**Written by Doug Powers

What a difference six years makes. From 2008:

Falling in behind the man who looks increasingly like the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, the United Mine Workers of America endorsed Barack Obama for president today. The endorsement followed a unanimous vote to throw support his way by the union’s National Council of the Coal Miners’ Political Action Committee.
[…]
“We are extremely proud to make this endorsement today,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said in a statement. “Sen. Obama shares the values of UMWA members and our families. He understands and will fight for the needs our members have today and the hopes our members have for a secure future for themselves and their families.”

So how’s that “Hope & Change” thing going these days? Last week, the head of that same union was arrested for protesting the inevitable consequence of that 2008 endorsement:

Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America, and other board members of the UMWA were arrested Thursday in Pittsburgh. They’re there to protest the EPA ruling regarding new carbon emission regulations for coal fired power plants.
They started a march at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and led the march to the federal building and sat down on the sidewalk in front of the building. That’s where police arrested them for civil disobedience.

The union board seems to be essentially trying to rescue people from a fire they helped set. What heroes.
What part of “energy prices would necessarily skyrocket” didn’t they understand? What part of this was unclear going into the 2008 election?

The union membership who face losing their jobs might want to ask the union leadership why they supported Obama in 2008 knowing those things — if they don’t already know the answer.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe