The Hill - Climate Issues Finally Enter 2012 Election, But Not At Presidential Level
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In the Maine and Nebraska Senate races, the independent and Democratic candidates, respectively, have focused in on their opponents’ position, that man has little to no role in climate change, to argue that they are too far outside of the mainstream for voters in their states. In Maine, independent Senate candidate Angus King recently launched an ad featuring him telling the camera that Republican opponent “Charlie [Summers] … doubts climate change science, favors taxpayer subsidies for big oil, and thinks Washington isn't broken.”
Summers said at one of the candidates’ debates, which was focused solely on energy and the environment, that he doesn’t believe that climate change is caused primarily by humans, and cited other factors -- like volcanic eruptions -- that he believes affect the environment. It’s a position that King spokeswoman Crystal Canney said offered a contrast between the two candidates, and one that she believes Maine voters -- who live in a state with a strong green energy sector and leans Democratic -- will consider in November. “I think when someone makes a statement that climate change is caused by volcanoes, I think you have to alert the public,” to what they believe, she said. Summers’ campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
In Nebraska, Democrat Bob Kerrey focused in on Republican Deb Fischer’s doubts that humans play a role in climate change during a debate to question her ability to solve Nebraska’s problems. The state has, in recent months, been hit by severe droughts that have impacted much of the agricultural sector. “I do not think you can solve any problem unless you begin by saying there's a problem,” he said during the debate.
Kerrey’s lagged Fischer by double digits in most recent polls, and faces an uphill battle in a state that has grown increasingly conservative over the years. But he did once serve as the state’s senator, and Nebraskans have historically been known for splitting the ticket to vote for more moderate lawmakers, so this is one issue where Kerrey believes he can create a useful contrast between himself and Fischer.
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http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/260619-dems-use-climate-change-to-tag-republicans-as-extreme