Latest polls (if you believe them) show Barack Obama winning in many of the largest coal-producing states.
Of the top 15 coal-producing states, Obama leads the polls in 6 of them, for a total of 89 electoral votes:
- Wyoming (338,900)
- West Virginia (158,257)
- Kentucky (130,688)
- *Pennsylvania (74,619)
- Texas (49,498)
- Montana (38,352)
- *Illinois (33,444)
- *Virginia (32,834)
- North Dakota (31,270)
- *Colorado (29,137)
- Indiana (27,965)
- *New Mexico (27,323)
- Utah (26,656)
- *Ohio (22,269)
- Alabama (19,324)
Totals in thousands of short tons, as of 2000. States marked with an asterisk (*) are listed as leaning/strong Obama by RealClearPolitics.com on November 2, 2008.
If McCain won those states, he’d win the election.
But here’s the reality … or so it seems: Obama leads in 6 of the top coal-producing states.
And Obama wants to bankrupt the coal industry:
Let me sort of describe my overall policy.
What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
It’s just that it will bankrupt them.
Why would someone in those states want to vote themselves out of a job?
Maybe so they can get some of your wealth that Obama plans to spread around?
Why would someone in those states want to vote themselves out of a job?
Several possibilities:
1. They’re completely uninformed on the issues.
2. They’re completely uninformed about Obama.
3. They’re idiots.
It is much bigger than voting yourself out of a job. Its voting EVERYONE out of a job. He thinks this is going to RAISE money for the government in taxes? D-U-M-B ….. has this next to in it the dictionary! My electrical engineer brain cringes at the insanity that so many have on issues of basic staples of life. But then maybe its not ignorance. Maybe he knows he’s going to have such incredible dictatorial powers if he can spread tenticles of socialist cancer throughout electrical power. It is ripe for the abuse. Its a choke point in the economy that is already highly regulated. OUCH.
Frank…. don’t worry about that job you have. We need to get on the job of disrupting this Obama administration. Or maybe even a McCain one………
Hopefully, Frank is out campaigning, Freemon. Otherwise, IMAO seems to be making a paradigm shift of its own… to Basil. This reader thinks you’ve done a lot of good work, Basil. I enjoy your posts.
In any case, we’re at that PaleoMedic “fork in the road.” One path leads to rapid insanity and breakdown, the other to hanging on. It’ll take at least a generation to undo what Bush and Congress just did in October. With Obama, the very concept of money and wealth creation will belong to the government and we’ll be arrested for saying otherwise.
And what is it about all the engineers who hang here? I’m Aero, BTW.
[OMG, no! IMAO is first and foremost Frank J. And secondly, SarahK, Cadet Happy, Harvey, spacemonkey, et al.
Frank J. has kindly consented to allow me to post here, an offer to which I have shown my gratitude by abusing beyond his wildest dreams … or worst nightmare. But thank you for the kind words.
Having said that, your comments about Bush and the GOP failing to control spending is spot on. – B]
Basil, Frank couldn’t have made a better selection to add to his team. I said that about “paradigm shift” just to see if I could get a rise out of him! I’m a ‘needler’ – an old-fashioned Irish hook baiter.
Now, Harvey has to get less busy from work and get that Newsish Fakery thing fired up again. I know… “when the spirit moves.”
IMAO continues to rock. And some of us are in election mode ‘short strokes’ (interpreted not as ‘TIA’s’ not the other thing!!).
Both candidates talked about investing in Clean Coal technologies during the debates, so this issue kind of seems like a wash.
[McCain never said anything about taxing the coal industry out of business. – B]
Add another Coal state to that list.
Missouri.
While it’s true that Missouri is no longer a major coal producing state back in the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s Peabody Coal Company was a major employer here. They still have their corporate offices in St Louis.
That’s a lot of retired mine workers who have pensions which depend upon the continued health of the coal companies they retired from. My father was one though, not living in Chicago he is no longer eligible to vote being deceased, and my mother is another.
That’s just it, B. McCain never mentions the downsides, just promises us ponies and rainbows and everything’s gonna be all right. I miss the grown-ups. Can we get Bob Dole back in 2012?
[McCain? Ponies and rainbows? What planet are you living on? Here on earth, here in America, here in flyover country, we’re fully aware of the socialist programs Obama promotes that will bankrupt the country. If only the mindless bots that are following Obama would wake up.
And that McCain is the realist in this race. – B]
Who said anything about Obama?
