Once again President Obama has bowed to his environmentalist supporters and passed on making a decision for or against the Keystone XL Pipeline. But the President’s refusal to make a decision has left several Democrats running for re-election stammering to explain to constituents why thousands of new jobs are still in limbo.
By constantly putting off any final decision these many years Obama has placated his extreme environmental activist donor base. However, in February the President said he’d have a decision “one way or another” in “a couple of months.” Yet even as it is closing in on two months later, Obama is still refusing to make that final decision.
But by not approving the pipeline, thousands of jobs and millions in economic benefits have also been put in limbo and this loss of income and jobs is not sitting well with many.
Recently a large construction union warned Democrats that they would be targeted for defeat in the upcoming midterm elections due to this failure to approve the project.
Additionally, now that the President has again put off a final decision, several Democrats are finding that this inaction is coming back to haunt their election campaigns.
Several Democrats are trying to have the issue both ways by not coming out with a firm position on the pipeline. These Democrats are trying to keep those interested in the economic benefits of the project hopeful that they will come to support Keystone while at the same time giving environmentalists hope that their hate of the project will win the day.
But this fence straddling is beginning to wear thin, Politico reports.
One Democrat finding the pressure mounting is Senator Mark Udall (D, CO) whose Republican opponent Corey Gardner is a known supporter of the project.
Another Democrat finding her fence sitting becoming an issue is Democrat Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes of Kentucky.
Grimes’ opponent, Senate incumbent Mitch McConnell, released a statement alleging that she, “refuses to tell Kentuckians the truth about where she stands on critical issues like the Keystone XL pipeline out of knowing that her views do not align with the views of the hardworking men and women in the Commonwealth.”
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu is also finding Obama’s pipeline dithering causing some heartburn. Landrieu is already under the gun for her support of the economic disaster that is Obamacare and Obama’s refusal to come to the support of the Keystone XL Pipeline that will bring so many jobs to the Pelican State is becoming an issue for the incumbent Senator.
National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brad Dayspring slammed several Democrats, including Landrieu, over the President’s failure to act on Keystone. Obama’s delay, Dayspring said in a statement, “reinforces how ineffective, powerless and without influence senators like Mary Landrieu, Mark Begich, Mark Warner and Kay Hagan are. Last week, they urged President Obama to approve the Keystone Pipeline, and he blatantly ignored them by postponing again a week later.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.