Obama's Crazy, Mixed-Up Energy Plan
By Erick Posted in 2008 — Comments (26) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Today, Barack Obama said
When you're facing $4 a gallon gas, do you want a gas tax gimmick that will save you at most thirty cents a day for three months and a drilling proposal that won't provide a drop of oil for ten years, or a second rebate check and $1,000 tax cut to help your family pay the bills? When you look down the road five years from now or ten years from now, do you want to see an America that's begging dictators for more oil that we can't afford?
Let's work our way through this.
When you're facing $4 a gallon gas, do you want a gas tax gimmick that will save you at most thirty cents a day for three months
Heck yeah! That's $27.00 over three months, or an additional fill up at the gas station over the summer. If you weren't such an elitist, you might get that, Senator.
When you're facing $4 a gallon gas, do you want a … a drilling proposal that won't provide a drop of oil for ten years
Well now, I'm confused. You yourself said the other day that a lot of the increase in gas prices was because of futures speculations. If you drill here and drill now, even though that'll take some time, everyone agrees that it will knock down the futures price *today*.
So are you saying you actually want high gas prices?
That seems to be what you are saying.
do you want a … second rebate check and $1,000 tax cut to help your family pay the bills?
Why didn't you call that a gimmick. It is, after all, a gimmick. And where are you going to get the money for that, Senator?
Raise taxes? Why not just lower taxes and save the cost of printing rebate checks. Just let us keep our money instead of giving it back to us.
do you want to see an America that's begging dictators for more oil that we can't afford?
No. That is precisely why we should drill here and drill now. Senator, you forget that it is not just gas for our cars that require petroleum, but wrappers for candy bars, plastic wrap for food, zip-loc bags for storage, wax for crayons, etc., etc., etc.
You, it seems, want us to be dependent on dictators by not letting us tap into our own reserves.
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Obama's Crazy, Mixed-Up Energy Plan 26 Comments (0 topical, 26 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
If he says it fast enough, and it is convoluted enough, and he sounds smart enough, he hopes that the electorate will just look at him with glassy eyes and say "Ok".
I want to believe the American voters are smart enough to see through crap like this. The Democrat primary voters seemed to be (I'm dicounting caucus states to draw that conclusion).
But the worry in the back of my head is that they won't be in November. I sure hope that is my naturally pessimistic nature.
"If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country."
the ignorance and sheeplike quality of the population at large.
I know a lot of conservatives are fond of trusting the wisdom of the people. I, on the other hand think people should be free to make their own choices, but most will probably screw up a lot.
Especially when the herd instinct takes over.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
History is filled with groups of people having absolutely no wisdom and making horrid choices about which pied piper they choose to follow.
Whether they admit it or not, most people are looking for someone to take care of their problems and to tell them it's not their fault. It seems more true these days than any I know about.
It's human nature to embrace any preposterous delusion rather than an occasional bleak truth and we got a first-rate snake oil salesman trying to become the most powerful man in the world. I have no faith in the wisdom of the people.
I hope I'm wrong, but working with some Obamalamadingdongs (I can't remember where I stole that from but if it was someone here, kudos to you)the gleam in their eyes when they start talking politics is scary.
we really have no excuse if we can't win this election.
Obama is up by 12 in a new LA Times/Bloomberg poll and Bush approval is down to 23. Number 1 concern in the poll is the ecomony where the respondants feel Obama is superior.
I would guess that it doesn't matter what nonsense Obama spouts, he is going to be treated like a rock star. The Democrat obstructionists are getting a total pass on gas prices and the GOP (and Bush) is getting the blame.
We can talk about alternative media all we want, but if someone isn't putting ads on Entertainment Tonight to educate those who don't pay attention, then we will be looking at a complete wipeout in November.
Right now we are just living in an echo chamber, and are losing the media war badly. If action isn't taken soon, it will likely be too late.
"If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country."
You are exactly right. We are losing the media war. Maybe ads on ET would help...I don't know. I'm a little pessimistic about the ability to fix this one, as there is a profound structural issue with the mainstream media. It is absolutely packed with leftists, and I think it next to impossible to fix.
As you point out, Obama is getting a pass, and it'll continue unless some sort of huge controversy erupts. The press just cannot resist a big stink, even if it's one of their own.
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“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
has chosen to be an environmentalist to score points with independents at a time when he can sweep this election by turning a perceived liability, the economy, into a plus through this energy issue. He could join his strength in foriegn policy and national security with this domestic issue. But he wants to be a greenie! What timing! McCain and Obama are idiots!
McCain's strategy from day 1 has been to pull together a center-right coalition with a strong appeal to independants. The problem is this election has suddenly turned into an economic one, which plays right into the Democrat's historic bias. It is NOT McCain's best issue, and he is very vulnerable to it.
This election is about to become a replay of 1992 (It's the economy, Stupid).
So our nominee is suddenly left with a flawed general election strategy, a significant financial disadvantage when he needs it for purchased advertising, and a disaffected base that he thought he didn't need. This is a prescription for losing all the light red swing states, or worse. Also his coattails were already going to be short, now we could be looking at the freshman senator from Minnesota, Mr. Franken.
I see only two ways out of this mess:
1) McCain's brain trust has to show amazing agility and turn their message into economy, economy, economy and take no prisoners in unapologetically blaming the Dems for gas prices. This would mean getting McCain to change his speeches and style (and positions probably). I can't see him doing it. The same stubborness that kept him alive as a POW will work against him.
