Sen. Amy Klobuchar was widely ridiculed on the right after implying that a Democratic victory in the November election would somehow curtail hurricanes.
“We just did something about climate change for the first time in decades,” said Ms. Klobuchar in a Tuesday segment on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “That’s why we’ve got to win this as that hurricane bears down on Florida. We’ve got to win in the midterms. We understand that.”
The Minnesota Democrat’s comments coincided with Hurricane Ian closing in on the southwest Florida coast as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, upending what had been a quiet start to the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.
“Did Amy Klobuchar just suggest voting for Democrats will stop hurricanes?” asked the Republican National Committee in a tweet on its RNC Research account.
Tea Party Patriots tweeted that “Sen. Amy Klobuchar bizarrely suggests that voting for Democrats in 2022 will somehow stop hurricanes.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, cracked: “Since you can’t afford a home when Dems are in power, you won’t have to worry about flooding.”
SEE ALSO: FEMA says it is prepared as possible for Hurricane Ian
“The ‘trust the science’ gang really wants you to believe that tax credits to help their rich donors buy electric cars … will stop hurricanes,” tweeted Republican strategist Matt Whitlock.
Sen. @amyklobuchar suggests voting for Democrats may stop hurricanes: “We just did something about climate change for the first time in decades. That’s why we have to win this as that hurricane bears down on Florida. We have to win in the midterms.” pic.twitter.com/yP3buo0r4f
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 27, 2022
Ms. Klobuchar wasn’t the only one pushing the climate angle. CNN host Don Lemon was shut down Tuesday night after asking a climate scientist about the link between global warming and Hurricane Ian.
“What effect does climate change have on this phenomenon that is happening now, because it seems these storms are intensifying,” said Mr. Lemon.
Jamie Rhome, acting director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center, replied: “I don’t think you can link climate change to any one event.”
“On the whole, on the cumulative, climate change may be making storms worse, but to link it to any one event, I would caution against that,” Mr. Rhome said.
Mr. Lemon wasn’t finished. “Listen, I grew up there, and these storms are intensifying. Something is causing them to intensify,” he said.
Nearly a Category 5 hurricane bearing down on Florida and all (rebranded?) CNN can think about is how to score political points by blaming Ian on climate change.
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) September 28, 2022
Most certainly a time for that discussion, but not when people are in harm’s way. Disgrace. https://t.co/NLowGKC64i
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in its latest report that there is “no consensus” on the effect of climate change on Atlantic hurricane activity and, since 1900, there is “no trend in the frequency of USA landfall events,” including hurricanes.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue called the network’s climate focus a “disgrace.”
“Nearly a Category 5 hurricane bearing down on Florida and all (rebranded?) CNN can think about is how to score political points by blaming Ian on climate change,” tweeted Mr. Maue. “Most certainly a time for that discussion, but not when people are in harm’s way.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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