Rick Perry is trending right now over comments he made at an energy industry event hosted by Axios.
But it’s really the Axios headline, more so than the remarks, that’s responsible for the liberal anger:
At an Axios/NBC event today, Rick Perry indicated he thinks using fossil fuels can help prevent sexual assault. https://t.co/TT9j77NOju
— Axios (@axios) November 2, 2017
You have to click through to read that what Perry said was way more complicated than the headline. Here are his full remarks, which even his critics should agree with:
“I just got back from Africa, I’m going to finish up with this, because I think I heard a lady say there are people dying. Let me tell you where people are dying, is in Africa, because of the lack of energy they have there. And it’s going to take fossil fuels to push power out into those villages in Africa, where a young girl told me to my face, ‘one of the reasons that electricity is so important to me is not only because I’m not going to have to try to read by the light of a fire and have those fumes literally killing people.’ But also from the standpoint of sexual assault. When the lights are on, when you have light that shines, the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts. So from the standpoint of how you really affect people’s lives, fossil fuels is going to play a role in that. I happen to think it’s going to play a positive role.”
What so bad about wanting electric power to cut indoor air pollution and to make people feel safer at night while walking the streets?
https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/926133156805316610
https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/926133420278861824
https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/926134088536346624
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Too late. The Sierra Club is calling on Perry to resign over his remarks:
.@SierraClub calls on Rick Perry to resign over his sexual assault remarks pic.twitter.com/MfaM9RQmlu
— Devin Henry (@dhenry) November 2, 2017
And he’s the target of liberals with comments like these:
the only real explanation for that Rick Perry quote is that he loves coal so much he's been licking it
— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) November 2, 2017
*deep breath*
Rick Perry just said he thinks fossil fuels help prevent sexual assault.
Ima break down why this is stupid (beyond the obvious)
— Emily Atkin (@emorwee) November 2, 2017
But what Perry said isn’t even controversial in the “under-energized” world:
In much of Africa & rest of under-energized world many would endorse @SecretaryPerry's point on women/safety/energy: https://t.co/5jA975Txo7 https://t.co/FPNEyZfBQi
— Andrew Revkin (@Revkin) November 2, 2017
And liberals didn’t seem to mind when then President Obama made the same case as Perry did today:
Bipartisan agreement under @POTUS44 on need for all-of-the above electrification in Africa. https://t.co/4kFcfCWjsD @yinkawrites @qzafrica
— Andrew Revkin (@Revkin) November 2, 2017
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