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Biden Says No to Coal Plants in America
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ShareSeptember 23, 2008 1:08 PM
ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports: A conflict over clean coal is brewing on the campaign trail after video surfaced of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., telling an anti-pollution campaigner in Ohio that he does not support coal plants in America.
Approached following a rally in Maumee, Ohio, last Tuesday, Biden was asked by a campaigner for 1Sky, an organization against the development of new coal-fired power plants, why he supports clean coal at a time when “wind and solar are flourishing here in Ohio.”
The animated, close-talking Biden then put his hands on the woman’s shoulders and launched into a passionate, finger-wagging argument that he and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., do not support clean coal.
“We're not supporting clean coal,” Biden said. “Guess what? China is building two every week, two dirty coal plants. And it's polluting the United States, it's causing people to die.”
“So will you support wind and solar and alternate technologies?” the woman questioned.
“Absolutely, before anybody did,” came Biden’s reply. “The first guy to introduce a global warming bill was me 22 years ago. The first guy to support solar energy was me 26 years ago. It came out of Delaware.”
“But guess what?,” he continued. “China's gonna burn 300 years of bad coal unless we figure out how to clean their coal up because it's gonna ruin your lungs and there's nothing we can do about it.”
“No coal plants here in America!” pledged the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. “Build 'em, if they're gonna build 'em, over there and make 'em clean because they're killing ya.”
No sooner had the video surfaced then Republicans pointed out that Biden’s answer conflicted with Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention last month when he proclaimed his ticket’s support for clean coal development.
“As president,” said Obama, “I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.”
And Biden’s remarks also stood in stark contrast to his own comments this weekend at the United Mine Workers of America annual fish fry in Castlewood, Virginia, when he told the miners that “we have enough coal in the United States of America to meet our needs domestically for the better part of the next 100 to 200 years.”
The Obama-Biden ticket, however, denounced GOP claims that Biden’s Ohio remarks were evidence that the Democratic pair opposes clean coal as “another ham-handed lying attack from the McCain campaign.”
“This is yet another false attack from a dishonorable campaign,” said Biden spokesman David Wade. “Sen. McCain knows that Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden support clean coal technology. Sen. Biden’s point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies.”
“If Senator McCain is so committed to clean coal,” Wade wondered, "then why hasn’t he joined Senators Obama and Biden in announcing their support for the bipartisan energy proposal before the Senate today that would invest billions in clean coal projects? He should explain why his support for tax breaks for big oil outweighs his support for clean coal.”
“You know we have enough coal in the United States of America to meet out needs domestically for the better part of the next hundred to 200 years,” Biden said before launching into a critique of McCain’s energy priorities, slamming his support for billions in tax breaks for oil companies as the industry rakes in record profits.
“Imagine ... what Barack and I can do taking that $4 billion … and investing it in coal gasification, finding out what we can do with carbon sequestration, finding out how we can burn the coal that you dig that can free us from being dependent on foreign oil countries and at the same time not ruin the environment. That’s within our capacity to do it, if you give me $4 billion I promise you, I promise you we will find the answer,” Biden said.
September 23, 2008 in Biden, Joe | Permalink | User Comments (94)
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Let's not forget another flash of Joe Biden's I.Q.--which of course, is "higher than yours":
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Katie Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"
As Reason's Jesse Walker footnotes it: "And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, 'Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?'"
You just can’t make this stuff up! LOL!
Posted by: I'm Joe Biden, and I Approve This Gaffe | Sep 23, 2008 1:14:41 PM
NObama. NObiden. November. NO DEAL. KEEP THE CHANGE.
Posted by: HP Boston | Sep 23, 2008 1:18:13 PM
"NO coal plants here in America," he said. "Build them, if they're going to build them, OVER THERE. Make them clean."
Hey Joe, be sure to repeat that message at all your campaign stops in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky---especially to all those Union Coal Miners. Idiot.
This answer fits quite nicely into John McCain's case that Obama has been saying "no" to ALL new sources of energy. As they said at the Dem convention, “The most important barrel of oil is the one we don’t use.”
McCain did not miss a beat:
ARLINGTON, VA — Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), former Virginia Governor and Senator George Allen, former Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO) and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan will announce the McCain-Palin campaign’s Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other influential leaders. The coalition will help spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country’s vast coal reserves. As part of John McCain’s “all of the above” energy plan, the Lexington Project, clean coal will be a strong component of the drive to energy independence. In addition to providing domestic energy, the coal industry is a key part of the economy in several states.
John McCain’s support for clean coal technology is in sharp contrast to that of his opponents. Joe Biden visited Virginia on Saturday, saying that he was a “hard-coal miner” and that it was “nice to be back in coal country” while Obama supporter, Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) said “Senator Obama’s a friend of coal.” But just two days later in Ohio, Senator Biden said he wants “no coal plants here in America” and that he and Senator Obama are “not supporting clean coal.”
