2018.02.27
And we know this, because there are in fact rigorous, honest, intelligent Conservative writers who come right out and state the position that the state should not intervene in climate change. They're wrong, but at least they're honest and clear about the reality we're living in. The problem is, no one likes them, because they shatter the Conservative Identity of, "I'm a responsible person and also I don't believe in Big Government." Climate change is the big test of identity, because if it IS real, then the only choices are: "I don't believe in Big Government and am irresponsible when it comes to the fate of the world" and "I am responsible when it comes to the fate of the world and Big Government is the only solution." [...]You can view this through a Moral Foundations Theory lens; climate and health hit the liberals Care vs Harm foundation hard core, but conservatives have so many other things going term of Ingroup vs Subversion and Liberty vs Opression that they are compelled to turn to idiotic immoral outrages like "facts don't matter!!!" instead of owning up to how destructive and self-centered their views are.
At a basic level, all of the policies of the GOP can be summed up this same way: "we don't want to." We all know that healthcare is good, and that universal healthcare is a good, effective system of getting it for people -- all the data is very clear. The GOP position isn't that it doesn't work, it's that they don't want to do it. The fact that other people will die doesn't matter. They don't care! They don't care they don't care they don't care.