Not much reaction to oil drilling here

[SHRED]

Why?



Obama Oil Drilling Plan: East Coast, Alaska Waters Could Open For Drilling

WASHINGTON -- In a reversal of a long-standing ban on most offshore drilling, President Barack Obama plans to allow oil drilling 50 miles off of Virginia and is considering opening up significant additional stretches along the Atlantic and Alaskan coasts.

Obama's plan will cover a lot of ground -- and water -- offering few concessions to environmentalists, who have been strident in their opposition to more oil platforms off the nation's shores. Hinted at for months, the move would modify a ban that has limited coastal drilling outside the Gulf of Mexico for more than 20 years.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/obama-oil-drilling-plan-e_n_519553.html


---

[DainBramaged]

1. What are we going to do, swim out and wait with protest signs?

This isn't a battle we can fight and ever hope to win, the forces against us are too great. Tell Ma and Pa Average we should continue to buy oil from the Middle East while we wait a generation for renewable resources to come on line instead of developing our own resources..............

[n2doc]

2. The Reagan Revolution continues n/t

[Captain Hilts]

8. Obama wants Republican support for his energy plan. Really. nt

[n2doc]

10. I swear Obama could completely mimic Reagan in all aspects and the Teabaggers would still hate him

Policy details don't matter to them. Only Party affiliation and skin color.

[kiva]

22. Yup, and he could mimic Reagan in all aspects and some here would still love him. nt

[City Lights]

40. Very true. nt

[Tailormyst]

23. And his fans would still adore him

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. Obama says DRILL... ergo, drilling is GOOD.

How dare you have the audacity to question the greatest political chess player ever!!!11!1
Freeperville is down the hall - third door on the right.

[Nikki Stone1]

4. :(

:(

[Jamastiene]

6. +1000000

[newtothegame]

15. Well said. nt

[Individualist]

46. +1

[Stinky The Clown]

53. +1

[WilliamPitt]

5. West Coast DUers aren't out of bed yet

I've noticed in my time here that the Angry doesn't ramp up around here until the Left Coasters have had their morning coffee.

Not a judgment. Just an observed fact. Check back in around 2pm EST.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

9. That morning coffee might take longer now that they're looking for gun-free coffee.

Also, LOL @ "2pm EST" :rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

7. There was last night. Obama was all over the map on this topic during '08. nt

[liberal N proud]

11. I don't understand the lack of outrage either

Did all the environmental activist give up on this one?


So we are going to drill off the coast of paradise in the outside chance that it will keep the price of oil down allowing us to drive to paradise without costing more. But paradise will be marred with oil rigs in the sunset pictures.

Paradise today:



Kiss it goodbye

[joeybee12]

30. Perhaps because there's no point...we need to look elsewhere to challenge

this...Obama keeps slapping the core groups who supported him while getting nothing in return...I see no point in working with the tool.

[Deep13]

12. I guess with a continent-size trash mass in the Pacific...

...sinking islands, ocean death zones and a dwindling fresh water supply, oil drilling just doesn't seem that scarey.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. Right now I don't have the energy for outrage. I voted for a President that turned out to be

a Corporatist and with everything he's done or not done, I'm outraged out.

[WilliamPitt]

14. You really thought you were voting for something other than exactly that?

One election and everything's fixed?

I don't mean to needle you, but I've seen this sentiment expressed ten thousand times a day around here by people like you, whose opinions I have come to respect and, in my opinion, who really should have known better.

One election wasn't going to strip away the ways and means of power in modern American politics. Ten elections might be a start.

JMHO. :toast:

[no limit]

18. That's such a cop out Will

I am sick of hearing the excuse that nothing will change with one election. Obama has the white house, he can change it if he wanted to. He ran on change. Just as he ran on a public option and ran against mandates. He is the one that decided to put these policies in place, he is responsible for them. And to blow it off by saying the system can't change that easily is lying to yourself.

I never expected Obama to be perfect when I supported him as far back as the first primaries. But I expected some difference, there is virtually none. And I expected him to keep some of his campaign promises, he broke most of them. So forgive me if I don't just sit back and say "well shit, it is what it is".

[WilliamPitt]

28. Well...

If I had the links available, I'd post maybe 500 threads where I've said quite the opposite of what you misrepresent here.

FACT: One election won't change anything.

FACT: Ten elections are a start.

FACT: The effort to bring change is a life-long commitment, and anyone who gets all despondent and petulant that change didn't happen after one election is the one copping out.

FACT: I'm in this until I die, I stopped being heartbroken and crushed by less-than-honest politicians a long time ago, and will work for the change we all need every day without stapling my heart to my sleeve.

Obama is the beginning of a beginning of a beginning...but he is a centrist whose powers of office are hemmed in by defense industry power, insurance industry influence, a dishonest media establishment, foreign entanglements that far predate his administration, an economy ravaged by his predecessors, a thousand other things besides...and the fact that no person rises to his level of power without being in the pocket of All The Wrong People. If you didn't know that when you voted, well, I have a big red bridge in California to sell you.

