Who would have thought those pointed questions during the Republican Presidential debates would actually drive more people to question Climate Change? I know that many here sit in awe as one after another Republican Presidential candidate tries to out anti-science each other at their podium (although Huntsman has tried to bring some science back to the debate, he's considered FRINGE in his party).
The good news is this, their denialism is working in against them and no, not in the polls but it's getting more and more Americans to reconsider their position on Climate Change which means More Americans Believe the World is Warming.
What?
According to Reuters, the Republican debates is actually forcing people to question their beliefs on Global warming and they are looking around at what is going on with weather, climate issues and they are thinking, wait a minute, maybe these people are wrong!
The percentage of Americans who believe the Earth has been warming rose to 83 percent from 75 percent last year in the poll conducted Sept 8-12.
For a while now, many of those who know the earth is warming have been watching in dismay as those numbers have been going in the opposite direction. And so here we are, watching this anti-science, anti-reality movement on the right pushing people in the opposite direction.
The current front-runner, Texas Governor Rick Perry, has accused scientists of manipulating climate data while Michele Bachmann has said climate change is a hoax.
As Americans watch Republicans debate the issue, they are forced to mull over what they think about global warming, said Jon Krosnick, a political science professor at Stanford University.
And what they think is also influenced by reports this year that global temperatures in 2010 were tied with 2005 to be the warmest year since the 1880s.
This is a good sign, why? Because this shows that this is how we need to deal with every single issue that involves Republican Denialism.
Health insurance? Talk about the number of people who are dying without it.
Austerity and slicing budgets in a recession, we need to talk about what really stimulates the economy.
Tax cuts creating jobs? We need to show how prosperous this Country was when tax rates were higher and if it means letting Ben Stein fight those battles, so be it (And he does it very well, let me tell you).
Republicans feel they've been emboldened to go as far as they want and they are wrong.
We need to be the foil to their extremism and present reality, the reality that the world is warming, our infrastructure is falling apart and that we desperately need to invest in alternative energy, transitioning our economy and building our Country up rather than tearing it down.
And according to this poll, Climate Change can actually be a winning component to Obama's campaign! 71% polled believe that warming is anthropogenic as opposed to 27% who believe it is a natural cause.
Global warming could be an important issue in next year's election, because some 15 percent of voters see it as their primary concern, said Krosnick, who is also a university fellow at the Resources for the Future think tank.
If President Barack Obama, a Democrat, can define himself as the environmental candidate, he could have a large advantage over a Republican, Krosnick said. If however, a Republican softens his or her stance on climate and Obama, who has failed to pass a climate bill in his first term, moves more to the center, it may not be a factor in the election.
We need to push for environmental issues, it can make a difference.
Share it, remind people, is this who we want in the Oval Office?