It’s almost painful watching a fresh-faced young climate changista being the mole in the successful game of whack-a-mole that Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) plays with him following the changista’s testimony, but it’ll still make you laugh. Well, it’ll make you laugh until you pause and realize that our American government is in thrall to this same idiocy and is driving the American economy into the sewer in pursuit of climate neutrality…even as our major geopolitical enemy builds coal plants like crazy. But back to the video.

Sen. Kennedy needs no introduction, but who is Gus Schumacher and what kind of organization is Protect Our Winters, which brought him to the Senate to testify before the Senate Committee on the Budget?

Schumacher’s bio is straightforward. He’s a 23-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, although he grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He’s a competitive cross-country skier who managed to make it to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Image: Gus Schumacher (cropped). YouTube screen grab.

As one would expect from a public high school graduate who’s currently taking classes at a public university, he’s woke. We know this because of his social media, some of which Sen. Kennedy exposed during his questioning. (Schumacher’s X account seems to have been deleted since Sen. Kennedy got hold of it.)

However, if you dig down into Schumacher’s website or Instagram feed, what you really learn about the kid is that skiing is everything. That’s it. That’s what he does and what he thinks about (although he’ll also go hunting, a willingness to use arms that reflects his Alaska upbringing). To the extent he spouted wokism during 2020, it was the rote activity of young America. Mostly, he seems like a wholesome young man.

But then there’s that wokism. And that gets us to Protect Our Winters (“POW”). This is not just an amateur group of young people. Instead, it’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gets funding from major left-leaning corporations such as The North Face (which bribes customers into embracing DEI), Patagonia, and CLIF Bar. POW is all about stopping climate change and it has access to Capitol Hill, as demonstrated by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (or, you could say, Sen. WhiteCountryClub) inviting it—and Schumacher—to make a plea to spend more money on creating a carbon neutral America by 2050.

And that’s how, on March 20, Schumacher ended up testifying before the Senate Committee on the Budget. You can read his statement here. According to him, cross-country skiing isn’t as good as it used to be and that’s all because of climate change. As you can see, he throws around a lot of erudite-sounding phrases and conclusions:

Climate change has dramatically altered the conditions for winter sports, including Nordic skiing.

[snip]

The delicate balance required for optimal skiing conditions—sufficient snowfall, cold temperatures, and stable weather patterns—is being disrupted at an alarming rate.

[snip]

Additionally, the loss of snowpack and glaciers due to warming temperatures threatens the long-term viability of Nordic skiing regions.

[snip]

The environmental changes wrought by climate change have cascading effects on ecosystems and wildlife habitats. Species that rely on cold, snowy environments for survival, such as the iconic polar bear or the elusive Arctic fox, are facing unprecedented challenges as their habitats shrink and fragment.

[snip]

Investing in renewable energy, promoting sustainable land management practices, and supporting initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are critical steps in addressing the root causes of climate change.

[snip]

We must also prioritize adaptation measures to ensure the resilience of our communities and outdoor recreation infrastructure in the face of a changing climate. This includes investing in snowmaking technologies, diversifying recreational offerings, and fostering partnerships between government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations to enhance climate resilience.

[snip]

Thank you for your attention, and I welcome any questions you may have.

It’s that last emphasized sentence that was Schumacher’s undoing because Sen. Kennedy had lots of questions. Given that polished, erudite presentation, Kennedy wanted to know more about Schumacher’s understanding of the climate, starting with carbon dioxide, its ubiquity in the climate, the costs of remediation, and the benefits of remediation. More than five minutes of embarrassing hilarity ensued:

The poor kid would have been better prepared going in if he looked at any conservative climate change video on YouTube and read the indoctrination statement that Google automatically appends to such videos, complete with a link to the anti-American United Nations.

Part of me is sorry for Schumacher for being roped into appearing the fool, even though, in his own dim way, he did hold his own, so kudos to him for that.

What’s more disturbing is that the Schumachers of the world are driving America’s economic agenda. Just last week, Biden revealed EPA rules that will end gas-powered cars, never mind that Americans are learning to hate electric vehicles and that we lack the infrastructure to support them. But Biden didn’t act unilaterally; he’s issuing regulations because Congress passed a bill telling him to do so.

So maybe Schumacher isn’t so funny after all. This uninformed climate sheep is one of the same herd that is leading our nation off a cliff.