A few days ago, the President made a campaign stop at the central Iowa farm of the Heil family in order to provide focus on the Administration's support for wind and solar power alternatives to fossil fuel energy sources. Shortly after the visit, the farmer's adult son, Jarret Heil issued a statement that basically said that while the President's visit was an honor, but..... and there's a big butt here ......
"As the milestone that it is for our community with the President's visit, it is important to not get caught up in the President's glamorous re-election words and remember President Obama's first term record and rhetoric does not represent Middle America, entrepreneurs, small business owners and farmers."
See below the fold,
So let me get this straight. This is the son of Iowa farmer who gets income from the clean energy that is being generated on his farm. His family also takes advantage of the wind energy tax credit that supports the wind development on his farm and gives life to a growing wind energy industry that is benefiting his family and neighbors as well as thousands of other fellow Iowans. Yet Mr. Heil the younger is badmouthing the President and the President's policies that make this energy development possible.
This son of a farmer is a Republican activist and a long time Romney supporter, however, it is stunning to me that shortly after the President's visit, Jarret Heil is telling people to vote for Romney, the guy who wants to end the tax credits that support the wind energy industry, but wants to continue the $40 billion in tax credits to the oil and gas industry.
The entire matter is documented in this link to an article featured on NPR.
After seeing this for so long, I don't know why I should be surprised, but I always find it stunning to see Republicans take advantage of a tax credit or government benefit that helps them and their neighbors, like this wind energy tax credit, or perhaps something more universal, like Medicare, and then speak up in support of the candidate and political philosophy that wants to make those beneficial programs go away. Either they do not really believe the rhetoric of the radical Republicans they support, or perhaps they are just very, very stupid.
And by the way, Mr. Heil advocates for the Republicans, the party that has been too busy in Congress trying to come up with ways that will outlaw abortion that they haven't been able to pass a Farm Bill to assist the nation's drought stricken farmers (one would think that some of those farmers were in Iowa too). Perhaps these Republicans think that any plan to help the farmers will make the President look good, so rather than help the people who tend to be their constituents, the Republican Congress will let them continue to suffer in a vain attempt to gain electoral advantage.
While it is true that the Obama campaign knew that these farmers were not supporters of the President, given the tax credits that have been made available to them for their wind energy development, you have to wonder why they are not.