Can anyone tell me what Brian Moran is talking about here? Earlier today, on HearSay with Cathy Lewis, Moran was asked by a caller why he voted for the Dominion coal-fired power plant in Wise County. In response, Moran claims that he did not vote for the plant. The fact is, though, that Moran voted on April 14, 2004 for a bill which authorized "a coal-fired generation facility that utilizes Virginia coal and is located in the coalfield region of the Commonwealth." Gee, I wonder which plant THAT could be referring to? Hmmmmmmm. :)As if that's not sufficient evidence to prove that what Moran voted for was clearly the Wise County coal-fired power plant (simply not named as such in the legislation), here are key points from a Dominion Power slide show from September 2004, four months after Moran's vote:
Dominion supported SB 651
- Includes new coal-fired power station in southwest Virginia
Dominion welcomes future opportunities in southwest Virginia
Case closed on that issue, as any reasonable person can clearly see that Brian Moran knew exactly what he was voting for - that being the Wise County coal-fired power plant - on this one. [Note: if that's not enough for you, Brian Moran was directly asked on April 19 about whether he regrets his vote for the plant, and his answer was a clear and strong "No."]
Back to the radio clip, I find it particularly entertaining how Moran complains at about being the victim of a "negative campaign," even though the question asked by the caller on the radio show was about actual votes that Moran himself cast. In other words, the question was about Brian Moran's record, which is exactly what Moran said this campaign SHOULD be about, as he lectured the other day at the Washington Post debate that "this [campaign] isn’t the politics of division, this is the politics of record." Apparently, though, it's not ok when citizens ask Brian Moran about his voting record?!? Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Moran claims in another clip from the same radio show that he had not received any money from Dominion, but that he only took $1,500 from a Dominion executive/"close friend." Well, that's kinda sorta true...if Moran's only talking about 2009. Of course, what Moran fails to mention is that, according to VPAP, he received a $2,500 check from Dominion Virginia Power on May 29, 2004, more than a month after his vote for the "coal-fired generation facility that utilizes Virginia coal and is located in the coalfield region of the Commonwealth" (but NOT, I repeat NOT, the Wise County coal-fired power plant - lol) vote. Moran also fails to mention that he's received $46,800 from Dominion Power over his career, including one check as late as December 31, 2008, when he was running for governor I would point out. Uh oh, were all those facts another example of "negative campaigning?" Cue the whining...
P.S. From the same radio show but on a different subject, check out this hilarious exchange on payday lending. As you listen, keep in mind that Moran took $2,500 from LoanMax (a payday lender) in October 2008, even though he claims to have not taken any money from payday lenders since he voted in April 2008 for the 36 percent cap.
