Deb Haaland, first Native American picked to run Interior Dept. says: "It’s not about me." It’s about "all of us." https://t.co/edwKhlbVqA
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 23, 2021
Joe Manchin has announced that he’ll vote in favor of Haaland’s confirmation, which is perceived as a good omen, after the GOP Death Cultists attacked her:
… In her opening statement, Haaland attempted to strike a delicate balance on energy and environmental policy, saying, “There’s no question that fossil energy does and will continue to play a major role in America for years to come.” But, she added, “Our climate challenge must be addressed,” and she contended that “the Department has a role in harnessing the clean energy potential of our public lands to create jobs and new economic opportunities.”
Barrasso [R-WY] said Tuesday that he feels “troubled” by some of Haaland’s positions on climate and energy issues, while Daines said he is “concerned” about proceeding with the nomination.
In one contentious exchange Tuesday, Barrasso asked Haaland to answer for a tweet from October 2020 in which she said that Republicans don’t believe in science. The GOP senator pointed out that he and several other Republican members of the committee are medical doctors and called the remark “concerning.”
“Senator, yes, if you’re a doctor, I would assume that you believe in science,” Haaland replied…
Mr. Charles P. Pierce, at Esquire:
… Surely, I don’t have to run down the long recent history of wingnut physicians who get elected and then forget everything they ever learned anywhere except at Vacation Bible School. Republican politicians have accepted lucrative ignorance as the cost of maintaining their partisan viability, and they’ve done so for decades. (The tweet that Barrasso is pretending bothered him so was Haaland’s noting that an RNC document had dropped the word “science” entirely.) Haaland was composed enough not to call out Barrasso for the disingenuous charlatan that he was being at the moment. She played her answer down the middle, promising to remember not only the land and water, but also the families that depend on the extraction industries that the previous administration* allowed to run amuck. Remember, their first Interior Secretary was Ryan Zinke, who lasted two years before being forced to resign over his connection to energy corporations back in Montana. Joe Manchin had no problem deciding to vote for him.
Proud to Be A Democrat Open Thread: Deb Haaland for Interior SecretaryPost + Comments (89)