Posted by: A Heartbeat Away from the Presidency?? | Sep 23, 2008 1:19:56 PM
at least biden takes questions from the press
palin has zero contact with the press and she is a heartbeat away from the presidency
wow.... how could anyoen vote for mccain with this untested, under qualified, crazy cheneyesk person on the ticket
Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 23, 2008 1:20:55 PM
This was recorded a week ago. I see that a desperate McCain camp is really searching for anything at this point.
Posted by: jen | Sep 23, 2008 1:22:52 PM
Yea I cant wait to have Laurel and hardy as our Pres. and v.p. Iwonder do they do kids Parties
Posted by: reddog0216 | Sep 23, 2008 1:23:11 PM
and what did Palin say?
Posted by: and | Sep 23, 2008 1:25:04 PM
Joe Biden has been tested, and found to be a big Loser. He won less than 1% in the Iowa Caucus.
Posted by: Just Biden' His Time | Sep 23, 2008 1:25:24 PM
Jake, This is what I am talking about. You all take verbal hiccups and turn them into a controversy. Biden was telling the supporter that we would not build any "dirty" coal plants, that is what Chicna is doing. We are going to develop clean coal technologies. Please stop tring to keep the score even by reporting any insignificant tidbit. How about getting Palin to talk to the press? How come you are so subserviant the McCain campaign that you won't report the blocking maneuvers they are taking so that you can't ask her a question. how about their little game today with meeting these foreign officials. What a joke they are making of our "Free Press".. You all are stooges.
Posted by: Steve | Sep 23, 2008 1:27:01 PM
Is Biden working for McCain...LOL to funny. Keep exposing those lies the Obama camp keeps telling Joe!
BTW what a stupid plan to not support clean coal...just really stupid. Out of curiosity, do they just want us to be prisoners to the middle east oil, no coal, no nuclear, no new drilling, no natural gas...but please feel free to smack a $50k windmill in your yard, or another 50k for solar panels, some people really need to get realistic and maybe listen to T Boone.
Posted by: samhiguchi | Sep 23, 2008 1:29:08 PM
Maybe they shouldn't let Biden speak to the press, either...................
Posted by: SandyB | Sep 23, 2008 1:29:15 PM
LOL reddog nobama/nobiden=laurel/hardy
Posted by: david | Sep 23, 2008 1:29:55 PM
honestly, I currently have more respect for Biden right now. At least he is honest about what he wants and doesn't just tell people, not even his own party, what they WANT to hear.
Posted by: david | Sep 23, 2008 1:31:12 PM
honestly, I currently have more respect for Biden right now. At least he is honest about what he wants and doesn't just tell people, not even his own party, what they WANT to hear like nobama does.
Posted by: david | Sep 23, 2008 1:32:00 PM
It matters not when...it is a stupid thing to say about coal. Biden lost West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the remainder of the coal states.
All the coal regions have depressed economies. There is such a thing as CLEAN COAL technology.
Posted by: Judge | Sep 23, 2008 1:34:27 PM
Daley accused McCain of hypocrisy for attacking Obama on lobbyists: "When I was at [telecom company] SBC, I had to hire [McCain campaign manager] Rick Davis to see John McCain," he said. "He wouldn't see anyone unless you hired one of his lobbyist friends. Telecom was his and Rick Davis was his telecom lobbyist. That was in '02, '03, '04."
He said that McCain voted for his confirmation as Commerce Secretary, and pointed to the Arizona senator's public praise of his work in the Clinton cabinet.
Posted by: now this is news | Sep 23, 2008 1:34:40 PM
No coal, no drilling, better figure out how to run your car on vegetables and water. And it's not like it's our fault THEY killed the electric car! Biden is a fool.
Posted by: hmn | Sep 23, 2008 1:37:01 PM
Once again, the flip-flop Obama/Biden troop of clowns show their shallowness.
I actually feel sorry for Joe. Even if he stays on script, Obama changes so often he cannot keep up with his latest and greatest changes.
Posted by: dl | Sep 23, 2008 1:37:44 PM
The media got scolded by McCain's thugs yesterday so they are searching through old tapes in hopes of finding something negative to report about Obama and Biden.
Posted by: jen | Sep 23, 2008 1:39:57 PM
jen
Well, the seem to have found one. An inconsistent policy between the presidential and vice-presidential candidate is pretty indicative of what how the progressive democrats and the socialists democrats really think!
More mush for the mentally challenged liberals to feed on.
Posted by: dl | Sep 23, 2008 1:44:02 PM
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