Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) mocked socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) during an interview on Wednesday night over her “Green New Deal,” which Manchin described as nothing more than “a dream.”
Appearing on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” with host Chris Cuomo, Manchin, who is the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said that he has to deal with reality, which does not include the ideas presented in Ocasio-Cortez’s plan.
“Why aren’t you a fan of the Green New Deal?” Cuomo asked.
“Chris, first of all, the Green New Deal was a dream,” Manchin responded. “It’s not a deal. It’s a dream. And that’s fine. People should have dreams, in the perfect world what they would like to see.”
“I got to work with the realities, and I got to work the practical, what I have in front of me,” Manchin continued. “I got to make sure our country has affordable, dependable, reliable energy 24/7. But you can’t just be a denier and say, ‘Well, I’m not going to use coal. I’m not going to use natural gas. I’m not going to use oil.'”
“And you have to understand also the climate, we talk about global climate, Chris, it’s the globe. It’s not North American climate,” Manchin concluded. “It’s not the United States climate. It’s the globe. How do we bring on China and India and everybody else who are great users of carbon right now, and polluters of carbon, to be carbon-free also, by using technology?”
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Partial transcript provided via CNN:
CHRIS CUOMO: All right, now the big issue within your own Party, the Green New Deal, seems that the Republicans see opportunity in this. We’re told Senator McConnell wants to bring it to a vote to get all of you Democrats on record about this.
All Democrats are not of the same mind on this. Certainly, you are not of the same mind as a lot of other Democrats. Why not? Why aren’t you a fan of the Green New Deal?
JOE MANCHIN: Chris, first of all, the Green New Deal was a dream. It’s not a deal. It’s a dream. And that’s fine. People should have dreams, in the perfect world what they would like to see.
I got to work with the realities, and I got to work the practical, what I have in front of me. I got to make sure our country has affordable, dependable, reliable energy 24/7.
But you can’t just be a denier and say, “Well, I’m not going to use coal. I’m not going to use natural gas. I’m not going to use oil.”
And you have to understand also the climate, we talk about global climate, Chris, it’s the globe. It’s not North American climate. It’s not the United States climate. It’s the globe.
How do we bring on China and India and everybody else who are great users of carbon right now, and polluters of carbon, to be carbon-free also, by using technology? If–
CUOMO: Well, but you seem to be saying two things, Senator, is that, you know, you got to find ways to clean up the damage that we’re doing to the environment, but you don’t like the Green New Deal because you say it’s a dream that you’ll get away from fossil fuels.
Well don’t you have to get away from them in order to–
MANCHIN: Well–
CUOMO: –have a better tomorrow?
MANCHIN: –we can. We can. But you have to use the fuel. You can’t just eliminate. The rest of the world is not going to eliminate. By 2040, the IEA, which International–
CUOMO: Right.
MANCHIN: –Energy Authority basically has said China will still be relying 51 percent on coal. India will still be at 57 to 60 percent. The United States will still be using 20 to 25 percent.
If that’s the reality, don’t you think we ought to find ways that we can remove the CO2 in an affordable fashion, and reuse this energy?
CUOMO: You have a division in thought there now, and especially, when you look at the people who are running for President. They all seem to be stepping towards the progressive side. I don’t think any of these people would call themselves a centrist.
MANCHIN: Well, maybe not. They should. I think they – that’s where the Party is. That’s where most people’s lives are. And that’s where this country is. From the political process, we’ve already proven that.
The only thing I would say about all my friends running, the Democratic tent is very big, as you can see. If they want to see how well they would fare, come to West Virginia. That’d be a good testing ground.
CUOMO: You know, it’s interesting, those on that side of the Party, they hear you on the Green New Deal, and they say, “Joe Manchin. Joe Manchin is protecting the jobs in his own state that are jobs of a bygone era. And Joe’s gotten a lot of money from fossil fuels. And he wants to protect that relationship.”
Fair dig?
MANCHIN: That’s – that’s a horrible analogy, basically, and it’s wrong from what they’re saying. I support the miners and the workers. That’s where my heart and soul is, my dedication. It’s where I was born and raised.
The people that contribute to campaigns, I know it’s hard to believe this, but some of us don’t care at all. Some of us don’t go out and solicit that. It just doesn’t happen that way, as they think, a quid pro quo.
With that, I can tell you that what the miners have done and what coal has done for this country is something that we should be able to honor. We don’t have to – if there’s another dependable, reliable fuel that runs 24/7, let me know.
CUOMO: I hear you. It’s tough. Change is difficult. You want to protect what you have, and prepare for what you’re going to need in the future. It’s not an easy balance. We’ll see where your Party comes out on it.
And Joe Manchin, Senator, West Virginia, I appreciate your straight talk, as always.
MANCHIN: Chris, thank you. It’s always good to be with you, thank you.