National Journal Insiders poll responder: "Climate change is about as relevant a topic now as legwarmers are to today's fashion"

NationalJournal.com - Insiders: Extreme Weather Won’t Spur Action on Climate Change - Wednesday, July 11, 2012

It might be getting hotter in Washington and across the United States, but the extreme weather won’t do much to heat up congressional action on the issue of climate change next year, most of National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders say.

Nearly 85 percent of Insiders said that although July 2011 to June 2012 was the warmest year on record according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate data, that still won’t spur Congress to act.

“Stop dreaming,” one Insider said bluntly.

...“Several House members lost their seats in 2010 due to their support of Waxman-Markey,” noted one Insider, referring to the sweeping climate-change bill that cleared the House but not the Senate. “The public’s opinion has not changed substantially since then.”

..."This election is about one thing — the economy. Climate change is about as relevant a topic now as legwarmers are to today's fashion," joked one Insider....

“We've come a long way — or rather, we've taken a lot of steps backward — since 2008.  It's amazing to think about how much more polarizing an issue climate change is today than it was during that election. No way will it be a major issue, though energy security and domestic production surely will.”

“The political scars of Waxman/Markey and Kerry/Lieberman/Graham are too deep — both sides will continue to avoid climate change in the campaign as much as possible.”