Ed Gillespie, stoking the fear via propagation of the Big Lie (via the ridiculous and predictable U.S. Chamber of Commerce hatchet job) that upcoming EPA regulations on existing coal-fired power plants will “kill 224,000 jobs.” That, of course, is utter crap, and Gillespie must know it’s utter crap.
So why does Gillespie say it then? Very simple: he’s hoping that fear and demagoguery, the long-standing staples of the Republican Party, will make him competitive against Mark Warner this year. Of course, it won’t work, but just as scorpions sting, this is in the nature of Republicans – lie, ratchet up the fear, act like demagogues, and serve their corporate masters by waging war on environmental protection and clean energy. How do they live with themselves is my main question. Oh, and why would anyone in their right mind vote for these jerks?
P.S. For a far better analysis of the upcoming EPA rules on existing coal-fired power plants than the Chamber’s hatchet job or Ed Gillespie’s fear-mongering, see this summary of a New Republic article on the subject.