Oh lots of people voted, but many voted to put these idiots in charge.

@2: gullible, frightened old people in swing states. on average, 21% of registered voters there. they're not freaks; they're your parents or grandparents. like my dad. and both his sisters.

note: WA state has 2 democratic senators, neither of whom was up for re-election. essentially, we had no say in this election.

this reactionary congress will pass and pass meaningless resolutions day in and day out for 2 years. they are tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

don't let it rile you.

If you didn't vote in the midterm elections last year, since the entire House was up for grabs, it doesn't matter if both your Senators weren't up for re-election. And if you didn't vote in the midterm elections, essentially you gave up your right to complain about Congress until the next time you do vote. My Senators weren't up for re-election either but made sure my vote registered to keep my progressive Representative in DC where she can continue to do some good.

@2 The same ~20% of eligible voters who thought that GWB was grand after 8 calamitous years. Often people who have no significant future dues to advanced age (most deniers will die before they change their mind) or cynics who figure they'll be gone before the shit really hits the fan. Even if they came to acknowledge that humans are causing modern climate change they'd invoke something else like Lomborg who says there are many more pressing problems than climate change or that it would destroy our economy, etc

Actually, 20 million more Americans voted for Democrats than Republicans in the mid-terms.

Blame Gerrymandering, for one, deliberate Republican vote suppression (thanks again, Supreme Court!), and the inbuilt bias against the Democratic population of cities in the Senate races.

For instance, the population of the city of Los Angeles equals that of six Red States, combined.

Those Red States are represented by 12 Senators, Los Angeles by none.

The population of the County of Los Angeles equals that of 12 Red States, combined.

Those Red States are represented by 24 Senators, the citizens of the County of Los Angeles get zero Senate representation.

Do your own math for Seattle.

Even many Red States have big, Blue cities, for all the good it does those Democratic voters in the Senate.

Which is one of the reasons we're governed by mean, stupid hicks.

Sure, get out the vote, but keep in mind that it requires extra-ordinary effort for Democrats to win the Senate.

You're not helping by berating the millions of Democrats who voted, but whose vote doesn't count.

So, as I read it, 98:1 in favor of "Climate change != hoax", but also "Climate change = Act of God" means that Congress is absolving any humancoughCORPORATE responsibility for pumping increasing amounts of CO2 into the air, thereby freeing them of any responsibility to actually do anything about it. Profits, full speed ahead!
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(fyi: != means 'not equal to')

@7 If you took the extremists out of the GOP congress delegation there would hardly be anyone left. Denying climate science or evolution is pretty crazy stuff. Hell, Ernst who was chosen by the GOP to give the state of union rebuttal routinely spouts John Bircher conspiracy theories about how the UN is out to deny property rights to farmers. In fact, the GOP seems to have adopted ~85% of the John Birch 1950's crazy ass platform.

"So climate change is happening, but it's not our fault. It's part of God's plan."

*head-desk*

One step forward, two steps back.

Joni Ernst is a product of welfare. So was I and much of my family, to one degree or another. The entire "heartland" is full of moochers, but they are so deep in self-denial that they could never admit it to themselves, let alone each other. That's how we end up with crazy representatives and ridiculous theories like Biblical inspired climate change.

Obama was 100% right when he said these folks cling to guns and religion. That's why the backlash against that statement was so strong.

"In conclusion, if you didn't vote in the midterm elections last year, you are an asshole and this is all your fault."

Dear Mr Constant: Please look up the information indication how ANY representatives (Senate/House) vote, and in who's interests they vote. I think you will find that they consistently vote according to the wishes of (a) the rich, and (2) corporations. And not anyone else.

Between the inherent biases in Senate elections (as graciously pointed out by judybrowni@6), "voting irregularities", and the fact that representatives don't listen to the vast majority of their constituencies, you might realize that voting is not having an impact.

@4: well, yeah.

but I live in Jim McDermitt's district. so it's like voting for Saddam Hussein: the outcome is not in doubt. much of Murka is exactly like this thanks to Gerrymandering. see @6's post (but it's more like 2 million, no 20).

I voted anyway.

So Rethugs are overreaching already. Goody!! Looking forward to President Obama's veto.

They had another vote so most of the Republicans could clarify they don't believe in human caused climate change. A few voted in with rationality, for which I assume they'll lose their next primary. http://www.wired.com/2015/01/senators-do…

I'm just trying to reconcile the words "Biblical" and "evidence."

Has anyone been able to find the text of the bill? Paul?

I'm beginning to think that republicans are autistic or have aspergers syndrome. Both maladies allow the person to interact socially but do not allow them any latitude in their beliefs. No sense of humor, no give and take in discussions about politics. I have a relative who is an aspergers person, and this person believes that the Bible forewarned us of drastic floods and drought, before the second coming of Christ. O.K. I said, keep me posted!