Here's good news if the phrase "President Bachmann" sends you into a twitching, frothing fit: For candidates on both sides of the aisle, the best vote-getting strategy is to take climate change seriously.
Republican voters don't really care whether you believe in climate change — they were more likely to vote for a hypothetical candidate who made a green statement on climate (warming exists, humans caused it, and we need to take steps to end it) or a non-green statement. They just didn't like the wishy-washers who didn't state a position at all. So to win Republican votes, it suffices to have a stated position, no matter what it is.
But people don't usually get into office on the strength of their base alone. And Democrats and Independents were more likely to vote for candidates who made a green statement on climate change. In other words, politicians won't lose Republican votes by making a green statement, but they will gain votes from non-Republicans.
