So John McCain has pulled a new audio quote from the Obama's meeting with evil San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, regarding Obama's policy on coal. "If someone wants to build a coal powered plant it will bankrupt them, McCain told a cheering crowd today. CNN was happy to run an ad from some coal plant manufacturer's association in the middle of the segment.
He was referencing this quote from Obama:
"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.
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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."
They want to get this message out to coal producing states like West Virginia, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, who will help them pull off an upset.
According to Martha Zoller, right wing blowhard radio talk show host, on CNN, if enough 'white collar workers in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana,... I mean blue collar workers, get this message, he can pull this out." I think she meant to say white voters and nearly had a Freudian slip, but maybe I'm reading too much into this.
CNN will loop this in Jeremiah Wright fashion for the next 24 hours. Rick Sanchez seems to think this can break the race wide open. CNN refutes the story on their website while using the power of the airwaves to stir controversy:
"In the interview, Obama also made the case for alternative energy sources, adding that he does not believe coal production will be eliminated, and that he supports carbon capture and sequestration technologies.
John McCain also supports a market-based cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions.
Regardless, Palin sought to use Obama’s words against him in a part of the country where coal has long been king.
"He said that, sure, if the industry wants to build coal-fired power plants, then they can go ahead and try, he says, but they can do it only in a way that will bankrupt the coal industry, and he's comfortable letting that happen."
I guess they need those dollars from coal interest groups.