Obama Is A Friend Of Coal?

There's not a miner in the coalfields who truly believes that.

Yet there he was last night ...

A simple question on gas prices ignited a sharp disagreement between the presidential candidates at their second debate Tuesday night – President Barack Obama described himself as a friend of oil and coal ...

What?!

Here's reality:

In the Democratic primaries, there were signals that some Democrats have had enough of Obama’s coal policies. In West Virginia, where the coal industry is huge, 42 percent of Democrats chose felon Keith Judd over Obama in the primary. In many Pennsylvania counties, more than 30 percent of Democrats voted for candidates other than Obama or left the presidential line blank, according to an analysis by Politics PA.

I saw an Obama yard sign about two miles from my house the other day.  One.  The only one I've seen in all of Bland County, Virginia.  Had to belong to a party operative.  With a death wish.

Around here, but especially over in the coal counties, he's considered a friend of coal like a virus is considered a friend to good health.

Congressman Morgan Griffith weighs in.  In a press release after the debate:

Griffith: Obama Can't Change His Record

Christiansburg, VA - "Coal took center stage in tonight's Presidential debate, so I think it's important that we set the record straight.

"For some reason, President Obama thinks that things have gotten better here in coal country in the last four years. Maybe he would know that's not the case if only he had found time in his busy schedule to actually visit coal country.

"But alas, he hasn't been here, and we know that we are not better off than we were four years ago. Median family income has fallen by nearly $4,000 in the last four years. More people are living in poverty today than four years ago and more people are on food stamps than four years ago. Gas prices are up. Electricity prices are up.

"Mr. Obama is asking us to ignore the evidence of our own eyes. This year in my district alone, a thousand miners were laid off, and thousands more have lost their jobs in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. These ramifications are being felt throughout our economy.

"President Obama has waged war on coal. His EPA has enacted new regulation after regulation, and made it all but impossible to build new coal-fired power plants. President Obama himself even said that he wanted to bankrupt companies that build coal-fired power plants.

"That's the record, and those are the facts. No matter what President Obama says, no matter what the rhetoric, he can't change his record."

The record stands.

Let him run from it all he wants.