Coal in America is now all but dead. Which means Obama will have kept his promise that the cost of electricity will necessarily skyrocket — and it will do so in an economy already stagnant.
So growth in America — and the potential for a private sector recovery — is also now all but dead.
But all that was to be expected: after all, Obama told us he was going to do these things, but some of us were less interested in what he was saying than they were with patting themselves on the back for (ironically) concerning themselves not with the content of his character, but with the color of his skin.
Historic President!, they told us. And I voted for him! Look at me!
All of which pales in comparison to the actions of several Republican Senators who crossed over and voted with the Democrats to kill off coal in the US — to stifle growth, to further burden those already struggling with the loss of equity in their homes, to ensure that the economy remains moribund, all for the cheap grace of pretending to support a cleaner environment.
Because not only did these GOP Senators — Lamar Alexander, Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Kelly Ayotte — cross over to help the Democrats defeat the Inhofe bill, the fact that they crossed over allowed several Democrat Senators up for re-election to themselves cross over and pretend to be conservative and pro-growth without costing their Party the vote.
This is why it isn’t enough to elect someone just because he or she plays for “our” team; Republicans can be statist wannabe dictators, too. And when the rolling blackouts and brownouts start, I hope the first states to beg for relief aren’t those whose Senators voted to hurt their own constituencies — not to mention the US economy and rule of law as a whole.
The blackouts can’t come too soon for my liking. Let people sit around wishing for lights and air conditioning this summer. When the power comes back on, you can be damned sure that we’ll have some commercials on prime time letting them know who to thank for their third-world lifestyle.
Other than Manchin, which Dems crossed over to vote with Inhofe?
time to shut down the goddamn TVA and let the gap-toothed welfare-whore state of tennessee steep in its own pile of shit I think
A graphic depiction of the white guilt vote of 2008 melting away from Obama in 2012.
Kelly Ayotte? That’s surprising.
Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Mark Warner and Jim Webb of Virginia were the five Democratic senators voting for Inhofe’s resolution.*
Wish I’d never voted for Brown. Tell you what though, like Jeff? I’m sitting this one OUT…..A fake Repub or a fake Cherokee. No contest, no vote.
Interesting that Sen. Casey didn’t vote for Inhofe’s resolution…
But then I suppose coal isn’t of much importance to Pennsylvania. In a year when Casey is up for re-election.
Perhaps that seat is another potential Team R pickup — for whatever purpose that might serve.
“The blackouts can’t come too soon for my liking. ”
In some regions it will mean dead kids and elderly people.
We’re doomed.
Here’s an old speech by Malcolm Muggeridge, The Great Liberal Death Wish, that I’ve trotted out before, and was reminded of today.
my favorite part:
In some regions it will mean dead kids and elderly people.
Please tell me you’re not pulling a “THINK OF TEH CHIDRENS!” here at PW.
To be honest Squid, I kinda had the same thought. When there really are power shortages, and there’s going to be, it’s not going to be pretty.
We have evolved a huge dependency on electricity, as we should have being it’s amazing stuff that’s greatly advanced civilization, and that temporary politicians are attempting to artificially smother energy production is criminal in my opinion.
Now we know the first open Senate race of 2014: Jay Rockefeller’s West Virginia seat.
Already the subject of speculation that he will not run for a sixth term in two years when he will be 77, Rockefeller’s stunning coal-industry-needs-to-face-reality speech Wednesday seemed to confirm the rumors.
By taking to the Senate floor to oppose an effort to block an Obama administration rule targeting mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, Rockefeller managed to buck his colleagues in the state delegation, stick it to West Virginia’s vital industry and signal his political intentions all in one fateful act.
link
“All of which pales in comparison…” RAAAAAAAAAAA…
I don’t need to finish that. Come on, Jeff, even my cats can hear that dog whistle.
But seriously, I do think these kinds of votes, where Senators reach around across the aisle to allow them to appear less “extreme” (and both sides do it) are more transparent, now that it shows up on the internet almost the instant they do it.
I know some people around here don’t have much hope for the eventual Romney administration, with these clown in congress, but I really do believe it’s at least POSSIBLE for us to hold them more fully accountable. We have to do our part too.
To be fair, he lied about everything else, so we figured he was lying here, too….
[…] that will all but kill the coal industry. Today the measure was defeated by the Democrats. They had a little help from five Republicans.All of which pales in comparison to the actions of several Republican Senators who crossed over and […]
[…] Because not only did these GOP Senators — Lamar Alexander, Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Kelly Ayotte — cross over to help the Democrats defeat the Inhofe bill, the fact that they crossed over allowed several Democrat Senators up for re-election to themselves cross over and pretend to be conservative and pro-growth without costing their Party the vote. (Read More) […]
[…] Because not only did these GOP Senators — Lamar Alexander, Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Kelly Ayotte — cross over to help the Democrats defeat the Inhofe bill, the fact that they crossed over allowed several Democrat Senators up for re-election to themselves cross over and pretend to be conservative and pro-growth without costing their Party the vote. (Read More) […]
[…] Old Bull Repubs Covering for Dem Buddies – Letting them off the hook for anti-coal vote. […]
[…] all but kill the coal industry. On June 21, the measure was defeated by the Democrats. They had a little help from five Republicans. Early in his administration, in a nationally televised speech, Barack Obama promised radical […]