21. And before team Yglesias responds by saying "yeah, but it's bad politics to run on climate and energy"... I'd point out that I've won 4 elections in a very purple district running on climate and energy. Pro-tip: leadership is possible! You don't have to be stupid to win!

12. And if we want to talk about the politics, here's some easy math: there are a lot more voters who consume energy than there are who produce energy. If you're confused on that point, you might be a crappy pundit...

8. In 2012, the US was a net importer of oil and domestic production, after decades of decline was ticking up thanks to fracking. Today, the US is a net exporter. Couple that with concerns about middle east politics in 2012 and you have a VERY different set of issues for US energy consumers.

7. But even beyond the political conversation, you can't compare 2012 energy policy to 2025 without understanding the massive shift in US fossil energy production & net imports over that period. Look at the "net imports" line on this chart.

6. That election had a robust debate over the gulf war and criticism of the size of the 2008 bailout. Romney was framed as an out of touch plutocrat. To the extent energy came up it was the criticism of the Dems for Waxman Markey cap & trade in 2009, not "thank you for drilling".

5. But enough on climate. This is an opinion piece and if MY's opinion is that we shouldn't act on climate at a scale sufficient to the threat there's not much I can do. Let's go to the facts. First, the idea that Obama won in 2012 because he embraced an all-of-the-above strategy. Really?

4. Yglesias instead seems to implicitly argue that politicians should only do what wins elections, virtue be damned. One wonders what he thinks of those foolish 1850s abolitionists. As Condleeza Rice once said, politics is the art of making the impossible inevitable. That ain't this.

3. Leadership is about doing what is necessary, not just what is popular. Read literally anything our founders wrote about virtue, and the inherent risks to a society based on democratic processes to sustain the rule of law to the extent that unvirtuous people gain power.

2. What he says about climate is patently false (more on that later) but to the extent he's saying "politicians shouldn't do the right thing unless it's popular", I'd note only that that is a toddlers view of leadership. If the popular kids are mean, should you be mean?

1. First, let's talk about the elephant in the room that he doesn't mention explicitly but haunts the whole piece: climate change is real, we've overshot the goal and the only way to turn the corner is to leave fossil fuel in the ground. To ignore that is to talk about rocketry and ignore gravity.

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