What About ANWR & Drilling?

When Congress established the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, it set aside a very small fraction of the northern coastal tip for oil exploration and drilling.  Check the record, this is true.  So why hasn’t this been done, ten years ago?  Watch this video and understand more than perhaps you do now……

Republicans See Advantages In Offshore Oil Drilling

Republicans pack the House with tourists to make their case as polls show it could work.

The lights are dim, the mikes are off, and the television cameras dark in the US House of Representatives. But minority Republicans – sensing traction with voters on the issue of offshore drilling – aren’t giving up the floor.

Nearly 90 GOP lawmakers, about 40 percent of the Republican caucus, have come back to Washington since the House voted to adjourn on Aug. 1 to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to allow a vote to lift a moratorium on offshore drilling.

“The American people deserve more access to American oil, and Congress should be in session until we vote,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R) of Indiana, speaking to a chamber half-filled with tourists, escorted by GOP lawmakers to break off their tours of the Capitol and take a seat on the floor. He urged the tourists, many of whom seemed astonished to find themselves on the floor of the US House of Representatives, to “call to a Democratic member of Congress from your state” to demand a vote.

“We were lucky to be here,” says Anjali Srivastava, exiting the floor of the House with a tour group from Lansing, Mich. The members of Congress talked about “energy and terrorism,” she said.

While tourist power may not be enough to move to a vote, Republican lawmakers say that voter power is — and that polls show that public opinion has shifted decisively their way.

“The public has clearly changed its mind about drilling,” says Peter Brown, assistant director at Quinnipiac’s Polling Institute, citing a recent poll.

A majority used to think it was not worth any potential environmental risks. The opinion seems to have changed that the nation needs to do everything, including drilling, he added.

Governor Jindal Contrasts McCain/Obama Energy Proposals

In his first appearance on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”, Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-Louisiana, said the recent fighting between Russia and Georgia is another reason why the U.S. needs John McCain as its next President. “I think this is another example, during these uncertain times, why we need experienced leadership,” Jindal told ABC’s Jake Tapper.

“You know, Senator Obama condemned the violence and that’s a good thing. But we need to go beyond condemning the violence and actually offering solutions,” Jindal said.

The Louisiana Governor also criticized Obama’s energy plan. He said McCain has a comprehensive approach to solving America’s energy problems while Obama “wants us to inflate our tires.”

read more | digg story

Voters See McCain’s Top Priority Finding More Energy

Voters Think Obama’s Top Priority Is Reducing The Energy We Use

Latest Ramussen Reports Survey Spells Bad News For Obama

By substantial margins, voters believe that McCain’s top priority is finding new sources of energy while Obama is more focused on reducing the amount of energy we consume.  Data released yesterday shows that voters overwhelmingly believe it is more important to find new sources of energy. 67% believe McCain shares this priority while just 29% believe Obama holds that same view.

Other survey data shows that more voters trust McCain than Obama on the energy issue. Surveys also show strong public support for offshore oil drilling, a position advocated by McCain and resisted or waffled on by Obama.

The race between Obama and McCain remains very close in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Only on Iraq do voters perceive a bigger divide between Obama and McCain. On that issue, voters overwhelmingly believe that McCain is more focused on winning the War while Obama places a higher priority on getting the troops home.

On that one issue, it is Obama whose position is more in line with popular opinion.  49% of voters nationwide now believe that getting the troops home is the top priority.  42% say winning the War is more important.

However, on Iraq, McCain’s position is supported by a very solid majority of Republicans and conservatives. On energy, most Democrats agree with McCain and liberal voters are evenly divided.

Also see Dick Morris and Eileen McGann’s BAD TIMES CAN BOGGLE BAM

Clinton Dems Blast Obama Ties To Big Oil & Deception

The folks over at Clinton Democrats site are pretty riled up over “The Chosen One’s” cozyness with Big Oil. Everyone should check out their well-sourced article there, by clicking the link above.

