Mike Duncan: Kentuckians can trust McCain, not Obama

Kentuckians can trust McCain, not Obama
By Mike Duncan

Last month in my home town of Inez, Kentuckians got to hear some encouraging and inspiring words from Sen. John McCain. I am confident that voters can take him at his word, that his straightforward plan to help hard-working communities like those in Eastern Kentucky will do just that: help communities.

His straight talk and disdain for campaign gimmickry are refreshing, especially when his Democratic opponents consistently waver on their positions, depending which primary state they're in.

Case in point: Barack Obama has been traveling the country pandering to voters for too long now. Though I am confident Americans will reject his campaign promises on Election Day, it especially disturbs me when he turns his eyes on my home state.

In one example of pandering, Obama sent an inaccurate and misleading mailing to Kentucky voters saying that he supports clean coal. This smacks of a similar promise he made to Illinois voters in 2004, when he first ran for the U.S. Senate.

He proclaimed to Illinois voters then that "there's always going to be a role for coal" and, according to media reports, pledged support for Illinois coal miners. Since 2004, however, Obama has proposed taxing coal and played to liberal special interest groups, not the interest of his constituents.

It appears that his position on coal is simply another empty promise, and Kentuckians deserve to know about Obama's actual position on coal.

In true liberal fashion, Obama wants to create new taxes, and he's calling for a tax on coal, backtracking on his previous support. To please the left-wing special-interest groups and the environmentalist voter bloc, Obama went back on his long-held support for promoting the use of coal as an alternative to gasoline.

It's obvious that Obama doesn't understand the economy, or he would see how badly his proposals to tax coal would hurt Kentucky.

As of 2006, Kentucky produced the third-highest amount of coal for the United States. We also depend on coal for our energy needs. More than 97 percent of our coal consumption is used to generate electricity. Nationwide, coal is the largest source of electricity, making up nearly 49 percent of the net generation in 2006.

With such a dependence on coal, Kentucky families can't afford to shell out more money to fund the bloated Washington bureaucracy Obama would undoubtedly establish if he is elected president. Obama would not serve our state well, and we can't trust him to keep his word.

Kentuckians deserve a president who will look out for them and their needs, someone experienced they can trust and who will provide positive leadership.

As we saw last month in Inez, McCain is dedicated to bringing America forward, not because it sounds good on the campaign trail, but because it's what he truly intends to do as president.

Editor's note: Mike Duncan is the chairman for the Republican National Committee.