Coal Class Warfare In Ohio

Coal miners don’t come to mind immediately when one thinks of Mitt Romney voters. But the coal industry has slumped badly under President Obama, due in no small measure to the excesses of his regulators, and miners in the critical state of Ohio are fighting back, voicing their support for the GOP candidate.

Team Obama is not happy. Neil McCabe of Human Events describes the political kerfuffle that broke out when an Obama campaign video claimed that miners were forced to attend a Romney event this August. The ad cited statements by local radio personality David Bloomquist.

The miners are having none of it. They staged a second rally on October 10, blasting the Obama Administration’s “War On Coal”. Leader Mitch Miracle adamantly denied any coercion by mine operator Murray Energy and declared:

You have approved and are running television and campaign ads about the Mitt Romney event that was held at our Century coal mine. These ads state that we were forced to attend this rally and that is blatantly false. There are numerous false statements and absolute lies concerning our participation in this event, we the employees.

Mr. Bloomquist may not be the most objective evaluator of the coal minors. He had to apologize earlier in the year for a blog entry that belittled the miners’ skills:

If I see one more sticker that says “Proud Wife of a Coal Miner” I’m gonna go crazy!!!!! Hey ladies…congratulations. I’m sure you’re proud of him….but I don’t care….and I doubt anyone else does either. Congratulations….you’re married to a guy who works a job that nearly every other walking…talking..breathing human being….this side of Stephen Hawking….COULD DO!!!!!!!!!

Nice, huh? The remark illustrates that peculiar class snobbery that comes into play whenever the left sees parts of the old New Deal coalition that stop doing what their betters tell them to do.

The coal wars illustrate the shifting political alliances caused by Obama’s green energy obsessions. The situation seems oddly reminiscent of 1896, where working class voters voted in large numbers for William McKinley in reaction to the anti-business rhetoric of populist William Jennings Bryan. Then as now, the bottom line was simple- jobs.

UPDATE:

The miners have created a YouTube channel to tell their story, and their video is now in our spotlight display. Yes, Mr. Bloomquist, miners know about the internet! (Hat tip to redneckhip of Unified Patriots)