The Remarkable Persuasive Ability of Ted Cruz
We’ve seen this before: Ted Cruz takes on a hostile questioner in one-to-one conversation, and communicates with remarkable effectiveness. But in previous cases the questioners have been leftist shills, like a Code Pink activist or Ellen Page — people whom Cruz has simply bested in a debate. This clip allows us to see a different scenario: an angry voter who isn’t a lefty hack but just somebody honestly concerned about his livelihood.
In this case, the voter is farmer in Iowa who is incensed by the fact that Cruz does not support ethanol subsidies. Cruz sets a tone of mutual respect, explains how his free-market policies could actually benefit the farmer — and ends up turning an angry guy into somebody who tells Cruz he hopes the votes come in for him.
Remarkable.
By the way: are there any snippets of Donald Trump having one on one conversations with hostile voters, having a civil and respectful discussion, and turning them around like this?
Yes, that is a rhetorical question.
whoa no fair using logic
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/1/2016 @ 7:55 amCompelling.
crazy (cde091) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:00 amHe blew smoke up the guy’s rear. “Phasing out the mandate over five years” is exactly doing nothing.
The ethanol mandate expires 2022. Five years.
So he said he’s sponsoring legislation to maintain the previous legislation?
That’s blowing smoke.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:05 amI’m frustrated by how entitled that guy is to his fed government supported fuel. Cruz was extremely respectful. It seems like every single facet of society has found a way to demand politicians give them favors.
I disagree with papertiger:
The current law increases the mandate every year until 2022, while Cruz’s bill phases it out. This isn’t something you just turn on and off like a switch. Industries have to adapt slowly to these laws. A high mandate in 2022 means a near certainty of another mandate or serious problems. This is something that requires a few years to phase out.
Papertiger is suggesting that Renewable Fuel Standard Repeal Act makes no difference from the status quo simply because both it and the current law end in 2022, but this is totally wrong.
Cruz is blunt with the farmer. Farmer says he’s going to end the mandate and Cruz is saying ‘yes’. He’s going to end that mandate because government getting out of the way and a level playing field are better. Papertiger is calling this blowing smoke, but Cruz is admitting to phasing out the mandate. A lesser politician would promise the farmer what he wants and then just stab him in the back later, not explain why he’s taking the stand the farmer hates.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:29 amI couldn’t hear the audio very well at my prsent location, but I liked the eye contact that both men mantained.
felipe (b5e0f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:31 ampapertiger, the reason they would want to phase it out rather than just pull the rug immediately is because businesses and corporations have long-range capital investments that would be dramatically affected. This phasing out would allow them time to arrange new plans.
Think of it this way, when a person buys a car, they make payments over a period of several years. That’s because the price of a car is usually too prohibitive for the typical person to make in one lump sum.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:31 amAmending my last. If you promise Iowan’s to do nothing to ethanol subsidies, while campaigning to the rest of the country that you’re taking a hard line against ethanol, that means Ted Cruz is blowing smoke up our rear end.
Not Iowa’s.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:31 amAnd we should let Bernie Madoff out of prison because he had long term plans for the money.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:34 amIf they pull the plug those businesses will change their plans quickly.
Who knows. Maybe they’d build a refinery or two.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:36 amThanks, Dustin. I also diagreed with pepertiger. You offered a very good rebuttal
felipe (b5e0f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:38 amWhereas your guy wants to increase them, papertiger.
JD (34f761) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:38 amThis is one reason I’m kindly inclined toward Cruz: I liked the respectful exchange, the eye contact, and the clarity.
I would like to see all the candidates filmed with this kind of exchange. I’m not being snarky. I think that the voters need to see how their candidates deal with individuals..even individuals who disagree with them.
Because there are far, far worse things a President will face other than an irritable voter, an unfriendly talking head from television, or a lying op-ed.
Leadership works at the small and large scale.
Simon Jester (2708f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:49 amIt just shows why Iowa should be irrelevant to choice of GOP nominee. Cruz pretzels himself to assure the farmer that his corn, that should be stock feed, will be sucked up by ethanol producers instead.
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:04 amJD’s got a point. Trump promised Iowa a nice fat increase to that mandate.
Why do you think the farmer was pissed off?!? Why do you think Iowa’s governor bashed Cruz over this? For ‘nothing’? Why didn’t Cruz just say “I’m not making that change at all, just ask Papertiger. I’m a friend of the ethanol status quo.”
I feel like Milhouse for saying it’s a mandate rather than a subsidy, but at any rate, the current law is increasing it, and Cruz wants to phase it out. Opposite directions. You’re denying reality here because two laws are both five year changes, one a huge increase, and one a complete phase out. Cruz said this to Iowa’s face, and explained himself as not wanting a government that picks winners and losers, but rather a level playing field we all benefit from.
On a different note:
Every politician recalls how Chris Christie got a ton of ‘badass’ points for his completely opposite approach to the pissed off voter. Cruz had that set up nicely and declined to use it, instead reasoning out a tricky subject, on the fly, in a noisy room, with ultimately a hostile judge. I actually feel like it was naive and suicidal to do that, yet Cruz managed to pull it off. I do not want to be one of those fawning politician fans, but I that sincerity.
