Summary

In the previous chapter, Mayer applauded the Tea Party’s ability to capitalize on economic instability by blaming big government, establishment politics, and government spending. Similarly, Mayer uses this chapter to emphasize that “the same forces stirring the Tea Party” were able to “expertly channel the public outrage at government against scientific experts,” resulting in detrimental environmental policies (198). One scientific expert in particular that Mayer references is Michael Mann, whose decade-long study on climate change concluded that “human beings were endangering the earth’s climate by burning too much oil, gas, and coal” (198). Mann admittedly was not a political person, but his scientific findings forced him to regard climate change as one of the most pressing political and social issues facing the world. Mayer agrees, claiming that the fossil fuel industry proved to be the biggest and wealthiest opponent of the Obama administration...