The Pope And The Dopes

As we noted last week, right-wing Republicans are all aflutter (not in a good way, of course) about Pope Francis' anticipated encyclical on global climate change, a draft of which was leaked earlier this week.  Because politics! Remember these are the same hypocrites that were very happy when the previous two Gucci-wearing, pedophile-protecting Popes were providing political cover for the Republican Party in fighting contraception, abortion rights and same sex marriage.  But when a Pope talks about protecting the planet, well, let's hear from the thought leader of the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party himself, "Oxycontin Rush" Limbaugh:

The Vatican (without naming me, of course, 'cause I'm just a peon) started denying it left and right. "The Pope is not Marxist! This is an extreme characterization of the pontiff's remarks. There's no way." But I stood by it at the time. I caught a heck of a lot of grief from the Drive-By Media for pointing out early on that Il Papa sounded like a Marxist

Well, this global warming encyclical -- that may be Latin for "rant" -- seems to confirm it. (I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I know that encyclical is not Latin for "rant." I just watched Trump.)

But he doesn't even disguise it folks in this encyclical. Doesn't even disguise it! Every other word seems to be about how unfettered capitalism is destroying the world and how the rich countries have to give more money to the poor countries to make amends. I mean, that's -- call it what you want -- Marxism, socialism, what have you. But if this thing is real, then it leaves no doubt here what the political leanings or inclinations of the of the of the pontiff are.

And Jesus was Trotsky.  That's a large, putrid pile of flesh right there, folks. (There are other, smaller putrid piles of flesh also - on Fox "News" of course.)

Then there's the "Smart Bush," Jeb! (a.k.a., John Ellis Bush), a Catholic convert who also doesn't want to mix politics and religion, except when he does:

“I hope I’m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home, but I don’t get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope,” Mr. Bush said. “And I’d like to see what he says as it relates to climate change and how that connects to these broader, deeper issues before I pass judgment. But I think religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm.”

That Pope Francis is aligning himself with the progressive agenda on income inequality and now on global climate change isn't something these profoundly cynical and malevolent right-wingers can bear, it seems.  It's no a teachable moment, not when it contradicts their marching orders from the billionaire fossil fuels barons that generously fund their reactionary politics. With the issuance of the Pope's encyclical tomorrow and the Pope's visit to the United States later this year, the moral and existential issue of global climate change will be unavoidable, no matter how much these moral midgets would wish otherwise.