Mitt “Don Quixote” Romney Attacks the Wind

In Ohio coal country today, perennial asbestos pants wearer Mitt Romney spoke with coal miners and told them how Vice President Joe Biden said that “coal was more dangerous than terrorists.” It would be a damning statement, if alas, it were true. Remember, we’re talking about Mitt Romney here.

In a 2007 interview on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher; Biden, then a 2008 presidential candidate, was asked which is more likely to contribute to Americans’ deaths – air pollution from coal, high-fructose corn syrup or a terrorist attack. Biden responded: “Air that has too much coal in it, corn syrup next, then a terrorist attack. But that is not in any way to diminish the fact that a terrorist attack is real. It is not an existential threat to bringing down the country, but it does have the capacity, still, to kill thousands of people. But hundreds of thousands of people die and their lives are shortened because of coal plants, coal-fired plants and because of corn syrup.”

Poor Mitt Romney, quotes when heard in context just won’t support his narrative. While continuing his fairy story to his audience he added that the Obama Administration has declared a War on Coal. He went on to cite declining usage of coal in the country, but left out the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency, following through on mandates that existed long before President Obama took office, have been devising court-mandated rules on air pollution at a time when low natural-gas prices are pushing out coal-generated electricity. He also neglected to point out his own little issue with a proposed coal power plant that was being considered in 2003 in Massachusetts, that he opposed, in which he declared that he would not “create jobs that kill people”. When asked for clarification, his spokespeople said that Governor Romney had concerns about the safety of that plant.

Mitt Romney has ridiculed the President’s push for Wind Energy. Of course, he would have to. A number of right-wing organizations, including Americans for Prosperity, which is funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, are attacking Obama for his support for solar and wind power. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which also has financial links to the Koch’s, has drafted bills to overturn state laws promoting wind energy. I heard or read somewhere that the Koch’s are really big financially in both oil and coal. Go figure.

The think-tanks have placed a lot of effort into dealing with the threat of wind and solar. They came up with a memo:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2012/may/09/wind-power-memo

According to The Guardian: “Among its main recommendations, the proposal calls for a national PR campaign aimed at causing “subversion in message of industry so that it effectively because so bad that no one wants to admit in public they are for it.”

It suggests setting up “dummy businesses” to buy anti-wind billboards, and creating a “counter-intelligence branch” to track the wind energy industry. It also calls for spending $750,000 to create an organisation with paid staff and tax-exempt status dedicated to building public opposition to state and federal government policies encouraging the wind energy industry.”

Remember, Mitt Romney is now a good Conservative in order to get the backing of the Koch Brothers, the Tea Party (sponsored by the Koch Brothers) the Conservative think-tanks (sponsored by the Koch Brothers) and the Republican Party (sponsored by the Koch Brothers). Do any of you see a strange connection here?

So Mitt Romney, doing the bidding of his economic superiors, the Koch Brothers has declared War on the Wind. But he leaves things out yet again. Go figure. As President Obama pointed out today while in Iowa in response to the Mitt Romney Declaration:

“My opponent and I disagree when it comes to homegrown energy like wind,” …. “Wind power is creating new jobs all across Iowa. But Governor Romney says he wants to end the tax credit for wind energy producers.”

“America generates more than twice as much electricity from wind than when I took office. That’s right. The wind industry supports about 7,000 jobs right here in Iowa. Without these wind energy tax credits, those jobs are at risk, 37,000 jobs across the country would be at risk.”

“So my attitude is let’s stop giving taxpayer subsidies to oil companies that don’t need them, and let’s invest in clean energy that will put people back to work right here in Iowa,” he added. “That’s a choice in this election.””

As they say, the first casualty in War is the Truth. In Mitt Romney’s case, the casualty occurred long before he declared the war.