Remember?
Posted on 03/07/2015 1:59:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) managed to turn a disagreement with a crowd of Iowa businesses and farmers into an applause line at the Iowa Agriculture Summit.
Cruz reiterated his opposition to the Renewable Fuels Standard, a popular policy in Iowa that presents a thorny problem for many Republicans who campaign against crony capitalism but want to win the GOP presidential nomination.
“I recognize that this is a gathering of a lot of folks where the answer you’d like me to give is ‘I’m for the RFS, darnit;’ that’d be the easy thing to do,” he said. “But I’ll tell you, people are pretty fed up, I think, with politicians who run around and tell one group one thing, tell another group another thing, and then they go to Washington and they don’t do anything that they said they would do.
And I think that’s a big part of the reason we have the problems we have in Washington, is there have been career politicians in both parties that aren’t listening to the American people and aren’t doing what they said they would do.”
And the crowd applauded, giving Cruz the warmest welcome so far in a day that has already featured Jeb Bush, Governor Chris Christie (R., N.J.) — who stated his support for the RFS — former Governor Mike Huckabee (R., Ark.), and former Governor Rick Perry (R., Texas).
They interrupted to clap at times throughout his discussion of immigration policy, as well. The audience welcomed Cruz’s statement that “we’ve got to finally get serious about securing the border and stopping the problem of illegal immigration.” That’s the first aspect of a two-part immigration bill that he thinks would easily pass Congress.
“If we focused on the areas of bipartisan agreement, if we focused on securing the borders and improving legal immigration, we could craft legislation that would sail through Congress,” Cruz said, before saying that Obama is holding up those issues for partisan reasons. The Texas freshman didn’t say what policy he would support with respect to illegal immigrants already in the country, except to say that “amnesty is wrong” and emphasize that “there has been no one more vigorous in fighting President Obama’s unconstitutional amnesty than I’ve been.”
The show of support contrasted with the silence that met Jeb Bush’s summary of his preferred immigration policy, even among a crowd of “business Republicans” who might be presumed to back Bush more readily than Tea Party conservatives. Bush, earlier in the day, gave a detailed summary of his immigration position. On the issues that they both addressed, Cruz and Bush seem to agree; but Bush took it one step further.
“Immigrants that are here need to have a path to legalized status,” Bush told the staid crowd. “What we need to do is to make sure people pay fines, that they learn English, that they work, that they don’t receive government assistance, that they earn legalized status over the long haul, that they come out from the shadows so that they can be productive with a provisional work permit. This is the only serious, thoughtful way, I think, to deal with this.”
Cruz received another round of applause when he returned to the honesty theme. “When I tell you that I will fight with every breath in my body to stop the government regulation that is strangling farms and ranches; that is strangling small businesses; that is killing job growth; when I tell you I’ll fight the EPA from expanding [the definition of] waters of the United States; when I tell you that I’ll fight to stop Obamacare or executive amnesty, then you know you can count on that, that I’m going to do what I said I would do, and I’m going to tell you the truth.”
Its not a complicated issue. Ease the regulations and taxes on farmers and they’re happy to go without subsidies.
One of Sen. Ernst's "deviations", but one that she probably has to take, just as Jesse Helms had to vote for tobacco subsidies or there would most likely have been a Dhimmicrap voting for a lot worse policies.
Ted Cruz doesn’t pander, and that is a worthwhile thing in anyone who might want to be president.
That is why for all our disagreements, many conservatives liked Eugene McCarthy — he didn’t pander. He was who he was, take it or leave it.
Cruz is like that.
Remember?
(A) We worked through Spring and Winter, through (D) Summer and through (A) Fall
But the mortgage worked the hardest and the (E) steadiest of us all
It (A) worked on nights and Sundays, it (D) worked each holiday
(E) Settled down among us and it never went (A) away
The farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down
The farmer is the man who feeds us all
If you only look and see I know you will agree
That the farmer is the man who feeds us all
(A) The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
He buys on his credit until (E) Fall
Then they (A) take him by the hand
And they (D) lead him from his land
And the (E) merchant is the man who gets it (A) all
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
He lives on his credit until Fall
With the interest rates so high
It’s a wonder he don’t die
But the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
Well, the banker says he’s broke and the merchant stops and smoke
But they forget that it’s the farmer that feeds them all
It would put them to the test if the farmer took a rest
And they’d know that it’s the farmer that feeds them all
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
Lives on his credit until Fall
Well, his pants are wearing thin
His condition, it’s a sin
‘Cause the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/ry-cooder/taxes-on-the-farmer-feeds-us-all-lyrics/#EfbqtFJDBQeZjQRp.99
Contrary to popular belief, something like biofuels is pretty far down the list of issues that will make or break a candidate, especially in a state like Iowa whose ag sector can produce about anything. Iowa isn’t Nevada, dependent on a single gimmick.
I lived half my life in Iowa, but thanks for the lecture.
Not targeted at you specifically ;)
Joni Ernst spoke many times on the campaign trail about “Iowa Nice”. And that’s what I witnessed at the Ag Summit today,, only a handful of people in attendance thought Ted Cruz stands a snowballs’s chance in hell of being the nominee. But they were willing to applaude his willingness to be honest. And that, friends,, is “Iowa Nice”.
Yeah, well many political experts disagree, and not just Republicans:
“And both Carville and Rove warned against underestimating Texas Sen. Ted Cruz – who both agreed is divisive and would have a tough time winning a general election, but who both said is extremely smart as a politician and a candidate.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3262777/posts
“I give Jeb (Bush) less of a chance than most handicappers…and Ted Cruz a little more of a chance.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3261559/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3260460/posts
With billions in government subsidies supporting the corn ethanol boondoggle and ethanol plants operating all over the Midwest isn’t it about time to cut the subsidies and let the market decide? Without the subsidies my bet is that most of these ethanol plants would soon be closed and the cost of ethanol laced gasoline would skyrocket.
The farmer is man who makes a living and is no different than anyone else who works to make an honest living. So he grows food? Their are others who teach, heal, protect, save, etc.
If farming is too hard or unprofitable then do something else.
Cruz was actually better than the other candidates regarding GMO and country of origin food labeling. Those have potentially larger ramifications than the renewable fuels. Canada and Mexico are ready to elevate trade wars in the meat and produce markets if labeling becomes mandated. This will put a lot of farmers out of business. Many candidates do not know this. Especially Jeb Bush. His non-answers were worse than if he just sat up there and picked his nose in silence.
The subsidies have been gone for quite some time. The issue being discussed was support for the Renewable Fuels Standards .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.