Republicans Losing Farmers

[Infinite Hope]

The Bush administration and GOP have been cutting farm subsidies and pushed CAFTA. This hurt the GOP especially in Minnesota, but it will continue to do so across the nation.

While the following bill is opposed by the administration, not necessarily the GOP, it will be seen as a GOP move.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States Congress risks a presidential veto if it approves a multibillion-dollar disaster aid package for farmers and ranchers, the White House said on Tuesday, ahead of a Senate vote on the question.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061205/pl_nm/congress_farm_dc_1

[bluestateguy]

1. Calling Scott Kleeb in the Nebraska 3rd. Get ready to run again.

If this had only been vetoed before the election.

[Infinite Hope]

2. We'll really make inroads in the West if this continues. n/t

[rockymountaindem]

7. I thought he won!?!

Isn't he already in the House?

[INdemo]

3. One should remember how the Democrats lost the farmers vote

A large majority of farmers switched to the Republican party when Jimmy Carter ordered the grain embargo against the Soviet Union.(for the attack on Afghanistan) Grain prices collapsed overnight, never to regain that level again.
It was a move that I believe helped elect Ronald Reagan.

[mitchtv]

4. Farmers: everyone else is a welfare queen

Solid republicans with their outstrecthed hands-

[Leftist78]

6. ok...

You're a little undereducated about family farmers in America. Maybe you'd like to alienate this dying breed and allow the Republicans and their corporate paymasters replace them with giant agri-businesses, but turning every farmer in america into a farm-worker isn't exactly what I'd call a good idea. Try reading up on an issue before you make ignorant blanket statements.

www.farmaid.org

[mitchtv]

8. Sorry if they can't make a go of it

someone else can. It just sickens me to pass out money to farmers(by and large republicans) who turn around and want to cut everything except for themselves. Welfare is welfare no matter what you call it, except for them , of course

[Leftist78]

12. well...

Rather than making blanket statements about a group, you could go out and actually talk to some farmers. Maybe you could take a little trip up (or down whichever the case may be) the 5 and talk to some of the family farmers in your own state. If you did, you might find they don't fit your neat little stereotype. They feel abandoned by the Democratic party. They miss having president like FDR that actually did more than just pay lip service to their needs. They've been suckered by a Republican that poses as one of them, and most of them are starting to realize it. The family farmer needs protection from factory farms, and if we don't do it no one else will.

[Amused Musings]

5. While CAFTA is probably the wrong move

I am also for fair trade and I think farming subsidies, which apparently go mostly to corporate farms anyway, hurt the developing world very much as many only have agricultural goods to sell on the global market. I remember nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talking at my university once and he made an impassioned speech about this that was very persuasive. Besides, the aquifer underneath North America is is becoming very vulnerable.

[Leftist78]

9. The solution

isn't to do away with the subsidies, but to redirect them to family instead of corporate farms. as far as hurting the developing world. The only people truly harmed by our farm subsidies are wealthy 3rd world land barons, and big agri-business who together own the vast majority of farm land, and pay the workers slave wages. The poor in the rural areas of developing nations are screwed regardless of what we do with our farm subsidies

[Amused Musings]

11. I would not be surprised

if this turned out to be true, but I still think ending farm subsidies is a step in the right direction and would help developing countries build up capital and and their economies to a certain extent. Does anyone else find it wierd that we have corn syrup in out soda (not that I drink that much soda) instead of sugar from sugar cane?

[snowbear]

10. Big Eddie was talking about this issue a little earlier...

Farming is a big issue with the big redhead in Fargo!! ~~


Straying off topic, but Eddie had Congressman Mark Udall (Colorado Democrat) on and after discussing the problem with corn crops with Udall this year... Eddie asked him if he had heard that John Elway was planning to run in CO soon (as an r-THUG) for something or other.. (I didn't what seat said he was interested in) Udall just laughed and said.. "well, unfortunately my son will probably vote for him if he runs"

Guess Elways figures if Heath Shuler can do it.. so can he..

Back to farmers again though.. If you listen to Big Ed.. then you hear Senator Harkin a LOT discuss farmers -- and you're 100% right according to the senator, farmers are FED UP with Republicans!

Barbara Boxer was just on (talked about the environment, etc.) and was AWESOME!

[Infinite Hope]

13. When I interned in DC last fall...

I saw various farming association memos circulating that said they were fed up with Republicans and considering not endorsing candidates or endorsing the Democrats. That's how I knew Klobuchar would win in a blowout. They were absolutely against Kennedy. The memos indicated Kennedy is to farming associations as Wellstone was to the Pentagon.