Big Think

Question: Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about the way the world is headed?

Richard Cizik: Oh I am very optimistic. Why? Look. The problem hasn’t been the Democrats, God bless them. I say this as a Republican. The problem has been the Republican Party and the evangelicals constitute between 40 and 50 percent of the Republican conservative base. And when the evangelical leaders say this is a priority – and not just a priority but a high priority – you can believe that we are going to influence our legislators. You’ve already seen this President, George W. Bush, move from being a climate denier to saying it is a global challenge. But ultimately there is not a candidate seeking the White House in ’08 . . . in 2008 who will not be told by the evangelicals that this is important, and what’s your stand on this issue? And so I don’t expect the next President of the United States to be anything but a green candidate.

Recorded on: 6/25/07