Back in March, former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said at a CNN town hall that she wanted to put coal miners and the coal industry "out of business."
At the event Clinton said she was the only candidate who "has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country. We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," she said.
But now that Clinton is campaigning in West Virginia, her tune has changed.
"What I said was totally out of context from what I meant," Clinton said. "It was a misstatement, because what I was saying is that the way things are going now, we will continue to lose jobs."
Clinton backtracked her statement to Bo Copley, a 39-year-old foreman and maintenance planner who lost his job at Coal Mac, Inc., a subsidiary of Arch Coal, and who shared his opinion with her:
"I just want to know how you can say you're going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs, and then come in here and tell us how you're going to be our friend."
"I do feel a little bit sad and sorry that I gave folks the reason, or the excuse, to be so upset with me, because that is not what I intended at all," Clinton responded.
"I'm here because I want you to know whether people vote for me or not, whether they yell at me or not, is not going to affect what I'm gonna try to do to help," she said, "because I feel like that's a moral obligation."
Copley spoke to reporters after the event and said he was not persuaded by Clinton's change.
"I would have liked to have heard more about what her plan is going forward for us," he said. "I'm not into political games...I want to hear the plans you have in store for us if you do get elected."
The Freedom Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Therefore we do not endorse political candidates either in primary or general elections. However, as defenders of America’s social contract, we insist that the rules laid down by both parties at the outset of campaigns be respected, and that the results be decided by free elections. We will oppose any attempt to rig the system and deny voters of either party their constitutional right to elect candidates of their choice.
