Asked to rank the importance of issues, the environment came in tied with family values and ahead of cutting taxes or restricting abortion. When the Republican primary voters were asked if they thought the government was doing too much, too little, or the right amount to protect the environment, the demand for more government action was clear. My own polling confirms Zogby's conclusions. Particularly among the voters under 35 years old, the environment is a key issue, second only to education in importance. The GOP's blind spot on the environment could cost it dearly among these young voters if only Al Gore would wake up and smell the roses.
Republican voters are just way out ahead of the party on environmental issues.
The current nexus of pollution concerns air, water, toxic wastes and the like are cutting deeply into the traditional GOP base. But increasing disquiet over global climate changes and the warming so evident this summer may make the environment the crucial issue over the next 30 years. According to Zogby's poll, over a third of GOP primary voters feel that recent weather patterns and abnormalities are caused by global warming rather than just by random trends. As this number grows, the centrality of the environment as a political issue will increase. On the two central issues that move voters education and the environment the GOP is way behind.