Joe Biden made his message clear as the country prepared for the midterm elections this week. His administration is committed to making energy more expensive and further crippling American production.
During a campaign rally for fellow Democrats in California last Friday, Biden said he will be “shutting these coal plants down all across America and having wind and solar.” He doubled down on the unconvincing talking point that it is somehow less expensive to generate electricity using wind and solar power.
It is instructive that Biden made those remarks in California, the state that by far leads the nation in “clean energy” production and regulations. The Golden State has been plagued with rolling blackouts and electricity bills that run about double the U.S. average. Only Alaska, New York, and Hawaii have higher average energy costs.
The current average price of a gallon of gas in California sits at $5.45, about $1.60 above the national average. The average price in Georgia is $3.13.
Biden’s remarks drew sharp criticism from fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). Energy production is West Virginia’s top industry and Manchin’s constituents are certain to continue to suffer as a result of the Biden administration’s commitment to ending domestic energy production from coal, natural gas, and crude oil.
As often happens, the White House took steps to walk back Biden’s rhetoric. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden’s “remarks yesterday have been twisted to suggest a meaning that was not intended; he regrets it if anyone hearing these remarks took offense.”
She did not explain how Biden’s clear statements were “twisted,” nor did she offer any alternative context for what he said.
Under any interpretation, Biden’s statements must be seen as consistent with a major plank in the Democratic Party’s platform. Democrats are focused on a “transition” they plan to force on the economy that will make all fossil fuels prohibitively expensive for Americans.
BREAKING: Two days before the midterm elections, Joe Biden clearly states he is for "no more [oil] drilling." pic.twitter.com/2F9hZNOwMt
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 7, 2022
Biden removed all doubt about the administration’s position during a later rally in New York over the weekend in support of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). When a member of the audience called Biden out for plans to end American energy production, Biden directly responded: “No more drilling. There is no more drilling! I haven’t formed any new drilling.”
Regardless of the outcome of this week’s elections, Biden intends to use the remainder of his time in office to promote his agenda of energy dependence on hostile nations. He will travel with climate envoy John Kerry to Egypt for an international climate change event. That gathering is set to focus on curtailing agricultural advances that have saved untold millions from hunger and restricting first-world use of air conditioning.
