It's Like They Take Pride in Being Ignorant

I can't stop marveling over the exchange below on today's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. The guest is John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, and minority leader in the House of Representatives. He's one of the principle national leaders of the GOP, tasked with representing the opposition and explaining its vision for national leadership. Now, observe:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you then about energy. We showed your statement on the president's decision through the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Also, you've come out against the president's proposal to cap-and-trade carbon emissions.

So what is the Republican answer to climate change? Is it a problem? Do you have a plan to address it?

BOEHNER: George, we believe that our -- all of the above energy strategy from last year continues to be the right approach on energy. That we ought to make sure that we have new sources of energy, green energy, but we need nuclear energy, we need other types of alternatives, and, yes, we need American-made oil and gas.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But that doesn't do anything when it comes to emissions, sir.

BOEHNER: When it comes to the issue of climate change, George, it's pretty clear that if we don't work with other industrialized nations around the world, what's going to happen is that we're going to ship millions of American jobs overseas. We have to deal with this in a responsible way.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So what is the responsible way? That's my question. What is the Republican plan to deal with carbon emissions, which every major scientific organization has said is contributing to climate change?

BOEHNER: George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you've got more carbon dioxide. And so I think it's clear...

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you don't believe that greenhouse gases are a problem in creating climate change?

BOEHNER: ... we've had climate change over the last 100 years -- listen, it's clear we've had change in our climate. The question is how much does man have to do with it, and what is the proper way to deal with this? We can't do it alone as one nation. If we got India, China and other industrialized countries not working with us, all we're going to do is ship millions of American jobs overseas.

I can barely wrap my head around this. The solution to climate change is American-made oil and gas? The reason we're concerned about carbon emissions is their carcinogenic properties? But carbon dioxide isn't a threat at all because we exhale it?

This is embarrassing and irresponsible, but it's also remarkably condescending to the American people. Boehner seems to think that he can throw the public non-sequiturs, internally inconsistent arguments, and junk science and expect that they'll eat it up. The minority of voters, mostly Republicans already, who are schooled enough in the talking points of denialism to nod along to this gibberish may eat it up, but the rest of the country is unlikely to be much impressed.