Iowa Global Warming

Day 2 in Iowa. Today I was part of a steering committee meeting of the Iowa Global Warming campaign. This is a coalition effort to get Iowa citizens to ask candidates focused questions on global warming solutions. Iowa stands to gain so much from solutions to global warming -whether it's cultivation of next generation biofuels or building new wind turbines - Iowans should, and will, be asking candidates about global warming. This campaign will help make sure people are at all public candidate events and that people are asking good questions that can get more than just the soundbyte answer.

Then this evening I went to a "Ask Mitt Anything" Mitt Romney campaign event. With easily 200 people in attendence, Romney smooth-talked his way through the assortment of questions on Iraq and immigration, then someone asked about global warming. Romney's answer lacked specifics, but he did site the need for better fuel efficiency, more renewables and, interestingly, nuclear power. He couched his answer in the need to be energy independent, with the side benefit of reducing global warming pollution. Not exactly what I'd like to hear in an answer, but glad he had to answer it. Tomorrow I'll be at an Obama event; can't wait to see if he brings up global warming unprompted.

Also... apparently there is some debate over whether the DC primary referenced yesterday is final. Iowa has a law that says they MUST be the first primary, so maybe the DC primary is just for the "Shadow Representive," the best DC can do for congressional representation.