After Tim Pawlenty made waves with his presidential candidacy announcement in Iowa by suggesting that we must reduce ethanol subsidies, Mitt Romney took the opposite approach. Romney, who has serious problems with conservatives these days, contrasted his position with Pawlenty’s, saying that he supports ethanol subsidies:
“I support the subsidy of ethanol,” he told an Iowa voter. “I believe ethanol is an important part of our energy solution for this country.” Iowa leads the nation in the production of corn, a main source of ethanol.
Is there an explanation for Romney’s stated position other than that he is a RINO, as many conservatives believe? How about an election strategy instead. Regardless of how Romney feels about ethanol subsidies, he probably wouldn’t make such a declaration of support for them unless he thought it was smart politics. And it just might be.
If Romney believes that he won’t win Iowa, but has a great chance to win New Hampshire, then he may be making a play to hurt Pawlenty in Iowa. It’s no secret that with Mitt’s status in New Hampshire, Pawlenty will probably need to start strong in Iowa, as a poor showing in both Iowa and New Hampshire could put Pawlenty at a significant disadvantage against Romney. Therefore, with Pawlenty taking a big risk on opposing ethanol subsidies, Romney has probably calculated he can hurt Pawlenty’s Iowa numbers by supporting ethanol, and that doing so won’t cost Mitt much with conservatives who are already skeptical of him.
So we have a nice early contrast between Pawlenty and Romney. The former is taking bold stances that should please conservatives, and is admitting he was wrong on past positions that conservatives would oppose. The latter is not completely distancing himself from his more progressive state healthcare plan and is taking a less conservative position on ethanol. Pawlenty should generate some conservative buzz while Romney may upset some conservatives, but both contenders know where they stand and what they must do to win.
Speaking of generating conservative buzz, watch Pawlenty on This Week. He appears relaxed and likable, and conservatives should be interested in his suggestions for Medicare reform and the debt ceiling:
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