WH Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree

["Dave Farber" <dave () farber net>]

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From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: Thu, Feb 15, 2018 at 7:02 AM
Subject: WH Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree
To: Infowarrior List <infowarrior () attrition org>
CC: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>


Trump’s Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree

Because Trump has not nominated someone to head the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios is the de facto leader

        • By Scott Waldman, ClimateWire on February 14, 2018

A job that's been held by some of the nation's top scientists is now
occupied by a 31-year-old politics major from Princeton University.

And it's unlikely to change soon, observers say, leaving President Trump
without a science adviser as the administration wrestles with a severe
outbreak of the flu, lead-poisoned drinking water and record-breaking
disasters that many scientists say are sharpened by rising temperatures.

More than a year into his term, Trump hasn't identified a potential nominee
for the key position held by prominent scientists in Republican and
Democratic administrations alike. And it stands to get harder. There's a
razor-thin margin for Senate approval, and Trump's critics and supporters
could complicate the confirmation of anyone who rejects mainstream climate
science.

That means the job falls to Michael Kratsios, the deputy assistant in the
Office of Science and Technology Policy. At least for now. Kratsios
graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a political science degree and a
focus on Hellenic studies. He previously served as chief of staff to Peter
Thiel, the controversial Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump ally.

The vacancy might reflect Trump's skepticism on climate change. If the
president believes that the Senate would balk at a nominee who questions
widely accepted views on climate change, he might prefer to leave the post
open, said William Happer, an emeritus physics professor at Princeton
University who is considered a leading candidate for the job. Happer says
the Earth is experiencing a "CO2 famine."

"There is no problem from CO2," Happer said last month in an interview with
E&E News (Climatewire, Jan. 25).

The Senate showed its disapproval with ideological science nominees earlier
this month. Kathleen Hartnett White, Trump's pick to lead the Council on
Environmental Quality, withdrew when faced with flagging Senate support.
White denied that carbon dioxide was a pollutant, calling it the "gas of
life" instead.

< - >

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-rsquo-s-science-advisor-age-31-has-a-political-science-degree/



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