At the Republican debate earlier this week, At the Republican debate earlier this week, all four candidates voiced support for California's request for a waiver that would have allowed it and 15 other states to implement stronger automobile greenhouse emissions regulations than the federal government has set. The state's request for a waiver was denied last month by EPA administrator Stephen Johnson, who, like the rest of the Bush administration, has been doing his best to subvert regional efforts to curb climate change, even when that comes at the expense of "states rights." States rights of course are a favorite right-wing talking point, which Mitt Romney invoked at the debate, "I side with states being able to make their own decisions, even if I don’t always agree with the decisions they make."
Hours later, though (after McCain claimed the Schwarzenegger endorsement), Romney put out a release asserting that "when it comes to something like CO2 emissions, which are a global problem, not a California-specific problem, and when Michigan makes the same cars and trucks regardless of whether they’re bound for California, Vermont or (even) Massachusetts, it makes more sense to have one set of Federal rules to address CO2 emissions from vehicles rather than a patchwork of different State regulations."
The Mittster's flip-flopping on the issue really gets to the heart of an essential conundrum for Republicans: When the two conflict, which do they value more highly, states' rights or the right of corporations to do as they please?
--Kate Sheppard
