It’s not that Republicans, Tea Baggers and Blue Dogs don’t like cap and trade, they just prefer that their campaign and PAC accounts be the beneficiaries of the fees. Krugman runs the simple math:
Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that when billionaires put their might behind “grass roots” right-wing action, it’s not just about ideology: it’s also about business. What the Koch brothers have bought with their huge political outlays is, above all, freedom to pollute. What Mr. Murdoch is acquiring with his expanded political role is the kind of influence that lets his media empire make its own rules.
The “cap” for pollution is the amount of money it takes to get enough politicians elected to stall, weaken or block any legislation that encourages pollution reduction. They trade that for business as usual.
UPDATE:
Apparently the energy companies have it just about right, because the American public is for the most part a willing accomplice.
Americans drive some of the largest, heaviest cars in the world, and fuel economy gains have tended to be reduced by engines that are ever more powerful.
Engineers have doubts about how fuel-efficient that kind of car can be, if Americans aren’t willing to compromise on size.
“There’s an awful lot of people that think an Escalade is a gorgeous vehicle. But they don’t care that it’s like driving a brick through the air,” said Steve Wesoloski, who spent two decades at General Motors Co. working on the Corvette and race cars.
via How Automakers Can Meet New Fuel Efficiency Standards: Scientific American.