Dem Senate Candidate Shuts Off Obama’s Power in New Campaign Ad

Matt WilsteinJul 28th, 2014, 4:41 pm

Democratic Senate candidate Natalie Tennant really wants West Virginians to know she won’t be eliminating any of their coal industry jobs. She feels so strongly about it that she would be willing to shut off power at the White House if she had to.

In a new campaign ad, Tennant, who is running to replace the retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller, released a new campaign ad on Monday that shows her using a big red switch to make the White House go dark. It appears to be some sort of veiled threat of what West Virginia could do Americans like President Barack Obama if they turn their back on coal.

“Where do they think their electricity comes from?” Tennant asks at the top of the ad. “You and I know it’s our hardworking West Virginia coal miners that power America.”

She vows to “stand up to members of both parties who threaten our way of life” and “make sure President Obama gets the message.” From there, she literally causes the White House to plunge into darkness.

The candidate delivered a similar message when she announced her candidacy last fall, telling supporters, “I will fight any Republican or any Democrat — including President Barack Obama — who tries to kill our energy jobs, whether they are coal, natural gas, wind or water.”

Last month, the Obama administration announced its ambitious climate action plan, which calls for some major cuts in pollution at America’s coal-fired power plants. As The New York Times reported, “In order to comply with the new national rule, states can, among other actions, shut down coal plants, install wind and solar power and energy-efficiency technology, or join the California or Northeastern cap-and-trade programs.”

As for the power at the White House, this May saw the installation of solar panels on the roof of the White House for the first time since Ronald Reagan had them removed when he took office more than three decades ago. According to White House staff member James Doherty the panels will produce 6.3 kilowatts of solar generation, which is enough to power “the typical size for the average American house,” but far less than would be needed to keep a building like the White House running 24 hours a day.

Watch video below, via YouTube: