By Thursday, GSB posted a story about Organizing For Action’s (OFA) use of bracketology to find Congress’ worst climate change denier via its Climate Change Fantasy Tournament.
By fan/citizen voting, the Un-Sweet Sixteen was whittled to the Embarrassing Eight and then, down to the Flunked Science Four. The voters have spoken once more and we’re now down to the Denial Final.
We know that 11.57 million March Madness brackets were submitted to ESPN in advance of this year’s tournament and, that after yesterday’s pulsating 16 game hoops orgy, only 273 brackets were 16-for-16. It’s hard to believe that even a group that small (0.00236 percent of all brackets submitted) was able to pick UAB and Georgia State and the rest. I limped home with 7 of 16. UGH.
Now, we don’t know how many votes have been cast in Organizing For Action’s (OFA’s)* Climate Change Fantasy Tournament thus far–we’re confident it’s just a tad smaller than what ESPN received but hope it’s a significant number nonetheless.
The concept is brilliant: Use bracketology to allow fans/citizens to determine the worst climate change denier in Congress.
As of yesterday, this tournament had moved from the original Un-Sweet Sixteen to the Flunked Science Four. The semis featured climate change denial heavyweights–not a Cinderella in the bunch:
- Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) vs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) vs. Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
GSB picked Rubio over McConnell in what was a tough call. McConnell has the leverage of senate leadership, and is making a big deal of fighting President Obama’s so-called War On Coal (as if it’s a bad thing to curb emissions from coal-fired power plants). But Rubio is likely running for President so his stage will be even bigger than McConnell’s. He represents a state that is suffering the effects of climate change right now and yet he publicly switched his position from “climate change is real” to denial. The voters agreed with GSB and Rubio advanced to the Denial Final.
The other semi featured climate change denial firebrands Inhofe and Hunter. Hunter, sadly, shows real climate denial promise. But Inhofe, via his powerful position as Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and through his consistent and loud proclamations that human-caused climate change is a hoax (think about the word hoax for a moment and what that implies about actual scientists devoting their lives doing actual, peer reviewed work on this topic) was the easy choice for GSB and, again the voters agreed.
So, the Denial Final is set. Rubio vs. Inhofe. To GSB, while Rubio would be a solid choice, Inhofe is the poster child of climate change denial. So GSB goes with Inhofe.
The Denial Final matchup is set: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) vs. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).
Who are you picking? Let us know by commenting below and please vote here.
WOW! What a choice. This one, unfortunately, goes into endless overtime thanks to the Groundhog Day nature of both their points of view. In a squeaker, I voted for Rubio, given his probable presidential candidate’s soap box. And because Inhofe is an idiot.
I see the Presidential candidate angle as really the only reason to vote for Rubio (a valid one at that!) Inhofe as Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is about the most oxymoronic thing I’ve ever heard of coming out of that chamber–and that’s saying a lot.