Biden Claims Boilermakers Union Endorsed Him, But That's Not the Case
During an ABC town hall appearance in Philadelphia Thursday, Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden boasted that the Pennsylvania Boilermakers Local 154 endorsed him in the 2020 presidential election.
To paraphrase the former vice president: That’s a lie, Jack.
Since the Boilermakers union covers workers vital to fracking — the controversial method for breaking apart rock deep in the earth to extract fossil fuels — Biden was asked about his repeated claims, and subsequent retractions, that he would ban it.
“As you know, it’s an important issue here in Pennsylvania; not everyone buys your denial,” moderator George Stephanopoulos began, trying to sound like an impartial journalist.
Citing a recent New York Times article, Stephanopoulos confronted Biden with the words of the Pittsburgh local union executive board member Shawn Steffee who said Biden had “flip-flopped so many times, and President Trump has embraced fossil fuels, natural gas and coal.”
“What do you say to people like Shawn who doubt your denial because they think you want to keep that promise on fossil fuels?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“I would tell them the Boilermakers overwhelmingly endorse me. Okay?” Biden responded.
“So, the Boilermakers Union has endorsed me because I sat down with them and went into great detail with leadership exactly what I would do,” he said before pivoting into how he would eventually “transitioning” away from fossil fuels.
Unfortunately for Biden, none of that ever happened — certainly not from the International Boilermakers Union, which has endorsed neither candidate, nor from the Local 154, which actually endorsed his Republican opponent President Donald Trump.
Boilermakers Local 154 announced its support for Trump in a Sept. 2 letter that former Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta tweeted as a friendly reminder.
Someone should tell @JoeBiden that here in PA the Boilermakers he claims are overwhelmingly supporting him endorsed President @realDonaldTrump last month. pic.twitter.com/yWhB5PKTlx
— Lou Barletta (@LouBarletta_PA) October 16, 2020
“Boilermaker jobs specifically rely on coal-fired power generation and we strongly encourage the advancement of Carbon Capture technologies which can secure future jobs for our members,” the union’s business manager John Hughes wrote.
“It is with great honor that I write this letter to endorse your campaign as you run for re-election of the President of the United States,” he continued, calling Trump a “true friend” of the union and wishing his campaign luck.
Barletta, who had worked with Hughes, was incredulous when he heard Biden’s bold claim.
“I couldn’t believe it when Joe Biden blatantly lied at a town hall right here in Pennsylvania and said he was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Boilermakers,” Barletta said in a Trump campaign news release.
Hughes himself also weighed in further after witnessing Biden’s town hall whopper.
“The other day I’m watching the debate and I see Joe Biden tell everybody that the Boilermakers endorsed him and that is not true, and I would like somebody to tell me who — he said he talked to somebody — I’d like to know who he talked to in the Boilermakers because anybody I talk to did not endorse him,” Hughes said, adding that the international organization endorsed neither candidate.
“We did not endorse Obama and Joe Biden last time because of their energy issues,” Hughes said.
It’s hard to tell whether Biden was lying or having one of those “senior moments” that so often plague the candidate.
Regardless, this union is not backing him because a Biden/Harris administration would kill the industry. That’s no secret, because leftists have been threatening to do just that for years.
The idea that renewable energy will seamlessly replace fossil fuels by subsidizing the former and starving the latter is another delusional fever-dream fantasy the left pedals to its base to appeal to the global warming alarmists.
Fracking sounds scary to them, or maybe is just too successful at solving the energy crisis in America, but the left wants to regulate it into a grinding halt.
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However, to pander to the swing state voters before him and those watching at home, Biden flat out lied.
It doesn’t matter, of course, because the establishment media let him get away with it.
They buried or dismissed the bombshell story about his son Hunter Biden’s alleged emails revealing his corrupt business dealings (Stephanopoulos didn’t even bother to ask about it during the town hall).
The media allow him to dodge questions about court packing, basically letting him say “no thanks” to their questions without further follow-up.
And they perpetuate the lie about his support for the Green New Deal, which would kill much more of America’s economy and energy production than fracking.
The media treat him like a child, allowing him to put a “lid” on his campaign whenever he feels like retreating, even as close as roughly two weeks out from the election.
“Joe Biden called a ‘lid’ on any appearances until Thursday (with only 15 days to go) … This is the work ethic of a person who has been dependent on government for 47 years,” President Trump’s son Eric Trump tweeted Monday.
Joe Biden called a “lid” on any appearances until Thursday (with only 15 days to go)… This is the work ethic of a person who has been dependent on government for 47 years. #HeIsTired
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) October 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Trump has faced a nonstop barrage of attacks from the establishment media with everything from phony international scandals to repeatedly requiring him to denounce white supremacy if more than three seconds passed since the last time he did.
Even if the media prevail at covering for Biden and allowing him to do whatever it takes to win in November, the truth is undeniable: Biden is a doddering old liar who is unfit for dog catcher, let alone president.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
