Is Donald Trump lying about Joe Biden’s position on fracking and energy production — or just exhibiting better recall? John has already discussed Biden’s attack on Trump over rioting in cities and his claim to be able to heal the nation. Any credibility Biden has on that claim (and there’s not much, considering Democrats ignored the rioting during the entirety of their convention) should evaporate with this whopper:
Biden discusses his energy plan: “I am not banning fracking. Let me say that again: I am not banning fracking. No matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me.” https://t.co/LBywpukq9G pic.twitter.com/B5QXkBoQbt
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 31, 2020
Is Trump lying? In May, Americans for Tax Reform put together this video after Biden clinched the Democratic nomination, in part by throwing in with Bernie Sanders and the far-left Green New Deal crowd. ATR anticipated that Biden would try to protect his Pennsylvania flank by flip-flopping on fracking and energy production at that point:
[embedded content]
Two months later, Biden began his retreat:
Huge flip-flop from Biden today on fracking — he made major waves in the primary when he said he would eliminate it.
Now he’s backing off that? Would be good to get more color because he was very definitive before.
Great vid from @FrancisBrennan pic.twitter.com/McsCTOuDGo
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 10, 2020
Lest we get caught up in a discussion over new fracking, we should recall that Biden’s energy plan in the primaries didn’t end at fracking restrictions. In a debate just this past March, Biden pledged to end all drilling in the US, whether it was through fracking or traditional drilling for oil and gas:
[embedded content]
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Sunday he would prevent oil companies from drilling as part of his effort to combat climate change.
“No more subsidies for the fossil fuel industry,” he said at the CNN debate. “No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period. Ends.”
Biden hasn’t called for an all-out ban on oil drilling before, which would have a radical, negative effect on the U.S. energy industry.
That’s a ban on all domestic production of “fossil fuel,” not just fracking and not just oil. That came from Biden’s own lips less than six months ago on national television. Someone’s certainly lying, but it’s not Trump.
This is not just evidence that it’s Biden who’s lying about his energy policy — at least at some point — but also that it’s flat-out insane. The US needs low-cost energy now more than ever to help rebuild the American economy after the devastation of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Shutting down all domestic drilling would send those prices through the roof. Biden would once again put US economic recovery in the hands of foreign producers, to an even greater extent than we have experienced before.
That’s not the only US interest involved either. Biden’s plan has disastrous foreign-policy consequences as well. It would give a tremendous boost in international power to other producers. Russia, Iran, and China (coal, as Biden mentions here) could not possibly be happier with an American energy policy that shut down all domestic production.
Perhaps the media might take an interest in this point and ask Biden to explain his entirely contradictory public statements on energy production. And perhaps that’s why Biden is making sure they don’t get an opportunity:
Joe Biden takes 0.0 questions again. Have never seen a candidate/campaign have so little confidence in a presidential nominee’s ability to defend his policies/proposals in facing almost zero accountability. Only headline today: Biden again ducks reporter questions after PA speech
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) August 31, 2020
Oh, I don’t think that’s the only headline for today’s speech. One could also say, “Biden Micturates on PA Voters’ Heads, Claims It’s Raining.”