Former Vice President Joe Biden urged displaced coal miners to take up coding and computer programming on Monday during a campaign swing through New Hampshire.
Biden, who recently claimed that blue-collar job losses should not stand in the way of a greener economy, made the comment while discussing his plans for expanding “jobs of the future” if elected in 2020. The former vice president, in particular, suggested retraining programs were the key for workers in industries hardest hit by globalization and increased environmental regulations, especially those in the coal mines of Appalachia.
“Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,” Biden told an audience in Derry, New Hampshire. “Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake!”
Man Who Set Out in 1998 to Walk the Entire Globe Finally Returns Home
US Hits Iranian Island with ‘Defensive’ Strike
AOC campaign memo frames growth from progressive firebrand to national Democratic Party force
Ex-Rep Justin Amash says Mike Rogers ‘would be more dangerous in the US Senate’ than Abdul El-Sayed
Ken Paxton makes closing pitch to anxious Republicans — and even some opponents
Trump to end all military funding to Israel by end of the year: ‘They don’t need it’
Widespread ‘Ballot Scanning Issues’ Reported in Competitive New York House District
Widespread ‘Ballot Scanning Issues’ Reported in Competitive New York House District
Pundit predictions for 2026 elections: Who will win?
‘Should Have Killed You While I Had the Chance’ – Leftist Student’s Lightning Attack Sends Conservative Woman Flying
‘Should Have Killed You While I Had the Chance’ – Leftist Student’s Lightning Attack Sends Conservative Woman Flying
Talarico warms to Trump, says he wants to help fulfill some MAGA promises
Alaska voter ‘disgusted’ by reported ‘decoy Dan’ plot switches from Peltola to Sullivan
Democrats’ Dismal Approval Numbers Could Help GOP Hold House and Senate: NBC News
Stevens Shares Devastating Election Eve Piece On Why She Disowned El-Sayed, Democratic Party: ‘How Will He Represent an Entire State?’
The former vice president’s comments come only weeks after he pledged at the sixth Democrat primary debate to “sacrifice” economic growth and potentially “displace thousands or hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers” in the interests of a “greener economy.”
“The answer is yes because the opportunity for those workers to transition to high paying jobs is real,” Biden told the audience.
Regardless of the former vice president’s claim, job retraining and other transitionary programs for displaced workers have mostly failed to live up to their promise. Retraining programs are often a poor fit for blue-collar workers, an overwhelming majority of whom tend to be older and lack a college education, in terms of skill set and technological literacy. Even more troubling is that the jobs eligible for retraining often are either in short supply in areas hardest hit by globalization and automation, or pay significantly less than those initially displaced.
For instance, the average pay a coal miner can expect to make, under a contract negotiated by the United Mine Workers of America union, “comes out to at least $61,650 a year, and closer to $85,000 a year with overtime.” This does not include healthcare, pension, and other benefits usually offered by such jobs. Meanwhile, the jobs available after workforce retraining generally tend to be lower-paid hourly wage positions.
Man Who Set Out in 1998 to Walk the Entire Globe Finally Returns Home
US Hits Iranian Island with ‘Defensive’ Strike
AOC campaign memo frames growth from progressive firebrand to national Democratic Party force
Ex-Rep Justin Amash says Mike Rogers ‘would be more dangerous in the US Senate’ than Abdul El-Sayed
Ken Paxton makes closing pitch to anxious Republicans — and even some opponents
Trump to end all military funding to Israel by end of the year: ‘They don’t need it’
Widespread ‘Ballot Scanning Issues’ Reported in Competitive New York House District
Widespread ‘Ballot Scanning Issues’ Reported in Competitive New York House District
Pundit predictions for 2026 elections: Who will win?
‘Should Have Killed You While I Had the Chance’ – Leftist Student’s Lightning Attack Sends Conservative Woman Flying
‘Should Have Killed You While I Had the Chance’ – Leftist Student’s Lightning Attack Sends Conservative Woman Flying
Talarico warms to Trump, says he wants to help fulfill some MAGA promises
Alaska voter ‘disgusted’ by reported ‘decoy Dan’ plot switches from Peltola to Sullivan
Democrats’ Dismal Approval Numbers Could Help GOP Hold House and Senate: NBC News
Stevens Shares Devastating Election Eve Piece On Why She Disowned El-Sayed, Democratic Party: ‘How Will He Represent an Entire State?’
Biden, himself, should be aware of such circumstances. A study measuring the impact of retraining programs, both existing ones and those began under the Obama administration, found that while they helped enrollees find work faster, there was little proof such programs led individuals to jobs of equal or higher wage to those they lost.
Despite such evidence, Biden has not only continued touting the idea of job retraining, but has also promised to ban energy sources such as coal, fracking, and other fossil fuels if elected president—to the detriment of millions of workers in those fields.
Story cited here.
