Oil "Crisis" MEME????

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I caught a few minutes of Lou Dobbs on CNN. I don't know a lot about him and his biases but he put up some polling data (for whatever it's worth) showing that the majority of the American public support offshore drilling and are generally supportive of some of McCain's (bad) ideas for reducing oil prices. Is this the new electoral strategy for the McCain campaign and, if I may dare ask, is getting to drill offshore and in ANWR the reasons behind the massive jump in gas prices-Are the oil companies creating an election year "crisis" that they believe will help benefit the GOP (and them) in November even though, as many people here have pointed out, such additional drilling even if approved will not only NOT produce a large supply of oil but would not benefit us until a few years down the road? The meme seems to be getting put out there (and I'm starting to hear it buzzing around in a lot of places) by Bush/GOP that the energy "crisis" we are facing right now is because of Democratic obstructionism over the aforementioned items (of course conveniently ignoring the fact that Republicans controlled Congress for 12 years 6 of which were under a REPUBLICAN President).

Is this issue a potential threat for Obama? Or is the "speculation" angle (and McCain's possible connections to it) proving to be a more potent concern?

:shrug:

I initially thought that higher gas prices would ultimately hurt the GOP more since Bush is still in the WH but now I'm not really sure. In any event, I'm glad that Obama is not trying to pander to anybody with any silly and impractical "gas tax holiday" ideas.

[muntrv]

1. 16 billion barrels in ANWR/20 million consumed per day=800 days.

That should be the Democratic Party's standard response to drilling.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. Wow! That's only a little over 2 years

That should make us really "independent"!!!!:sarcasm:

[bhikkhu]

7. The flow rate is what's important, not the oil in place

Estimates of flow from a hypothetical fully developed ANWAR are about 1mbd. That's 4% or so of our consumption.

Not to be a pessimist, or even to say that ANWAR shouldn't be drilled, but it solves nothing. By the time it is on the market Cantarell will have lost more than 1mbd in production, and that is going by the estimates of optimists.

Drill ANWAR if you must, but it solves nothing and only makes Exxon or whoever a bit richer for a time.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. We cannot drill out way out of this problem, but we can certainly

drill our way into some new problems. McCain needs to be asked why he was for the offshore drilling ban before he was against it. Then when he lies that this will help prices at the pump, he needs to be asked when exactly all this supposed oil would reach the pump were we to start wrecking out coastlines today. McCain should live that long.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Well, the GOP said that Kerry was too much of a "flip-flopper" to be President in 2004

Looks like THEY'VE "flip flopped" on wanting a "flip flopper" as President.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Distraction + Pander + Lies

Of course this is political.

Gas prices are THE important topic to Joe average voter and what pollsters are telling the campaign to make into an issue. Just like the "gas tax" pander earlier by Obama's opponents.

It's a distraction from the real issues, the war, the debt, etc.

It's a pander because people vote their emotions and don't do their homework.

It's a lie because "we can't drill our way out of this crisis". Bill O said that, it must be true.

Barack is going to have to come out strong on this, bring on experts, describe the vision. He was successful against the "gas tax" pander, he can do it again.

[spag68]

6. Lou Dobbs!!!!!!!!!!

You watched Lou Dobbs WTF. A bigoted asshole if I ever saw one. By the way his daughter is one of those prancing horse show riders, and who do you think comprises the work force on ol Lou's farm in Jersey. From which he commutes everyday in his helicopter, after which he limo's to lunch. He sure is the voice of the middle class.

[BrokenSocialScene]

8. Please dont buy this crap

Right now Corporate Oil is not even utilizing all of their acreage for drilling off the Gulf Coast. What they want to do is swallow up all the land off the coasts they possibly can while the public is freaking out over gas prices so they can perpetuate our consumption of oil through 2050 when we really will run out. Please, explain this to as many people as you can and try to remind the voters that the same tricks that got us 2 terms of Bush are trying to be pulled again...