And now they're in a similar situation on climate -- what they oppose is what the majority favors.
Washington Post:
Three-quarters of Americans think the federal government should regulate the release into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases from power plants, cars and factories to reduce global warming, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with substantial majority support from Democrats, Republicans and independents.
But fewer Americans -- 52 percent -- support a cap-and-trade approach to limiting greenhouse gas emissions similar to the one the House may vote on as early as tomorrow. That is slightly less support than cap and trade enjoyed in a late July 2008 poll. Forty-two percent of those surveyed this month oppose such a program.
A narrow majority is still a majority. I think a big part of the problem here is that Democrats and the media are doing a pretty lousy job of explaining what "cap-and-trade" actually means, which makes it easier for Republicans to define it in any horseshit way they feel like (i.e., contrary to what they say, cap-and-trade and a carbon tax are two different things).
As always in the messaging war, Republicans have the advantage, being totally unashamed of lying. And it's a lot easier to lie to people who are ignorant of the facts, so the obvious solution is to present the facts. Assuming everyone knows what you're talking about isn't helping. A point-by-point, plain language explanation -- like this, from the Union of Concerned Scientists -- would go a long way toward moving a slim majority to a solid majority.
