SSDD:
Newsweek magazine is teaming up with an oil-industry lobbying group to host an invitation-only event on climate-change and energy issues for lawmakers, just as the Senate gets set to take up legislation on the subject.
The panel discussion, entitled “Climate and Energy Policy: Moving?”, will feature Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, and, as moderator, Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman, according to an email invitation sent by a Newsweek business staffer and obtained by TPMmuckraker.
“Newsweek is pleased to be co-hosting this panel discussion with API,” says the email, which adds that “notable members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate” have been invited. The event is scheduled to be held December 1 in a Senate meeting room.
Damned librul media.
soonergrunt
Well,
It’s obviously time for another Blogger Ethics Panel!
cleek
surely Newsweek is just luring these oil guys into an ambush. they’re gonna show up ready to gently tap some softballs over the fence, and that’s when Newsweek will bring out a latter-day Kent Tekulve who will zing them all with these sizzling crazy submarine curve-balls. and when Newsweek goes to report about the climate change bill, the oil guys will end up looking like the 79 Orioles – defeated and dejected. all thanks to Newsweek’s awesome pitching staff and an amazing home run by Willie Stargell.
you read it here first!
Moonbatting Average
It’ll be interesting to see who attends, if it’s just Inhofe types, then no worries…
geg6
Oh, how edifying that will be! API, Howard Fineman, and unnamed Reps and Senators will be splainin’ climate change and energy policy to the rubes.
Any climatologists or biologists or scientists of any sort on that panel? At least, ones not paid by API?
Bueller? Bueller?
MattF
Oh, for the sweet smell of petroleum byproducts with your morning coffee and donuts. Not to mention those freshly minted dollars.
El Cid
Yesterday’s 2 governors’ race results means that Americans universally reject a belief in Climate Change so what we need to do bearing those all-important results in mind is give 100% subsidies to our largest oil companies. Clearly.
WyldPiratd
wow. i forum for liars whose lies Newspeak will be happy to publish and push.
No surprises, there.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Shorter Newsweak to Big Oil: We’ll bring the pubes, you bring the lubes.
Yes, they’ll be so impressed when you all demonstrate you really can get your ankles behind your ears.
Notable for their ability to suck it and shake hands at the same time.
Drill baby, drill!
Zifnab
@Moonbatting Average: You’re going to be horrified to find how many “Inhofe Types” are in the US Senate.
Is this what a modern civil war looks like? Well financed, extensively connected corporate interests act out illegally and then fight tooth and nail through every step of the legislative, executive, and judicial process until any punishment is reduced to the barest of wrist-slaps?
The weight these guys brings… media, corporate money, teabaggers, lobbyists… it’s staggering. And they get to do this on every attempt at reform. This is just depressing.
Jamey
Well I’m sure a strongly worded letter to the parent company of Newsweek will clear up this apparent conflict of int… oh, wait.
Comrade Dread
I’m skeptical of Climate Change projections, but I mean… Come on, Dudes…
Have our modern robber barons become so brazen that they no longer need to even pretend that they don’t own the media and government anymore?
trollhattan
Gosh, now I’m going to have to rethink letting my subscription lapse. I’m already missing my weekly dose of George Will wisdom on climate. And dungarees. And those nassy, nassy Democrats.
Climbing into bed with big ahl makes so much slippery sense, but where’s the love for big coal?
ChrisZ
But of course it’s in the best interest of energy companies to realistically assess the consequences of climate change. I mean, they want to survive long term too, don’t they? It’s just like listening to bankers about the economy. They benefit from a good economy, so they want to be truthful about this stuff. It’s not like the CEOs can make their millions and get out before things get bad or anything.
Mike G
I’m already missing my weekly dose of George Will wisdom on climate. And dungarees.
And that dangerous subversive Everly Brothers and Pat Boone jungle music, sapping our precious bodily fluids in the fight against the Communists. I can’t even calculate on my slide rule how damaging they are.
Eric U.
I’m pining for the days when “conservative” did not mean “corporate whore” to the extent that it does nowadays. The two things that Republicans stand for are lower taxes and corporate whoredom. I can’t believe the party that was unwilling to tolerate the slightest chance of a terrorist attack is willing to take the bet that climate change is not going to fundamentally change our way of life. It’s one of those things that shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but it is. And for that matter, I don’t see why the oil companies don’t see an opportunity here as well. They certainly have the money to invest if they stop giving it to their executives.
liberal
I think this comes under Atrios’ heading of “time to convene another blogger ethics panel.”
liberal
@Eric U.:
I think the problem is that it likely won’t change our way of life, but rather that of our children, but more especially our children’s children.
The oil companies make their money by exploiting scarcity rents. IMHO that is harder to do with the replacements for fossil fuels.
WyldPiratd
Comrade Dread@10
’m skeptical of Climate Change projections.
Really. Perhaps you should read more. The consensus amongst climatologists is that the best models of climate change are too consrvative and that warming is more rapid; particularly in the high northern latitudes.
Yes. SATSQ.
liberal
@ChrisZ:
I assume you wrote that sarcastically, because of course they can.
Right-wingers would rather the earth burn than give up their opportunities to parasitically collect economic rent.
liberal
@El Cid:
The idiots in VA can’t even raise taxes to update their road infrastructure, which suffers from really bad gridlock. No way in hell they’re going to make any sacrifices for preventing climate change.
Michael
BYOPJ: Bring your own petroleum jelly.
ChrisZ
@liberal:
Good assumption!
Shell
Or our children’s children’s children. Oh, wait. That’s a Moody Blues album.
bobbo
Maybe this is so obvious that no one has mentioned it, but Newsweek is owned by the Washington Post Co. Blogger ethics panel indeed.
An Outhouse
“and, as moderator, ”
What needs moderating? Are the oil lobbyists going to be duking it out?
Mike G
It’s not like the CEOs can make their millions and get out before things get bad or anything.
Quarterly profits uber alles.
If they have to rape and destroy the planet, or a few employees die from negligence, who gives a shit? They’ll be retired to Hilton Head before the fit hits the shan. Corporate America is loaded with psychopaths.
thomas
Mr Kaplan, time for your tounge bath
brantl
This is an invitation-only event in a Senate meeting room? Since this is the taxpayers’ dimes paying for the meeting room, how do these assholes get away with this?
BruceFromOhio
Well, Meacham said he wanted to shed subscribers. Not renewing my subscription will assist him in achieving that goal.
Comrade Dread
Well, if the end of the world comes and we’re all forced to live on boats and scrounge for food, can we at least all agree to eat the shameless whores in the media, government, and energy industries first?
justme
@Michael: Yeah, I was just thinking of the poor sonuvabitch whose job it is to clean that room afterward. It’s going to make mucking out the booths at Show-World seem pleasant.