After Obama’s big climate speech – that MSNBC cut away from after only 41 seconds! – West Virginia’s Senator Joe Manchin (D) took to Twitter to express shock at the fact he has just now realized President Barack Obama is not a friend of coal:
It’s clear now that the President has declared war on coal. http://t.co/xoiC13H27K
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) June 25, 2013
Pres. Obama’s proposal will have disastrous consequences for not only the coal industry, but also American jobs and the economy.
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) June 25, 2013
Congress thus far hasn’t given Obama the “cap and trade” bill he wants, so he is going to do an end-run around Congress and order the EPA to hit electricity-producing coal plants with expensive new regulations to limit the output of greenhouse gases.
This is Manchin’s attempt to impress the voters back home in West Virginia coal country. He’s acting surprised, but Obama has literally said that he is looking for energy prices to skyrocket for years:
For his shocked – SHOCKED! – act today, I hereby give West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin this week’s “Captain Louis Renault’ Award! Well done, Joe!