Republican politicians are railing against President Obama’s new draft power-plant pollution rules, portraying them as job killers that will leave the economy in unrecognizable tatters.
But their rank-and-file voters haven’t yet gotten the message.
The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, conducted from Thursday to Sunday as the media was ramping up coverage ahead of the rules’ release, included this question: “Do you think the federal government should or should not limit the release of greenhouse gases from existing power plants in an effort to reduce global warming?”
Not only did 70 percent of all respondents reply in the affirmative, but more than twice as many Republicans said “yes” as said “no.” Check it out:
Washington PostClick to embiggen.
There’s more good news from the poll on whether Americans would be willing to pay more for their electricity if it meant cleaner air and a more stable climate. From The Washington Post's write-up:
The cross-party agreement extends to a willingness to pay for such limits with higher energy bills, a flashpoint for debate and a key area of uncertainty in new regulations. Asked whether Washington should still go forward with limits if they “significantly lowered greenhouse gases but raised your monthly energy expenses by 20 dollars a month,” 63 percent of respondents say yes, including 51 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of independents and 71 percent of Democrats.
(And it’s not clear that the rules even would cost Americans anything; the Natural Resources Defense Council argues that they’ll save Americans money by increasing energy efficiency.)
This from a national electorate that’s better known for yawning at climate change — relegating it close to the bottom of their list of national concerns — than for caring about climate action.
It seems that even Republicans are tiring of boys who cry wolf.
