Republican candidates used to deny climate change, but as that meme becomes harder to sustain (all you have to do is look around you), they’ve shifted gears from drive to neutral and are trying to coast over the issue. When pressed, many now resort to the noncommittal expression, “I’m not a scientist,” which is akin to a cop standing over an obviously dead body and saying, “Weellll, I’m not a doctor ….” Here’s a sampling from current campaigns:
Mitch McConnell, GOP senate minority leader seeking re-election in Kentucky: “I am not a scientist.”
Rick Scott, GOP governor seeking re-election in Florida: “Well, I am not a scientist ….”
Joni Ernst, GOP senate candidate in Iowa: “I’m not a scientist … I can’t say ….”
Frank Guinta, GOP house candidate in New Hampshire: “I think the science is not complete on this issue.”
These aren’t stupid people; McConnell, Scott, and Guinta are law school graduates, and Ernst has a master’s degree in public administration. Rather, they’re politicians from a party chock full of climate deniers facing a general electorate that believes the obvious. In short, they’re caught between a rock (extremist supporters) and a hard place (realistic voters). A vise is always a difficult place to be, and taxes the duplicity of even the slickest politicians. This is what campaign consultants are paid to deal with, and weasel words were invented for situations like this.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/gop-candidates-straddle-climate-change-issue-26448276
There isn’t, of course, a total uniformity of tactics under the GOP campaign tent; some of their candidates still deny the existence of a scientific consensus, while others continue skirting the issue by trying to change the subject or downplay its importance. But more and more, we’re seeing top level GOP candidates back away from arguments that climate change is a myth or hoax, because that silliness no longer sells in respectable business circles or to general election voters.
For example, Google chairman Eric Schmidt doesn’t mince words on the topic: “The facts of climate change are not in question anymore. Everyone understands climate change is occurring, and the people who oppose it are really hurting our children and our grandchildren and making the world a much worse place … they’re just literally lying.”
Politicians say what they must and do the things necessary to get elected. For Democrats, this is a relatively easy, because their voters aren’t nuts; their problem is getting them to vote (and overcoming GOP vote suppression). Republicans, on the other hand, must walk a shaky tightrope requires satisfying both their party’s wealthy backers, who are intelligent but often venal, and its energetic but gullible and often ignorant rank-and-file. For now, GOP consultants believe, the best way to stay on the rope is by saying, “Scientists? What scientists? I don’t hear no scientists!”
After all, they figure, neither they nor their clients will live long enough to have to deal with the consequences of willfully ignored this problem. Blaming Obama for $4.00 gas and complaining about drilling restrictions in national parks and monuments sells a lot 
better at tea party rallies. The problem for Democrats, if they win, is where will they find employment for these people in a knowledge economy?