At the very least, Cruz gets that he is accountable to us. I’m cynical and assume that’s for his political survival, but he gets the idea.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:10 am12… Agreed, Simon. And I haven’t seen any of the others display the grasp of the issues like Cruz… Or the consistency.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:15 amYes. Cruz goes to some length to explain that with the EPA and mandates out of the way, ethanol is free to be sold at even higher concentrations in fuel. Because the farmer needs the politicians to preserve his business. But at least Cruz insists he will not help one over the other, picking winners. If someone can sell 150% ethanol gasoline to someone, that’s their right.
Iowa exploits their primary for financial gain over the rest of us. They should just make Texas’s primary a few hours later!
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:15 amA level playing field is what this country should be about.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:16 amBut Dustin, that means ethanol will “find its level” which is nowhere because it eats machines not specially (and expensively) designed for it. The only backdoor to biofuel sales is then mandating manufacture of biofuel-compliant machines.
Corn is not for fuel. It’s for eating. THE END.
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:20 amBy that I mean ethanol will not be a successful alternative energy source without artificial market forcing. Ethanol will be for solvents and drinking and not much else.
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:23 amiowa has precisely 44 corn ethanol refineries
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:31 amBTW, one reason I’m so sour on the subject is I can’t sleep at night because by home heating system was damaged by it. Last year biodiesel ruined a hydraulic jack on my Riello burner and, judging by recent issues, damaged the pump seals, too. I had to order a biofuel compatible pump from the UK to replace it, because that’s all they make now, and pay through the nose for it; and will have to install it myself and just hope the standard pressure settings will do.
I’m left trying to limp it along in ways that reduce the efficiency of the burner, like keeping open a gate that closes with the hydraulic part.
I can’t repair anything on my car, and lord knows what ethanol is doing to it. Hoping the lawn mower will start in the spring.
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:38 amhere is even more super-persuasive ted cruz video action
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:40 amFunnily enough, it sucks for food. Ever since the Nixon administration gave billions in subsidies to corn, corn became a staple in everything from ice cream to beverages. Americans have gotten much fatter on the nutrient sparse stuff. Food prices have stabilized, since all processed food relies heavily on corn, relieving a symptom of a bad economy from being too evident. And those early Iowa voters are so happy. Oh wait, no they aren’t, they want even more government intervention or else they will yell at candidates at their primary.
Sounds crazy, but Iowa’s primary is probably part of the reason someone you care about has heart disease.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:44 amSo Nixon was the one that started this boondoggle, although didn’t Carter dial to eleven?
narciso (6a5d3c) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:52 amFor some reason, I just got a craving for grits with bacon and eggs.
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 9:55 amSarah – there is nothing wrong with that happening.
JD (fe9eff) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:00 amTed Cruz comeback: “I am fighting for a fair, free-market solution.”
CrustyB (69f730) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:00 amDonald Trump comeback: “Oh yeah? Well, YOU’RE a big dummy! And your breath stinks!”
Ethanol readily binds with H2O, the molecules are more than sympatico, they’re eager to mix, even water vapor abundantly present in high levels of humidity agressively combines with Ethanol.
Ethanol reeks havoc on the cars Snowbirds leave garaged between seasons in Florida, they won’t start till the tank is drained and refilled with fresh gasoline, and it causes no end of trouble for gasoline engines of all kinds.
Ethanol is one of those ideas that sound good but can’t work without taxpayer subsidies. Which is an involuntary tax forced on us all for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. Cruz is right – it should be phased out.
ropelight (bbc6ad) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:01 amIf ethanol as an add-mixture for motor fuel was not mandated it would not be an add-mixture for motor fuel. As SarahW said, it damages the equipment. The actual environmental benefit is questionable and probably can never be actually known based on the government measurement of other things, like employment and healthcare. Elimination of the mandate will let the market tell us whether or not ethanol is a benefit in our fuel.
Phasing out the mandate gives the farmers time to determine what crops they should be growing, as dictated by the market, and the fuel producers time to adapt their production equipment to a better mix for fuel, whatever they want to put into it. The producer who finds the right formula first will end up holding the gold ring.
And the farmers can grow corn and hay to feed the cows so we can have beef and milk, and even pigs so we can have ham and bacon… and so some pf us will not have to pay $20 a bale for hay for the horses, pushed to that level by the government bribing farmers to grow corn instead of hay.
Gramps (a97f4c) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:05 am#25, nk, Yankee nonsense. Grits goes best with ham and parmesan cheese. An egg float (over easy or medium) is optional but does add just the right touch.
ropelight (bbc6ad) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:06 amThere’s many a drink you’ll drink, me lads,
But this one beats them all:
one hundred fifty three and one half
percent alcohol!
A beer brewed in a tesseract
that’ll shoot you through the roof;
and if you don’t believe me I’ve got
lots and lots of proof!
307 Ale, me lads, 307 Ale,
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:11 amthe finest drink that any bar has ever had for sale;
it’ll lay your whole d*mn world to waste,
it’ll make you fit and hale.
There’s nothing that you’ll ever taste
like 307 Ale, me lads, 307 Ale.
