Some sources claim that coal is still the source of 92 percent of Kentucky’s electricity and brings in $3.5 billion in export revenue, and it provides 15,000 jobs.
This is not going away overnight.
Alison Lundergan Grimes came out with a new (and by most accounts expensive) television advertisement where she tries to separate herself from Barack Obama. The ad may have raised eyebrows because of how far to the right she seems to move to distance herself from the president.
Lundergan Grimes seems to be between a rock and a hard place. If she – for environmental reasons – is somehow against the coal industry, she does not have a chance of getting elected. However, if she moves too far to the right on multiple issues, she could alienate Democrats at the national level.
It is the opinion of OK, Fine that she only needs to bend on one issue – coal industry jobs.
Democrats on the national level – instead of blocking it or being callous towards coal jobs – need to understand how important these jobs are to Kentucky. They also need have a better grasp of the importance of beating Mitch McConnell, the Minority Leader of the Senate.
Is it possible to keep coal alive and help those companies meet their pollution requirements? Could loans or grants be made available to help them do it?
Isn’t it better to bend a little on the environment to have a Democrat win that important seat? What can Democrats do to help her win the position?
OK, Fine. 