Even though the historic Democratic climate bill — coyly named the Inflation Reduction Act — has been secretly in works for months, the timing of its passing on Sunday had the air of an emergency. The hot, humid weather on the East Coast that surrounded the Senate building where the "vote-a-rama" was held was universally described as "oppressive," with a dangerous heat index reaching into the triple digits. The feeling is made worse by the understanding that these record heats aren't an anomaly, but the new normal for a planet that has already gained 1.1 Celsius in average temperatures and keeps getting hotter. This heat follows other apocalyptic weather events, including the horrific floods in Kentucky that have killed at least 3 dozen people.
While President Joe Biden heads to the Bluegrass State on Monday to survey the suffering caused by the floods, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks he knows who the real bad guys are: The Democrats who are trying to do something to slow down such catastrophic weather.
