Democrats Whack McDonnell For Hiding Climate Change Skepticism

Democrats Whack McDonnell For Hiding Climate Change Skepticism

As the Virginia gubernatorial campaign enters its final weeks, the contest is turning into a dispute over the perils of climate change.

The topic was pushed to the forefront after Republican Bob McDonnell, in a debate this week, skirted a question of whether climate change posed a "serious threat to Virginia's economy and the environment."

The state attorney general, who has been whacked by environmentalists for giving little attention to (or, conveying little belief in) the dangers of global warming, replied that scientists "have had this discussion" of the significance of rising carbon dioxide levels "for a while." Policy makers, he added, clearly had to take action to reduce emissions.

"I think we also need to understand, though, that we need to have more energy resources in Virginia, and that's why I'm the only candidate that's actually laid out a very comprehensive program to be able to have energy independence," McDonnell concluded.

The exchange elicited some howls from McDonnell's opponents who claimed that he was, in fact, simply obfuscating his doubts about climate change's existence -- a charge that fit into the larger meme that the candidate has hid a deeply conservative agenda behind the veneer of political moderation.

"Whether it's his denials of his documented and backward views on women or obfuscation on whether he believes in the science of global warming, this is part of pattern that we've seen time and again from McDonnell of hiding extreme positions in an election year in the hopes of coming off as a moderate," said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. "But he can't hide from his record -- a record which clearly shows that Bob McDonnell is far, far out of the mainstream. He's so far outside the mainstream that the Coast Guard's given up the search."

Asked for a response to the charge, McDonnell's campaign passed along a statement from the candidate, in which he called climate change a "legitimate concern" that produced a "vigorous debate," but didn't specify whether he personally thought those concerns were valid.

"I believe we need to do all we can to reduce the negative impact we have on the environment, including reducing emissions, and promoting green jobs and energy sources," the statement read. "But we must be careful not do this in a way that costs families hundreds of dollars per month or destroys Virginia's competitiveness. Conservation is a conservative value, and I support policies to clean up our environment, preserve our natural wonders, and promote green sources of energy."

Certainly, McDonnell's position on the matter falls closer in line to the crowd of skeptics than those demanding immediate and sweeping reform to energy policy. The Virginia Republican has, as an advisor, the prominent tea party organizer Tim Phillips who has repeatedly pushed the argument that concern over global warming is alarmism.

But with the debate over climate change touching issues of job growth (in addition to environmental policy), McDonnell too finds himself on the offensive. On Friday, his campaign mocked opponent Creigh Deeds for campaigning with former Vice President Al Gore, arguing that it was affirmation of the Democratic Party's plan to "cap-and-tax" Virginia businesses.

"Al Gore Jets In To Virginia To Help His Fellow Cap And Trader, Creigh Deeds," read the title of a Republican National Committee email.

And earlier in the week, the McDonnell campaign went on air with a new television ad that accused Deeds of pursuing policies that would rip thousands of jobs from Virginia's economy.

"Creigh Deeds called for a Washington style cap and trade energy tax putting jobs in his state senate district at risk," the spot goes.

The ad, of course, is based on a hotly-contended premise. Environmental activists and even mainstream economist see the cap-and-trade system as a surefire way to actually create jobs; namely by bolstering emerging green industries.

Going forward, these activists argue, the extent to which Deeds can effectively convey that argument -- and, in the process, portray McDonnell as out of step with scientific consensus -- could have a late impact on the gubernatorial race. In any case, it will provide the national Democratic Party with a field test as to how the climate change debate is playing in local communities and toss-up states.

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