Drilling on the VA Coast: Flip flop or pandering to the right?
Is this yet another "We made an offer with an open hand and they returned a fist" strategy? It’s not like there’s all that much oil/natural gas off the east coast in the first place…so why go there? Do you think this has anything to do with the legislation coming down the pike that he needs votes for?
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices. If in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage – I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done," Barack Obama August 01, 2008
Obama stated then he would be open to expanding the current drilling boundaries if it meant winning approval for more fuel-efficient cars, developing alternative energy sources and making the country more "energy independent."
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
it is definitely pandering. Obama wants to offer this to the right so when they do not support him on Cap and trade he can claim the "moral high ground"
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I know McCain has a reputation for being "moderate" but he’s really an extremist who wanted to stay in Iraq for 100 years.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Neither.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
We have nearly killed the oceans, Obama is just going to finish the job.
Have a fish sandwich for lunch, won’t be around much longer.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Why does it have to be either?
You’re creating zero sum games that are unnecessary. I’d say the same thing no matter who was President. We are paralyzing ourselves politically by thinking like two year olds.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
If there isn’t, according to your uninformed opinion, very much hydrocarbon potential off the east coast, then why, we wonder, did you and other Drill baby drill conservatives have so much focus on US offshore drilling.
Given the favorable sedimentary environment from major river drainage systems discharging in the Chesapeake region, along with regional subsurface antiforms creating perfect hydrocarbon traps, my first guess is that this area would be very ripe for further exploration, and moderate plays may indeed be found
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Obama and the Left can call it whatever they like. They’re still getting voted out starting in Nov.
A few ‘crumbs’ means nothing when Obama has proven that even if any and all drilling were opened up in a massive program, he and his minions are just as likely to ‘nationalize’ that!
With this nonsense, Obama is spitting into the wind.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Obama being a Centrist wuss, just like Clinton.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I view it as a necessary evil provided it is a part of a larger comprehensive program to shift our economy from a petroleum based one to other forms of power.
I am for more nuclear power, more wind, more solar, more compressed natural gas.
Further I think that this a demonstration that our current president is willing to make tough choices regardless of their political expediency.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
How about a third possibility?
That he is admitting that the money he is throwing at alternative energy is going to wind up producing little to no real results?
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
It’s a smoke screen.
The tax structure is such that any wells where ZerObama is proposing would be losers.
He will say that the offer was rejected out of hand and the government will build the wells and claim they are for strategic reserves thus putting the government in the oil business. What do you think would be next? How about a declaration that the government must nationalize the oil business for security reasons.
ZerObama said he ‘would CHANGE the way Washington does business’. Instead he put Washington IN business; Banking, Automobiles, Finance, Credit Cards, Salary Caps, Insurance, Health Care, Cap and Trade…….now OIL! What’s next? Fast food? Oh….sorry…junk food? that’s illegal now, forgot.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Neither. It’s an empty gesture to confuse the stupid.
He’s "allowing" exploration ONLY where no one thinks there’s any oil.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I predict that if this actually goes some where it will be so filled with pork, regulations and government control and due to that it will not be supportable by a majority of the right. At which point the left will start the blame game, conveniently leaving out facts, figures and the actual reason for lack of support.
It is not pandering, it is a very well thought out and calculated tactic and in the coming months will be used in an attempt to gain support for the November elections. Just wait and see!
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Neither! Obama is opening his campaign to get Cap and Tax passed. He’s trying to hide his real agenda by using this non-existent offshore drilling. I say non-existent because it will not happen. He will only talk about it while trying to pass Cap and trade and, if he gets cap and trade (Tax) passed, he will forget about the offshore drilling which is only a talking point.
Obama is a less than honorable man.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
This has nothing to do with lowering gas prices for the American People, this is all about being able to tell the American People how great I am, and look what I’m doing for the American People and those damn Republicans are complaining, Oh how anti – American of them. People you need to wake up to reality and that reality is that we have a man in the oval office that is willing to destroy America, because we need to become a Marxist / Socialist country. But we can’t forget that this is who the Democrats allowed to run under their banner so they could get someone into the white house knowing full well that 0bama was and is a hardcore Socialist. Wake Up America!
July 14th, 2010 at 3:25 am
after the Obama care nightmare he has to do something to buy some votes