Well somebody has to fight global warming I guess.
Posted on 01/04/2016 7:05:50 AM PST by Isara
DES MOINES, Iowa - Ted Cruz arrives Monday for his first Iowa trip of 2016, but he won't just be battling Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. He'll been fending off the state's influential corn lobby.
As Cruz kicks off a six-day bus tour across the state, his critics in the state's ethanol industry will be trailing close behind in a RV. They're hoping to highlight the Texas senator's opposition to a federal mandate that ethanol be mixed into gasoline at each of Cruz's planned 28 stops.
"We're going to be turning out all of our allies," said Eric Branstad, the son of longtime Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and the state director for America's Renewable Future. The group supports the so-called the Renewable Fuel Standard, which Cruz has vocally opposed. "Iowans can't trust him and we have a duty to let them know why."
In addition to trailing Cruz's bus, the group is buying newspaper, radio and digital ads to shadow Cruz, and launching robo-calls to Iowans a month before the caucuses. At one point the group considered having someone dressed in a giant corn-on-the-cob costume stalk Cruz across the state. The idea was ultimately scrapped.
"We thought about bringing 'Captain Cornelius' but ultimately that's not something that we're doing," said spokeswoman Majda Sarkic of the mascot the corn-growing industry has used previously.
Other pro-ethanol forces have hit Cruz, as well. A group called the Iowa Progress Project, run by Nick Ryan, who also works for a super PAC supporting Mike Huckabee, has aired $200,000 in anti-Cruz TV and radio ads over the issue.
The fact that Cruz has topped recent Iowa polls despite his opposition to the renewable fuel standard has the corn-industry nervous. The issue has long been perceived as a third-rail of Iowa politics and the agriculture industry here wants to keep it that way.
In 2012, two politicians who supported the standard, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, finished atop the pack. Those who didn't, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, finished far behind. And in 2008, Barack Obama backed the standard in his primary against Hillary Clinton.
America's Renewable Future has vowed to mobilize tens of thousands of caucus-goers next month.
"Ted Cruz's policy in the White House would be as its always been for him - devastate Iowa's farmers and its economy in order to pad the pockets of the oil industry," Branstad said.
Cruz's allies have attacked the fuel standard as a handout for "Big Corn." "The Governor of Iowa is a Big Corn cheerleader, and his son is running a SuperPAC hitting Cruz for not bowing to worship Big Corn," Cruz supporter and former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli wrote to supporters last week. "Tsk, tsk."
Now you’re ATTACKING me !
Oh my, my feelings ARE hurt ! You people are so mean .
You need to get Jesus in YOUR life .
I don’t think they are that large, but anyone with his and his wife’s positions will have
investments if they have any money management about them.
Here is a snip about his mid year 2015 filing:
Cruz, who has spent most of his life working in government, listed at least $2.1 million in
assets and income, including a $500,000 personal loan to his campaign. At least $440,000 of
the Texas senator’s assets are linked to Goldman Sachs, where his wife is an executive.
His family also has energy investments worth more than $365,000.
Link to the article or go search for his filing for the complete document:
Except Cruz is against the oil subsidies too, so that lame attack doesn’t work.
I forgot about the air standards, I’m glad subsidies are gone, now to get rid of the mandate.
“someone falsely quoting Trump”
Umm, someone being obviously sarcastic is not the same as “falsely quoting”.
Cruz has supported eliminating all of those as part of his tax plan. Neither ethanol nor oil would get any industry-specific tax benefits, though capital expenditures for all businesses could still be deducted.
What position protecting their tax breaks? Cruz’ position is to end ALL energy subsidies, including on gas and oil.
Google Toby Neugebauer, google Dan Wilks, google Farris Wilks. Nothing wrong with big oil, just noting that Cruz gets a lot of funding from big oil, he is after all from Texas and Texas is big oil. So calling it a “conflict of interest” is a mischaracterization.
I was referring to the implication of post 26.
LOL, some people have really thin skin.
I was going to say something nice about Cruz being against ethanol. But then I saw the second post was an anti-trump rant so I decided to skip the good for Cruz post and reply to the anti-Trump rant instead. A much more effective approach is to build your guy up instead trying to tear the other guy down.
One big problem with this attempt to damage Cruz. Who are you supposed to vote for if agree with the Corn growers assoc.? The opposition vote gets split about 6 ways with the establishment candidates.
Well Ted knew his stand on ethanol would not be popular in Iowa. Negative ads work. As Newt Gingrich will tell you.
If Cruz loses Iowa it will likely be because he opposed ethanol.
LOL, some people have really thin skin.
They do, but I guess this is the way FR works now. I'll have to keep up and say:
Yeah.....now you know that, but it is still patently ridiculous and in no way a coherent reply to my fact laden post.
The point is that Dole won IA and the Republican nomination.
NO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY CANDIDATE SINCE DOLE HAS WON IA WITHOUT SUPPORTING ETHANOL SUBSIDIES/MANDATES.
This is the reason why Cruz' stand is so courageous.
Cruz is careful to distinguish government subsidies from government tax breaks, but is quite happy when you get the two confused.
I haven't seen a comprehensive tax reform proposal yet from Cruz, but I'll wager its friendly to the oil and gas industry.
Iowans vote their pocketbook like everyone else which is why I don't think Cruz will win there.
“I haven’t seen a comprehensive tax reform proposal yet from Cruz, but I’ll wager its friendly to the oil and gas industry.”
In other words, you have nothing concrete to point to and accuse Cruz of favoritism, but you are happy to speculate anyway.
You made the charge. I’d like to see you defend it with something besides speculation.
The point is that Dole sucked up to the ethanol lobby, but it didn’t get him into the White House.
I agree that Cruz is courageous; telling a well funded industrial lobby to go fsck itself is risky. Sucking up to it, however, does not guarantee ultimate success.
Speak for yourself.
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