Ethanol is a big deal in Iowa. Almost half the corn grown in Iowa is used for ethanol production, and Iowa produces almost 30% of all ethanol in the US. So it is not a big surprise that it was a big issue during the Iowa caucuses.
Donald Trump came out swinging, claiming that Ted Cruz would destroy the ethanol business because the Texas senator was bankrolled by oil companies:
He will destroy your ethanol business 100 percent. And look, I’m not really blaming him because he’s financed by oil people. The oil people don’t want ethanol, it’s very simple… Your ethanol business if Ted Cruz gets in will be wiped out within six months to a year. It’s gonna be gone.
And this worked against Cruz in Iowa, despite the fact that it was a lie. Cruz was actually proposing using up to 25% ethanol in gas mixtures. But regardless, how is that working out for Iowa farmers now that Trump has been elected?
Trump’s team is now against ethanol. Not that Trump himself will say anything, but his special advisor Carl Icahn (who is the majority owner of an oil refiner) says “there are people on the Trump team that believe ethanol itself does very little”. People like Trump’s pick for the head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, a friend of the oil companies who up until recently was suing the EPA on their behalf, and (of course) is a climate-change denier.
Or maybe Rex Tillerson, Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, who is currently the President and CEO of Exxon-Mobil. So now that Trump is giving major positions in his cabinet to oil company insiders, how long will it take for Iowa’s ethanol business to get “wiped out”?
I’m still waiting for all the suckers who voted for Trump to realize that they’ve been had.
6 Comments
There are people who believe that the Christian God is better than the Muslim God and better than the Hebrew God. You aren’t going to change their mind. And because they believe Trump is their God, they are not going to go to Politifact and find out the real truth.
I doubt voters who voted for Trump will admit they were wrong if things go south. They will likely blame obama though they would have very little reason to do. Trump is lucky enough to inherit one of the strongest economies during election years. If he blows this, voters would have voted in one of the most incompetent US presidents ever https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-29/what-history-has-to-say-about-the-economy-trump-will-inherit
I’m more interested to know whether die hard bernie or nothing voters who either voted for Trump or didnt vote will regret what they did when they see what this administration will do to the causes they care about the most. Talk about cutting the nose to spite the face.
If the ethanol business goes away (which would be a good thing overall), Trump will just blame the Chinese or Mexicans or whatever. No problem.
Ethanol production is corporate welfare gone wild. Producing ethanol pollutes soil and water (pesticides and chemical fertilizers) and makes poor use of land that could be growing food for people. It burns inefficiently and reduces miles per gallon for the entire US private and commercial “fleet.” The primary supporters of this misguided program are those in the huge agribusiness community. Putting ethanol in gasoline is not in our country’s best interests. I don’t think much of Trump, in general, but if he’ll dump the ethanol program, that’s certainly something most Americans, Republican and Democrat should be getting behind. His motives may not be “pure,” but the result is what counts.
Any candidate campaigning in Iowa, regardless of party affiliation, is obligated to suck up to Big Corn if they expect to gain any traction there. Afterwards, you can always walk it back as having been, say, a wishlist not a promise. It’s called politics and you say whatever it takes to win. If you lose, no one gives a crap anyway.
For example – before the election: “I will appoint a Special Prosecutor to go after Crooked Hillary. Lock her up!”; after the election: “We won, so now we don’t care, right?”
Remember the Trump Wall Mexico will pay for, the one that’s turning into more of a fence that’s already there? The 11M illegals deported on Day 1 promised? The Muslim ban? Right, neither does he and he’d appreciate everyone else forgetting too.
Christians worship the God of Abraham. Jews worship the God of Abraham. Muslims worship the God of Abraham. Does anyone see a pattern?
Meanwhile, corn-based ethanol is a waste of taxpayer dollars and its costs outweigh its benefits. But, why let little things like facts get in the way of perfectly good politicking? Welfare is welfare is welfare.
One Trackback/Pingback
[…] From Iron Knee at Political Irony: […]