Posted on 03/09/2015 9:19:05 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
Scott Walker went to Iowa over the weekend and embraced the ethanol mandate — a corporate welfare program that subsidizes corn farmers and ethanol producers at the expense of drivers, eaters, restaurants, and the environment.
As my colleague Phil Klein aptly put it, "if Scott Walker can't stand up to Iowans, how will he stand up to the Islamic State?"
Why do I assume this position was tailored to Iowa's caucus goers? Because Walker vehemently opposed the ethanol mandate back in 2006, actually standing out from the rest of Wisconsin's gubernatorial field in that regard.
From Milwaukee's Daily Reporter at the time:
"Currently, we have a problem with big government inMadison. On principle, I cannot support this proposal.
"It is clearto me that a big government mandate is not the way to support the farmers of thisstate," he continued. "Central planning will not help our family farmers,protect our environment or provide jobs. The free-enterprise system must driveinnovation to relieve our dependence on foreign oil, not mandates from the stateor federal government."
I've reached out to Walker's people for comment. I'll update when they respond.
DO NOT BURN YOUR FOOD!...................
Actually, the first rule is, DO NOT WRECK THE TOPSOIL, to which burning food certainly applies.
I wonder how much money I could make as a consultant, telling candidates:
“Ok, wear a button-up dress shirt, white or light blue, no tie, top button unbuttoned, and roll the sleeves up. Don’t change that outfit until you are out of the Midwest.”
Ha! Billy Mays and Walker had the same fashion consultant!
The switch grates on me, but doesn’t really surprise me. I haven’t read what he said specifically, but I’d put a lot more weight on his comment that it needs to be phased out eventually than on his supposed current support.
He’s after the Iowa vote. If he doesn’t get it, he’s unlikely to be President, so he “adjusts” his position a bit, accepting the reality of the present situation (ethanol is, in fact, already subsidized) and points in the direction the subsidy should go (Down...eventually).
It’s very similar to his Right to Work play. He called it a distraction and didn’t advocate for it, and signed the bill today. I fully anticipate that he would sign a similar national bill phasing out ethanol subsidies, and that the GOP Congress would put just such a bill in front of him.
Is he pandering? Yes. Does pandering work? Hell yes; the Dems have been doing it with a high success rate for decades now, but if I was an Iowa farmer dependent on ethanol subsidies, I’d be looking for a way to adjust my business plan if Walker is elected President.
Still, his flip-flop grates and I’m sure he thought long and hard before doing so, but then he does have a track record for getting elected, and he also has a track record of taking on the Left after he’s elected. That all counts.
Time to see if Iowans really are as beholden to Big Ethanol as some people think they are.
so did he say the opposite now?
or is this just a rhetorical question from this alleged ‘reporter’ designed to look like he actually reversed himself ?
Ho hum...
Another “gotcha” question spun by the Dem’s goose-stepping “media”.
Does anyone know Hillary’s position on ethanol?
Or does that position really depend on the size of the Ethanol Lobby’s “contribution” to Hillary’s “foundation”? Did the news-clown ask about that?
Socialists know that attacking their own natural allies BEFORE THE BATTLE is foolish.
Instead, Socialists try to get us Conservatives to destroy one another.
Let’s not fall for that old trick...
Please...
Second Rule of civilization:
DO NOT ELECT OFFICIALS WHO WANT TO BURN YOUR FOOD.................
“He’s killing Cruz in Iowa polls, Go Walker! “
Of course he is - he pandered to them.
Cruz did the more difficult thing and stuck to conservative principles.
Anyone...
How much of the corn crop goes into ethonal? Does it come from the human corn,
animal feed corn or both? If corn wasn’t going into ethanol what
would it be used for?
Any info is appreciated.
“Still, his flip-flop grates and I’m sure he thought long and hard before doing so, but then he does have a track record for getting elected, and he also has a track record of taking on the Left after he’s elected. That all counts.”
I wouldn’t trust him to take on anything if he is flip-flopping on issues already.
Perhaps it is only a political ploy, perhaps it is his true feelings. How could we possibly know?
Cruz is attempting to do what Reagan did - stick to principle and try to sway voters to his side by using logic and reasoning.
Unfortunately, we’ve had 30 years of dumbing down since then and logic and reasoning are not skills the American people have any more. Neither are the pride of self-sufficiency and doing the right thing. So it may not work this time. But if it doesn’t - this country is toast, no matter who else gets in. We need a rapid turn about from fascism and need someone with the pair to do it - not someone that will pander (in non-PC terms, that word is really LIE).
Please: Some Conservative needs to stand up against the Corn Lobby.
They Ruin Gas Mileage by putting food in your tank!
Then don't forget, a sore loser is still a loser. Sore Loserman
“WAAAA,Boo-Hoo McConnell won't do what I say” after a few times sounds pretty lame,.
Don’t be too hasty to support Corn-Welfare-Queens. The Iowan farmers enjoying the fruits of the ethanol mandate are also the same ones employing hundreds of thousands of illegal invaders to work on their farms.
To be fair to Walker, he did not set an end date to the ethanol mandate. And without an end date, it will continue unrestricted, to never be addressed again after he is elected President.
Walker vehemently opposed the ethanol mandate back in 2006
So he was against it before he was for it?
If parents would kick their kids out of the house at least by 25 they'd be forced to work for a livin too.
But then maybe they'd go move to more generous country like England instead.
“I support biofuels and ethanol. ... I also don’t think Washington should be picking winners and losers,” Cruz said. ...
Walker said that he favored drawing down federal tax credits for wind power over time and opposed mandatory labeling of foods made from genetically modified crops. This is one of those where I believe it’s served its purpose,” Walker said of the credits. “I would support phasing that out over a period of time.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3265522/posts
...”Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he would continue the subsidies for now but phase them out once ethanol producers are assured access to markets. “I think eventually you can get to that,” he said. “But you can’t get to that unless you deal with market access.”...
“...Saturday’s forum also was an opportunity for likely contenders to display knowledge of rural issues and connect with Iowa’s farmers. Walker waxed nostalgic about growing up as the son of a Baptist preacher in the small Iowa town of Plainfield, where he said he learned that “farming isn’t just a business, it’s a way of life.”....
Also, since Jeb has already said he would end the mandate, too, Walker's insistence in supporting it would alienate millions of Conservative voters who want it ended.
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