McCain and Energy
Lawrence Kudlow wonders why it is that John McCain isn’t ‘pummeling Barack Obama daily on drill, drill, drill’ oil. This is, he argues, an issue that could very well prove to be the main issue of these elections… if McCain is willing to make it that important that is.
I think that Kudlow is right about that; Americans seem to be increasingly concerned about energy (independence). More and more Americans complain that they are too dependent on foreign oil. And they want something to be done about it.
So why isn’t McCain repeating day in, day out that the ANWR, the outer continental shelf, should be ‘opened up’? Why isn’t he making the case time and again that American should exploit its own resources?
The answer is, it seems to me, rather simple; perhaps McCain isn’t as supportive of Bush’s proposal as many other Republicans. Or, perhaps, McCain is afraid that supporting it may cost him support from independent voters.
If it’s the latter, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the risk is almost non-existent. Most voters will, I get the impression, support exploiting America’s own resources, no matter where those resources are. Kudlow himself quotes a poll that shows that ‘60 percent are in favor of off-shore drilling.’ These facts speak for themselves.
So the main reason, well the main likely reason, is that McCain may not be as supportive of it as most others. He’s fairly well known for his anti-global warming and pro-environment agenda (for a conservative that is). Perhaps he doesn’t support it for those reasons.
Then again, there might also be something else going on; McCain’s campaign hasn’t been very active thus far. This could also very well be the reason; perhaps the campaign simply doesn’t realize how big of an issue this could be.
Off shore drilling would, by the way, make a whole lot of sense for the US. There are other energy resources the West has to focus on, sure, but it makes little to no sense to depend on foreign countries for one’s oil if one is also able to produce it (at least some of it) oneself.
I’d only support off-shore and ANWR if it’s accompanied with an increasing focus on renewables of all sorts. I do support drilling for the short term, but that’s all it is: a short term solution. The long-term solution needs to be multi-faceted. Create several options and see what wins out.
I think that’s also where McCain might be coming from. He’s just afraid to said it because he thinks it’ll upset those conservatives who don’t support his views.
How many so called "environmentalists" are going to vote for McCain. Maybe McCain is trying to be "eco-friendly enough". It is a losing strategy. All McCain needs to do is this, take a press team with him to Prudoe Bay where the oil is in ANWR and make sure they take lots of pictures. Make a televised speech on that spot so the country can see that the part of ANWR we are talking about is a barren arctic moonscape so they can see that there are no "pristine environmental concerns." Governor Palin of Alaska should invite McCain to come see the spot. The American people would not only be satisfied when they saw the place with their own eyes, they would be outraged at the left for lying to us about ANWR all along.
I just remembered. I have some youtube video of the place on my blog. Here is the link - http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/wsj-obama-pelosi-and-kerry-lying-about-oil-leases/
Barak Obama is in big trouble right now.
FLIP FLOP. JOHN KERRY…………….DEFEAT.
He has put forth NO drilling. Americans are saying well then you pay for my gasoline. He is now saying well mabey we wont come home. I’m going to vote for fisa. Faith based iniatives. Works programs.
He is now on record hes going to vote for Fisa. If he does. Anger by the far left. If he doesnt. Move over John Kerry. War in Iraq. Im going to pull out. IF he begins indicating he might not then move over John Kerry. Move over GWB as the antiwar far left smear machine will ravage him with a ferocity that will make the one they gave Bush look benign.
He’s in trouble. He’s in big trouble. In fact Im betting Hillary is thinking of firing up the campaign again if he votes for the FISA measure as planned. IF he doesnt?
FLIP FLOP.
If McCain grasps the drilling program aggressively the conservative base will jump on the bandwagon and get behind him.
I used to be opposed to drilling but its needed. China and India and the rest of the world are exceeding the capacity of oil available. Visit North Dakota. They just discovered Massive amounts of oil in this area.
The oil industry is booming in North Dakota, and a new study is likely to encourage even more development. The U.S. Geological Survey says North Dakota has the largest recoverable oil formation in the lower 48 states.
The formation extends into Montana and Canada. Geologists have estimated the area holds hundreds of billions of barrels of oil.
We simply need to relax legislation and build a few more refineries and we need to drill and drill hard. Then we need in conjunction to that have the auto industry develop much more fuel efficient cars. Give tax incentives to buy hybrids. Develop huge alternative energy programs and DRILL< DRILL<DRILL.
Its a winning strategy. The main reason the economy is sagging is skyrocketing gas prices. My gasoline bill a couple years ago was 75 bucks a month now its 300 plus. And my pay has not gone up by 400 percent to keep up with this.
If McCain wants to win in November this is his ace in the hole.
RRRocks - Amen !!! America has the technology and the riches (because we ARE capitalist) to drill and make energy safer and cleaner than anyone else in the world. China and Russia and other countries are not nearly as responsible and clean as we are, yet so called "environmentalists" don’t sit in front of their embassies and protest do they ……/ponders. I like McCain’s idea to give a multi million dollar prize to whomever comes forth with a leap in battery technology. Unleash the genius of the American people!
However I was just reading a Democratic talking point issued by Nancy Pelosi that actually makes sense to me in a perverse way. If oil companies tapped the 68 million federal acres of leased land it would generate an estimated 4.8 million barrels of oil a day - six times what the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would produce at its peak, Pelosi said. "The fact is 80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf is in regions that are already open to leasing, but the oil companies haven’t decided it’s worth their time to drill there," the speaker said. Now if this is so. If in fact the democrats are being honest then why would the oil companies not produce this oil even if that meant that the price of oil dropped some. I have a hunch it has to do with the Democrats failure to allow any new refineries to be built. However is that just another talking point? Is it really a collusion by our government along with oil companies to raise oil prices and keep the environment clean? Anyone know?
RRRocks - actually I do know - and I can put the truth to Pelosi’s oil lease lie as well - I wrote about this very subject - http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/wsj-obama-pelosi-and-kerry-lying-about-oil-leases/
RRRocks, first, I’m in total agreement with drill-drill-drill. But McCain seems unable to range beyond the realm of national security and the military. If an issue doesn’t immediately ring in one of these realms, it falls on deaf ears. Sadly, he’s woeful ill-equipped to take the issue and run. Rudy and Mitt would’ve been much more effective.