Obama doubts Congress ready to tackle climate change

President Obama will visit New York on Thursday afternoon to check out some of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and to thank first responders for their work.

But ahead of his visit, Obama sounds uncertain that Congress is ready to tackle legislation on climate change — an issue that was thrust into the spotlight as a result of the devastating storm.

"I don't know what either Democrats or Republicans are prepared to do at this point because it's one of those issues that's not just a partisan issue, I also think that there are regional differences," Obama said at a news conference Wednesday. "There's no doubt that for us to take on climate change in a serious way would involve making some tough political choices."

Just days before Election Day, New York Michael Bloomberg made a surprise announcement with his endorsement of Obama, a last-minute plug that he said was motivated by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Bloomberg, an independent, grumbled through much of a brutal campaign season that neither Obama nor the GOP nominee Mitt Romney was seriously addressing some of the major issues facing the nation.

But after Sandy devastated New York and a swath of the Mid-Atlantic, Bloomberg said he believed Obama was the better candidate to tackle the global climate change that he said might have contributed to the violent storm.

Obama agreed that climate change is a real issue and touted some his administration's work in his first term — including raising fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles. And he said that in the coming week and months, he'll have discussions with scientists, engineers and lawmakers about possibilities to reduce carbon emissions in the short-term.

But Obama acknowledged with high unemployment and a difficult economy, pushing for climate change is a tough task.

"I think the American people right now have been so focused and will continue to be focused on our economy, jobs and growth that if the message is somehow that we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don't think anybody's going to go for that. I won't go for that," he said "If, on the other hand, we can shape an agenda that says we can create jobs, advance growth and make a serious dent in climate change and be an international leader, I think that's something that the American people will support."