Let me give you a little preview of their information:

“Obama Voted For Bush/Cheney Energy Bill, Written In Secret By Industry Lobbyists”
– New York Times

OBAMA’S SUPPORT FOR BUSH/CHENEY ENERGY POLICY

“Sen. Obama voted for the 2005 Energy Bill, written in secret by Vice President Cheney and the energy lobby. Thomas Friedman referred to the bill as “the sum of all lobbies.” U.S. PIRG noted that the bill’s “heavy tilt toward big oil companies reflects the influence of Exxon Mobil and other oil companies on policy-makers in Washington, DC.”

The Washington Post editorialized that the bill was a “piñata of perks for energy industries.” Indeed, the bill contained $6 billion in subsidies to the oil and gas industry and $12 billion to the nuclear power industry.

Although Sen. Obama voted for the legislation, he has spoken as if he opposed it on the campaign trail, criticizing it repeatedly. At a presidential debate he said “You can look at how Dick Cheney did his energy policy…he met with oil and gas companies forty times, and that’s how they put together our energy policy.” He’s attributed the failure of our current energy policy to Congress’s “failure to stand up to the lobbyists.”

Sen. Obama’s rhetoric blasting the policies of Vice President Dick Cheney and energy lobbyists can be stirring. But Obama’s actions haven’t matched his words.”

Click here to read the entire article. It is very damning.

To fully understand exactly how damning Obama’s false charges are against John McCain, one has to know that both John McCain and Hillary Clinton opposed the Bush-Cheney energy bill in 2005. It is very clear Obama is the one who has consistently been in “Big Oil’s” pocket.

A little history….

On April 24, 2008, Mark Halprin writing for The Page, had this item:

Clinton Team Response to Obama Attack on Oil Prices:

Sen. Obama Attacks On Oil Companies! Really?
Clinton Campaign Responds To Sen. Obama Attacks

Senator Obama attacked Senator Clinton today for not standing up to the oil industry. Really? Senator Obama is the only candidate that voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill and took more money from oil company executives than any other candidate last month:

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said: “Sen. Obama might say he doesn’t take contributions from oil companies, but he took more money last month from oil company executives than any other candidate. He might say he’ll stand up to the oil companies but he’s the only candidate who voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill that was written by energy lobbyists and has been called the best energy bill corporations could buy.

“With gas prices this high, talk is cheap. The American people need solutions.”

FACT CHECK:  SENATOR OBAMA RAKES IN OIL MONEY, SUPPORTED ENERGY BILL

• Sen. Obama accepted more money from oil execs last month than any other candidate

TRUE: Sen. Obama accepted more money from oil company executives last month than any other candidate, while he ran an ad saying he didn’t take money from oil companies. “Sen. Barack Obama continued accepting donations from oil company executives and employees last month [March, 2008] even as he aired ads in which he stated he took no oil company money, his campaign finance reports show. Obama has taken at least $263,000 from oil company executives, family members and employees since entering the presidential race last year, including $46,000 last month. [March, 2008] At least $140,000 has come in chunks of between $1,000 and $2,300, the maximum permitted under federal law.” Obama’s [LA Times, 4/24/08]

• Sen. Obama Voted For The Bush/Cheney 2005 Energy Bill

TRUE: Sen. Obama voted for the 2005 Energy Bill, Hillary opposed: [H.R. 6, Vote #213, 07/29/05]

• With 2005 Energy Bill, Energy Lobby Got What They Paid For

TRUE: Washington Post: 2005 Energy Bill was ‘a piñata of perks for energy industries’: The Washington Post said, “…The energy bill, touted as a way to reduce dependence on foreign oil or moderate gasoline prices, has been turned into a piñata of perks for energy industries.” [Washington Post, 7/30/05]

• Sen. Obama Has Acknowledged Pernicious Influence Of Lobbyists On Energy Policy He supported