Ah, then you’re replying to your own points, instead of mine? Because I was talking about how McCain could’ve campaigned better and maybe won this thing. By being straight with the electorate and telling people what the upsides and downsides are, and explaining how his policies are the right ones, instead of ceding the limelight to Obama and talking about nothing but Obama’s policies, highlighting them further.
But hey, whatever right? It’s not like this election is -important- or anything.
[Silly me. I read your comments in relationship to my post about Obama’s policies.
Obama says he plans to tax the coal industry into bankruptcy. You said the two plans (I can only assume McCain and Obama) made it a wash.
I said McCain never said anything about taxing the coal industry into bankruptcy.
You said that McCain simply didn’t say it, and was all sunny and light. I said that’s Obama’s face on his socialism.
You wondered who this Obama guy was.
Have I summed it up? – B]
Hell, by the going definition, Teddy Roosevelt (first implementer of the progressive tax rate) was a socialist. Maybe instead of attacking a label, we could attack the policies themselves with… I dunno… some substance maybe? Just yelling out the word “socialist!” over and over again doesn’t seem to be getting the poll numbers up.
And as far as “bankrupting the country”, we already seem to be well on course for that target, socialism or no. I think it was around the time a Republican administration nationalized Fannie and Freddie that the jig was up. Maybe a few more loans from China will set things right?
[Actually, the poll numbers are up.
Still, you point about too much spending over the last several years is dead on target. That’s where I disagree with Bush. He got most things right, but this spending like a drunken socialist (there’s that mean old word again) was THE mistake of his presidency.
But anyone that thinks Obama will solve this is living in a dream world. As is anyone who doesn’t think McCain is the better choice in this election.
Oh, and wasn’t the 16th Amendment (income tax) passed in February, 1913, a month before Taft left office? – B]
Mean or not, the word isn’t getting the job done. The 80’s have been over and done for a while now, and the old ideological keywords just don’t pack a punch like they used to. The electorate just doesn’t care. The polls aren’t up nearly enough to point to a GOP victory on Tuesday, not even close. And you can insist as much as you like that Obama supporters are living in a dream world, but it kinda sounds desperate.
Anyway, Tuesday will tell the tale. And then we can start putting the pieces back together.
If it were up to me, we’d have way more Mitt and far less Palin. But that’s just me, and it’s not a popular position, I’m well aware. We need to get back to being the party of fiscal discipline as well as robust foreign policy. Your assessment of Bush is dead-on, his spending has been out of control, and now we’re paying the piper. This bail-out nonsense is a load of horse crap.
Is that really your website, n8? http://www.electoral-vote.com ?
I don’t run it or have any affiliation with it, but I find it to be a useful non-partisan tool for seeing where the election is at. They take the average of several polls to make a guess of where each state is at.
n8: “We need to get back to being the party of fiscal discipline as well as robust foreign policy.”
I don’t recognize your name but I hope you stick around! Especially this week.
Heh, careful what you ask for Jimmy. I have a bad habit of speaking my mind. 🙂
That’s funny, ’cause you look like Frank J. in #16. Hehehe.
Yeah, our mind-speaker’s days may be numbered, n8. If so, let’s go out with a bang.
(I can’t seem to stop using loaded words today.)
Yeah, I guess Frank J. has left his mark on the smileys! How very like him. I’ve been lurking this site since at least the 2004 contest, and it’s changed quite a bit since. I wonder what Rummy and Chomps are up to these days, in Frank J.’s world?
I’m with you! I can only hope they’re waiting in the wings, ready to strike!
When I read you n8, I have the feeling I’m reading myself. Weird. And Basil, I’ve been visiting your site but I’ve yet to comment (I think).
I wonder where everyone else is today? Two days and counting. I have thoughts of playing the old game of “Doom” on one of my older systems. And like many others, I’m trying to shake a general feeling of dread.
I hate elections.
I still want a Rumsfeld action figure, with Chomps included. That was an idea I had near the start of the Iraq war in 2k3. President & cabinet action figures, GI Joe style. Guess I missed my window of opportunity on that idea, eh?
These are dark days, Jimmy. Only natural to take solace in memories of better times.
I just saw this on Hot Air
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVh75ylAUXY
and though I’d pass it along.
I work in the health insurance field and people there voted for Clinton knowing he was for national health insurance ….
49% of our power comes from COAL. What are we supposed to do for power after he runs these people out of business? What are the coal miners and others who not only work in the industry but in industries that support mining and the states where coal pays government taxes supposed to do.
Typical liberal nonsense. Never let reality intrude on your socialist orgasm.
This may have been why Obama was pushing for early voting. Once the ballot is cast there’s no going back.
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