Science Is Political
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Abstract
During the 2008 presidential election, a grassroots coalition of scientists, engineers, institutions, policymakers, and science advocates came together under the name Science Debate 2008 to call for a televised debate on science and policy. The group petitioned the candidates—then-Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain, as well as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee—to participate. The campaigns had hardly discussed science. Of the 2,975 questions journalists had asked the candidates by Jan. 25, 2008, only six referred to global warming or climate change; three questions involved UFOs. The candidates refused or ignored the requests for a televised science debate, and the media took little notice of the group’s efforts. After multiple attempts, Science Debate 2008 finally convinced then-party nominees Obama and McCain to participate in an online debate with the debaters offering written statements answering 14 questions involving science—a small victory. The difficulty of the process and the n...