On Aug 8 John McCain stood in front of a crowd at the Iowa
State Fair in Des Moines and
explained to farmers his views on subsidizing ethanol.
"My friends, we will disagree on a specific issue and
that's healthy," McCain said. "I believe in renewable fuels. I don't
believe in ethanol subsidies, but I believe in renewable fuels."
Although it has made him unpopular in Iowa,
McCain has never been shy about speaking against subsidizing ethanol when he is
in farm country. That stance helped to make him unpopular enough in Iowa
that he skipped participating in its leadoff presidential caucuses in 2000 and
again in 2008.
In a brief speech at the fairgrounds McCain pledged to
negotiate trade deals favorable to farm commodities.
My mission and my job as president of the United
States will be to make sure every market in
the world is open to your products," he said.
During his fairgrounds tour, McCain met with Iowa
Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey. He promoted expanded pork exports as a boon
to the nation's leading hog-producing state. He said a free-trade deal with South
Korea could boost profits by $10 a hog.
"Agriculture products here in the state of Iowa
can feed the world and we're not afraid to compete with anybody," he said.
Democrats in the state of Iowa predict that McCain's opposition to ethanol subsidies and
the $300 billion farm bill would make it difficult for the Republican to win
Iowa's seven electoral votes. McCain called the bipartisan farm bill "bloated"
and an example of the kind of spending measure he would veto as president.
McCain continues to show his disdain for Democratic
candidate Barack Obama