Obama to approve offshore drilling

[SteamWake]

:o

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100330

I'm not sure what to make of this but I am pretty sure it will piss off his base.

[August]

I'll bet you're right.

Obama has sold out to the oil companies! :o

[CaptainHaplo]

From the article - underlining added for emphasis:

"The Obama administration is expected to announce by Wednesday its updated plan for oil and natural gas drilling in U.S. waters, including whether to allow exploration for the first time along the U.S. East Coast."

"Two industry sources said on Monday President Barack Obama was expected to give a speech about energy security on Wednesday, which could include his views on expansion of offshore drilling"

"The administration has been weighing the pros and cons of offshore drilling..."

If you read the article - it doesn't say that O will approve of offshore drilling - it says he MIGHT, and he COULD give a speech about whatever his opinon on it is (who woulda thunk that??? wow, a SPEECH!!!) and that right now, nobody knows if they will say yes or no on it.

Don't bet the farm on the answer being yes. While I will be pleased to see it if it happens - even so its only one step. His enviro-hippy base will be pissed, but they will do what they always do, and file lawsuits to keep it from ever actually happening.

[GoldenRivet]

I'm not sure what to make of this

Pass health Care bill.... Check

Sign that mofo G.... Check

Realize almost everyone is pissed off about it.... check

What would "W" Do to lean slightly right and appease the masses? :hmmm:

Go to Afghanistan (http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=216509&cID=3) to mingle with troops.... check

Approve off shore drilling (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100330).... check

Oh what will Barry do next? :doh: this is just part of his plot for the next 8 months to throw everyone off the health care trail... believe me... the Dems are going to do everything and anything possible to steer the conversation in some other direction.

[August]

...the Dems are going to do everything and anything possible to steer the conversation in some other direction.

You may be right. His poll numbers haven't bounced up like they hoped they would.

[SteamWake]

Bounced up.... Hah... :har:

No there is more to this than simply throwing the conservatives a bone.

Speaking of bones... Boehner weighs in on the topic

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today criticized the Obama Administration for refusing to listen to the American people and keeping the vast majority of America’s offshore energy resources off limits at a time when Americans want an “all of the above” strategy for promoting American energy production and creating American jobs:

http://gopleader.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=179192

[AVGWarhawk]

Drill Baby Drill!

[SteamWake]

Oh I have the perfect image for that but I'm afraid it would be too risque to post but it involves Palin and her running mate. ;)

[Skybird]

It's a political deal, or an attempt of it. Too little for the oil fanatics, to much for the green crowd. Not fish, not meat.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8596692.stm

Let'S see what parts of the conservative camp he can bribe with this.

[Oberon]

Heh, one has to wonder how vocal the opposition to this will be vis a vis the opposition shown to Dubyas proposals. Time will tell :03:

[AVGWarhawk]

Once again, Washington changes the new breed, the new face on politics....

Looks like status quo to me....big oil can pay for healthcare :yeah:

[SteamWake]

Ya know I thought I remembered this


In June 2008, then-Sen. Obama told reporters in Jacksonville, Florida, "when I'm president, I intend to keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts. That's how we can protect our coastline and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas prices for good


http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/03/president-obama-drill-baby-drill-.html

Maybe he hopes no one else will... remember this. See there is change ;)

[Sailor Steve]

To be fair
But by August, then-Sen. Obama signaled that he was willing to support legislation that included off-shore drilling as part of a bipartisan compromise.
He's been talking about this as a "compromise" for some time now.

[AVGWarhawk]

Hmmm...good find Steve. :yep::up:

[Jimbuna]

Looks like the actions of a very concerned accountant....looking for a way to balance the books...at any cost.

We did this years ago with the oil and gas deposits off our shores and I'm not sure anyone felt any benefit.

However, without that revenue I honestly believe the UK would have been bankrupt mooooooch earlier.

[UnderseaLcpl]

I know I've been gone for a little while, mostly owing to my school obligations, but I wonder if I might not still be welcome to posit an opinion.

It seems to me that this particular stance is not so much a product of Obama's (or the Democratic party's) willingness to compromise their stance as it does their willingness to adjust their voter demographics. Historically, the major American political parties have adjusted their stances to fit whatever movements seemed to be popular at the time, and then the other party takes the opposite tack, by neccesity.

What I see happening now is the left moving to encompass a section of the conservative vote. That's it, and that is all. Their platform is gradually shifting to combat the backlash against state spending and government whilst preserving their original demographic as much as possible. The Republican party is gradually changing to oppose this, as evidenced by the strong "anti-socialist" platform that their constiuency has been developing, and which has begun to recieve media and congressional support. That's a simplification, but overall the trends appear fairly evident.

