioned Ted Cruz was out at the Koch brothers event. It was at Dana Point, California, and he owned this particular stage this weekend. Based on everything I’ve heard, Cruz just outdid everybody that showed up. Here’s just a quick little sound bite from Ted Cruz. This is moderated by Mike Allen of The Politico, the stage presentation, all these people showing up to impress the Koch brothers and their donors. And he had a political guy out there moderating this, and it was Mike Allen who said to Cruz, “What is your position on global warming?”

CRUZ: Facts matter. Here are the facts: If you look to the satellite data in the last 18 years, there’s been zero recorded warming.

ALLEN: Senator, you’re not saying that global warming isn’t real!

CRUZ: I’m saying the data and facts don’t support it.

RUSH: And they don’t! Look, there is always going to be global warming and cooling. Nothing is statistic. That’s not the argument. The argument is the advanced lifestyle of Western nations like Western Europe and the United States responsible for it. Is America responsible for climate change? That’s the absurdity. Of course this climate is so complex, it is beyond being able to be understood by the mortal human mind. Just like the human mind cannot explain to you creation beyond Big Bang, the human mind cannot explain our climate to you.

We can study it, we can research it, we can release whatever we think we’ve learned, but we can’t conclusively say a damn thing about the weather, much less the climate. Yet here comes this “consensus,” which if there’s a consensus, there’s no science, by the way. Science not up to a vote. But here comes this consensus of Obama’s favorite scientists who have been bought and paid for, by the way, with grants, claiming that man…

Did you hear the question? “Senator, you’re not saying that global warming isn’t real!” That’s how entrenched this nonsense is. “You’re not saying it isn’t real!” I don’t know. When I stop and think about this I actually get depressed, and I stop how many otherwise intelligent people on other things have just been hoodwinked on this, it depresses me. Because if we’re gonna lose smart, educated people, gee whiz. Where do we turn to? We know the low-information people have already been co-opted.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: A couple of sound bites from Obama today, and this is just offensive. It just… I don’t know other way to describe it. It’s enraging; it’s offensive. We have two sound bites. Obama at the White House announcing his attack on the coal industry in order to stop climate change.

OBAMA: Over the past 6-1/2 years, we’ve taken on some of the toughest challenges of our time, from rebuilding our economy after a devastating recession, to ending our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bringing almost all of our troops home, to strengthening our security through tough and principled diplomacy. But I am convinced that no challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a changing climate, and that’s what brings us here today.

RUSH: (Snort!) It’s just absurd. All of that is absurd. (Snort!) We haven’t rebuilt an economy. We’ve torn it down and told everybody it’s the new normal. We’re a nation in decline, and we’re told this is a great administration, the best one to manage the decline! We’ve ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Yeah, by losing them! Strengthen our security through did you have and principled diplomacy by letting Iran get a nuclear bomb! This is absurd!

But none of that matters because the worst thing in the world out there is climate change, which is constantly happening. You know, the vanity of humanity! On the one hand we think we’re no different than a rat, and the next day we’re so all-powerful we are destroying God’s creation. It’s absurd! the vanity of all this! What in the world…? Who are we to think that right now, at this point in the history of the universe, that whatever the temperatures are now, these are “normal.” This is what it’s always meant to be, and anything warmer and it’s disaster! Who the hell are we? We don’t know this!

We can’t change the climate!

That’s the main thing wrong with this: We cannot change it!

And then here’s the next one.

OBAMA: 2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record.

RUSH: It was not!

OBAMA: We’ve been setting a lot of records in terms of warmest years over the last decade.

RUSH: We have not!

OBAMA: One year doesn’t make a trend, but 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have fallen within the first 15 years of this century.

RUSH: Stop it. This is a crock! This is an out-and-out falsehood! There hasn’t been any warming in 15 years. You know, I’m falling for the trap by even debating this crap this way. But there hasn’t been any warming last year, this year. They’re saying this year so far is the hottest year on record, and I’ve got it on record that they’re doctoring and making up the data! They’re just altering the data for the hell of it, because it isn’t warming.

Then years ago, New York City was under ice. Do you know that? Ten thousand years ago there wasn’t a New York. It was under ice. It was covered by glaciers. Thank God for global warming, for crying out loud! This is just so absurd. It just frosts me. And we have proven that it’s a hoax. East Anglia University in England! Here come some, you know, idealistic little liberal coming along telling us that he’s got the power to stop it, adding to his legacy, saving the world now! That’s what this legacy is about: Obama saved the world!

This is just… How are we gonna save the world? By taking your freedom away from you? By limiting your liberty? Blaming you for it? You’re destroying the world with what? The car you drive? The air-conditioning in your home and your office? Yeah. That’s what we’re doing! You’re destroying the planet, folks. You are worse than Al-Qaeda. You are worse than Iran getting a nuclear weapon. You! That’s what he means here. Who’s responsible for this? They’re claiming that climate change is man-made.

So we’re all worse than Al-Qaeda just by living an advanced lifestyle. This ought to have everybody up in arms and outraged and have this current crop run out of town, ’cause at the very at least this is nothing but insulting. It sure as hell isn’t science, and it’s not even good politics. Of course, “good politics” defined today is getting away with the most lies because you’ve dumbed down the population to a bunch of ignoramuses left and right. So all you’ve gotta do is find a way to reach ’em. It’s not hard. (big sigh) Man!

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: It’s a good question: “Why do facts and results always lose to good intentions?” That is a great psychological discussion to have, maybe. I don’t even know that I’m qualified for it, but I’ll try. Maybe tomorrow.