"Climate Change Doubt Is Tea Party Article of Faith"

"ASPER, Ind. — At a candidate forum here last week, Representative Baron P. Hill, a threatened Democratic incumbent in a largely conservative southern Indiana district, was endeavoring to explain his unpopular vote for the House cap-and-trade energy bill.

It will create jobs in Indiana, reduce foreign oil imports and address global warming, Mr. Hill said at a debate with Todd Young, a novice Republican candidate who is supported by an array of Indiana Tea Party groups and is a climate change skeptic.

'Climate change is real, and man is causing it,' Mr. Hill said, echoing most climate scientists. 'That is indisputable. And we have to do something about it.'

A rain of boos showered Mr. Hill, including a hearty growl from Norman Dennison, a 50-year-old electrician and founder of the Corydon Tea Party.

'It's a flat-out lie,' Mr. Dennison said in an interview after the debate, adding that he had based his view on the preaching of Rush Limbaugh and the teaching of Scripture. 'I read my Bible,' Mr. Dennison said. 'He made this earth for us to utilize.'"

John M. Broder reports for the New York Times October 20, 2010.