That there are badly motivated liars near a debate is not a reason to assume that everyone is lying or badly motivated.
Some random scientist is very (not completely, but very) unlikely to care much about the political implications of his results when analyzing his data.
A liberal politician looking to build his green credentials is likely to care a lot; as is a conservative Heritage foundation type.
But you know, sometimes science comes down on one side or the other. Science has shown pretty conclusively that nicotine is addictive; has suggested pretty strongly that humans affect the atmosphere in ways that affect how heat moves through water and air; and has shown pretty strongly that seeing lots of violence can be bad for children. Politicians from tobacco-growing regions, polticians from regions that produce fossil fuels, and politicians opposing limits on what should appear on television all therefore have the facts more or less not on their side; and unfortunately this usually leads to mendacity (of the sort the Heritage Foundation is displaying here) rather than any reconsideration of previously held beliefs.
Some random scientist is very (not completely, but very) unlikely to care much about the political implications of his results when analyzing his data.
A liberal politician looking to build his green credentials is likely to care a lot; as is a conservative Heritage foundation type.
But you know, sometimes science comes down on one side or the other. Science has shown pretty conclusively that nicotine is addictive; has suggested pretty strongly that humans affect the atmosphere in ways that affect how heat moves through water and air; and has shown pretty strongly that seeing lots of violence can be bad for children. Politicians from tobacco-growing regions, polticians from regions that produce fossil fuels, and politicians opposing limits on what should appear on television all therefore have the facts more or less not on their side; and unfortunately this usually leads to mendacity (of the sort the Heritage Foundation is displaying here) rather than any reconsideration of previously held beliefs.