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Laid-Off Coal Miner Explains Why He Confronted Clinton

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a rally in Oakland, California, on May 6, 2016.  (Gabrielle Lurie/AFP/Getty Images)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a rally in Oakland, California, on May 6, 2016. (Gabrielle Lurie/AFP/Getty Images)

Bo Copley, an unemployed West Virginia coal miner, put Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on the spot last week when he asked her what she meant when she said in March that she'd put coal miners and coal companies out of business.

Copley tells Here & Now's Robin Young that he didn't hear Clinton's full comments before he spoke to her, including Clinton's statement that she doesn't want to leave coal miners behind and hopes to create new jobs in clean energy. Even so, Bo asserts that Clinton's remarks have alienated a lot of people in West Virginia, which holds its presidential primary tomorrow.

Bo Copley's wife, Lauren Copley, has her own photography business, referenced in the show. View her website, Charlee Lifestyle Photography.

Interview Highlights: Bo Copley

What did you want to say to Hillary Clinton?

“Honestly, I just kept praying and asking God what he wanted me to say. The answer that kept coming back to me, and it came back pretty clear, was show her a picture of your kids and let her see who are truly affected by statements like ‘we’re going to put these people out of work.’”

Had you heard the context that the line was in prior to speaking to her, and have you heard it since?

“I had not heard the entire video. I’ve seen it and heard it since and I know that she mentions the clean energy beforehand and I think it’s a little different. I still believe that they plan on replacing coal completely with cleaner energies, but those technologies haven’t been completely developed yet and we’re still sitting here with no jobs.”

Some people think Donald Trump is lying to workers like you when he says he will bring jobs back.

“Well, honestly it’s one reason why I haven’t made up my mind who I will vote for, because it’s easy for these people to say we’re going to bring this and we’re going to bring that, but when you don’t have a clear-cut answer and you haven’t heard, ‘this is how we’re going to do it,’ those are the things I am interested in.”

Do people that you know want training for different kinds of jobs?

“Sure, the people around me that I know are, especially those that aren’t working, we’re open to new training. It’s just, is that technology, or is that job that’s coming in, or possibly will come in, will it be able to compete with the amount of money that we were making on what we were doing before.”

Guest

  • Bo Copley, unemployed coal miner.

This segment aired on May 9, 2016.

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