Except he is not promising to Iowans to do nothing to ethanol subsidies. He is taking a hard line, which is WHAT THE VIDEO WAS ABOUT. So you are the one blowing smoke up our rear end.
Patrick Henry, the 2nd (ddead1) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:15 amMm-mm, that sounds good too, ropelight.
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:17 amSo, would you all say that Cruz is, or is not, a coRnservative?
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:19 am“add-mixture”?!
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:20 amThat’s the text of the link Dustin put up. The operative part.
Section 211 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545) subsection (o) reads;
(o) FUEL AND FUEL ADDITIVE IMPORTERS AND IMPORTATION.—
For the purposes of this section, the term ‘‘manufacturer’’ includes
an importer and the term ‘‘manufacture’’ includes importation.
[42 U.S.C. 7545]
That’s all of it. Not much to subsection (o).
Section 204 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 reads as ;
SEC. 204. ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION IMPACTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the enactment
of this section and every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy, shall assess
and report to Congress on the impacts to date and likely future
impacts of the requirements of section 211(o) of the Clean Air
Act on the following:
(1) Environmental issues, including air quality, effects on
hypoxia, pesticides, sediment, nutrient and pathogen levels in
waters, acreage and function of waters, and soil environmental
quality.
(2) Resource conservation issues, including soil conservation,
water availability, and ecosystem health and biodiversity,
including impacts on forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
(3) The growth and use of cultivated invasive or noxious
plants and their impacts on the environment and agriculture.
In advance of preparing the report required by this subsection,
the Administrator may seek the views of the National Academy
of Sciences or another appropriate independent research institute.
The report shall include the annual volume of imported renewable
fuels and feedstocks for renewable fuels, and the environmental
impacts outside the United States of producing such fuels and
feedstocks. The report required by this subsection shall include
recommendations for actions to address any adverse impacts found.
(b) EFFECT ON AIR QUALITY AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL
REQUIREMENTS.—Except as provided in section 211(o)(12) of the
Clean Air Act, nothing in the amendments made by this title
to section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act shall be construed as superseding,
or limiting, any more environmentally protective requirement
under the Clean Air Act, or under any other provision of
State or Federal law or regulation, including any environmental
law or regulation.
I guess I could argue it’s merely off point, or I could call it a dodge. It pertains to environmental impacts of brewing ethanol in foreign lands for export to the USA.
Dustin are you sure you have the right bit of legislation @ comment 4?
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:30 am@35– typing too fast. Let’s amend the original to “additive”.. OK?
Gramps (a97f4c) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:35 amYeah, it’s the right legislation.
The problem is the place where you said you copied the operative part, but copied the part that doesn’t matter and left off the part that does.
There’s the part you left off.
Here’s the regulation.
Find “Subpart K” and “Subpart M”
All of K and M are the meat and potatoes of the bill.
Just one example:
but there’s more like that. Don’t want to flood the thread when I don’t think anyone really believes the ethanol industry is mad at Cruz yet he actually is a friend to the ethanol industry.
Unlike Papertiger, I do not interpret this as a dodge. This crap is difficult to read. We are subjects to a leviathan of laws and regulations we couldn’t possibly keep up with.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 10:43 amWe are subjects to a leviathan of laws and regulations we couldn’t possibly keep up with.
It’s awfully disconcerting that much of the progressive set ballyhooed the length of the Patriot Act – which, if memory serves, was a shade past 300 pages in final bill form.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act final bill was over 900 pages long. Who are they fooling?
JP (bd5dd9) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:06 amIt says they will repeal subsection (o). That’s the operative part.
You think I’m not dealing in good faith? Here’s where I’m coming from.
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2003-title40-vol1/content-detail.html
They don’t have a listing for subpart K or M.
Same with the Wikipedia entry for title 40.
I agree this crap is difficult to read, made more so when they leave out great big chunks.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:17 amPapertiger – “If you promise Iowan’s to do nothing to ethanol subsidies……….”
Except that he is not. The video features an Iowan!
You gotta get over it. Dude is constantly being misrepresented by disparate interests.
As an add on, Cruz also is against Single Payer, amnesty and is an evangelical and practicing constitutional conservative.
Rich (ddc02c) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:25 amWe had subsidies here in New Zealand, and when the government removed them the farmers were livid.
Now, no one would ever think of going back.
scrubone (c3104f) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:29 ampapertiger, aren’t you a Trump guy?
What’s Trump’s view on “subsidies”?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:35 amHe’s for single-payer health care. That’s the biggest subsidy of them all, isn’t it?
Look at my first comment, and follow the link to the legislation the farmer is angry with Cruz about. Cruz’s name appears on the sponsors and the title indicates it’s got something to do with repealing the renewable fuel standard. Look at the section in that bill about regulations. It mentioned subpart K and M being repealed. I promise they really exist.
This is the link from my previous comment. It’s the code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Chapter I, Subsection C, Part 80. Check out Subpart K and M. Those are the sections mandating the use of ethanol. Those are the sections Cruz wanted to repeal. I posted a section of it demonstrating how they mandate ethanol to save readers all this effort.
