Video: Claire McCaskill Not Sounding Too Optimistic About Being Reelected

Claire McCaskill, who’s facing a tough election, this November, kicked off  her revisionist history Energy Tour, last Thursday. At a campaign energy tour stop in Hannibal, MO, she sounded less than optimistic about her chances, this Fall, characterizing herself as “kind of an underdog”. She noted that there is a tendency among people fed up with everyone in Washington to want to “get rid of all of them”. She characterized herself as someone in the “moderate middle”  as opposed to someone on “the extreme” which she hopes will be enough to win her a second term, “but if not – it’s not the end of the world.”

The Southeast Missourian reported:

The Democratic senator kicked off her tour Thursday with a visit to an electric cooperative in New London, Mo. She will be touring power plants across Missouri this month as part of what she is billing as her “Hometown Energy Tour,” where she plans to discuss her support for national energy policies that she said are “practical, accessible and affordable” and don’t penalize states like Missouri that largely rely on coal to generate electricity.

Missouri Republicans were quick to attack McCaskill’s attention to energy policies Friday, with the offices of Republican Senate candidate John Brunner and the Missouri Republican Party sending news releases stating McCaskill’s voting record does not match energy policies that work for businesses and individuals.

“Senator McCaskill has a record of saying one thing in Missouri and voting a different way in Washington when it comes to issues on cap-and-trade and issues on the utilization of coal to produce power,” said Lloyd Smith, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.

Smith said it’s ironic to Republicans that McCaskill is traveling the state talking about how to save money on energy when she did not vote against allowing the EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to go forward, which according to a recent article in the Sikeston Standard Democrat could cause a 33 percent increase in electricity rates for Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities customers.

The NRSC piled on with some more inconvenient truths about the so called moderate:

…when a cap-and-trade bill sponsored by California’s ultra-liberal Senator Barbara Boxer came before the Senate for a vote in 2008, McCaskill stood with Boxer and voted to move it forward.  Fortunately, Senate Republicans, and not Senator McCaskill, ultimately blocked this disastrous bill from moving forward any further.

“It’s clear that Senator McCaskill is desperate to distract Missourians from her very liberal record in Washington.  The reality is that when the rubber met the road on cap-and-trade, Claire McCaskill stood with liberal California Senator Barbara Boxer instead of standing up for Missouri’s energy sector,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.

More recently, contrary to “bucking her party” as she is claiming today, McCaskill’s silence was deafening just two weeks ago when the Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agencyunveiled a massive new rule just before Christmas Day for power plants that will cost American businesses – and ultimately consumers – almost $10 billion in new regulatory costs.

Even a select few Senate Democrats sounded the alarm bell as well.  For example, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said, “Today’s announcement of yet another onerous rule by the EPA completely ignores the devastating impact these regulations will have on jobs and our economy, not only in West Virginia but across this nation.” 

And Missouri’s junior U.S. Senator Roy Blunt was similarly outspoken saying, “This rule would increase electricity prices by nearly 20 percent in areas like Missouri, which is very reliant on coal. I’m going to continue working to stop rules like this and other job-destroying regulations that will fall squarely on Missouri families and job creators who are still struggling to get back on their feet.” 

In contrast to the concerns expressed by Democrat Senator Joe Manchin, Missouri’s Roy Blunt and many other Senators, Claire McCaskill was silent.

“Whether it’s ObamaCare, the failed stimulus or the massive over-regulation by President Obama’s EPA which will hurt Missouri’s economy, we’ve seen a consistent pattern of Claire McCaskill standing side-by-side with President Obama.  No amount of election-year gimmicks like this ‘energy tour’ will change that,” Walsh concluded.

Claire’s votes on the energy issues:

Energy independence by 2020 via alternative fuels. (May 2006) Voted NO on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. (Apr 2011) Voted YES on protecting middle-income taxpayers from a national energy tax. (Apr 2009) Voted YES on requiring full Senate debate and vote on cap-and-trade. (Apr 2009) Voted YES on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (Jun 2008) Voted YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China. (May 2008) Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007) Voted YES on making oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal. (Jun 2007) Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)

The three MO Republican US Senate candidates, Sarah Steelman, Todd Akin, and John Brunner have agreed to participate in forum at MO Lincoln Days, next month:

“We are excited to be able to showcase the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate at our statewide Lincoln Days celebration, which is the largest gathering of GOP supporters and activists in the state,” said David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party.  “Defeating Claire McCaskill is incredibly important for the future of our state and our nation—and we have three great candidates, any of whom would make an outstanding United States Senator.”

“I look forward to being able to share my conservative views and hear from Republicans about how to solve our country’s problems and get the nation headed in a new direction,” said Senate candidate Sarah Steelman.

“The traditional town hall forum is a mainstay of American politics and has always been a highlight of the State Lincoln Days.  This year should prove particularly interesting as we focus on the pivotal U.S. Senate race.  This senate race could well change the power balance in Washington D.C.  I look forward to spending this time with dedicated grassroots leaders from across Missouri,” said Senate candidate Todd Akin.

“I look forward to participating in this important forum at the statewide Missouri Lincoln Days in Kansas City.  I can’t think of a more appropriate venue for a healthy exchange of ideas,” said Senate candidate John Brunner.

The 2012 Missouri Lincoln Days celebration will take place February 17-19 in Kansas City, MO.

SEE ALSO:

The Riverfront Times: As Obama Attacks Congress, McCaskill Becomes Vulnerable