GOP Braces For Ads Tying It To Oil Industry

[babylonsister]

Campaign ads attack GOP candidates for oil industry ties

With consumers fuming about high gas prices, political strategists see connections to oil firms as an added liability -- and Democrats are taking aim.

By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 29, 2008


WASHINGTON -- As voters steam over gas prices, Republican congressional candidates are bracing for a gusher of ads from now until election day attacking their ties to oil companies.

"What kind of mark has Bob Schaffer made as a politician?" says an ad attacking Colorado's Republican Senate candidate and former congressman. "He's left a definite imprint, accepting over $150,000 in campaign contributions from oil and gas interests and voting in Congress to give oil and gas interests over $13 billion in tax breaks."

Amid the onslaught, the oil industry is increasingly worried about this year's election. Oil executives could face a bigger Democratic majority in Congress and a Democrat in the White House, both set on repealing industry tax breaks and imposing a windfall profits tax.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama supports a tax on windfall profits, while Republican John McCain opposes it.

"We're bracing for the worst," said Jeff Eshelman of the Independent Petroleum Assn. of America, who fears industry arguments will fall on deaf ears in the next Congress. "From the political rhetoric, I'm worried we'll see some really bad choices after the elections."

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil29-2008jul29,0,4617522.story

[Virginia Dare]

1. McCain's been getting a lot of big oil money too..

when will American learn that big oil companies are our enemies, is it too much to hope that the time is now? I anxiously await the fall out from this..:popcorn:

[babylonsister]

2. Yep. The minute he flip-flopped on offshore drilling, his

coffers filled up. How obvious is this, yet no one in the m$m questions it.



Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 27, 2008; Page A10

Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.

Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month -- three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban -- compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601891.html

[Hubert Flottz]

3. If the republicans have nothing to hide let us have the record of

the "SECRET CHENEY ENERGY MEETING"

[Virginia Dare]

4. Cheney took Scalia on a hunting trip..

to make sure we never will.