Weather is Not Climate, but It Is Something to Watch

Amy Klobuchar, for example, knew full well that there would be a snowstorm during her announcement. It made a dramatic backdrop for her, and set her up as the tough Midwestern presidential candidate, able to take on whatever Nature dishes out. We all remember Donald Trump refusing to visit a fallen soliders' cemetery in Europe over a little drizzle.

Weather affects elections. Donald Trump hid out in the White House during several major weather emergencies, only venturing out to visit storm damaged areas after all danger had passed. People remember stuff like that.

Climate affects weather. The Trump Administration is a global climate change denier. In fact, the man makes illiterate jokes about "global warming." On the other side of the issue, it was clearly pointed out that climate change and global warming were partly responsible for the January Polar Plunge that caused so much trouble. The news regularly announces that recent years are the warmest on record around the world, and we're seeing images of gigantic holes in Antarctic glaciers.

Our Democratic presidential hopefuls are going out into the weather and facing it head-on. They're taking on Trump's foolishness and letting the wind blow it back in his face. This week, the entire nation is affected by strong weather systems. Let's see how Trump handles that and how our Democratic candidates deal with it, as well.

Who knows? Our next Democratic nominee may be someone like Jim Cantore, who can always be found in the worst possible area in any major storm. We need a candidate who will walk out and lean into the wind, rather than hiding from it.