Republicans conceding defeat? Asshole talking points.

The environment is probably the single issue on which Republicans in general- and President Bush in particular - are most vulnerable. A caricature has taken hold in the public imagination: Republicans seemingly in the pockets of corporate fat cats who rub their hands together and chuckle manically as they plot to pollute America for fun and profit. And only the Democrats and their goodhearted fiends from Washington can save America from these sinister companies drooling at the
prospect of strip mining every picturesque mountain range, drilling for oil on every white sand beach,
and clear cutting every green forest.

The fundamental problem for Republicans when it comes to the environment is that whatever you say is viewed through the prism of suspicion. As with education, Social Security and so many other issues, the Democrats have been expert at constructing a narrative in which Republicans and conservatives are the bad guys. And if Americans swallow that story, then whatever comes later is mere detail.

Indeed, it can be helpful to think of environmental (and other) issues in terms of “story.” A
compelling story, even if factually inaccurate, can be more emotionally compelling than a dry recitation
of the truth.