The League of Conservation Voters today named Rep. Joe Walsh (IL-08) to its $1.5 million “Flat Earth Five” program, which aims to defeat five climate change deniers in the House of Representatives this election cycle. As part of this program, LCV will commit significant resources to defeating Rep. Walsh, who maintains that the science behind man-made climate change “is not clear yet.”
“Rep. Walsh’s constituents deserve better than a climate-denying Congressman that’s full of hot air,” said Navin Nayak, LCV Senior Vice President of Campaigns.
LCV will be spending at least $1.5 million across these five districts on television advertising, direct mail and an extensive phone program letting voters know that these members of Congress are dangerously out-of-step with their district on the issue of climate change. The program also includes LCV member mobilization and a strong media presence in the districts. More information about the Flat Earth Five can be found online at the League's Flat Earth Five.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that humans are contributing to climate change, Rep. Walsh has said that “man's potential role in global warming has not been definitively determined.” Rather than take any action to address greenhouse gas emissions, Rep. Walsh believes that “[t]he role of the government should be to continue to research the subject.” Walsh is more proactive when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency, which he claims “is destroying the country” and “ought to be scrapped.”
Last year, the Washington Post cited a National Academy of Sciences finding that “97–98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in the field” believe that humans are contributing to global warming. Even the Department of Defense has recognized that climate change will play a “significant role” in the future security environment.
Rep. Walsh has an abysmal lifetime score of just 3% on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard, a nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on conservation and clean energy issues.
Recently, LCV announced that Rep. Dan Benishek (MI-1), Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-24), Rep. Dan Lungren (CA-7, aka "Styrofoam Dan"), and Rep. Francisco Canseco (TX-23) also have been named to the Flat Earth Five program.
I identified Walsh him as one of the Climate Zombies two years ago, and he's been shambling away from reality ever since. I'm delighted to see the League take on him and the other members of the Flat Earth Five. Walsh doesn't deserve reelection for a lot of reasons, first and foremost his formidable opponent Tammy Duckworth. Take action: here's her ActBlue page - or donate to the League's Flat Earth Five, and your gift will be tripled.
Full disclosure: the League of Conservation Voters wrote much of this, gave me an exclusive, and asked me to post on DailyKos.