To be clear, New Jersey governor and Republican presidential polling asterisk Chris Christie does not call on scientists before making his own scientific judgments.
Christie would like to be very clear about this lest you get the idea that he has consulted any actual experts.
Christie appeared on MSNBC where he said he bases his judgement on gut feeling.
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said on Tuesday that he doesn’t believe global warming is “a crisis.” But when pressed to explain why, Christie said science wasn’t a factor in his position — it was just his “feeling.” [...]
“That’s my feeling,” Christie responded. “I didn’t say I was relying on any scientists. I don’t see evidence that it’s a crisis.”
If words have meaning, I suppose it is true that Christie has not seen evidence to support the idea that climate change is a global crisis. You can't see it if you don't even look. He doesn't rely on evidence.
Virtually every Republican politician shares a similar ambivalence toward empirical reality, but not every Republican governs a state that has been dramatically affected by extreme weather events.
For Christie to shun scientific evidence in this manner is to forget Hurricane Sandy ever happened.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that New Jersey voters hate him. Their suffering doesn't rate higher than Christie's hopeless political ambitions.