Romney Climate Change Apathy is Despicable

As Hurricane Sandy stressed to New Yorkers this week, “climate change isn’t a joke.” With 48 hours before Election Day, climatesilence.org wants to remind voters that back in August, Republicans were laughing at President Obama’s plan to “slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet.” In Sandy’s wake, the group created this painfully gripping ad, which it is hoping to air in a handful of states before Tuesday: 

In the aftermath of the mammoth hurricane that struck the Northeast earlier this week, shell-shocked New Yorkers turned to their elected officials for guidance. Both Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NY) used the opportunity to address the grim reality of climate change, in no uncertain terms. “I think part of learning from [Sandy] is the recognition that climate change is a reality, extreme weather is a reality, it is a reality that we are vulnerable,” said Governor Cuomo, post-storm. Climate scientists have long arrived at a consensus that such change is real, and many now believe the change is “moving faster than predicted.”

Whether or not ClimateSilence’s ad ultimately airs, its online presence is yet another blow to Governor Romney’s faltering campaign. Mayor Bloomberg’s official endorsement of the president, coupled with Governor Chris Christie’s unofficial endorsement and the swift federal response to disaster-stricken areas, point to an Obama campaign renaissance. Now, in the final hours of the race, the president must channel this momentum to ensure he clinches electoral votes still up for grabs.