TRUE: Obama: ‘You can look at how Dick Cheney did his energy policy…he met with oil and gas companies forty times, and that’s how they put together our energy policy’: “The one thing I have to remind folks, though, of – we’ve been talking about this through Republican administrations and Democratic administrations for decades. And the reason it doesn’t change – you can take a look at how Dick Cheney did his energy policy. He met with environmental groups one, he met with renewable energy folks once, and then he met with oil and gas companies forty times, and that’s how they put together our energy policy. We’ve got to put the national interest ahead of the special interest, and that’s what I’ll do when I’m President of the United States.” [Democratic Presidential Debate, 7/23/07]

It was a fine populist riff calculated to appeal to Democratic audiences as Obama seeks his party’s presidential nomination. But not only did Obama vote for the Senate’s big energy bill in 2005, he also put out a press release bragging about its provisions, and his Senate Web site carries a news article about the vote headlined, “Senate energy bill contains goodies for Illinois.” [The Politico, 3/26/07]

I guess Senator Obama, being “The Chosen One” didn’t count on anyone remembering today, in August 2008, what he voted for in 2005, and spoke out against in a Presidential Debate in 2007, yet bragged about on his Senate webpage just a few months before the debate quoted above!

Please feel free to use the information above, and that in the included links, as documentation in spreading the word about this heinous liar. I am now completely convinced that John McCain is a better choice than Obama. The shitpile of lies and untruths has just gotten too high around this man, and his campaign, like in his attack today, saying McCain is in the pocket of the oil companies, is beginning to stink like a rotten corpse.

McCain Blasts Obama Support For Bush-Cheney Energy Bill

Barack Obama’s latest negative attack ad shows his celebrity is matched only by his hypocrisy,” said Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman. “It was Senator Obama, not John McCain, who voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill that was a sweetheart deal for oil companies.”

The bill provided $14.5 billion in “sweetheart” tax breaks for oil companies, and perhaps it is a coincidence that Big Oil donated over $397,000 through June to Barack Obama….

read more | digg story

Obama Took $345,000 + From Oil Companies

Barack Obama’s campaign released a smear television ad Monday that calls for a windfall profits tax like Jimmy Carter did back in the 70’s that didn’t work,  and accuses John McCain of being in the pocket of big oil.

The ad falsely charges that major oil companies have donated $2 million to McCain’s campaign and says that “after one president in the pocket of big oil, we can’t afford another.”

McCain surrogate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday blasted the ad as being completely “dishonest.” “That’s really sad,” he said on CNN’s “American Morning.” “I didn’t know that Obama had stooped to dishonesty.” Romney said it was dishonest because corporations cannot give contributions to candidates and because employees of oil companies have also donated to Obama.

The Washington Post reported that McCain received $1.1 million from oil and gas industry executives and employees in June — three-quarters of which came after he called for lifting the ban on offshore drilling on June 16.

Obama’s ad sources the Washington Post and the Center for Responsive Politics as “proof”, however those same sources show that Obama has received about $345,000 from the oil and gas industry this year as well.

Watch Mitt Romney let a CNN reporter have it, and note how she completely ignores being called out for not mentioning “The Chosen One” also received money from Oil and Gas sources….

House Republicans Refuse To Go Home – Demand Energy Vote

The House of Representatives adjourned earlier today, but approximately 40 Republicans refused to leave the chamber. Instead, the are calling on Nancy Pelosi to bring the House back into session to vote on Republicans’ proposals to lower the cost of energy by increasing domestic supplies. Congressional Quarterly has a report:

Republicans want Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call the House back into session to vote on the GOP’s energy plan, which seeks an end to a long-standing moratorium on drilling along the outer continental shelf and also seeks to boost conservation and research on alternative energy sources.

“Bring the Congress back. Let’s have a real up or down vote,” Minority Leader John A. Boehner said after coming into the chamber from a press conference.

“The American people expect Congress to represent the will of the American people,” The Ohio Republican added, to the cheers of the group.