No, I believe you’re arguing in good faith. We may disagree about Trump and Cruz, but I’m sure we agree that the federal government’s regulations are out of control.
And God help the man who runs afoul of these rules, probably numbering in the millions by now. God help the man who actually tries to remove a few lines like Cruz did. Why, you’ll find out real quick who was getting a little money out of whichever line you try to remove.
But imagine if we wiped almost all that away. How freed our economy would be. You’d still need some rules, but each state could do things their own way. If Iowa wanted to mandate corn fuel, that would be their business, and it wouldn’t mean my pickup truck wears out.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:38 amThe son of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad makes his living lobbying ethanol.
As the saying goes, “Follow the money.”
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:49 amThis is how persuasive canadian crud is. It sent threatening mailers to republican voters in qowa threatening them with dire consequences if they didn’t vote crud.
trumpet (dd7098) — 2/1/2016 @ 11:57 amtrumpet,
Your spelling and punctuation is hilarious. By the way, are you fearful that Ted Cruz might reduce your welfare check?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:00 pm3. papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/1/2016 @ 8:05 am
He also did that on “Meet the Press” yesterday. He was asked about the Goldman and Sachs loans and he did not give a trthfu answer (which would not have bene too harmful to him.
He said he reported the loans on the wrong form. No, he did not report the loans on the wrong form. He reported the loans, after the election, on his Senate financial disclosure forms, and they were not the wrong forms. It’s just that it should also have been reported on his campaign forms.
He also said he and his wife had devoted their entire net worth to the campaign – which may very well be true – but that’s a careful choice of words. It is not exactly what he said in 2012 and later.
Ted Cruz had a reason for not reporting the loans in 2012 beyond just not realizing he was supposed to. It would spoil a cornpone story he told about having sold all his stocks. Actually, he did not do that. His wife was a financial planner, and knew better. He transferred the stocks into, or created, a margin account, and borrowed against it. This avoided capital gains taxes. Of course had the stock market crashed he would have been sold out.
He avoided taxes that way, but took the risk of losing more. Say he has $400,000 in stock. He borrows 50% on margin and the price drops to $200,000. The stock is sold, the loan is called and paid back, and it is as if he sold the stock for $200,000. But selling $200,000 worth of stock, if taxes were not a factor, and then having the price drop in half, would still leave him with $100,000 worth of stock or cash.
The purpose of reporting personal loans where the money goes into the campaign may very well not be relevant to those loans he took out. There is a problem if the loan is forgiven at any point. But they were against collateral – at least the Goldman and Sachs loans were..
But that fact was something that was not reported any where and that was what piqued the interest of the New York Times. Because they were at very low interest rates. It looked like a favor, and it looked like he was lying too about it, or concealing it.
Another thing: The money was only loaned to his campaign, not donated. He could have gotten it all back, except that federal campaign finance laws prohibit the paying back of more than $250,000 of a campaign loan made by the candidate from money raised after the election, and he was out about $540,000, although his campaign still carries the debt on its books.
Ted Cruz has not yet converted it into a contribution. Maybe he’s looking for a loophole, or hoping for a change in the law, or a court overturning the prohibition, or he’s not willing to face up to it. Or does that prevent someone else from placing a lien on the cash?
Sammy Finkelman (dbec95) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:05 pmCrud suppository canadian crud will only redue its welfare check from goldman sucks.
trumpet (dd7098) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:13 pmnk, if you’re interested start with course ground grits, avoid finer grinds and all forms of quick grits. The best come from small Southern mills using traditional stone grinding wheels (steel wheels generate too much heat and damage the oils and nutrients) of course organic is best.
(In the old South the best fields were set aside to grow special corn for grits and moonshine. Some modern millers ferret out these old fields and take advantage of many decades of careful plant husbandry. It was the moonshiners who kept the special cultivars reproducing year after year.)
Yellow grits look better and White grits taste better. Cook’s choice – I use both.
Bring 1 cup of lightly salted water (ham and parmesan cheese are both salty) to a rolling boil, stir in grits slowly, allow to return to boil, steer it up, reduce head to low, cover, and allow to cook for 7 minutes. Remove from heat, steer it up again.
Add diced and fried ham – can be cooked lightly or to near bacon crispness depending on preference, add parmesan cheese, steer it up some more.
Fry 1 to 3 eggs in ham pan (pour off almost all rendered fat and add a generous pat of butter) cook eggs over easy or over medium. Pour grits mix into high sided bowl, pepper generously, add more butter (optional) and float eggs over grits. Take care, grits are hot and sticky.
Fair warning: eating grits prepared as above often results in the urge to slap yo’ Momma.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:25 pmropelight,
I bet you have a good recipe for…baloney.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:28 pmOh yeah, one 1/4 cup grits to 1 cup water with a light pinch of (Kosher) salt. Kosher tastes better.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:29 pmMaybe not grits, but I’ve been inspired to put an egg on my burger today. It’s the little things.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:34 pmAin’t nothin’ wrong with that Dustin. Ya ever see guys crack a fresh egg in a glass of beer? I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never actually seen such a thing. Truth is once the novelty wore off I’ve spent very little time in bars, which isn’t to say I don’t drink. I do, but I do it at home, and I never go out for more.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:41 pmA little Canadian bacon goes well with a lot of dishes. Senator Cruz told me so. (LOL)
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:45 pmPerry is off his meds.
