Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Cruz faces Iowa troubles over ethanol
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/cruz-defends-himself-in-ethanol-country/article/2581897
This is from a conservative author I happen to know so he's on my RSS feed. Just sort of a view into the state of the GOP caucus in Iowa. Cruz and Paul oppose ethanol subsidies, and are taking some heat for it (the rest of the GOP supports them, or at least will say so while in Iowa).
Poet, the largest ethanol company in the U.S., has a world-famous biofuel plant in Emmetsburg. The king of the Netherlands once visited it. "The whole town was there", Luke Daum of Emmetsburg told me before a Ted Cruz event here today.
Everyone attending the Cruz town hall was greeted by an employee of America's Renewable Future, an ethanol lobby headed by Eric Branstad, the son of Republican governor Terry Branstad. The ARF aide handed out glossy fliers giving all Democrats and most Republicans a green light on their support for ethanol. Only Rand Paul and Ted Cruz got failing grades.
Tim, a middle-aged corn and soybean farmer from the area was there, and he told me he'll caucus for Cruz on Monday. Tim even worked at the Poet refinery a few years back. I asked him what he thinks of Cruz's plan to wind down the ethanol mandate — officially the Renewable Fuel Standard — over five years.
"As long as he's consistent, that is, also opposing subsidies and mandates for other fuels, I'm fine with that," Tim told me.
Everyone attending the Cruz town hall was greeted by an employee of America's Renewable Future, an ethanol lobby headed by Eric Branstad, the son of Republican governor Terry Branstad. The ARF aide handed out glossy fliers giving all Democrats and most Republicans a green light on their support for ethanol. Only Rand Paul and Ted Cruz got failing grades.
Tim, a middle-aged corn and soybean farmer from the area was there, and he told me he'll caucus for Cruz on Monday. Tim even worked at the Poet refinery a few years back. I asked him what he thinks of Cruz's plan to wind down the ethanol mandate — officially the Renewable Fuel Standard — over five years.
"As long as he's consistent, that is, also opposing subsidies and mandates for other fuels, I'm fine with that," Tim told me.
There will come a point when the right actually expects its politicians to deliver on their ideology (that's not just a problem on our side, incidentally), and Cruz may be the breaking point for that...