Mitt Romney

What Did Romney Believe and When Did He Believe It?

Two days ago, I posted documentation about Romney’s views about climate change.  Today, I want to discuss where he’s been consistent and when he has changed course. What’s causing climate change? Romney has been consistent in saying that the climate is changing. In terms of the reasons, however, he’s been cautious, hedging to varying degrees …

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Romney’s Views About Climate Policy: A Detailed Timeline

Updated Sept. 4, 2012. There has been considerable discussion of Governor Romney’s views about the causes of climate change and about policies such as cap and trade.  It’s not easy, however, to find detailed documentation.  For that reason, I’ve assembled as much information as I could find about what Romney has said and done over …

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Romney’s Advisers

As I’ve posted earlier, Romney’s website is staunchly anti-regulatory and pro-fossil fuel.  That’s also the position of his foremost energy advisrr, Harold Hamm. Hamm is the 66-year-old founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources Inc. (CLR).  CLR is an oil producer which is leading the charge for fracking. Not surprisingly, Hamm loves “Mitt’s …

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Mitt ♥ Carbon

Republicans used to call for an “all of the above” strategy, combining renewables with fossil fuels.  For Romney, it’s oil and gas all the way.  Fossil fuels give him a thrill. Renewables are a distant prospect, justifying only some investment in basic research against the far off day when they may become useful. Start with …

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Red Mitt, Blue Mitt, Old Mitt, New Mitt

Mitt was once the governor of a Blue state.  Now he’s appealing to voters in Red states. Perhaps it’s no surprise that New Mitt’s views are the opposite of Old Mitt’s views. A NY Times editorial this morning highlights Romney’s changes of position and just how far right he has moved on environment and energy …

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A Side-by-Side Comparison of Romney and Obama on Energy and Environment

I’ve put together a table of language from the issues sections of the official campaign websites dealing with energy and environment. I decided to use the candidate’s own language to avoid interposing my own views on the issues. Please keep in mind that the table uses their language, not mine. Not surprisingly, the candidates frame …

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Placing a Ceiling on Protection for Public Health

Governor Romney has endorsed an idea called regulatory budgeting, but it really means capping protection for public health.  Romney’s position paper explains the concept as follows: To force agencies to limit the costs they are imposing on society, and to provide the certainty that businesses crave, a system of regulatory caps is required. As noted, …

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The Bain-ality of Romney’s Capitalism

Trying to be fair and balanced, Dan says that we should be at least a little heartened by Bain Capital’s environmental posture.  I try to be fair, but in modern politics that rarely means being balanced (cue joke here), and I am somewhat less impressed. Look, I like recycling as much as the next guy …

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More On the Republican Anti-Fact Shield

So after I posted my tantrum about George Will the other day, I felt a little guilty.  Maybe I had been too hard on The Tory Bowtie.  After all, maybe his putting “facts” in scare quotes was just a slip. Then I saw this piece on the Washington Post editorial page by Republican pollster Ed Rogers, …

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(What Remains Of) The Conservative Mind Melts Down

Once upon a time, George Will had a reputation as the thinking person’s conservative.  No more.  He’s not only a climate denier, but a couple of weeks ago he smeared Elizabeth Warren with a kind of red-baiting that I haven’t seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now he’s at it again, sort of.  …

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