Romney Plays to His Denialist Base: “I Don’t Think Carbon Is a Pollutant”

by Jon Winsor Last month we praised Mitt Romney for taking a brave stand, if not a full-throated one, supporting the overwhelming weight of climate science. He was immediately pounced on by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santorum--while standing alone from the other GOP presidential contenders in talking seriously what scientists have said in unambigiously large numbers. Meanwhile, the unapologetic Tea Party candidate Michele Bachmann has taken the lead in Iowa by 13 points. To be fair, Romney has decided not to compete in Iowa. But Bachmann has made a name for herself by proposing things like abolishing the EPA, and no doubt Romney has taken notice. In a recent town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, Romney took his own swipe at the EPA: The key statement: “I don’t think carbon is a pollutant in the sense of harming our bodies.” My favorite comeback to the “not ...