The entrance of Caroline Fayard into the Louisiana senate race seemed at first a potentially positive development. Firm stances on equal pay and minimum wage. Fresh face, possible moderate appeal. All good.
Following the candidates’ positions over the months, I’ve been drawn more and more to Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell’s campaign. His knowledge of energy issues and commitment to renewables is a plus, and he leads the candidates in his advocacy for coastal restoration. Still, I’ve kept an eye on Fayard in hopes of seeing a real left-side challenge to the rather conventional machinist Campbell.
Well, there’s one decision made. The New Orleans Advocate asked 8 senate candidates their positions on anthropogenic global warming and got back seven standard GOP responses, including one from ostensible Democrat Fayard.
While acknowledging the phenomenon is real and that it represents “a challenge of our time,” Fayard stoops to the favorite ‘Pub dodge when asked to identify the root cause of this “challenge.”
“I’m not a scientist.”
The same basic response given by all other candidates in the race but one.
“Nineteen out of the top 20 scientists in the world believe we have global warming,” Campbell said. “It’s because of problems we’ve done as humans. It’s a priority with me.”
See, we don’t expect our elected representatives to all be scientists. Or economists or geologists or structural engineers. We instead rely on them to actually pay attention to the actual experts when making policies in those areas.
Ms. Fayard has expressed support for many worthwhile policies. She may find the right outlet for her desire to serve. The US Senate is not that place.
Louisiana is, to my knowledge, the first state to begin relocating US citizens because of the effects of climate change. Parroting the Koch-penned, ALEC-approved, go-to Republican non-denial denial on THE “challenge of our time” should disqualify anyone from representing us in the Senate.
And really, ma’am, if we needed more not-a-scientists, there’s already a party for that.