Jump in the Time machine w/ me back to the 08 campaign

[proud patriot]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5843453.html

McCain's energy plan gets positive reception
Most oil execs respond favorably as he touts policy and raises funds in campaign trip here

By ALAN BERNSTEIN and KRISTEN HAYS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
June 18, 2008, 12:11AM

(snip)

Let states decide drilling
Some oil and gas interests said McCain did not go far enough in proposing expanded domestic production, while Democrats and environmentalists said he offered nothing that would help reduce the United States' dependence on oil.

But Rayola Dougher, senior economic adviser for the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. oil and gas industry's trade group, said approvingly of the candidate's speech, "We need policies for the short term and the longer term. Any policy that would encourage more supply will have an impact."

With prices soaring for gasoline and unrefined oil, McCain chose the nation's energy capital as the location for sketching what he said would be a series of ideas designed to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil shipments now and sensitive in the long term to global warming caused by the burning of fuels that create greenhouse gases.

As promised, he called for dissolving the federal ban on offshore oil drilling on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and some parts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. States should decide, he said.

"As for offshore drilling, it's safe enough these days that not even Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could cause significant spillage from the battered rigs off the coasts of New Orleans and Houston," McCain said. "Yet for reasons that become less convincing with every rise in the price of foreign oil, the federal government discourages offshore production."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5843453.html

(snip)

[Union Yes]

1. BM'd thanks for the reminder. knr nt

[enlightenment]

2. Someone once told me that all of

the 'should haves', 'could haves', 'might haves', and 'may be's' in the world add up to exactly nothing.

Yes, events would have been different had McCain been elected President. He wasn't - so what he might have done or could have done are completely irrelevant. Really.

Deal with what IS - not with what might have been.

[proud patriot]

3. Good point

:hi:

[enlightenment]

5. Thank you.

Please know that I'm aware that finger-wagging at an adult is poor form. Sometimes, I let my frustration with the people (and I'm not suggesting this is what you were doing) who use the "but how bad would it have been if McCain had won" argument get the better of me.

I appreciate your understanding.

[kiva]

4. You know, when I make a mistake at work,

I don't tell my boss "Yes, but think how much worse this would be if you'd hired the other person for the job."

Edited to remove over-the-top snark.

[proud patriot]

6. I found this while researching the deregulation of offshore drilling

:shrug: I'm a Special education assistant and I work speech delayed children.

[The Straight Story]

7. And Obama said:

Obama said Friday that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs.

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama told The Palm Beach Post early into a two-day swing through Florida.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/02/campaign.wrap/

Sen. Barack Obama today softened his opposition to new offshore drilling, saying in a speech at Michigan State University that he is "willing to consider" allowing additional drilling in a limited number of offshore areas if it helps Congress pass energy legislation.

The announcement, which represents a departure from the Obama campaign's steady opposition to offshore drilling, quickly elicited "flip-flopping" charges, just as Sen. John McCain's call for expanded offshore drilling did earlier this summer. But it also appears to closely align with an energy plan recently put forth in Congress and hints at how lawmakers may plan to ultimately address the gas price crisis.

In his remarks today, Obama referred generically to a "compromise" hammered out last week by "a group of Democrat and Republican senators" in Washington, calling it "a first good step." The compromise, proposed by a bipartisan group of senators known as "the Gang of 10," would open up new acres for drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and give Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia the option of allowing drilling beyond 50 miles off their coasts. Currently, these areas are off limits to drilling because of congressional restrictions.

The compromise proposal, which carries an $84 billion price tag, also calls for massive government investments in energy efficiency and nonpetroleum fuels, with a goal of 85 percent of new motor vehicles running on alternative fuels within 20 years.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/08/04/obama-shows-new-openness-to-offshore-oil-drilling.html

Either way, big oil gets some of what they want. As usual.

[sabrina 1]

8. Interesting that Democrats/Obama 'softened their position'

on Offshore drilling in 2008, after 30 years of opposing it. That was after the summer of 2008 when Oil Execs were hauled before Congress to explain the huge hike in gas prices at the pump.

It's interesting in retrospect to go back and read what they said to Congress. They USED the opportunity to push for more Offshore Drilling, claiming that this was why prices had to go up as they were forced to spend money on more expensive drilling when they could be drilling 'closer to shore'. We slammed them for basically attempting to bribe and threaten Congress at the time.

But, it looks like their whining helped 'soften' Democrats' opposition to drilling off the coast of the U.S.

I was trying to make sense of the flip-flop and went back to look at what was happening at the time. That was one thing that caught my attention because it coincided with Obama's 'change' of heart.

What he expected to get from Republicans I cannot imagine. Either THEY will have a miraculous change of heart and decide to back anything he proposes, or his presidency will be remembered as one that was based on 'hope' but not the kind we had in mind, 'hope' that one day Republicans, even one of them, would support a Dem. President even when he is doing exactly what they want!