Yep. It's hard for us to believe, too. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
In case you missed it, Mitt Romney has followed his base into the rabbit hole of hating
energy-efficient light bulbs. A scourge on modern America! How dare President Obama tell us we have to save money on our electric bills! What would Thomas Edison say, knowing his light bulb had been banned by Obama?!?!?
Except, of course, that it was George W. Bush that signed the light bulb bill into law, and of course it doesn't ban light bulbs.
And, well, you knew this was coming.
In his 2004 Climate Protection Plan, Romney pledged that Massachusetts would work with other states "to foster legislation and other approaches" that would encourage energy efficiency standards for many products, including "Torchiere lighting." Elsewhere in that proposal, he noted that "lighting accounts for 20 to 25 percent of all electricity consumed in the U.S," and that improvement in this field "offers a significant opportunity for the state and for municipalities to save energy and money."
"To that end, the state is working with other states to assist municipal officials to encourage the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), high-efficiency street lighting, or other energy-saving lighting technologies," the plan reads.
A search of Lexis-Nexis also reveals that in late November 2005, Romney signed a bill that gave families a $600 tax credit for the purchase of energy-efficient products.
Yes, there is nothing too trivial for Romney to take multiple positions on. That he even engaging in this paranoid "they're coming to take my light bulbs away" crapfest is absurd enough. But, really?
Another etch-a-sketch moment? Romney is making this far too easy.