McCain calls for offshore drilling, says it would help in the "short term"

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Sen. John McCain said Monday the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts.

With gasoline prices rising and the United States chronically dependent on foreign oil, the Republican presidential contender said his proposal would "be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9...;show_article=1

[Peikko 1,575]

Electorally, an extremely smart move by McCain. Barack needs to watch out.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It's a call that means nothing. Much like the gas tax holiday nonsense. If empty rhetoric of this type is all he's got, I'd say it doesn't look good for him. Not so good at all.

[GaryC 7]

Electorally, an extremely smart move by McCain. Barack needs to watch out.

Big Dog needs to listen to you.

[HAL 9000 96]

Electorally, an extremely smart move by McCain. Barack needs to watch out.

I didn't know that building an off shore oil rig, pumping enough crude to then process it into gasoline so as to have a measurable difference to the consumer could be done in less than 6 months. That on top of states that have been pretty clear they don't want offshore rigs... I don't know.

[Peikko 1,575]

You guys are not paying attention - many people will believe that this will make a difference to them. Perceptions can be just as important, if not more so than realities. The gas tax holiday was easier to dismiss as a gimick, this, not so much. We have seen the articles, the calls for drilling. Many people believe this is the answer. It'll take a smart move to persuade your working voter that drilling for US oil will not automatically lead to lower gas prices.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

YAY

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

You guys are not paying attention - many people will believe that this will make a difference to them. Perceptions can be just as important, if not more so than realities. The gas tax holiday was easier to dismiss as a gimick, this, not so much. We have seen the articles, the calls for drilling. Many people believe this is the answer. It'll take a smart move to persuade your working voter that drilling for US oil will not automatically lead to lower gas prices.

PH is right.

[HAL 9000 96]

You guys are not paying attention - many people will believe that this will make a difference to them. Perceptions can be just as important, if not more so than realities. The gas tax holiday was easier to dismiss as a gimick, this, not so much. We have seen the articles, the calls for drilling. Many people believe this is the answer. It'll take a smart move to persuade your working voter that drilling for US oil will not automatically lead to lower gas prices.

I understand your point of view... I just don't think that most American voters will equate fast relief at the pump with going through the investment, manufacturing, and refining procedures in order to deliver higher volumes of gasoline, thereby lowering market prices which have components greatly beyond the actual supply of crude petroleum. Besides... placing these structures makes it more of a long term investment to tap relatively short term volumes of oil deposits. In that same time better investment can be dedicated to eliminating the majority of the need to utilize petroleum in the first place. I think voters will be looking more at that than perpetuating fast models of relief that will not come any time soon.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Electorally, an extremely smart move by McCain. Barack needs to watch out.

Big Dog needs to listen to you.

Well, this kind of ####### may get him votes in TX - which he will win anyways - but it will cost him votes in FL where Democrats and Republicans alike are very much opposed to drilling off our shores.

[Peikko 1,575]

On that point we will have to most definitely disagree. I think there are plenty of perfectly intelligent people out there who will believe exactly that, that drilling for US oil is a perfectly simple and logical solution to out current problem. Further, I also believe many of these self same folk are not actually persuaded that oil is a finite resource, or if it is, that the oil resevoir is so huge that we haven't even barely scratched its surface, and it's only lily livered liberals trying to spoil their party that has slowed the supply and raised the prices.

McCain is onto a winning strategy.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[HAL 9000 96]

On that point we will have to most definitely disagree. I think there are plenty of perfectly intelligent people out there who will believe exactly that, that drilling for US oil is a perfectly simple and logical solution to out current problem. Further, I also believe many of these self same folk are not actually persuaded that oil is a finite resource, or if it is, that the oil resevoir is so huge that we haven't even barely scratched its surface, and it's only lily livered liberals trying to spoil their party that has slowed the supply and raised the prices.

McCain is onto a winning strategy.

Well... folks like that, whom apparently live in opposition to reality, tend to avoid voting for "liberals" anyway.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

McCain is onto a winning strategy.

What's the "winning styrategy" here? That he proposes we drill off our shores if the affected states so wish knowing good and well that the two of the largest players in this equation (FL and CA) will not support the drilling? He knows exactly how opposed FL is; he's said to be considering our Republican governor - who is quite outspoken against drilling off Florida's shores - as a running mate.

This dog won't hunt.

[Peikko 1,575]

Seriously though, there are a large amount of people who don't follow the arguments, just react to how they see things. They are genuinely hurting right now and they will see this as an answer. They are likely to be working poor independants who will vote whichever way they determine they will get some immediate releif. This will appeal to that voter as will McCain's seniority when it comes to the economy.

What remains to be determined is how influential these people will be come election time and which of the various issues, health care, the economy, Iraq, gas prices, even the mortgage crises happens to be top of the tree when they get to the voting booth. Personally, I think there are a lot of these type of voters but that is just a gut instinct, it's not based on any polls or studies.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Seriously though, there are a large amount of people who don't follow the arguments, just react to how they see things. They are genuinely hurting right now and they will see this as an answer. They are likely to be working poor independants who will vote whichever way they determine they will get some immediate releif. This will appeal to that voter as will McCain's seniority when it comes to the economy.

I think those people will take a close look at all relief that is on the table. They get squat from McSame on the tax end for example. The tax policy center came up with the below average changes on tax bills. Now, $550.00 - $700.00 buy a lot of gas. Prices would have to come down dramatically to match that. Plus, the taxes are immediate relief while the drilling may or may not provide any relief at all - in 10 years or so. If there would be any drilling at all seeing that - again - the states would have the say so under McSame's proposal and the big one's are saying NO.

I think people are smart enough to see through the cheap rhetoric that McSame's proposal is.

Income Range McCain Obama

$38K-$66K.......-$319....... -$1,042

$19K-$38K.......-$113.......... -$892

Under $19K....... -$19.......... -$567