JD (34f761) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:49 pmWhich reminds me, I gotta make sure I have the appropriate spirits on hand for tonight’s caucus results, whatever they may be. I already have a nice bottle of champagne in the ice box, but I need to restock vodka and cowboy bourbon. I already picked up a case of Cerveza de los Muertos to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:50 pm#36: Well, papertiger, I am apparently not the expert you are, but I simply googled “42 U.S.C. 7545”
The first link from .gov took me here:
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCODE-2010-title42/USCODE-2010-title42-chap85-subchapII-partA-sec7545
I clicked on the PDF link that was highlighted, and went here:
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2010-title42/pdf/USCODE-2010-title42-chap85-subchapII-partA-sec7545.pdf
It took a fair amount of scrolling, but there it was. Not at all what you claimed. I direct your attention to page 6380. I think you will agree that subsection (o) says a heck of a lot more about biofuels than what you put forth. I’m just wondering why you would look at the bill from 2004 (instead of USC) and put forth the nonsense that everybody was mad at Cruz for changing the definition of importer?
And finally, your dissection of Cruz’s bill totally omits Section 4 of that bill. Why? There were only 4 sections, and the first was the name of the bill. Not like it got lost in a sea of text. Dustin addressed this completely in #38, but you still haven’t acknowledged that the bill does, in fact repeal the mandates. It is not a dodge in any way. Are you man enough to own all of the errors and misrepresentations you have made here?
prowlerguy (3af7ff) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:10 pm“Admixture” would have been fine.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:21 pmSarah and Dustin, thanks for the great comments. I especially appreciate the explanation of subparts K and M. The fact that these schedules reach their endpoints in 2022 doesn’t mean the mandates disappear. Hardly, the only good thing about 2022 is that we will stop making the problem worse. The “end point” will have been reached.
Isn’t it obvious that Cruz is telling the “truth” about his plan. He isn’t assuring the farmer that ethanol will be used for fuel five years hence. Instead he will let the market decide. Unstated, but insightful, Cruz is relying on the farmer to fill in the piece where it is likely that drivers will want more ethanol in their fuel in a future without mandates. This a subtle play on the “logic” that the farmer has employed to rationalize his participation in the current scheme of mandated usage. He believes it is honorable to do what he does because he believes alcohol is a “great” fuel. Perhaps he’s bought into all the renewable propaganda, since he seemed to advocate biofuels as well. But that is his privilege.
Sarah is also right that alcohol is a terrible idea for cars, especially older cars, and apparently even biofuels flunk the test as a heating oil. Marinas and airports are the only places I know where you can buy real gas, which means no alcohol. The reason being that boats and cars, well old boats and cars for sure, become inoperable while underway as the alcohol dissolves gaskets, changes the heating of vital engine components, and so on. And combined, these effects tend to make headlines ranging from “Vessel Adrift and Burning” to “Private Aircraft Lost with All Board”, headlines that the EPA and the politicians would just as soon not have to deal with.
Less life threatening, but illustrative of my concern about the mandate, our 2008 Subaru acts like an alcohol content measuring device. When we are fortunate enough to fill up with real gas, we can get 25- to 26 mpg on the highway. With our onboard fuel consumption monitoring, we can see the difference within the first 10 miles of new tank of gas. When we fill up with gasoline that has been contaminated with alcohol, the mileage drops to 22- to 23 mpg. So the alcohol acts like a simple filler, say saw dust in the dough. Put 10% alcohol in, and the mileage drops by 10%, meaning the same amount of gas is used on per mile basis. The least harmful effect alcohol has is on the range of the vehicle since we can only go 90% as far between tanks. But the alcohol is not provided at zero cost, so we are also paying for this useless filler.
The farmer’s blindness to reality is typical of those participating in subsidized/mandated manufacturing activities, like refined cane sugar or ethanol. They work hard, and they want to take pride in their product. So they embrace the propaganda.
BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:25 pmDon’t be so pissy, Milhouse. This is an informal blog, not a final draft for the Library of Congress.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:25 pmThey have known for a long time prairie grasses are superior to corn and beans for biofuel. 15 miles from my farm is a prairie grass biofuel plant that was converted from corn 12 years ago.
mg (31009b) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:29 pmhttp://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=108206
I’d just never seen anyone use “add-mixture” before, and thought perhaps it was a clever backformation or something, or one of those things Readers Digest does with words.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:31 pm#60 ropelight, I thought you were waiting until after the caucus results before you break out the vodka?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:31 pmThere’s no reason for you to attack Milhouse for writing about ethanol. Seriously.
FOX is reporting on a Microsoft app that allows Iowa precinct captains to communicate voter totals to each other in real time and keep that information concealed from observers and voters.
What is the purpose of such an app except to facilitate cheating?
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:32 pmBobStewartatHome – I remember as a kid the ditches were white with milk, dairy farmers were paid by the govt. to destroy the product. So many subsidies for farmers- it is all screwed up.
mg (31009b) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:34 pmMilhouse, I’ve self moderated several comments so far that amount to the same message.
