GOP Sen. Mike Lee used velociraptors, Tauntauns, and Aquaman's seahorse to argue against the Green New Deal
Ronald Reagan riding a velociraptor while firing a gun at his Soviet rivals. Luke Skywalker riding a Tauntauns on the ice planet Hoth. Aquaman emerging from the sea on the back of a giant seahorse.
Those were just some of the most striking visuals that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) propped up on an easel stand during the session before the Senate's procedural vote on the Green New Deal, a plan to revamp the U.S. economy to eliminate carbon emissions introduced this year by freshman congresswoman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). At first glance, it is clear that context is sorely needed.
When Lee had the floor he declared that he wasn't afraid of the Green New Deal like some of his colleagues. Instead, he said, he would consider the proposal with "the seriousness" it deserved, prompting his use of the wild images.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Velociraptors, he said, had as little to do with ending the Cold War as the Green New Deal will have in stopping climate change.
Then the performance began. A deadpan Lee said that without the airplanes the deal mulls eventually banning, Alaskans will have to get around on "carbon-neutral" Tauntauns, a fictional "reptomammal" from the Star Wars universe. Hawaiians, meanwhile, will have to resort to crossing the Pacific Ocean on the backs of giant seahorses. Lee did admit what we're all thinking, however. "It would be really, really awesome," he said. Watch Lee's speech here starting from the 2:08:36 mark.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published