Inhofe Questioned About Manipulating Climate Polling Data

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
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“Did Jim Inhofe Manipulate Poll Data On Climate Change Policy?” asks Eric Kleefeld today at Talking Points Memo.  Kleefeld questions whether Inhofe falsely represented polling data on American public opinion about climate policy. 

Following his bizarre trip to Copenhagen, Inhofe penned an op-ed in USA Today earlier this week arguing that “The bottom line is this: The American people have caught on to the significant flaws of cap-and-trade policy,” and citing a Washington Post poll which he alleged proved his point that “the American public is growing restless with policies that would put more Americans out of jobs and raise the cost of energy.”

But Kleefeld takes issue with Inhofe’s interpretation of the poll.  “The problem is this: The poll doesn’t say that people are against policies that would raise the cost of energy – in fact, it says quite the opposite,” he writes.

The Washington Post poll results clearly contradict Inhofe’s spin. 

The Post confirms that “majorities of Americans remain supportive of such regulations even if they increased monthly bills, so long as they lower greenhouse gas levels. If energy bills jumped $10 a month, 60 percent back new limits; at $25 a month, it’s 55 percent.”

Read more at Talking Points Memo.

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and energy. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets.

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