Coal, Schmoal

The Obama campaign is running an ad that tries to inoculate themselves against the charge of being anti-coal.  This, from the guy on record saying that he wants to bankrupt coal-fired power, and whose EPA has proposed rules that will effectively prohibit any future coal plant from ever being built in the U.S. again, with more rules to throttle coal mining (so don’t even think of exporting coal to China) on the way next year.  Watch this ad and notice what’s not said:

Notice that the ad changes the subject from coal as fast as possible, repeats the old “Romney is a rich guy” theme, and the clip at the end doesn’t establish that Romney hates coal–only that he doesn’t like coal plants with poor emission controls (a result of poorly drafted environmental statute, by the way).  I doubt coal miners are dumb enough to buy this.

Environmentalists might be, though.  A bunch of them have their knickers in a twist about this ad, and have deployed their ultimate weapon–a petition!!–asking the Obama campaign to kill this ad because it merely implies that Obama may support coal.

Meanwhile, the greenies at Grist.org are upset that the Obama administration has approved a permit to build the first new oil refinery in 30 years–a tiny little facility that will process a mere 13,000 barrels a day in North Dakota (which is well below one percent of the daily output in North Dakota).  It is helpful when environmentalists expose that they really are opposed to all conventional energy development.

Finally, is this standard equipment at most filling stations a subtle political message?  I hope so.  Seems to me we could use Gas Diesel Mitt in the White House right now.

 

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