In The Blogs

Gingrich v. Gingrich

| Mon Apr. 27, 2009 10:59 AM PDT

It's hard to get too worked up when a politician turns out to be opportunistic, but Media Matters documents a pretty stunning case of cynicism from Newt Gingrich today. Last week Gingrich vilified a Democratic cap-and-trade plan for carbon emissions as a "command-and-control, anti-energy, big-bureaucracy agenda, including dramatic increases in government power and draconian policies that will devastate our economy." But two years ago, when he was in his "big ideas for conservatives phase," he was cap-and-trade's biggest fan:

I think if you have mandatory carbon caps combined with a trading system, much like we did with sulfur, and if you have a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions, that there's a package there that's very, very good. And frankly, it's something I would strongly support....The caps, with a trading system, on sulfur has worked brilliantly because it has brought free-market attitudes, entrepreneurship and technology and made it very profitable to have less sulfur.

Well, that's Newt for you: he dumps policy positions as quickly as he dumps wives. But it also goes to show how fleeting conservative support for "market-oriented solutions" like cap-and trade is. A lot of the liberal enthusiasm for cap-and-trade over the past decade has been based on the idea that it might be more acceptable to conservatives than a straight tax, but obviously that hasn't turned out to be the case. Basically, they just don't want to do anything, full stop.

Advertisement

Kevin Drum is a political blogger for Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here.

Comments

But, but, but ... the crash

Submitted by Hugh Jass (not verified) on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 11:50 AM PDT.

But, but, but ... the crash of 2008 changed everything! That must be why Newt has changed his position.

Newt Bombs

Submitted by Keith G on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 11:57 AM PDT.

IMHO, Newt has never been a positive politician nor a source of sound ideas for the common good, but lately he has just turned into an angry and vile old man, a belligerent dinosaur. He is such a one note, one speed thinker that were he not obnoxious, I would find him humorous. An elder statesman of his party or just a douche bag?

Just another fossil fuel tool

Submitted by SecularAnimist (not verified) on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 12:14 PM PDT.

The difference is that two years ago, there was NO chance of ANY legislation at all being passed by Congress to address anthropogenic global warming. So Gingrich could pose as a reasonable supporter of cap-and-trade without consequence to his owners in the fossil fuel corporations. But now that Bush and Cheney are no longer around to run the Executive Branch as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil, and now that the Obama administration and the Democratic majority in Congress are preparing to take action -- however belated and inadequate -- to reduce global warming pollution from fossil fuels, it's a different story. Cap-and-trade legislation might actually pass! The fossil fuel corporations have TRILLIONS of dollars in profits at stake in continuing business-as-usual consumption of their products for several more decades. And they are kicking their campaign of deceit and denial and obstruction into overdrive. All of their bought-and-paid-for shills like Gingrich and Will and Limbaugh, and all of their brainwashed tools like the denialists who post idiotic pseudo-science on this and other blogs, are doing their part.

If it's good enough for Newt...

Submitted by MarkH on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 1:34 PM PDT.

I guess his endorsement means all the Repubs will now support Obama's cap & trade plan. Yippee!

Why would we? It's a tax on

Submitted by Bartleby (not verified) on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 2:37 PM PDT.

Why would we? It's a tax on the lifeblood of our country to ever-so-slightly mitigate a a far-away threat that may or may not ever materialize. I think only a liberal could believe in using the tax code to control the weather.

Controlling the weather?

Submitted by optical weenie on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 3:43 PM PDT.

Oooooooooooooooooooo, you mean all I have to do is pay more taxes and I get to dictate my local weather? I'm all for it!

Government Control of the Weather?

Submitted by Model 62 on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 4:20 PM PDT.

tagged as:

result

Sounds great until one imagines the weather in the hands of actual existing elected representatives of the people. In California some of us have noticed the positively FUBARed management emanating from Sacramento. Can you imagine the cluftersuck when it comes time to vote on the sunshine and the rain?

The hypocricy piles up

Submitted by natural cynic on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 4:29 PM PDT.

Keith Olbermann dug up an old quote from Newtie from 1997 when he described American values to a Chinese diplomat - that we don't have indeterminate detention, that we don't coerce confessions, that we don't torture, etc. Oh well, everything changes in Newt's mind depending on political calculations.

Hobgoblin of little minds

Submitted by Cal Gal on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 8:15 PM PDT.

Well, Newt's PERSONAL life is a clear indication that he reserves the right to change his mind. Again and again.

Stunningly cynical

Submitted by Caspian of the Lake on Mon Apr. 27, 2009 5:17 PM PDT.

But not nearly as stunningly cynical as those Democrats in Congress and their ilk in the media who railed for 8 long years that deficits matter. That is right up until they took control of Congress when suddenly, they not only don't matter, but are completely necessary. PS. I can hardly wait for them to re-instate the draft. I mean they were all in favor of that too.