81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Want To Tackle Climate Change — Will Candidates Listen?
81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Want To Tackle Climate Change — Will Candidates Listen?
Conservative presidential candidates have expressed varying degrees of commitment to fighting global warming. Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee are unsure of whether the issue is “overblown.” Mitt Romney has echoed the Bush administration’s line, and Rudy Giuliani wants to rely more heavily on coal reserves.
In ten days, South Carolina will hold its pivotal Republican primary. With thousands of miles of shoreline and an agriculture and tourist-based economy, climate change will have a strong impact on the state.
The issue is particularly relevant to conservative candidates, as the vast majority of GOP voters in South Carolina crave strong leadership from presidential candidates on the issue:
According to a January 2007 poll conducted for the group Environmental Defense, 81 percent of South Carolina’s Republican voters believe the United States should reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
South Carolina’s Republican Governor Mark Sanford has commissioned a committee to create a climate action plan for the state. During the last legislative session, 90 House and 24 Senate members — split evenly between Republicans and Democrats — signed an open letter calling for presidential leadership on climate change.
Furthermore, in November, 108 of South Carolina’s mayors “signed a separate letter also calling on presidential candidates to speak out on climate change.
Tonight, the candidates will be in the state for Fox News’ “First-In-The-South” Republican debate, hosted by Chris Wallace and Brit Hume. The League of Conservation Voters has launched a campaign urging networks to discuss the issue with the candidates. Watch the video:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)’s leadership on climate change “gave him huge appeal to the Independents that he needed to pull-off a win” in New Hampshire. Will the other candidates listen to the South Carolina GOP and promise to combat global warming?
And will Wallace — who asked only two global warming-related questions in 2007 — ask the candidates about climate change tonight?
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81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Want To Tackle Climate Change
¿as in football?
January 10th, 2008 at 3:51 pmHow about Political Change first?
January 10th, 2008 at 3:53 pm81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Believe Relying On Coal Reserves Will Tackle Climate Change
January 10th, 2008 at 3:59 pmHow many are willing to give up their Hummers & SUVs?
January 10th, 2008 at 4:03 pmThe Devil is in the details. Many will want want to give taxpayers money to the corporation under the guise of a solution but the corporation will just pocket it. So good leadership is very important.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:10 pmIt will be interesting to see how Edwards does in S.C.
Huckabible should do well, while Mittens is running off to Michigan. (’No one supports Michigan like me!)
Thompson is drowning & his trophy wife doesn’t know (or care) how to do CPR.
McPain surged from the fake Iranian killer speedboat attack,(Wasn’t that a B movie?), but may fall back again with Southerners…maybe he’ll put a Confederate flag in the back window of the Stray Cat Express.
Ghoul911ini is hiding in Florida, except when they hold a fake debate.
‘Toasted. Really. Now’ is a great slogan for a little chickenshit like him.
Given that, I’ll watch the ‘debate’ tonight. I love watching Neoturds eating their own.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:14 pmI am betting that Faux Noise won’t ask any questions about climate change. The whole debate will be about terrorism and how the Republicans are the only ones who are capable of keeping America safe. Anyone want to place a bet?
January 10th, 2008 at 4:16 pmI wouldn’t bet against you, Bilbo.
Do you think McCain will warn us of the ‘Evil Iranian Empire’?
Will Rudy mention 9/11?
Will Thompson fall asleep?
Will Huckabible preach?
Will Roger Ailes tell jokes?
Will Chris Wallace lose the smirk?
January 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pmGlobal warming! Corporate America simply will not allow global warming to be discussed on television. Are you crazy? Do you want the people, a few of whom actually vote, to start believing this stuff. Where are my trolls, where are my TROLLS? – any Republican candidate.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:24 pmI would be totally shocked if 81% of my fellow South Carolinians, much less Republican South Carolinians would support reducing greenhouse gasses in any way other than the most hypothetical manner.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pmDoes anyone believe a debate hosted by the media will be free of biased questions?
January 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm7 – Ack, Bilbo —- NO BET. :o/
January 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm“81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Want To Tackle Climate Change — Will Candidates Listen?”
No. Neither will the Dem candidates.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:36 pmI can believe that 81% of SC Republicans want to see some action on the global warming issue, but I wish I could see a table or graph of poll data indicating where South Carolinians place this issue in the order of importance.
Nationally, the issue of global warming (or the environment in general) falls at about seventh place in most polls asking what voters consider to be the most important issues today — routinely beaten out by Iraq, health care, economy, government corruption, national security, immigration, and sometimes education. That’s a pity — but my regrets will have to wait for another thread.
I’m willing to bet that South Carolina assigns more importance to the issue than the rest of the country, because it’s a coastal state. But the candidates will not only need to see evidence that it matters, but of how MUCH it matters before they will take the issue seriously.
I predict that if McCain beats Huckabee in SC, THAT will be a good indicator of how important the issue is, and will make the other candidates sit up and take notice.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:47 pmFritz: “No. Neither will the Dem candidates.”
I believe all of the leading Democrats have agreed to cooperate with the rest of the world on climate change and sign the Kyoto Agreement.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pmWill Chris Wallace lose the smirk?
Comment by Zimzone
Let’s bet on how many times McCain says “my friends” in the debate. That seems to be his new favorite phrase. He said it 10 times within a 3 minute portion of his victory speech in New Hampshire. He sounded like a lunatic.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:49 pmLet’s bet on how many times McCain says “my friends†in the debate. That seems to be his new favorite phrase. He said it 10 times within a 3 minute portion of his victory speech in New Hampshire. He sounded like a lunatic.
Comment by bilbobaggins — January 10, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Another drinking game for those who are tired of playing the “9/11″ one with Rudy.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:51 pmWhat I don’t understand is why trolls don’t see how their natural habitats will be affected. It’s not like trolls live in houses. Although… maybe they feel like in the event of a catastrophe they will have more stray children to eat.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:55 pmmissmolly: “He sounded like a lunatic.”
That might be because he IS a lunatic. He sings songs about mass-murdering women and children in Iran and doesn’t mind if we’re in Iraq for 100 years. He’s a raving lunatic.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:58 pmWhere’s “Mr. Environmental”, Big Feet for this discussion? He had a lot to say about it under the Stevens thread.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:58 pmI wonder if the ongoing drought in SC and most of the Southeast has much to do w/ that 81%? Just like the GOPansies??? Turn their land into an arid wasteland and suddenly they give a shit.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pmI wonder if the ongoing drought in SC and most of the Southeast has much to do w/ that 81%? Just like the GOPansies??? Turn their land into an arid wasteland and suddenly they give a shit.
Comment by GooseEgg — January 10, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
Just might also have to do with the mount of very low lying coastal areas in SC. A rise in the ocean level of 6 inches would destroy many miles of their coast.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:17 pmOh I would say the drought has a lot to do with it.
Where are the “skeptic” trolls? Global warming usually gets them more lathered than just about anything else.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pmI’ll be missing the debate, I have some junk mail that I HAVE to read.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:42 pmI wonder if the ongoing drought in SC and most of the Southeast has much to do w/ that 81%? Just like the GOPansies??? Turn their land into an arid wasteland and suddenly they give a shit.
Comment by GooseEgg
81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Had Their Wells Go Dry
January 10th, 2008 at 9:29 pmAs an alternate reason, a 15 foot rise in sea level would wipe out Charleston and all the coastal islands with million dollar homes. A good part of the SE 1/4 of the state rises very, very, slowly.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:05 pm