In an extraordinary rebuke prompted by Biden’s vow to close coal-fired power plants, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia blasted fellow Democrat and President Joe Biden as “divorced from reality,” in a shocking condemnation on Saturday.
After Biden pledged on Friday to switch from coal energy to wind and solar energy and close plants “all over America.” Manchin who represents a red state dependent on the coal sector and has already clashed with the socialist element of his party reacted to Biden.
My statement on comments President Biden made about shutting down coal plants: pic.twitter.com/LEeqrGdwqm
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) November 5, 2022
In the statement, Manchin said, “President Biden’s comments are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs, comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden and instead believe he does not understand the need to have an all in energy policy that would keep our nation totally energy independent and secure.”
It was when Biden praised the economic measures of his administration—prompting Biden’s comments during a gathering in Carlsbad, California.
“I was in Massachusetts about a month ago on the site of the largest old coal plant in America. Guess what? It cost them too much money, no one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it, even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant,” Biden said.
“So it’s going to become a wind generation,” he added.
“And all they’re doing is, it’s going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on, we’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power.”
Marking as a dramatic escalation of his alienation from fellow Democrats, Manchin made a sharply worded statement criticizing his party’s nominee just days before the midterm elections.
“It seems his positions change depending on the audience and the politics of the day, politicizing our nation’s energy policies would only bring higher prices and more pain for the American people,” Manchin said of Biden.
As the Left seeks to replace fossil fuels with green energy, Manchin demanded an apology from the White House on behalf of coal workers that many of whom have lost their jobs, calling on Biden’s comments as “offensive and disgusting.” Manchin supported the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” of the Biden administration, which included green energy initiatives.
Manchin said, “Let me be clear, this is something the President has never said to me. Being cavalier about the coal jobs for men and women in West Virginia and across the country who literally put their lives on the line to help build and power this country is offensive and disgusting.”
“The President owes these incredible workers an immediate and public apology and it is time he learn [the] lesson that his words matter and have consequences,” he added.
Sources: Dailywire, Wsj, Nationalreview
