Is Now the Time for Climate Change Action?; Paycuts for Congress?; Obama Tees-Off with Tiger
COSTELLO: "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three topics, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today, L.Z. Granderson, a CNN contributor and senior writer for ESPN, and Will Cain, also a CNN contributor and analyst for "The Blaze." Welcome to you both, gentlemen.</s>L.Z.GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.</s>WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol. COSTELLO" Good morning. Hey, Obama, we don't want no climate drama. That was the big chant in Washington this weekend, as thousands and thousands urge the president to take action on climate change. For his part, Obama did urging of his own, telling Congress to move on the issue during the State of the Union.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can choose to believe that super storm Sandy and the most severe drought in decades and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence, or we can choose believe in the overwhelming judgment of science and act before it's too late.</s>COSTELLO: But with sequestration looming and high unemployment, our question, is now the time for climate change legislation? L.Z.?</s>GRANDERSON: Yes and no. I think we're going to have a difficult time using that exact language, but I think we can pass things like an emissions tax to talk about using that money to help repair roads. So we're addressing the climate issue without using that language that seems to make people bristle for some reason.</s>COSTELLO: Will?</s>CAIN: No. Look, here's the deal. Climate change regulation is designed to increase the price of carbon, which means pricing out essentially poor families, poor children from lighting their homes, from heating their homes, from getting access to electricity. It's not going to price out you and me. That's the purpose of it, right? Set against the background of, what, we just saw a draft memo a couple of weeks ago the International Panel on Climate Change and prediction in temperature increases were wildly overstated. As they have been the last 20 years. Now is not the time for climate change. Get your research in order, make your case.</s>COSTELLO: Speaking of sequestration, 10 days and counting until the massive spending cuts go into effect. One thing on the chopping block, cuts to federal pay. That includes Congress and their paychecks. Well, that doesn't sit well with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.</s>REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) MINORITY LEADER: It's a hard question to ask me because most of my colleagues are the bread winners in their families. A pay cut to me doesn't mean as much. I don't think we should do it. I think we should respect the work we do.</s>COSTELLO: Pelosi said pay cuts would hurt the dignity of the politicians' jobs. Question, should Congress' paychecks be exempt from budget cuts? Will?</s>CAIN: Was that a dramatic pause you inserted there?</s>COSTELLO: I almost couldn't say it.</s>CAIN: I don't mind burning some of my 30 seconds on that. Here's the deal. You can't hurt Congress' dignity any lower than it already is. I think the public polling is equivalent to cockroaches. I want to be contrarian so bad on this so bad and defend her somehow. But, so here's the deal. Let's not reduce their pay. Let's reduce their work hours. How about that to keep dignity? They can go like the state of Texas and become a part-time legislator. I would fully endorse that. They can do less damage the less they're in Congress.</s>COSTELLO: They're not passing many bills anyway, right? L.Z.?</s>GRANDERSON: I don't feel the need to defend her or be a contrarian or anything. She's wrong. If you look at the constitution, this job she's been holding and her colleagues, as she said, have been holding was not designed for you to be a career politician, was not designed for you to live an upper middle class life for the rest of your life. It was designed for you to go to D.C., do the work in your community, and return to your community. So this notion that a pay cut is beneath us, no, what you've already done to the Congress is beneath what the original intent was.</s>CAIN: Yeah. Part-time job.</s>COSTELLO: Final question. Washington going on a bit of a break this week. Yes, Congress is on recess. While President Obama plays golf in Florida with Tiger Woods. But you'll just have to take the White House's word for it because there are not any pictures. President says, his White House is the most transparent administration in history, but in this case, maybe not because he allowed no photos. So the question, should we have the right to see President Obama play golf with Tiger Woods, L.Z.?</s>GRANDERSON: Okay, let me get this straight. Two weeks ago, we don't se any photos of President Obama skeet shooting. They release a photo, all of a sudden, why did he release this photo? It's terrible. Now he doesn't release any photos playing with Tiger, why didn't he release photos? It's terrible. We sound very schizophrenic. No, we don't need to se him playing golf with Tiger Woods.</s>COSTELLO: Will?</s>CAIN: No, I agree. This is a trivial issue. We don't need to see him playing golf with tiger woods. But it does become symbolic, right? The idea that this is the most transparent administration is gone. It's over. It's absurd. And it's not because of pictures with Tiger, it's because of issues like the drone program and the legal memoranda setting up when Americans can shoot drones at Americans. That is what busts the bubble on transparency, not Tiger Woods.</s>COSTELLO: Thank you for playing today. CNN contributors Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson. Hugh Jackman goes from being an academy award host to a nominee, and he's offering advice for this year's host, Seth McFarlane.</s>HUGH JACKMAN, ACTOR: Just be really funny and gracious and extraordinary and an entertainer for three hours in front of a live audience to 1 billion people. That's it.</s>COSTELLO: You'll hear what else he has to say about the big night.