🧵I’m referenced in this @WSJopinion editorial today
That is great because it gives me a chance to write this thread about scientific integrity, Trump & Biden
Joe Biden gives a speech on wildfires and never mentions better forest management. wsj.com/articles/biden… via @WSJ
The @WSJopinion accurately cites my (& colleagues) research, @NOAA & the @IPCC_CH
That said, the Editorial Board posits a false equivalence between the delegitimizing words & deeds of Trump and the exaggerated hyperbole of Biden
They are not equivalent
Describing Trump administration as “anti-science” does Trump a favor — it is much, much worse
Trump & appointees are in fact “anti-competency” in complete fealty to autocracy
We see this with @NOAA @CDCgov @US_FDA @fema to name just a few
This is about governance not science
If we get sucked into a “forest management” vs “climate change” framing Trump has already won the propaganda battle
Winning this debate (whatever that means) does not restore trust, legitimacy, competency or work against autocracy
It gets RTs & excites people
But don’t do it
I have no doubt that Biden & a future Biden administration will depart from Trumpian autocratic governance
That won’t be about mouthing appropriate words about “the science” but securing respect for expertise in federal agencies among elected & appointed figures and the public
The idea that Trump’s delegitimization of federal agencies & their expertise = Biden’s exaggeration of climate change is the false equivalency
They are not remotely comparable
Which is why I question Biden’s appeals to “the science” rather than going straight to competency
Of course Biden should play things straight on climate change — it is both tactically smart & the right thing to do
But more importantly, he should avoid getting trapped in a “forest management” vs “climate change” debate that feeds red meat to partisans but little else
Bottom line:
Central issue here is competency in governance — getting stuff done, like protecting people from hazards, responding to the pandemic, decarbonizing the economy
Pretending this is about “the science” gives Trump an easy win
It is about competency & autocracy
🙏
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