You’ve offered a lot of ‘corrections’ to folks. It makes the thread a little more hostile and a little less enjoyable. The person you’ve corrected was actually right, and if they defend themselves the thread winds up being really stupid, because you’ve corrected something irrelevant.
In the scheme of things it probably doesn’t matter given the hostility we always have in primaries, but at least they are arguing about which candidate is better.
Relax and enjoy. Maybe make like ropelight and have a drink.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:35 pmQuestion asked and answered. Wait till the democrat/socialists get a hold of this.
Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie™ (f4eb27) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:35 pmropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 12:50 pm
That’s a great idea, Ropelight. A small bottle of bubbly to toast a successful and peaceful vote. I do not take that for granted.
felipe (56556d) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:56 pmropelight, those grits ‘n eggs sound wonderful.
Beldar (fa637a) — 2/1/2016 @ 1:56 pmConsternation is growing among the supporters of Bernie Sanders. Microsoft has already called Iowa for Hillary (see comment #s 64 and 67 above).
Microsoft uses data from a variety of sources to predict the outcome of elections. Microsoft expects Hillary to win Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada. Sanders is expected to take New Hampshire.
Sanders’ supporters are decidedly uncomfortable that Microsoft’s precinct communication system will give Hillary’s supporters a heads up in time to rush additional field workers to specific precincts where Sanders is doing well before the polls close.
I can think of no other use for such an app.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:02 pmI have never prayed for a commie, but I am on my knees with rosary beads praying for bernie. If he can win iowa, bill and his wife could be on the down side.
mg (31009b) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:09 pmFat, drunk, argumentative and obstinate is no way to go through life, Milhouse.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:10 pmI think if all sides have access to the same information (apps), it will prove essential to keeping each other “honest.” I don’t mind if the political parties involved keep dynamic data hidden from voters until the polls close, as long as disinterested third parties are privy.
I think that there is a great opportunity to skew, or invent real-time data to influence voter behavior during the vote window if the data is made available real-time to everyone. How often do people abandon their team during a sporting event if a blow-out begins to develop? Do we want this in our elections?
felipe (56556d) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:15 pmThat’s not that old of a car these days, but what about a car from the 1990s. Alcohol would trash it, cleaning away gunk and damaging old seals. Keeping an old car in shape is probably the most environmentally friendly thing you can do, but this ethanol feels like a shadow ‘cash for clunkers’ effort to get folks back to the car dealers.
Cruz is on the right side of history on this one. I suspect nuclear power needs some help to get off the ground (not that it gets much), but corn fueled cars will appear on a trivial pursuit card of the future.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:17 pmBeldar, it’s important to get whole grain grits. Too often the big companies split off the germ for valuable corn oil and animal feed. That leaves only the starchy carbohydrates and makes for poor tastin’ grits, the kind even a starving dog wouldn’t eat. It’s also the kind Yankees are likely to encounter in roadside cafes and form strong negative opinions of a fine breakfast food.
Even corn and hog cultures in the mid-west (Iowa and Nebraska) are unaware of the right way to prepare grits. Just remember ham and cheese, topped with an egg float and you can’t go wrong unless you over salt.
Some folks use rat cheese or cheddar, but parmasan is best. A good bit but don’t over do it.
The Italians call grits polenta and serve it in fancy restaurants with equally fancy prices.
Whole grains don’t have much of a shelf life unless you keep them in the freezer.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:19 pm“Add-mixture” is a real word?!
If we can talk about grits, and the advantages of kosher salt on ham(!), then surely we can talk about words.
How is commenting on an unusual usage hostile? On the contrary, commentary on on someone’s political positions may be hostile because we actually differ on those, but surely language, like cooking, is something that unites us. Surely we all want to improve our mastery of the language so that we only ever misuse it on purpose, and we all want a reputation for mastery of the language so that when we misuse it people will know it was on purpose.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:21 pmThen don’t do that.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:21 pmIf anyone likes the grits, ask me about Shrimp and Grits. It’s easy to make, easy on the pocket book, impressively tasty, with easy clean up, and it’s good for ya. A genuine Southern specialty.
I know it’s on Bobby Flay’s menu in NY city and although I’ve never eaten there he looks like he knows what he’s doing on TV. I can make it at home for well under $5/head with all the extras, beverages included.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:26 pm77… he even argues against the very thing that could save him. A hopeless case, nothing to be done.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:28 pmYou’re right Milhouse, we’re all pleased when someone points out our shortcomings and offers correction in public. It’s just part of human nature to be grateful when called out on some minor point. You’ll win friends and influence lots of people if you keep it up.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:29 pmThe corn for fuel deal got a big boost from when MTBE was banned in gasoline. EPA/CARB thought they had to have an oxygenate in the fuel for it to burn cleaner. Ethanol was the only one they could get quickly and in volume. Plus the farmers liked it.
