By Joe Kovacs
Barack Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016.
Former President Barack Obama dropped a political bombshell about coronavirus on Tuesday, claiming the global pandemic a result of denials about so-called man-made climate change.
“We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic,” Obama tweeted.
“We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial.”
Obama also urged people to use this pandemic as another reason to vote in the upcoming election.
We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. https://t.co/K8Ucu7iVDK
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 31, 2020
Obama’s stunning message caught the attention of radio host Rush Limbaugh.
“Who denied the warnings of a pandemic?” Asked Limbaugh. “Trump didn’t do it. The Democrats did. … There are pictures of [Nancy] Pelosi in Chinatown urging people to come out [in public amid the coronavirus pandemic].”
“In all of this, Obama’s worried about climate change which is something we can’t control,” he continued.
“It’s the weather. People who tell you it’s not the weather are lying to you. … We don’t have this kind of power.”
Limbaugh called Obama “irresponsible” for the tweet, lamenting how “climate change is somehow a more pressing issue than something that is destroying the U.S. economy. … We are letting this destruction of the U.S. economy happen.”
Obama’s remarks also sparked a wide variety of reactions on Twitter, including:
- “Thank you Mr. President for your steadfastness and voice of reason during perilous times. You are correct, the denial of warnings of a pandemic has had catastrophic consequences, among them, sickness and death. Blood is on the hands of the POTUS and his inept administration.”
- “Donald Trump knew in January dangers of Coronavirus. Didn’t buy, produce mass tests. Didn’t push social distancing until mid-March. Used microphone to distort, distract severity of COVID19 to flu. Continues to lie about treatments; over factual, medical and scientific information.”
- “Don’t use this opportunity to promote your Climate Change BS, the experts were all wrong on Covid-19 doomsday just like they were wrong about Climate Change doomsday.”
- “Wow!!!! You really have short term memory loss. 2009, H1N1, over 1,000,000 cases in the first 3 months. Over 12,000 deaths in the U.S. Another career politician placing blame and their failures on a person in politics for 3 years.”
Nowhere in @latimes article can you find opposition to climate change as responsible for the pandemic. But Obama is so triggered by rollback of his EPA rules that he’s attempting to blame climate opponents anyway. #WuhanVirus @GinaEPA @CJRucker @CFACT @ClimateDepot @Tony__Heller
— dark_poplar (@dark_poplar) March 31, 2020
