ProgressOhio

Ohio runs on coal so it's no wonder Ohio legislators are reluctant to give ground on the "black gold" which produces 84 percent of the state's electricity.

And there's some evidence from Barack Obama's Tuesday night news conference that the administration is paying attention to the heartland on this.

As the Dayton Daily news framed the issue, in an editorial published Tuesday morning before Obama's prime-time appearance:

"President Barack Obama has adopted a version of "cap and trade" that should worry Ohioans.

"Cap and trade" is the phrase Washington uses for a system for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and, thereby, combating global warming. The idea is to set a national limit on emissions, and to achieve it by allowing companies that can't get their emissions down enough to buy credits from other companies that aren't "spending" their allotted amount."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2009/03/24/ddn032409carbonxxmg.html

Tuesday night, Obama listed "cap and trade" controls on carbon dioxide emissions as one of his top priorities but said he realized the details have to be worked out in Congress because there are "regional differences" in terms of impact.

Any such plan, he added, has to protect consumers from huge increases in electricity costs.

Such talk must be a relief to Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democratic supporter of the administration and usually a firm environmentalist.  In this case, however, Brown has expressed misgivings about a cap-and-trade plan which drives up electric costs here and depresses the Ohio coal industry.

Post Script:  I can understand how the Washington press corps, worried about their own 401Ks, would focus almost exclusively on the economy last night -- never asking even one question about Iraq or Afghanistan. (Did we declare victory and bring all the troops home when I wasn't watching?)

But what I don't understand is why nobody asked about the dog.  The dog Obama promised during the campaign for his kids. 

Obama did address the "dog debate" during his 60 Minutes interview Sunday night, but remained pretty vague about just when this sixth member of the Obama family would arrive at the White House.

John McCain has accused Obama of "generational theft."  Was he right?

Please, Barack, get the dog so we can all move on.  If you don't, good luck getting the girls to help weed Michelle's new garden.