I read a study by some econ professors that it would take 15 years for corn prices to rise because of ethanol; it took less than 3….
dee (3305c2) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:32 pmI like to think it’s A Way not The Way. 🙂
I admit I have a lot in common with Milhouse, a smart guy who cares about the big picture problems. If I keep nine out of ten of my thoughts to myself, the ones that make the cut are usually interesting to others. If one finds that most of their comments are just picking apart someone else’s opinion (or for others, just insulting someone you disagree with), guess what, you’re not making others happy and you’re not making yourself happy; you’re just embodying a little extra misery. And all it takes to be more pleasant is discipline. Like I said earlier, I self moderate a lot.
I’ve seen quite a bit of misery in our fallen world, and fighting against that is more important than the sexier movements of our day. Fortunately I sincerely believe wanting to be pleasant, as a matter of personal restraint, is a Texan thing. Every time we travel somewhere prettier or full of ancient stuff we stop asking ourselves ‘why don’t we live in a place like this’ after interacting with folks who don’t understand what I’m talking about.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:33 pmSelf-moderation is something to be valued, but it just seems to take so much of the fun out of life, lol…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:40 pmI will attempt grits, ham and egg recipe soon.
mg (31009b) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:46 pmI have made polenta and then grilled it the next day.
Which is something that Haiku does and I don’t.
Normal people want to know if they’ve made a mistake, so they won’t make it again. And when they’ve deliberately made a play on words they want people to notice it. Maybe you are different.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:48 pmapparently even biofuels flunk the test as a heating oil.
I just looked this up: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/RielloBioDieselReport.pdf
The last bit explains a lot…
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:53 pm#7 I mean.
SarahW (67599f) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:53 pmIt’s like raaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiin on your wedding day.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:55 pmHe’s a real self-made man
Sitting in his self-made land
Making all his bare-bone plans spends no money
Doesn’t have a point of view
Knows not what he’s going to do
Does he really even have a clue?
Self-made man please listen
Your Trump Tower it does glisten
Self-made man, your world is all built on sand
Bloviation his own way
Just says what he wants to say
Self-made man, can you see them at all
Self-made man don’t worry
Bide your time, don’t hurry
Buy ’em all till somebody else
Figures it out
Doesn’t have a single clue
Knows not what he’s going to do
Isn’t he a bit like Hillary?
Self-made man please listen
All the guys that you’re dissin’
Self-made man, your world is all built on sand
He’s a real self-made man
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:09 pmSitting in his self-made land
Making all his bare-bone plans spends no money
Kiss my grits, Milhouse…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:10 pmCruz loses one vote of confidence… http://www.independent.co.uk/news/US/ted-cruz-refused-hug-by-daughter-in-excruciating-video-a6846156.html
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:15 pmSoylent ethanol. It’s foooooood!
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:24 pm#91, I love the cognitive dissonance of accusing Cruz of using his children for political purposes….by using the video for political purposes.
You just wait for all the fawning Granny Hillary stuff in the Fall.
Simon Jester (2708f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:26 pmNormal people want to know if they’ve made a mistake, so they won’t make it again.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 2:48 pm
Dollars to donuts this man will remain single for the rest of his natural life…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:27 pm#93… Yep, the warm-hearted, fun-loving old Granny Hillary who now loves nothing more than baking cookies…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:29 pmThat is terribly real, Haiku!
Poor girl must hate being thrown into this mess. She could be wincing at that video for fifty years.
I can’t trust anyone who signs their family up for this. Of course, all candidates did. If Cruz wins, that daughter will lose. Any mistake that gal makes in her teenage years would be broadcast and skewed, largely because she is a republican’s child and thus fair game to all those ‘any means necessary’ types of nuts. The fact any journalist posted that video proves how screwed up our media is. A decent journalist would have realized it was not all that appropriate and informs us of absolutely nothing. Family should be off limits, even for the ‘innocent’ little snippets like this.
If only they taught that in journalism schools and journalism aspired to be a legitimate profession. But this video will get some jerk a lot of extra short term attention, and that’s all things seem to be about anymore.
I respect the guys who prioritize their family over political success, such as Mitch Daniels did.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:32 pmYesterday (or the day before?), commenter crazy linked a British tabloid story about Trump. And I realized that I like Trump better than I like the media. Reading that story, very uncomplimentary to Trump that it was, I was on the side of Trump and not the Euro-trashy propaganda media wanton pickles.
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:53 pmTed Cruz shouldn’t be criticized for his young daughter’s misbehavior. Sure, she’s not much interested in being on-stage in her father’s campaign. Clearly, she has other priorities, but her rude finger-flip rejection of her father’s authority and her uncomfortable response to his expression of affection reveals only a tired young girl’s frustration and pique.
Cruz handled it like a loving father, with compassion and understanding, and for that he deserves praise, not ridicule.
ropelight (fb0bad) — 2/1/2016 @ 3:54 pmUm, I know rain at a wedding is supposed to be an omen of fertility, but I don’t get the connection.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:08 pmDustin, I was a big Mitch Daniels fan. But the business with his wife would have been too much.
He chose his wife.
And I agree—so much—about the kid comments. I feel the same way when folks (rarely) have tried to mess with BHO’s daughters.
Issues are more important.
Otherwise, we can look forward to President Kanye West, the reality show. Right?
