When Your Electricity Bills Skyrocket This Winter, Thank Ben Chandler

Kentucky's Own DINO Extraordinaire Ben Chandler (D, KY-6) is an out-and-proud member of the Congressional Blue Dog Caucus, which just forced the House to gut the cap-and-trade bill to slow global climate change.

Matt Yglesias watches the sausage grinder at work on the Waxman-Markey climate bill and is especially outraged at so-called moderates who insist that a large fraction of carbon emission permits should be given away, rather than auctioned off:

The moderate bloc [...] has portrayed itself as concerned with the climate crisis but worried about the tradeoffs with short-term economic growth. But the concession they’ve forced here doesn’t do anything to boost short-term growth. Instead, whereas auctioning the permits would have made rich people bear most of the cost of reducing emissions, by giving the permits away you make poor people bear most of the cost.

The environmental impact of the two methods is similar, and the overall costs are similar. But the moderates acted swiftly and decisively to reallocate a portion of the costs onto the backs of the poor. And they’ve done so specifically under guise of looking out for the interests of the working class. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.

In a way, this is even worse than Matt makes it out to be.

SNIP

If moderates were demanding free permits because they wanted to keep electric prices in their states low for a few years while they work on converting to new power sources, that would be one thing. We could argue about whether it's a good idea, but at least it's normal, understandable stuff. But that's not what they're doing.

Prices are going to go up regardless, and the free permits do nothing except provide windfall profits to operators of coal plants. The moderates pushing this "compromise" either don't understand basic economics, in which they case they need to learn some, or else they understand it perfectly well and like the idea of screwing their constituents in order to provide a bonanza for coal plant operators. In either case, yes, they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Read the whole thing.

But earning millions in campaign cash from the coal industry while fucking over his constituents is standard operating procedure for Benny Boy. And until he's held accountable for how he has damaged Kentucky he'll keep on doing it.

Where is the Sixth District Real Democrat willing to stand up to this pathetic excuse for a representative? Only a strong primary opponent will make that weasel sit up and take notice.