{"id":6087,"date":"2017-06-06T13:58:57","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T18:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/?p=6087"},"modified":"2017-06-06T13:58:57","modified_gmt":"2017-06-06T18:58:57","slug":"trump-and-paris-spite-as-a-guiding-principle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/trump-and-paris-spite-as-a-guiding-principle\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump and Paris: Spite as a Guiding Principle"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;Conservative politics is now less about ideas than about making the right enemies cry out in anguish.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iGTsVaZh6N\">https:\/\/t.co\/iGTsVaZh6N<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SykesCharlie\/status\/863108119047675904\">May 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesFallows\/status\/870386378047012864\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"6088\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/trump-and-paris-spite-as-a-guiding-principle\/us-coal-jobs-since-1890\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890.jpg?fit=1024%2C695&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1024,695\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"US coal jobs since 1890\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890.jpg?fit=1024%2C695&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6088 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890-300x204.jpg?resize=300%2C204\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890.jpg?resize=300%2C204&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890.jpg?resize=768%2C521&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/US-coal-jobs-since-1890.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Jonathan Chait <a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/everything-conservatives-said-about-paris-is-already-wrong.html?mid=full-rss-nymag\">comments on\u00a0DJT&#8217;s decision to leave the Paris climate agreement<\/a>. \u00a0The interesting observation here &#8211; for me, at least &#8211; is the &#8220;why?&#8221; part. \u00a0Every factual statement Trump made in arguing for the pull-out is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/fact-checker\/wp\/2017\/06\/01\/fact-checking-president-trumps-claims-on-the-paris-climate-change-deal\/?utm_term=.e6a2466992e6&amp;wpisrc=nl_most&amp;wpmm=1\">simply<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drvox\/status\/870363383916253184\">false<\/a>. \u00a0The agreement does not give <a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/no-trump-china-and-india-arent-stealing-our-coal-jobs.html?utm_source=nym&amp;utm_medium=f1&amp;utm_campaign=feed-part\">China and India the advantages he claims<\/a>. \u00a0Coal is on the wane because it has been displaced by cheaper and cleaner alternatives, and coal jobs &#8211; which have been <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesFallows\/status\/870386378047012864\">disappearing for 100 years<\/a> &#8211; will not be brought back by this. \u00a0Green energy is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2017\/06\/05\/solars-rise-in-north-carolina-lifted-blue-collar-workers-now-theyre-worried-about-trump\/?utm_term=.6b29e71165b4\">actually creating jobs<\/a>, which Trump&#8217;s actions may scuttle. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/fact-checker\/wp\/2017\/06\/01\/fact-checking-president-trumps-claims-on-the-paris-climate-change-deal\/?utm_term=.e6a2466992e6&amp;wpisrc=nl_most&amp;wpmm=1\">Etc, etc.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>No, this is a more elemental decision. \u00a0Josh Marshall talks about how it was driven by &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/edblog\/paris-was-driven-by-the-president-rage-and-fear\">rage and fear<\/a>,&#8221; and he&#8217;s not wrong about that. \u00a0I think &#8220;spite&#8221; captures it well, too, and also describes the glee Trump and many of his followers get from hearing the cries of anguish from those of us they live to hate.<\/p>\n<p>Is this any way for grown-ups to conduct themselves? \u00a0No one in the administration can be accused of having any concern for the earth, but maybe they could give some thought to our nation&#8217;s credibility in future interactions with the rest of the world. \u00a0No?<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s Jonathan Chait (heavily excerpted &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/everything-conservatives-said-about-paris-is-already-wrong.html?mid=full-rss-nymag\">click through for the whole thing<\/a>). \u00a0More readings below&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/everything-conservatives-said-about-paris-is-already-wrong.html?mid=full-rss-nymag\">Everything Conservatives Said About the Paris Climate Agreement Is Already Wrong<\/a><\/h2>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee20bi0067x2y6yjzon3jf@published\" data-word-count=\"116\">The Trump administration\u2019s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement will not end the global effort to limit the effects of climate change. In the immediate time frame \u2014 say, Trump\u2019s first term \u2014 it will have little effect, and may even spur a backlash as the rest of the world redoubles its commitment to action (China and the European Union have already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/585f1946-45e2-11e7-8519-9f94ee97d996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">taken steps<\/a> to do so). It will, however, slow and impair international diplomacy. The next American government that tries to negotiate on climate change will be handicapped by the suspicion that it won\u2019t abide by its commitments, undercutting American leadership and making it more difficult to secure cooperation from other countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptd006b9uyek1gjzo13@published\" data-word-count=\"36\">The question is, what purpose does this serve? What economic or philosophical policy goal is advanced? The answer is that it satisfies the same elemental partisan tribalism that has allowed Trump to hold together his party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptd006b9uyek1gjzo13@published\" data-word-count=\"36\">&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptd006b9uyek1gjzo13@published\" data-word-count=\"36\">The dominant spirit of conservative thought \u2014 or, more precisely, verbal gestures that seek to resemble thought \u2014 is not even skepticism but a trolling impulse. The aim is not so much to reason toward a policy conservatives would favor as to pierce the liberal claim to the moral high ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptd006b9uyek1gjzo13@published\" data-word-count=\"36\">&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ppi006bx2y6qd44zize@published\" data-word-count=\"112\">I am highlighting it [i.e., the particular, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/democrats-apocalyptic-global-warming-rhetoric-doesnt-match-their-actions\/article\/2624555\">representative conservative column<\/a> Chait is citing] because it\u2019s close at hand (having run yesterday) and captures the predominant (though not, of course, universal) style of argument on the subject. It contains a defiant refusal to take the policy questions seriously, combined with a gleeful reproach of the urgency with which liberals view the issue. A crude tribalistic impulse overrides any reckoning with the problem. The proximate issue in conservative minds is not climate change itself but the fact that liberals are concerned about all these things. Disintegrating ice shelves, extinctions, or droughts are abstractions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2pps005ej1y6c7u53aom@published\" data-word-count=\"55\">It is similar to the predominant response to liberal terror over the prospect of handing the most powerful office in the world to an impulsive congenital liar with authoritarian tendencies. Conservatives on the whole devoted less attention to pondering the risks Trump might pose to their own country and party than enjoying the liberal tears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2pq1004k9oyej4tmuk3g@published\" data-word-count=\"72\">\u201cEverybody who hates Trump wants him to stay in Paris,\u201d argues conservative activist Grover Norquist. \u201cEverybody who respects him, trusts him, voted for him, wishes for him to succeed, wants him to pull out.\u201d Here is an argument that approaches, even if it does not fully reach, complete self-awareness: The Paris climate agreement is bad because it is supported by people who oppose Trump. Therefore, the opposing position is the correct one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptw006cx2y6brb64mw5@published\" data-word-count=\"34\">If the liberal global elites have established a policy architecture to minimize the threat of climate change, weakening that policy architecture is its own reward. There is not much more to it than that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptw006cx2y6brb64mw5@published\" data-word-count=\"34\">Spite as a guiding principle. \u00a0Voters in the world&#8217;s greatest democracy should hold ourselves to higher standards than this.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cj3ee2ptw006cx2y6brb64mw5@published\" data-word-count=\"34\">Additional reading:<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=twitter.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesFallows\/status\/870386378047012864\">James Fallows on Twitter: &#8220;Cannot make this point often enough: coal mining employment in the US has been falling for almost 100 years. https:\/\/t.co\/E21gu3w2HK https:\/\/t.co\/ZKzBTwVd4f&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=www.washingtonpost.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/fact-checker\/wp\/2017\/06\/01\/fact-checking-president-trumps-claims-on-the-paris-climate-change-deal\/?utm_term=.cc49c775c78e&amp;wpisrc=nl_most&amp;wpmm=1\">Fact-checking President Trump\u2019s claims on the Paris climate change deal &#8211; The Washington Post<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=twitter.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drvox\/status\/870363383916253184\">David Roberts on Twitter: &#8220;If Trump says something true, I will notify you all.&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=talkingpointsmemo.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"http:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/edblog\/paris-was-driven-by-the-president-rage-and-fear\">Paris Decision Was Driven By the President\u2019s Rage and Fear \u2013 Talking Points Memo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=twitter.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jimtankersley\/status\/870366493560758273\">Jim Tankersley on Twitter: &#8220;I saw John McCain give this climate riff in New Hampshire in late 2007. I think about it a lot. https:\/\/t.co\/nWOys7tX3a https:\/\/t.co\/KHkKO5Lyay&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=twitter.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesFallows\/status\/869951268566872064\">James Fallows on Twitter: &#8220;Recommend this thread on what leaving Paris accord does and doesn\u2019t do. &#8211; Hurts planet somewhat &#8211; Hurts US, in different ways, more https:\/\/t.co\/9dQRl7PnHU&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=nymag.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/trump-picks-most-ironic-place-in-world-for-anti-france-rally.html?utm_source=nym&amp;utm_medium=f1&amp;utm_campaign=feed-part\">Trump Picks Most Ironic Place in World for Anti-France Rally<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=nymag.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/no-trump-china-and-india-arent-stealing-our-coal-jobs.html?utm_source=nym&amp;utm_medium=f1&amp;utm_campaign=feed-part\">No, Trump, China and India Aren\u2019t Stealing Our Coal Jobs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=nymag.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/06\/scott-pruitt-is-as-wrong-about-coal-jobs-as-climate-change.html?utm_source=nym&amp;utm_medium=f1&amp;utm_campaign=feed-part\">Scott Pruitt Is As Wrong About Coal Jobs As Climate Change<\/a><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=www.washingtonpost.com\" \/>\u00a0<a class=\"clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2017\/06\/05\/solars-rise-in-north-carolina-lifted-blue-collar-workers-now-theyre-worried-about-trump\/?utm_term=.c1c2daeefa56\">Fighting climate change saved these workers&#8217; jobs. Now they are worried about Trump &#8211; The Washington Post<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<!-- sktbuilder starter --><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder\/sktbuilder-frontend-starter.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder-wordpress-driver.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> var starter = new SktbuilderStarter({\"mode\": \"prod\", \"skip\":[\"jquery\",\"underscore\",\"backbone\"],\"sktbuilderUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder\/\", \"driver\": new SktbuilderWordpressDriver({\"ajaxUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\", \"iframeUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/trump-and-paris-spite-as-a-guiding-principle\/?sktbuilder=true\", \"pageId\": 6087,  \"nonce\": \"d03d089818\", \"pages\": [{\"title\":\"NTD Officers\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/napervilledemocrats.org\\\/ntdo\\\/wp-admin\\\/post.php?post=475&action=sktbuilder\"},{\"title\":\"2022 Election\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/napervilledemocrats.org\\\/ntdo\\\/wp-admin\\\/post.php?post=11490&action=sktbuilder\"}], \"page\": \"Trump and Paris: Spite as a Guiding Principle\" }) });<\/script><!-- end sktbuilder starter -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Conservative politics is now less about ideas than about making the right enemies cry out in anguish.&#8221; https:\/\/t.co\/iGTsVaZh6N \u2014 Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) May 12, 2017 Jonathan Chait comments on\u00a0DJT&#8217;s decision<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/trump-and-paris-spite-as-a-guiding-principle\/\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[32,91,171],"class_list":["post-6087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chait","tag-climate-change","tag-trump"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BzCg-1Ab","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6087"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6092,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6087\/revisions\/6092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}