Seventy percent of Americans believe global warming is probably happening, and 62 percent believe human activity is causing it. Among Republicans, 58 percent believe it is happening, and 50 percent believe human activity is the cause.
How should conservatives react to these findings? The typical strategy so far has been to deny, deny, and deny, either the evidence of global warming or the human link or both. The result has made Republicans seem out of touch to swing voters (74 percent of Independents think global warming is happening, and 63 percent think humans are causing it), and seem oblivious to environmental concerns.
Savvy conservatives should envision a different approach. Let’s get out of denial, and start using the widespread acceptance of global warming as a way to create American jobs, decrease dependence on foreign oil, and improve our environment. A carbon cap can do all three, as other postings here spell out. But the first step is to start thinking about global warming in a new way, as an opportunity to accomplish goals all conservatives share, rather than viewing it as just another left-wing snow job.
As a Republican pollster who has spent many years helping to elect people like Carroll Campbell, Paul Coverdell, Bill Frist, Lamar Alexander, and Lindsey Graham, I have seen how creative Republicans can turn issues considered to be the province of the left to the advantage of conservatives. Global warming offers a similar opportunity.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 at 11:14 am and is filed under Cap and Trade, Climate Change, Oil and Gas, Politics/Government . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
