Posted on 11/02/2008 9:37:41 AM PST by flyfree
In another clip from the same January 2008 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle in which Barack Obama promised to bankrupt anyone foolish enough to build coal-burning power plants, he also made an interesting admission about his entire energy plan. Obama told the editors that his policies would make energy prices “skyrocket” as the energy industry passed along the exorbitant costs of his cap-and-trade policy:
AUDIO AT LINK
The problem is not technical, uh, and the problem is not mastery of the legislative intricacies of Washington. The problem is, uh, can you get the American people to say, “This is really important,” and force their representatives to do the right thing? That requires mobilizing a citizenry. That requires them understanding what is at stake. Uh, and climate change is a great example.
You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.
They — you — you can already see what the arguments will be during the general election. People will say, “Ah, Obama and Al Gore, these folks, they’re going to destroy the economy, this is going to cost us eight trillion dollars,” or whatever their number is. Um, if you can’t persuade the American people that yes, there is going to be some increase in electricity rates on the front end, but that over the long term, because of combinations of more efficient energy usage, changing lightbulbs and more efficient appliance, but also technology improving how we can produce clean energy, the economy would benefit.
If we can’t make that argument persuasively enough, you — you, uh, can be Lyndon Johnson, you can be the master of Washington. You’re not going to get that done.
Even when obama loses this election; they will continue to erode this country, and will try again in 2012, with even more brutal force.
The question is, how many of us would be willing to risk life, liberty, and fortune, as the founding fathers did?
We can’t change our lightbulbs out of this one.
Thanks for the added info!
If we give this maniac/fool the chance to plot this country's course he will make blunder after blunder and never even ask himself why his plans are failing. Chavez is evil but that doesn't make any less of a fool. Same with BHO.
Down here, we hoe rows of corn. Canada has unusually weedy roads, eh? ;-)
Congratulations to Canada for making the right choices of late and big thanks for all your doing in Afghanistan. Of course, give your liberals a few years to rebuild and I’m sure they will find their own Obama if your not carefull.
It will be interesting to see the conflict between the CBC’s reflexive anti-Americanism and the attraction of Obama-rama
EVERYONE SEND THIS STORY LINK TO DRUDGE!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdi4onAQBWQ
49% of America’s electricity comes from coal. Obama would cripple this industry, making the United States doubly dependent on foreign oil, much of it coming from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and other unfriendly regimes. Oil, gasoline, diesel, and electricity prices would skyrocket, causing immense harm to our economy. Obama is a threat to our national security. He would turn this recession into a deep, long-lasting depression, driving the unemployment rate to 20% or more.
To guarantee a fatal blow to our economy, Obama and the Demo Congress would be increasing our taxes. Obama is the Enemy Within. He’s an ally of the terrorists, who also want to destroy freedom, capitalism, and the United States.
I’m not sure what you’re saying.
The “lunacy” being his plan to cripple this nation by cutting off the energy flow and thus shutting down production and transportation, of the “lunacy” of my visceral reaction to all communist ideas, and, sometimes, to the evil people (Lenin, Stalin, etc.) that promote them?
I'll pick up your slack
Biden: 'No coal plants here in America'
Some great rope line video from Joe Biden's recent Ohio swing, where he was asked by an anti-pollution campaigner about clean coal -- a controversial approach in Democratic circles for which Obama has voiced support, particularly during the Kentucky primary.
Biden's apparent answer: He supports clean coal for China, but not for the United States.
"No coal plants here in America," he said. "Build them, if they're going to build them, over there. Make them clean."
"We’re not supporting clean coal," he said of himself and Obama. They do, on paper, support clean coal.
The answer seems to play into John McCain's case that Obama has been saying "no" to new sources of energy.
In the primary, Biden opposed Obama's push for clean coal, which is seen as a way of maintaining or expanding America's coal-burning power plants -- many of which are in rust belt swing states.
"I don't think there's much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there's a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change," he told Grist last year. "Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives," he said, but added that America should push for a "fundamental change in technology" to clean up China's plants.
Biden also was not shy on his own clean energy credentials.
"The first guy to introduce a global warming bill was me 22 years ago. The first guy to support solar energy was me 20 years ago," he said, apparently referring to the 1986 Global Climate Protection.
Think Progress has some more context, and Jake Tapper reports that Obama this morning rebuked Biden on a separate issue, his quick opposition to a federal bailout.
Today, Senator John McCain pounced on Biden's remarks.
"I am going to put in place the priorities and policies that will create jobs in Ohio. One important way that we are going to create jobs here is with the development of additional nuclear plants and through investments in clean coal technology," he said. "[Obama's] running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean coal."
Biden spokesman David Wade responded by calling McCain's statement "yet another false attack from a dishonorable campaign."
He continued: "Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology. Senator 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."
But the error here does seem to be Biden's, and his remarks, and his apparent return to his primary position Tuesday, were striking because just three days ago, he praised the possibilities of coal to a crowd at the United Mine Workers of America annual fish fry in Castlewood, Va.
“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.
He linked the ticket’s support for coal with their call to have U.S. automakers produce plug-in electric cars. “Where’s that [electricity] come from? That comes from a utility. What do utilities burn? They burn coal mostly.”
“If we can’t make that argument persuasively enough, you — you, uh, can be Lyndon Johnson, you can be the master of Washington.”
What the hell does that statement mean? It is nonsensical. Did he make it after he snorted?
The man’s a lunatic.
I’ve said it before, we will need some kind of mass movement to oppose the Democrats’ proposals. And we’ll need it right away.
“I`M SO RELIEVED TO BE CANADIAN !”
You may be getting some new neighbors.
Yes, the dirtiest, most polluted places in the modern world, bar none, have all been Communist. East German, China, parts of the Soviet Union.
Carbon caps are nothing but a Ponzi scheme, and spending money to reduce CO2 is stupid, when it could better be spent reducing REAL pollution.
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