I knew that going in, tried to explain it 500 times here, and will continue with this work even in the face of all this crap.

If you want to change things with one election, support a city council candidate, school board candidate, or mayoral candidate in a very small town. You'll get your instant change fix with that effort. The White House is a dark, disturbing, deranged and totally compromised phenomenon, and whomever resides there is going to be part of the problem until we change that with long, slow, steady efforts.

One election will change everything? And I quit if it doesn't happen?

FACT: That is the real cop-out. Be sick of it. I sure am. But give me a break. This is America. Our problems are as big as our ego, and one Tuesday in November won't drain that swamp. You can keep hoping, but you'll wind up with uclers the size of car batteries.

[no limit]

31. My question is why do you seem to be so okay with this? Trust me, I'm very familiar with your posts

If what you say is true what's the point of even trying? You say things will change in 10 elections but if this guy turns out to be exactly the same as Clinton (a huge disappointment) then why should I believe that if I continue to work my ass off for these people eventually they will deliver?

Also when I say that this is a cop out I mean it's excusing Obama for this. He has the power to change a lot of this. Offshore oil drilling will have no effect on his political future, this wasn't even an issue right now. But a better example of where he could have changed but decided not to was the public option. He could have gotten the votes and polls showed Americans were by a lage majority in support of such an option. Yet he decided he wasn't going to fight for it. You can't make the excuse that he did it because the media is dishonest, or that insurance companies are too powerful. He had the votes he needed and he had the american people behind him, he ignored that. So why? Why does he continue to sell out to these interests when he has the political capital to change atleast parts of the system?

And I'm supposed to just aceept that he wont change much and keep supporting democratic candidates? excuse my french but fuck that.

[WilliamPitt]

34. *sigh*

If you read "I'm OK with this" in what I just wrote, I'm apparently incapable of convincing you otherwise. I answered your questions already.

Cheers.

[no limit]

35. My point is you keep trying to blame this on corporate interests or the media or anyone but Obama

when in reality Obama in many of these cases if the one reponsible. And to say "oh well, it will be better 10 elections from now" is absurd. And I just don't see the point of fighting for these people anymore.

[WilliamPitt]

38. OK

:hi:

[Ganja Ninja]

41. Yup what ever happened to "the buck stops here"?

You think your voting for someone that will fight for change and he keeps switching sides. I feel like our vote is necessary to save the country from a Palin disaster but nobody is supporting our views and our agenda. I want to give both parties a big FU and stay home on election day. Of course then it will be my fault for not preventing the worst from happening.

[joeybee12]

37. Ia gree...sorry Will, it's not about getting things done, it's about trying to

go in the right direction...we're on the same path as when Bush the Dumber was Prez...Obama is simply another corporate sell-out of a politician.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

44. Will, Thank you for your thoughtful and respectful reply to my post.

I read and admired your articles for Truth Out for quite some time before I joined DU.

Let me begin my mentioning to you that I've been a Democrat since the cradle. My parents pinned Adlai Stevenson buttons onto my jumpers. I remember being bundled up in the car with the rest of my family to see JFK campaigning at Long Island Rail Road whistle stops. As a child I started a scrapbook with pictures of the Kennedys and even wrote to the White House and to Lyndon Johnson receiving autographed photos from all. I still have that scrapbook.

I lived through JFK being cut down and was told it was a lone gunman. I then lived through Dr. King being gunned down and told it was a lone gunman and the same with Bobby. My suspicions of our government began.

Then there was Watergate, the October Surprise and Iran-Contra and started to figure out that politics was a fixed game. But I thought it was all the Republicans fault, until Bill Clinton came to office and he never really held anyone accountable for the BCCI scandal and Iran-Contra (just like how Obama will not even look into the prosecution of the war criminals who were running the last administration). Then, with his actions in office (NAFTA, welfare "reform") I learned that with Clinton, I helped to elect a Republican lite.

I voted for Obama with hope that I was dead wrong about him and about the "system" and was in seventh heaven when he was elected (check my right after election posts). After Edwards dropped out, I selected Obama over Hillary due to his anti-war stance and most importantly, no mandate.

Why didn't I support him earlier? I had deep reservations about his background and votes in the Senate. I saw him come out of no where, and when Ryan had to leave the Senate race and Alan Keyes was put in Ryan's place, I knew that the GOP had no desire to contest Obama.

Once Obama was in the Senate, his first truly important vote, as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was to recommend Rice as SOS. Barbara Boxer gave the most incredible presentation on why Rice shouldn't be selected, which was just short of Boxer calling Rice a war criminal.

The kicker of course was when Obama voted for FISA.

