Obama Compares Republicans To Flat Earthers

One thing I’ve always disliked about the Democrats is that they often allow the Republicans and right wing noise machine to demonize them without fighting back. They generally allow Republicans to get away with mischaracterizing their positions, and yet fail to confront Republicans for views which really are bat-shit crazy. Therefore I was pleased to see this from Obama:

President Obama blasted his Republican critics Thursday for their resistance to investing in alternative energy sources, comparing their stance to the beliefs of those who thought that Christopher Columbus would sail off the edge of the world.

In another in a series of speeches defending his energy policies, Obama touted his push for green energy growth — including wind and solar power, electric cars and biofuels — as a way to help wean the nation from a dependence on foreign oil. And he mocked his rivals for failing to embrace his ideas.

“If some of these folks were around when Columbus set sail, they probably must have been founding members of the flat earth society. They would not believe that the world was round,” Obama told an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of students at Prince George’s Community College in Largo. “Maybe they would have agreed with one of the pioneers of the radio who apparently said, ‘Television won’t last. It’s a flash in the pan.’ ”

Obama’s remarks marked his latest attempt to win public support for what he calls an “all of the above” energy strategy aimed at boosting domestic production of oil and natural gas, while also improving auto efficiency and investing in green energy.

The president’s rivals have belittled his approach, calling for him to take stronger action to boost drilling and approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has mocked Obama for calling algae a potential source of energy.

In his remarks, Obama painted his administration as forward-looking and his critics as stuck in the past.

“Lately, we’ve heard a lot of professional politicians, lot of folks running for certain office, they’ve been talking down new sources of energy,” Obama said. Later he added: “Why would someone who wants to lead the country ignore the facts?”

The linked article also states that Obama’s approval has been falling due to raising gas prices. There has been considerable talk about the poll which claimed to show this, with considerable evidence being presented to question this finding, along with this poll being an outlier, with most recent polls showing an increase in Obama’s approval. Rather than dwelling over a single poll, it would be better to follow the trend over time with further polls.