SolarEnergy1
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John McCain's campaign is jumping all over a captured-on-video Joe Biden assurance to an environmentalist in Ohio that the Democrats oppose clean coal.
Barack Obama is actually on record supporting the expansion of such technologies, but Biden's words are prompting Republicans to lick their lips about the potential resonance of the issue in key coal states such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
To drive the issue, they're circulating the above video, will hold a conference call later today with a coalition of elected officials, coal miners and executives from such states, stage local media events on the matter later in the week and likely cut an ad targeted at relevant markets
McCain himself is also picking up on it.
Fortuitously stumping in Ohio today -- where he picked up the support of an Operating Engineers local -- the Republican sought to shift attention from Wall Street to Biden's gaffe.
"My opponent is against the expansion of nuclear power," McCain said at a business stop in Strongsville, Ohio. "His running mate here in Ohio recently said that they werent supporting clean coal,
either. And the fact is that their billions of dollars in higher taxes would kill jobs here in Ohio. Thats not what Ohio needs and thats not what America needs. My economic focus throughout this campaign has always been pro-growth policies that will create jobs."
The slip-up provides McCain's campaign an opportunity to resurrect an energy message that has, thanks to the financial crisis, been overshadowed of late. The campaign will make the case that Biden's statement reflects Democratic opposition to comprehensive energy solutions.
The hope: That this is one of those hybrid policy-cultural issues that, as with Al Gore's coal views in 2000, enables them to paint Democrats as out of touch on local economic issues and a way of life.
The Democrats are responding by essentially reiterating Obama's stance on the issue, implying that this was merely a matter of Biden speaking out of school.
"Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology," says Biden spokesman David Wade. "Senator Bidens point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies. The Obama-Biden comprehensive energy plan will invest $150 billion over 10 years in clean energy technologies, including incentives to accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale zero-carbon coal facilities. The Obama-Biden Department of Energy is committed to developing 5 first-of-a-kind commercial scale coal-fired plants with carbon capture and sequestration here in the United States."
Jonathan Martin's Blog: McCain seizes on Biden coal gaffe - Politico.com
Barack Obama is actually on record supporting the expansion of such technologies, but Biden's words are prompting Republicans to lick their lips about the potential resonance of the issue in key coal states such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
To drive the issue, they're circulating the above video, will hold a conference call later today with a coalition of elected officials, coal miners and executives from such states, stage local media events on the matter later in the week and likely cut an ad targeted at relevant markets
McCain himself is also picking up on it.
Fortuitously stumping in Ohio today -- where he picked up the support of an Operating Engineers local -- the Republican sought to shift attention from Wall Street to Biden's gaffe.
"My opponent is against the expansion of nuclear power," McCain said at a business stop in Strongsville, Ohio. "His running mate here in Ohio recently said that they werent supporting clean coal,
either. And the fact is that their billions of dollars in higher taxes would kill jobs here in Ohio. Thats not what Ohio needs and thats not what America needs. My economic focus throughout this campaign has always been pro-growth policies that will create jobs."
The slip-up provides McCain's campaign an opportunity to resurrect an energy message that has, thanks to the financial crisis, been overshadowed of late. The campaign will make the case that Biden's statement reflects Democratic opposition to comprehensive energy solutions.
The hope: That this is one of those hybrid policy-cultural issues that, as with Al Gore's coal views in 2000, enables them to paint Democrats as out of touch on local economic issues and a way of life.
The Democrats are responding by essentially reiterating Obama's stance on the issue, implying that this was merely a matter of Biden speaking out of school.
"Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology," says Biden spokesman David Wade. "Senator Bidens point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies. The Obama-Biden comprehensive energy plan will invest $150 billion over 10 years in clean energy technologies, including incentives to accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale zero-carbon coal facilities. The Obama-Biden Department of Energy is committed to developing 5 first-of-a-kind commercial scale coal-fired plants with carbon capture and sequestration here in the United States."
Jonathan Martin's Blog: McCain seizes on Biden coal gaffe - Politico.com
