Real Clear Politics Washington bureau chief Carl Cannon said in an interview that aired Thursday on Hill.TV that there is “no reason” that the issue of global warming should be a partisan issue, but he acknowledged that it is.
“It’s become a partisan issue,” Cannon told host Jamal Simmons on “What America’s Thinking” on Wednesday. “And it’s hyperpartisan times. That makes it more difficult to solve.”
“There’s no reason it should be partisan,” he continued. “There’s nothing ideological about this.”
“What you want is a leader that will get both sides together, and say alright, let’s not cripple the economy, but let’s deal with air pollution. Call it air pollution instead of global climate change, and maybe you’ll get somewhere,” Cannon said.
The issue of combatting climate change has become a hot button issue on Capitol Hill. The sticking point is typically increased regulations opposed by Republicans that often come with Democratic proposals to fight climate change.
Republicans have hit Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Calif.), a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal resolution, which aimed to take on climate change with a series of ambitious goals.
While the Senate on Tuesday blocked legislation to advance the resolution, Ocasio-Cortez gave an impassioned defense of the measure during a House Finance Committee meeting.
“You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist? Tell that to the kids in the south Bronx which are suffering from the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country. Tell that to the families in Flint,” she said.
— Julia Manchester
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