When the Obama Administration refused to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline this week, it was a betrayal with many more victims than beneficiaries. That makes it all the more curious during an election year.
The most obvious group who was betrayed is the American people, who are today paying double for each gallon of gasoline what they paid when Obama took office. With Iran rattling sabers in the Persian Gulf, there’s a better-than-even chance those prices will go up. Keystone could have neutralized the impact of the threats of the Terrorist in Tehran. Energy independence would seem to be a no-brainer.
And what a feather Obama might have had in his cap with all the unemployed people who could have gone to work on the construction during this time when unemployment is higher than it has historically been for an incumbent president to be re-elected.
Another relatively obvious betrayal is of the unions that were counting on the 20,000 jobs that would result immediately and the nearly 200,000 jobs that the Heritage Foundation says will result by 2035. Obama’s commitment to radical environmentalism is greater even than his loyalty to the unions.
But there are others. In making his decision, Obama pointed to the State Department, which has been evaluating the environmental impact of the recommended route, and said there wasn’t time (after three years) to adequately evaluate the situation, although State seemed to be leaning toward approval with some changes in the route. So, once again, Obama has thrown Hillary Clinton under the bus.
And then there are all the Democrat House members and senators from the affected states that are up for election in November. Oops.
But there are also several contractors who geared up and ordered millions (billions?) of dollars of equipment and materials to prepare for the work after it appeared the State Department would recommend approval. Manufacturers went into debt to make the equipment and materials and construction contractors hired people in expectation of the work to be done. But he doesn’t care about them. They’re just greedy capitalists and Big Oil people.
And of course he blamed House Republicans, but they’re used to that.
The only people Obama didn’t betray are the radical environmentalists, of which there must be, what, 10? Most curious in an election year.
