|
 |
 |
|
Kerry: 'Dead wrong' to write obituary on climate change bill
-
02/10/10 10:54 AM ET
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) says those who think climate change legislation is dead for the year are “dead wrong.”
Those who think blizzards and record snow falls in Washington will make it tough to move a global warming bill are guilty of "inside the beltway" thinking, Kerry said."The inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom that this issue has stalled is dead wrong," Kerry said in a statement e-mailed to The Hill. "This is not and never has been a partisan issue, and Senators Graham, Lieberman, and I will continue building consensus on both sides of the aisle with all those willing to engage to create jobs, advance our security interests, reduce pollution, and make America more competitive,” said Kerry, a key advocate of a climate change legislation.
The senior senator from Massachusetts has been working with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to find a bipartisan way forward on the issue.
Some of Kerry’s Democratic Senate colleagues are less keen on a climate change bill. They told The Hill this week that the optics of Congress tackling global warming in a year with record snow may be a political loser. Other Democratic senators say a bill that was once a top priority for the party and for President Barack Obama cannot be dug up again during 2010.
The wintry weather is also encouraging opponents of a climate change bill to think they will win the day.
The icy conditions in Washington led Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) on Tuesday to write on Twitter that the snow in D.C. will continue until former Vice President Al Gore "cries uncle."
