Rick Boucher has tied himself to the hip of Barack Obama.  He, of course, introduced Obama as a “friend to gun owners ” and a “friend of coal”.  He endorsed Obama even though his own Democrat Party preferred Hillary Clinton.

Basking in the glow of Sen. Obama’s election win, Mr. Boucher boasted about the role he and his staff played in the 9th District delivering Virginia to a “blue state”.    In an article by the Bristol Herald Newspaper, Mr. Boucher explained how he “and his staff served as a sounding board  for Obama’s campaign advising them on steps he could take to win votes here.  We also suggested to him particular strategies that have worked for us”, noting that “ads related to the coal industry and targeting issues such as respect for gun rights were among the suggestions given”.

The gun rights issue as it relates to Sen. Obama is covered in the “Gun Issues” section of this website.  The National Rifle Association certainly disagrees with Mr. Boucher’s assessment of Sen. Obama’s respect for gun rights!

As far as Sen. Obama being a “friend of coal” according to Mr. Boucher, that was before Obama’s comments about bankrupting coal fired power plants and driving energy prices sky high were revealed.  Those comments were caught on tape in San Francisco.

Sen. Obama and running mate, Sen. Biden, did take Mr. Boucher’s advice.  At a gathering in Russell County on September 15, 2008, Joe Biden said it was “nice to be back in coal country” and that he was a “hard coal miner”.  Then TWO DAYS LATER, Mr. Biden was caught on tape in Ohio saying that he and Sen. Obama are “NOT SUPPORTING CLEAN COAL” and “NO COAL PLANTS HERE IN AMERICA”.

Reporter Amanda Griscom Little quoted Mr. Biden in her interview with him entitled “Biden on the Record”, on August 8, 2007.  He said the following:  “I don’t think there’s much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I think there’s much of a role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change.  CLEAN-COAL TECHNOLOGY IS NOT THE ROUTE TO GO IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE WE HAVE OTHER, CLEANER ALTERNATIVES”. 

Mr. Boucher is proud of the fact that “the idea was for him [Obama] to perform well enough here to carry the state”.  Well, Sens. Obama and Biden did “perform” well with their words.  They did carry the state, but not the 9th District.  Mr. Boucher stated that “Obama’a presidency will lead to good things for the region”.

Will it be good for the region, or will it be beneficial for Rick Boucher?

History will decide.  And you be the judge.

One thing is for certain.  Mr. Boucher and Mr. Obama are in it together, regardless of what the majority of folks in the 9th District say.

One constituent from the Bristol area offered that perhaps Rick Boucher be assigned a new nickname …….  “BArick Oboucher”.