The event started before noon and looked like it could go on for some time. After awhile, the Republicans got the bright lights turned back on and got the sound system operating. They dragged big flip charts to make their points about energy.

Adam H. Putnam, R-Fla., said “This band of brothers here is staying late to make a point to the American people: We want to work,” he said. The Republicans in the chamber then clapped and chanted “Work, work, work.’’

Our friends over at Power Line said:

“Pelosi tried to minimize the publicity the Republicans will get by ordering the House gallery to be locked and the lights and microphones to be turned off, but Republicans got the equipment working again and escorted tourists onto the floor to witness their effort. Mike Pence says the group of Republican Congressmen is “prepared to stay here as long as we can.”

Democrats in Congress haven’t figured out how to deal with the explosive issue of rising energy costs. Pelosi, in particular, has a problem because if the Republicans’ American Energy Act were brought to the House floor for a vote, it would pass with a bipartisan majority. Hence Pelosi’s determination not to allow the House to vote on the Republican bill.

This morning, a group of House Republicans delivered a letter to Pelosi requesting that she call the House back into session to deal with the energy issue.

Will the Republicans be able to get traction with the voters? I think so, if the voters find out what is going on in Washington. Today’s stunt may help to get the word out.”

Pelosi’s staff did try to minimize the amount of attention the rump filibuster was getting. They ordered the staff of the press gallery to lock the doors to the balcony overlooking the chamber.

So, GOP members started a shuttle system, taking turns moving from floor to gallery to join reporters as they watched the proceedings.

Around 12:30 p.m., the bright TV lights in the chamber were turned off, as Chief Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., was speaking.

Cantor didn’t miss a beat, declaring, “Turn off the lights, turn off the mikes, kick out the press because they [the Democrats] don’t want to deal with this important issue.”

I wonder how long it will be before demanding a vote on more energy will be labeled a “distraction” by Obama and Pelosi?

As Congressman John Campbell (Rep/CA) said: “You can turn off the lights, but you cannot silence the will of the American people.”

Obama’s Energy Plan: NO Drilling, Inflate Your Tires!

This is so ridiculously out of touch, so arrogant,  it really does not need additional commentary…..

This is another good example at how out of touch Obama is.  Tune-ups?  Didn’t anyone on Obama’s staff know that most cars since the 90’s you can’t tune-up?  That they go 100,000 miles before even needing new spark plugs?

What Obama isn’t saying to everyone is he wants the price of gas high. He is so blinded by his beliefs, he thinks America is so wasteful, it will do us good to pay through the nose, pay as much or higher than his fellow citizens of the world in Europe!  Instead of drilling more places, and easing the transition, he really does believe we need to suffer….

U. S. Energy Tsunami Coming, 27 Elder Statesmen Warn In Letter

A bipartisan group of 27 elder statesmen is sending an open letter to both presidential candidates and every member of Congress saying the country faces “a long-term energy crisis” that threatens the security and prosperity of future generations if swift action isn’t taken.

Thomas “Mack” McLarty, former White House chief of staff to President Clinton, said the letter emphasizes that “the next president is going to have to put energy right at the top of his agenda” and do it quickly.

“There will be a window there to build bipartisan consensus to move forward,” McLarty said in an interview.

The letter includes 13 broad recommendations. They include aggressively promoting energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, increased commitments to both nuclear energy and renewable energy sources, making coal more environmentally acceptable and moving transportation away from oil as a fuel.

Other senders of the letter include former Secretaries of State James A. Baker and George Shultz, former Defense Secretaries Frank Carlucci, William Cohen, William Perry and James Schlesinger; former senior White House advisers Howard Baker, Robert “Bud” McFarlane, Kenneth Duberstein and Brent Scowcroft; former Energy Secretaries James Watkins and Spencer Abraham; former CIA Director James Woolsey; former Commerce Secretary Donald Evans; former Democratic Sens. J. Bennett Johnston, Sam Nunn and Charles Robb; and former Republican Sen. George Allen.

read more | digg story