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Obama Campaign Inches Closer to Asserting that Coal Does Not Kill Peopleby Ben SombergLast week, President Obama’s campaign earned green criticism for airing a radio ad in Ohio that portrayed the President as pro-coal, and Mitt Romney as anti-coal. The ad asserted that Obama has been good for the coal industry, and then said:
The ad was certainly saying Romney’s 2003 quote was a bad thing, which understandably infuriated environmental groups. But the way the contrast is set up in the last sentence, there's sufficient wiggle room to argue that the ad didn’t quite say that Romney’s statement had been incorrect. On Tuesday, the Obama campaign inched a bit further down that path with a slightly more declarative statement. From Politico this morning, on the back-and-forth between the campaigns Tuesday:
Romney’s scientifically accurate statement from 2003 is now deemed “not being honest.” Here are some actual facts: EPA estimates that the “Utility MACT” rule finalized last year, limiting a host of pollutants from coal plants, will prevent 4,200 to 11,000 premature deaths every year. President Obama’s campaign website rightly touts this accomplishment. So which way is it?
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