2) A well funded 527 (and I mean Soros level funding) has to start blanketing the mainstream media channels (Entertainment Tonight, CSI, Ellen, The View) with ads that tell the truth about gas prices. That is the only way to negate the media bubble that is driving the folks that don't pay attention, but are really angry when they stop at the gas station.
"If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country."
I found it really disturbing that Fox seems to be the only news channel that would stand by our side.
At major airports like Dallas Fort Worth, the only news channel you get is CNN! I was watching HC on Fox at my hotel's lobby, which is slightly against Obama but not one-sided.
A young African American woman kept saying everyone on Fox were idiots and wanted to switch to a different channel. Unfortunately, the remote was in my hand and she had to painfully listen to every word on Fox. I think this is a really tough battle as many Obama supporters are die-hard believers. They would not listen to anything that's against Obama, no matter how true that is. I do not think McCain has the same kind of supporters....I also suspect unfortunately the few African Americans who are on our side could be considered traitors...
If you stop along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. All televisions in the State service areas are tuned to CNN. And they will *always* be tuned to CNN.
Tough battle doesn't begin to state the case.
What I've noticed is the total lack of reserve for publicly demonizing Fox when in an environment where the TV is shared. The TVs in all of the Delta Crown Rooms are always turned on CNN, even though these are locations frequented mostly by business travellers who fit the Fox demographic.
When I see Fox on, it never fails that some Democrat will loudly complain about how we are "watching the source of all lies" or something like that. I have a good friend that does that, and I'm always a little stunned when it happens. I never see the reverse, where Republicans loudly complain about watching the "biased CNN".
I've also noted that Fox is quietly being removed from the channel options. I used to be able to get it on the Direct TV on Delta flights. It is no longer there. If I asked, I would probably be told there wasn't much demand. (heh)
"If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country."
What is the truth about gas prices?
..."Why not just lower taxes and save the cost of printing rebate checks." Now *that* would be a great debate question.
BTW, I'm not a big fan of McCain's gas tax suspension except that it would be an interesting educational tool that would clearly illustrate how much the government soaks every American (yes, even the poor) for a gallon of gas that they didn't have any role in sourcing, drilling, refining, transporting, or marketing.
--
"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
that you are going to be able to do this with Erick.
At least he is keeping you busy!
Now also found at The Minority Report
This doesn't make sense. We should drill now AND absolutely rule the world of alternative energy. We shouldn't be dependent on oil in the future, but we should have some (a lot) to sell to other countries. While we sell them second-generation alternative energy technology. That seems obvious.
Just for my own education, the barrier for offshore drilling: is this a state issue or a federal issue? I realize the answer may be both, but states have jurisdiction, right? I ask this because while I'm against ANWR drilling -- just on the admittedly Liberal ideal of "wide open (Federal) spaces" being protected -- I don't know if I really care too much about offshore rigs in the Gulf.
I'll note that I saw a disgusting amount of oil floating in the waters off Baku, but apparently that was not due to their offshore rigs, but instead because oil seeped out of their seabed. What a problem to have!
...and, yeah, this conflicts with my general opinion against ANWR drilling, but:
I like the environment just fine, but we DO need oil for a little while, that really is without doubt. A lot of the opposition to offshore drilling concerns the environment, but it seems only to concern OUR environment. While some Democrats are vocally for an oil crisis -- so as to force the US's hand on energy policy -- I think most are not. But that means getting other countries to increase THEIR output and, to follow the logic, potentially destroy their environment. This doesn't make a lot of sense. Obviously it's more complex than this, but not too much more.
There, there's a new talking point. For free. Have I won the photoshop contest from last week NOW?
http://www.redstate.com/blogs/achance/2008/jun/13/anwr_and_the_chukchi_s...
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
This isn't even about energy. What the hell does a rebate check and a tax cut have to do with the cost of gasoline? A rebate check and a tax cut might help put more money in my pocket, so as to make the high cost of gas less painful to me. But it does nothing to address the actual cost of gas - giving me a tax cut will not make gasoline one cent cheaper.
McCain's tax holiday probably will do little, but at least it is a proposal designed to directly effect the price of gasoline (even if it probably won't actually effect it that much).
And, can I just say, why can't we have both? Why do I have to pick between a tax cut and drilling for more oil here at home? The answer to the question, Senator Obama, is that I want BOTH.
that once again, Obama (like most Dems) thinks that tax revenues are THEIR money, not OUR money. See how graciously he offers a tax refund (thus giving us back HIS money) rather than address the root cause of the problem.
He says we can't pull the oil out of the ground in 10 years, but immediately after he asks if we can afford to buy gas in 10 years...begging dictators.
What? Seriously?
To be honest, I don't believe the 10 year projection. I don't see why it would have to take us that long to drill into oil. I have a feeling people are basing those projections from older technology. If the US set its mind to really go full force into drilling, I'm sure it wouldn't take that time.
"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." - Ronald Regan
Well now, I'm confused. You yourself said the other day that a lot of the increase in gas prices was because of futures speculations. If you drill here and drill now, even though that'll take some time, everyone agrees that it will knock down the futures price *today*.
Yes, oil is traded based on futures. But nobody trades on futures that many years down the road. 2-3 years, maybe. But more then that there really isn't any futures market what so ever.
You could announce drilling in every inch of suitable land tomorrow and in all likelihood the price of oil would just go up again. That seems to be what happens whenever Saudi Arabia announces an increase in production.
Obama is now to the point where he's out in the open offering to buy peoples votes, except the money isn't coming from his pocket.
Also lets see what trouble we're in when we stop using oil, which we need refined in order to get the byproduct we use to pave streets, we'll be bak on Cobblestones under Obama, all the more fitting since he wants us back in the 1800s.
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