Blizzards, hard hats and the climate PR wars

The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank ends Sunday’s column on snowstorms and climate change with these observations about the PR battle over global warming:

For those concerned about warming, it's time for a shift in emphasis. Fortunately, one has already been provided to them by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has done more than any Democrat to keep climate legislation alive this year. His solution: skip the hurricanes and Himalayan glaciers and keep the argument on the hundreds of billions of dollars spent annually on foreign oil, some of that going to terrorists rather than to domestic job creation.

Al Gore, for one, seems to realize it's time for a new tactic. New TV ads released during last week's blizzards by Gore's climate advocacy group say nothing about climate science. They show workers asking their senators for more jobs from clean energy.

That's a good sign. If the Washington snows persuade the greens to put away the slides of polar bears and pine beetles and to keep the focus on national security and jobs, it will have been worth the shoveling.

But here’s the thing: jobs and security have already been the dominant climate themes for enviros (and Democrats) for a year or more.

For instance, the biggest green coalition pushing for climate and energy legislation is called “Clean Energy Works,” while enviro ads and other campaigning is similarly heavy on the jobs and foreign oil messages.

But Milbank’s column could be a sign that enviros have a ways to go.