Bridenstine Nomination Version 2.0 (Update)
Bridenstine, Myers Nominations Again Clear Committee on Party-Line Votes, SpacePolicyOnline.com
“Four Republican Senators spoke in support of Bridenstine: Mike Lee (Utah), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), Ted Cruz (Texas), and Cory Gardner (Colorado). All pointed to Bridenstine’s background and service as a military pilot as evidence of his qualifications. Inhofe also cited Bridenstine’s ability to “speak the language of Congress” as a benefit. Cruz said Bridenstine, a former Top Gun instructor, has many characteristics similar to an astronaut and urged that if Democrats want to pick a partisan fight that it not be on space, which traditionally is a bipartisan issue. The lack of a Senate-confirmed NASA administrator for almost a year is “bad for the United States of America, bad for space, it is bad for NASA” and bad for states like Texas, Florida, and Alabama. He accused Democrats of a partisan “wall of opposition” to a “well qualified veteran, and indeed a war hero” that is not in the best interest of ensuring American leadership in space. Gardner said that industry and military space leaders in Colorado support Bridenstine along with Colorado Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter.”
With Democrats opposed, Trump’s NASA pick gets political, Washington Post
“Sen. Bill Nelson, the influential Democrat from Florida, led the charge against Bridenstine, saying he lacked the credentials to lead the space agency. “The NASA administrator should be a consummate professional who is technically and scientifically competent and a skilled executive,” he said during the confirmation hearing last year. “More importantly, the administrator must be a leader who has the ability to unite scientists, engineers, commercial space interests, policymakers and the public on a shared vision for future space exploration.” added: “Frankly, Congressman Bridenstine, I cannot see how you meet these criteria.”
Congressman Jim Bridenstine to Host Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and CEO of the Planetary Society at the State of the Union Address
“The Congressman is the nominee to be the next Administrator of NASA, and as I often say, NASA is the best brand the United States has. This means that the NASA Administrator not only works to advance space exploration, but serves as an informal ambassador of U.S. capability and optimism to the world.”
Nomination for Bridenstine to be #NASA administrator passes committee by vote of 14-13
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 18, 2018
– Bridenstine Survives His Confirmation Hearing
– Bridenstine’s Written Answers To Questions From Congress
The Administrator-nominee, by inviting Nye, the most public non-scientist battling climate-science deniers, seems determined to correct his past before he takes over Earth’s leading climate-science agency. Could be worse.
Correct his past or his past image?–it makes a difference now that NASA says that 2017 was one of the hottest years on record and solves the methane puzzle-where natural gas power plants put out between 20 to 120 times more methane pollution than previously believed.
The greenhouse gas methane is capable of trapping 86 times as much heat vs CO2 so fracking is not part of the climate change solution. Do these politicians know how much damage they themselves have contributed to planet Earth with their policies and subsidies? Also believe they should be ‘rewarded’ for these past actions, and ‘not held accountable’?
Since SLS and Orion continue without an admin, why is this bad for Alabama or Texas? Is this not suppose to be about being ‘good for America’? or ‘the long term benefits for the peaceful exploration of space’? Will the admin push funding to fuel the denial with manipulated satellite data?
Hope it’s not simply greenwashing with Nye soap.
It seems NASA is now a partisan issue because in general Republicans
oppose climate-science in addition to Trump’s appointees are tasked to
cut back agencies they were assigned to (exception DOD). Any budget
cutbacks gets political real fast.
NASA is a partisan issue generally insomuch that busy congress critters have little time to actually learn about the bills tat are put in front of them, depending therefore on the position of the party to be congruent with their own.
Nelson who has been relatively quiet in the social media world has exploded in the past week or two as he begins his campaign. Any opposition of his to Bridenstine will need to be looked at in that light. If most of his base will love him for rejecting the nomination, he’ll do it. We’ll see how his opposition and slowing the work of Congress will play out in the campaign.
Sen. Nelson has a tough row ahead of him if, as expected, our Governor decides to run against him. It is worth pointing out that Gov. Scott has a 49% approval rating, which might seem high only because the Congress and the President are so low.
Florida is one of the rarest American birds: a place where elections are actually contested.