Colorado Republicans Break With Romney on Wind Power Credit

22 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

That’s the word from Allison Sherry of the Denver paper this afternoon. Circling back with three GOP members of Congress, Reps. Scott Tipton, Mike Coffman, and Cory Gardner, who had expressed support for extension of the wind power tax credit considered key to the preservation of hundreds of related jobs in Colorado, Sherry finds that the three of them do still support the extension–even in the wake of presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s avowed opposition. Mindful of the potential for an embarrassing split ahead of Romney’s visit to the state, Rep. Gardner was careful to note that even though he disagrees with Romney on this issue, he still thinks “the wind energy industry will be better off with Mitt Romney in the White House.”

Unfortunately, as Politico reports today:

Mitt Romney’s announcement this week that he opposes any extension of the wind production tax credit derailed a bipartisan agreement in the Senate to renew the industry’s crucial tax break, sources said Wednesday. [Pols emphasis]

The wind PTC, which expires at the end of this year, was originally going to be included in the bipartisan deal that the Senate Finance Committee announced early Wednesday, senior Senate sources familiar with the negotiations told POLITICO…

The fight between the presidential campaigns over the wind credit quickly heated up following the Romney campaign’s announcement, with fiscal conservatives backing Romney’s stance while Democrats and some Republicans – including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad – expressed dismay.

This seems to us to be a fully expectable development: with the party’s de facto nominee publicly out in opposition, why would Republicans in either chamber lift a finger to pass this–bipartisan support or no bipartisan support? It’s worth noting that one of the Senate Republicans involved in negotiations, Orrin Hatch, denies this report that Romney’s opposition has had an effect.

Our question is, how could it not?

And how can Gardner say the wind power will be “better off” under Romney, when the industry itself says if Romney gets his way, thousands of wind power employees will lose their jobs?

If you can’t reconcile this contradiction, don’t feel too bad: voters won’t be able to either.

22 thoughts on “Colorado Republicans Break With Romney on Wind Power Credit”

ArapaGOP says:

August 2, 2012 at 12:42 am

If Republicans had switched, you’d condemn them for that.

Now that’s they are standing their ground on principle, you find a new way to attack.

There was no outcome where Colorado Pols would have praised a Republican. That’s all you’ve proven.

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1. ClubTwitty says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 12:54 am
  
  disagrees with the Colorado members of that party in our delegation! Its clearly a liberal agenda–the truth and all. Reality, liberal bias. If what they say is true, I hope you get paid for quantity and not quality…
  
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2. Mr. Toodles says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 2:18 am
  
  Isn’t eliminating the tax credit a tax increase? Where’s Grover Norquist when you need him?
  
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  1. DavidThi808 says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 4:41 am
    
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  2. ss says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 7:10 am
    
    And in these cases actually increasing taxes on small businesses, instead of shouting to the roof top that a millionaire paying more taxes is a tax against small business.
    
    Would someone, for the love of all that is holy, call up DC and remind a Dem that there is a way to fight the idiocy of the right, using factual, and not lunatic, soundbites. (Scratching my head and trying to figure out why I didn’t think of that first. Nicely done Toodles)
    
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3. Diogenesdemar says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 2:41 am
  
  what did you say to Willard today about his wind-power-credit stance?
  
  They wouldn’t let an important mover like you have some face time? . . . OK, then answer the hypothetical:
  
  What would you have said to Willard today about his wind-power-credit stance (assume you had a handful of $1,000 bills sticking out of your pocket, and had managed to catch his momentary attention)?
  
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RedGreen says:

August 2, 2012 at 12:56 am

Pols, it’s a Big Tent.

Unlike the Democrat Party, which agrees about everything, the Grand Old Party has room for so many contradictory viewpoints, it’s a wonder they can agree on something so simple as holding Eric Holder in contempt! How long should doctors spend in jail for D.C. abortions? There is a vast range of opinion on this, from “until they rot away” to “as long as it takes to learn ’em.” That’s diversity in action.

Today’s modern Republican Party contains multitudes. Not Dick Lugar, but multitudes.

In fact, Mitt Romney’s own contradictory positions take up entire sets of bleachers all on their own.

There’s room in the Tent for the Mitt Romney who blames Palestinian culture for the occupied nation’s poverty, and for the Mitt Romney who denies he ever said any such thing, and for the Mitt Romney who pens an opinion piece the very next day contradicting the self who contradicted the previous self.

That’s why they call it a Tent.

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1. Gilpin Guy says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 1:56 am
  
  Republicans walked in lock step with every single thing the George Bush wanted until they walked us all off the cliff.
  
  Republicans filibuster in the Senate without ever voicing a single independent idea.
  
  What phony baloney revisionism.
  
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  1. ClubTwitty says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 2:05 am
    
    and some oil and gas leases and some of my special Bernie Madoff Equity Fund. (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
    
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  2. Aristotle says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 2:14 am
    
    so it has a 99% chance of being satire.
    
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    1. Fidel's dirt nap says:
      
      August 2, 2012 at 3:19 am
      
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      1. dukeco1 says:
        
        August 2, 2012 at 5:16 am
        
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2. Gilpin Guy says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 1:58 am
  
  If that was sarcasm, it was brilliant.
  
  Romney is a tent unto himself.
  
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  1. Old Time Dem says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 4:37 am
    
    “In fact, Mitt Romney’s own contradictory positions take up entire sets of bleachers all on their own” gave it away.
    
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Gilpin Guy says:

August 2, 2012 at 2:00 am

will come out against extending subsidies to the oil & gas industry?

Wouldn’t that be consistent with his view that we need to get government out of the market place and let the best ideas succeed?

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1. ajb says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 2:12 am
  
  Why do you hate the job creators?
  
  Sheesh
  
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2. RedGreen says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 2:16 am
  
  But it’s obvious the oil and gas industry is a winner, so there’s no problem with the government rewarding the industry. It’s the same as the Olympics. The IOC doesn’t pick the winners and losers, but it does hand out medals to the winners. Think of it that way.
  
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  1. Aristotle says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 2:20 am
    
    I’m voting Rmoney now!
    
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DavidThi808 says:

August 2, 2012 at 6:04 am

Of course there will be issues where the presidential candidate will differ with members of their party.

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1. ClubTwitty says:
  
  August 2, 2012 at 6:15 am
  
  and CO is a swing state (1) on a political blog about CO it thus becomes acceptable to diary about a presidential candidate about to arrive in a state in which he opposes something that his party delegation’s members support (2) will he know how to properly pander? The trees might be the right height here, but are the windmills?
  
  I do love a good ‘Denver’ Omelet! Not that I speak French or anything–that’s the old Europe. Like Lech I too know that the Soviets are the greatest geoplitcal threat, unless I am in Israel.
  
  Now, I have never seen an Avs game, but I know plenty of Team owners!
  
  Mittens W RMoney
  
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  1. MADCO says:
    
    August 2, 2012 at 3:29 pm
    
    And our can do spirit, snow and our general proximity to Utah.
    
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cbjim says:

August 2, 2012 at 5:32 pm

My guess is they voted against any and all bills to promote wind, solar and geothermal. Sticking with there brothers and filisbuster all and any bills. what phonies.

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