Simon Jester (2708f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:13 pmAs I understand it his wife refused to let him run, and it’s impossible to run without ones spouse’s active cooperation, let alone without her permission. Colin Powell also gave his wife’s lack of permission as his reason for not running.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:17 pmI don’t know, Milhouse. You might be right. I wasn’t there, and neither were you.
And most pundits seem quite zealous with axes to grind.
But everything about Daniels’ character suggests protecting her from embarrassment.
I doesn’t really matter, I suppose. But I think he could have made a fine President.
Simon Jester (2708f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:19 pmFor Greeks, if we’re going to a wedding and it’s raining, we say “The bride is crying”.
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:26 pmIt’s the lyrics to an (unintentionally ironic) song about irony. You cited the very reason you should listen when explaining why you shouldn’t. Trying to help, man. I wouldn’t have posted any of those comments if I had known you would ignore them, which I suppose I should have.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:33 pm“S’CUSE ME, SIR. MR. CRUZ? I’M LT. COLUMBO, LAPD. WE GOT A CALL FROM IMMIGRATION ABOUT YOUR CITIZENSHIP, SIR. ABOUT YOU BEING BORN IN CANADA? IT’S PROBABLY NOTHING, SIR, BUT IF IT’S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE, YOU MIND SHOWING ME YOUR NATURALIZATION PAPERS AND PASSPORT, SIR?”
“YOU KNOW, MY WIFE AND I REALLY LOVE CANADA. THE BACON AND THE BEER. SHE’S PLANNING A VACATION IN ALBERTA. MY WIFE, SHE DOES ALL THE PLANNING. LIKES TO GO IN THE FALL. YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOTELS UP THERE?”
“THANK YOU, SIR. OH, JUST ONE MORE THING, MR. CRUZ. THE CONSTITUTION SAYS YOU HAVE TO BE NATURAL BORN CITIZEN TO BE PRESIDENT. AND THESE PAPERS SAYS YOU WERE BORN IN CALGARY. THAT’S IN CANADA, RIGHT SIR? AND IT ALSO SAYS YOU ONLY GAVE UP YOUR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP 14 MONTHS AGO?”
“WELL, I’M SURE A COURT CAN CLEAR THIS UP FOR YOU IN NO TIME, SIR. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. AND FOR THE TIP ON THAT HOTEL IN CALGARY.”
DCSCA (a343d5) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:36 pmDCSCA. The Troll From Before iPhones. Weren’t you banned?
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:42 pm#105 DCSCA, you’re so original. Nobody’s ever heard that goofy Canadian nonsense before. And you didn’t even mention Celine Dion or hockey!
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:44 pmFor Greeks the bride is always crying, nk.
(I’m just jokin’)
Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie™ (f4eb27) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:47 pmIt’s the I Work Here Is Done guy!
Can I have your autograph? Big fan of the years you mocked those stupid birthers, btw!
Sorry you fear people who were American every day of their lives but are from families that immigrated here in the last generation. To me they are the very soul of American.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:51 pmMy wife is from South Korea. She came here working as a senior sales VP for a small company named Samsung. She met me, the quintessential American. Hansom, well off, independent, brave, well hung, well mannered and cultured. But I digress. We fell in love and she wanted to stay. We began the process. We married and she went through the naturalization process to become an American citizen. And now she is. Did Cruz need to be naturalized? No, because his mother was an American so he was too. So he’s a natural born American. And I might add a better American than anything the left has to offer and half of the other Republicans.
Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie™ (f4eb27) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:56 pmHey, someone needs to post an Iowa results thread already!
BTW, Google says of the ‘how do I caucus for [blank]’ searches, Cruz is the top search result. Ben Carson is suspending his campaign. They say there are a lot of newbies, so that could be good news for Trump.
Dustin (2a8be7) — 2/1/2016 @ 4:59 pmoh good bye bye lispy fruit loop
still too many poopers left though
happyfeet (831175) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:00 pmSo very, very classy.
Simon Jester (2708f4) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:05 pmyou don’t really mean that
happyfeet (831175) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:06 pmhappyfeet, making fun of Ben Carson’s slight speech impediment. Why am I not surprised that Donnie Trump speaks to you.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:09 pmIf Vanna White would spot you a “c” and an “l,” then you’d have “class.”
my cousin squashie is rockin out with her caucus out she says it’s packed and standing room only!
wahoo it’s caucus night!
happyfeet (831175) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:09 pmThe real polls close at 9:00. Ignore the “exit polls”. They never get it right.
nk (dbc370) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:12 pmshe says it’s seriously electric way way different than normal
happyfeet (831175) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:16 pm“Elected”
He’s your select cut of meat, he’s your choice
He wants to be elected
He’s the old man with the Marxist voice
He wants to be elected
Kids want a savior, don’t need a goy
He wants to be elected
Life’ll be hard don’t look for joy
He wants to be elected, elected, elected
He’s never had success, but he’s always been cool
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/1/2016 @ 5:43 pmHe wants to be elected
He’s gotta get your vote, and he’ll suffer a fool
He wants to be elected, elected, elected
You want free sh*t, he wants to be elected
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