Think Progress Names NewsBusters Editors 'Climate Denial Jokers'

February 17th, 2009 2:26 PM

The Clinton-founded and George Soros-backed leftwing propaganda outlet Think Progress has named two NewsBusters editors as being part of a "right-wing global warming denier propaganda machine" led by Sen. James Inhofe's communications director Marc Morano.

Along with Matt Sheffield and Noel Sheppard, the Media Research Center's Dan Gainor was also bestowed this honor.

As hysterically reported by Think Progress's Wonk Room in a piece deliciously entitled "REVEALED: Marc Morano’s Pack Of Climate Denial Jokers":

Marc Morano, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)’s environmental aide, sits at the center of the right-wing global warming denier propaganda machine — of fifty-two people. Conservative columnist Fred Barnes recently refused to tell TPM Muckraker who’s informed him “the case for global warming” is falling apart, but all signs point to Marc Morano. Morano’s “entire job,” Gristmill’s David Roberts explains, “is to aggregate every misleading factoid, every attack on climate science or scientists, every crank skeptical statement from anyone in the world and send it all out periodically in email blasts” to the right-wing echo chamber. The Wonk Room has acquired Morano’s email list, and we can now reveal the pack of climate skeptics, conservative bloggers, and corporate hacks who feed the misinformation machine.

Promoted on the Drudge Report and Fox News, Morano’s moronic misinformation enters mainstream discourse through columns by Barnes, George Will, Robert Samuelson, and others. Many in the Morano gang are funded by right-wing think tanks, though a few are committed activists, conspiracy theorists who believe their homebrew interpretations of climate data.

I'm sure I speak for all my fellow jokers when I say that I am honored to be mentioned with these highly-respected climate realists.

More importantly, if shills like TP are taking so much time naming those in the opposition, it must be because they and those that fund them know they're losing the debate.

*****Update: Another propagandist outlet DeSmogBlog has joined TP's efforts: "We'll be adding more information about each of the individuals and their organizations over the coming days."

I can't wait. For those unfamiliar with DeSmog, CEI's Chris Horner wrote about them last year:

Uh . . . “DeSmogBlog?” Actually, this is a leading alarmist organ — and their inevitable argument, which typically starts and finishes with ad hominem and promises more, is we don’t know these people so we are going to work on a smear, check back later. That’s how this industry works. First recall how the scientific source to which the media turn — in addition to Speed-Dial Jimmy Hansen — is RealClimate, a project of a green PR firm (and Mother Sheehan’s media manager), humorously created to shout down Michael Crichton’s State of Fear (and thus confirming its premise), and home-away-from-home for resident NASA alarmist Gavin Schmidt (Hansen’s spokesman), who blogs there frequently on the taxpayer’s dime.

Enjoy this excerpt from Red Hot Lies about the anti-speech crowd’s fearsome leaders (citations omitted):

Given the standard now set by the global warming industry, is it not appropriate to ponder aloud why the skeptic-smearing, ad hominem DeSmogBlog received “a huge donation” of as much as $300,000 “to start and operate” the website and public relations operation? This came from the past-president of and presumably still significant stake-holder in NETeller, “a firm that desperately needs more climate scare for their waning trade of hot air (CO2 emission allowances),” as one critic has noted. This benevolent donor, one John Lefebvre, is also currently a guest of the federal government’s correctional officers as a consequence of certain business transactions, a fact that certainly would be of great interest had he instead cast his lot with the climate optimists.

You gotta love it, and this from Tim Ball and Tom Harris.

*****Update II: I'm beginning to receive e-mail messages from folks either proud of this accomplishment or expressing regrets for being excluded from TP's list:

  • I am extremely proud to be part of this list of skeptics.  All true scientists are skeptics who must practice the scientific method of testing the validity of any hypothesis. Science and its practice are ideally apolitical so most prefer to simply practice good science out of the spotlight. The accusatory manner in which this list is circulated is testimony to the courage it takes for those identified to stand up and face the opprobrium and personal attacks directed at anyone who dares to question and challenge - that is practice science. -- Tim Ball 
  • I'm crushed by my exclusion from their list, and demand an appeal.Can't they even crib from swiped emails accurately? They'd never make it with Greenpeace who -- given they go to the lengths of pawing through my trash I've gut-bustingly laced with the output of two labradors, in hot months -- pay attention to detail.-- Chris Horner
  • I am honored to be on the list of climate jokers as AGW is indeed a joke. It is much better than to be on the deck(s) of climate criminals that are destroying our energy and economic future based on a failed theory.-- Joseph D'Aleo AMS Fellow, Certified Consultant Meteorologist/Applied Climatologist, ICECAP
  • I would love to be included in the list.  -- Hans H.J. Labohm
  • I, for one, was concerned about being left off the list. I am the founder of The National Anxiety Center (1990), a clearinghouse for information about scare campaigns designed to influence public opinion and policy. The Center maintains a website at www.anxietycenter.com. In addition, I am a blogger (http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com) whose daily posts are part of the content of www.canadafreepress.com and other websites and blogs.-- Alan Caruba
  • I am also chagrined to be off the list. -- Thomas Lifson, American Thinker
  • Oh, they have forgotten me too! http://www.schmanck.de/KlimaPresse.html
    http://www.schmanck.de/Klima.html -- Burghard Schmanck
  • Save a copy of that page.  In 40 years, it'll be invaluable to historians
    researching the McCarthyism that aided and enabled the climate alarmism of
    the early-21st century. -- Mike Asher, DailyTech
  • I'm happy to be named a joker. Like I said over at my place (http://wmbriggs.com): Climate jokers, apparently. No, not the kind of guys who might say to a
    cirrostratus cloud, “Look who just blew into town”, but those who would
    make light of “The consensus.” -- William Briggs
  • This is patently absurd. Al Gore called me an idiot through his spokesman. That ought to count for something. -- Matthew Vadum, Capital Research Center
  • There's at least one error with the list, as I am not associated with the Rocky Mountain Research Station. If I was, I might even be earning some money. Good to see the company I'm in though and looking forward to continue to be part of the moronic information machine, long may we all live and soon may we all demolish the true morons of this world, although that's quite a task as they're everywhere these days. -- Hans Schreuder (more details on request and upon payment of disclosure fees - LOL)
  • You can add me too, please. -- Piers Corbyn astrophysicist (and add 'revolutionary solar-based long range weather forecaster if you want because I am rarely described as 'conservative' which seems to be the label the GWers want to paste on us all. Anyway what have political views got to do with our insistence on climate
    realism and the application of evidence based science?)
  • They have obviously left some very deserving folks off the list. Can they be sued for reverse-slander? (slander by omission) -- Roy Spencer
  • Impeccable research once again Thinkprogress.  I haven’t used opinioneditorials.com to “flood the Web with ‘news’ and opinion, ready to be picked up by Drudge, Fox News, and the rest of the right-wing echo chamber” in years – Marc Sheppard (Proudly fighting the hype at American Thinker)