We’ve seen this before: Someone takes a step into big time politics and upon crossing that imaginary threshold, throws out their previously held values and beliefs. In particular, Republican candidates running for statewide office in California have been notorious for their contradictions, especially when it comes to positions on environmental issues.
Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was called out earlier this year for her flip-flopping on the environment. Now we are seeing the same from Senate candidate Carly Fiorina.
Flash back to 2008, when Fiorina stood up loud and clear for John McCain’s cap-and-trade program at the 2008 Republican National Convention, noting that such a program would “create jobs,” “lower the cost of energy,” and “encourage the development of alternative energy sources.”
Fast forward to 2010 and here we have a Fiorina who:
- criticizes Barbara Boxer for supporting cap-and-trade; and
- aligns herself with global warming denier, Senator Jim Inhofe, after he endorsed her.
In addition, Fiorina recently accepted $63,000 in donations from Appalachian coal-mining interests. A big chunk of the money came from an outspoken Ohio mine owner, Robert Murray, who dismisses global warming as “hysterical global goofiness.”
Looks like another politician has fallen victim to party politics. For more details on Whitman and Fiorina’s environmental positions, see the Los Angeles Times story “California Republicans shunning one traditional path to victory: the environment.”
