Obama Dashele Ethanol Lobby

The Ethanol Lobby is Strong

Mr. Obama is running as a reformer who is seeking to reduce the influence of special

interests. But like any other politician, he has powerful constituencies that help shape

his views. And when it comes to domestic ethanol, almost all of which is made from corn,

he also has advisers and prominent supporters with close ties to the industry at a time

when energy policy is a point of sharp contrast between the parties and their

presidential candidates.

In the heart of the Corn Belt that August day, Mr. Obama argued that embracing ethanol

“ultimately helps our national security, because right now we’re sending billions of

dollars to some of the most hostile nations on earth.” America’s oil dependence, he

added, “makes it more difficult for us to shape a foreign policy that is intelligent and is

creating security for the long term.”

Nowadays, when Mr. Obama travels in farm country, he is sometimes accompanied by

his friend Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota. Mr.

Daschle now serves on the boards of three ethanol companies and works at a

Washington law firm where, according to his online job description, “he spends a

substantial amount of time providing strategic and policy advice to clients in renewable

energy.”