The thing that concerns me most is that many Americans, and voters in other democracies and republics do not seem to notice this. My classmates, for one, do not seem to realize that political parties and their platforms are not set in stone. They are political institutions, and like any other institution that wishes to continue existing, they pander to the those that give them power. I'm sure that sounds like common sense to most of you, but you'd be surprised by how many people seem to think that immutable battle lines have been drawn.

To put it simply: "It's the politics, stupid". I forget who said that, but it rings true to this day. The US of A is playing host to a parasitical government. They'll promise us whatever we want, so long as we let them make the rules. It would not surprise me one bit if a successful Democratic platform in 2010 and 2012 caused Republicans to shift to an anti-drilling platform. It won't likely happen that quickly, but the pattern is evident in the history of politics.

I, for one, don't even know why the government is allowed to place restrictions, price caps, and other legal restraints on domestic oil. Quite simply, it is none of their God damn business. I know how they did it, using the constitutional power of tariffs and the interstate commerce clause, but I don't understand where in the hell they got the idea that the power to raise tariffs gave them the right to sequester sectors of industry. Tariffs were supposed to be a means of raising revenue, not dictating trade policy. If the government were supposed to have the power to dictate trade and mercantile policy, the constitution would have included such a power.

What we see in this kind of action is politicians pandering to voters. That's the system we provided them with, that's the system by which they advance their careers, and this is what we are always going to get. Wise national policy in the US is a myth, and it has been for nearly 100 years, arguably more.

What we do in the future depends entirely upon what we believe as a nation. If we really believe that a pair of all-powerful and incredibly similar political parties can represent our collective interests adequately we will reap what we have sown. If we commit to the belief in individual liberty and responsibility, we will reap what we have sown. I have long been an advocate of the latter approach, but if America wishes to be lulled to sleep by the promises of a political industry, so be it. Perhaps our time to step down has come.

I, however, will not go down without a fight.

[Sailor Steve]

Hey, James! Good to hear from you again!:sunny:

[OneToughHerring]

I, however, will not go down without a fight.

Yes! Fiiiight! Fight, fight, fight...! :rock:

Who's fighting who?

[Jimbuna]

Welcome back James http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/thumbsup.gif

[UnderseaLcpl]

:rotfl2:
A little James goes a long way.


Who's fighting who?


To put it in the most succinct terms possible; Individualists vs. Collectivists. The whole of conflict in human history can pretty much be divided into those two groups.

From an anthropological standpoint, this is a fundamental tenet of human nature, and that of primates in general.

[Sailor Steve]

:yep:

"Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."
-Robert A. Heinlein

[Jimbuna]

:yep:

"Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."
-Robert A. Heinlein


Similarly like husband and wife :DL

[OneToughHerring]

To put it in the most succinct terms possible; Individualists vs. Collectivists. The whole of conflict in human history can pretty much be divided into those two groups.

From an anthropological standpoint, this is a fundamental tenet of human nature, and that of primates in general.

Well I'm not sure which I am but I just like fights. :D

[Torvald Von Mansee]

You know, I haven't read this thread, but I presume the conservatives are all for this and are lauding Obama for doing so. Right?? RIGHT??

[Sailor Steve]

Read the thread and find out.:sunny:

[Jimbuna]

Hey!...I thought the Chinese had bought all the drilling rights off the US coastline :O:

[SteamWake]

I know I've been gone for a little while, mostly owing to my school obligations, but I wonder if I might not still be welcome to posit an opinion.

Opinions always welcome :up:

Welcome back.

[SteamWake]

Hey!...I thought the Chinese had bought all the drilling rights off the US coastline :O:

No they are parking their rigs outside the 'rights' area then drill horizontally into it. ;)

[Jimbuna]

No they are parking their rigs outside the 'rights' area then drill horizontally into it. ;)


A little like us Brits down in the Falklands :DL

[CaptainHaplo]

I am seriously disappointed in yet another lost opportunity - this is once again a political shell game. Leases for drilling that were a go - revoked. Meaning money spent to drill - wasted. Now we open up another area - that will take 10 years to develop - while closing off another. If this was real, then let what is already in the works continue - and add to it.

Plus - how petty - Alaska had off shore leases that were in the works that are slammed shut now - but of course, that has nothing to do with opposition politics....

Nothing but smoke and mirrors.

:down:

[Bubblehead1980]

I will believe it when it happens.Say it does happen, then it shows he is getting worried about November and maybe even 2012, doubt it because he is too blinded and obsessed with his agenda to do something the people actually want.We shall see...