But I wasn't wrong. The moment he selected Rahm for COS I knew. I just didn't realize how bad it would be.

Obama, like most "Democrats" is kinder and gentler than their peers across the floor. The student loan program is an example. This gives an impression that both parties are different, but it is a false dichotomy. The Republicans and Democrats, due to corporate and powerbroker interests, are truly Opposames. They give a great show but in the end, the results are the same. Even the dog and pony health insurance reform (I do hope that it helps you and your wife and that you will be able to afford it after all is said and done), resulted in a "Republican" bill. It seems that with most everything else that he has positioned himself is for corporate interests.

If Bush was pulling some of the stuff that Obama has been doing, there would be an uproar here at DU that could be heard around the globe.

It also doesn't help when he starts calling good Democrats, like you and myself, part of the "far left".

It isn't a matter of how many elections it will take, it is a matter of how we can wrest away corporate influences and power broker influences from our election process. We need strictly public financing and to get rid of corporate lobbyists.
It costs millions of dollars just to run from Congress now and it is tempting for people to sell their souls, just to hold on to their seats.

As an example, in 2002, I helped to elect a Progressive Congressman to my forever Republican district. He was anti-war, pro-environment, pro health care...etc, etc, etc.

He won the district by about 1-2%. He wound up on "Rove's Hit List". Rahm Emanuel got his claws into him and I guess my Congressman decided it was more important to keep his seat and give up some votes. He had more money that he knew what to do with for his 2004 re-election. He had ads on all the cable stations, all the time and his opponent had no support from the GOP. Why was that? He was on Rove's Hit List and running practically unopposed???

Meanwhile, my Congressman has now been voting to fund the wars and even supports the war in Afghanistan. Of course he voted for the H"I"R bill.
My Congressman was a rock star, John Hall, and god knows what they have on him...... It will be interesting to see how much he supports this off-shore drilling as he tags himself as a strict environmentalist.

Frankly, right now, at this moment, I am outraged out and IMHO, I have every right to be. I see our country continuing on its Corporatist (euphanism for Fascist) tack with no end in sight and I see people on this board, defending indefensible policies because those policies are from "our team". I'm an adult and no longer need a team. I do need a government though which is for and by the people (not for corporate personhood) and I just can't see that happening in my lifetime.

Peace be with you and your wife.
Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmm
:toast:

[Subdivisions]

45. Thank Mother Earth for people like you who can so eloquently put into words

that which so many of us find difficult to suffiently articulate.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

50. ......

thank you Subdivisions and a :hug:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

51. ..

[Tailormyst]

21. yup

[newtothegame]

16. How can Obama make history again in 4 years if we're mean to him? nt

[Robb]

17. Some are waiting to see the actual plan. Shocking, perhaps.

...But this President won't fool me again. If he's offering offshore oil drilling, there's a reverse-poison-pill in there somewhere, like fees that make it unprofitable to drill, or CAFE standards dropped so low no one wants oil any more, or something.

Again, we'll actually hear the plan at noon. :shrug:

[no limit]

19. Yeah, right. Get back to me at noon when you're very disappointed.

And you know you'll be disappointed, stop the denial.

[Robb]

52. Hm, I should've taken wagers.

Nailed the CAFE standards, got a bonus of the first regulated greenhouse gas emissions in this country EVER, and a multi-year study process off the coast before the first drill bit can even be sharpened -- I bet it's an expensive study process, too. :D

The GOP have one less thing they can complain about, and nothing actually happens in real life. States will shut it down before it ever gets that far, if there's even any oil out there.

I'm feeling quite pleased, actually. Very clever of Obama. :hi:

[Tailormyst]

20. I'm too angry to post what I am really thinking about it.

Just one more in a series of punches to the gut.

[G_j]

25. I hear ya!

this very much concerns me, but screaming won't help, and that's what i feel like doing.

[Common Sense Party]

24. "This is what change looks like." nt

[bunny planet]

26. I've always wondered if Obama took office and then became privy to some

very depressing facts about world energy supplies he was unaware of as a candidate. Inside information about so called 'peak oil' might have influenced his baffling moves that seem in direct contradiction to his campaign stances. Just theorizing.

http://www.postcarbon.org/press-release/85743-obama-administration-cops-to-likelihood-of

[tammywammy]

27. As a candidate didn't he say he'd be for limited drilling

I thought I remembered that.

[NCarolinawoman]

29. Problem is, as a candidate he said a lot of things that he DIDN'T do; like re-negotiating NAFTA,

re-doing FISA, vetoing any health care bill that didn't contain a public option, no insurance mandates, etc.

So you can't justify this stuff by just saying "he campaigned on it". You have to judge it by what it is.

This decision, IMO, to drill in all these places, (in my case, off the shores of NC), simply stinks to high heavens.

[OHdem10]

32. We knew his position in the Campaign. No surprise.

[grahamhgreen]

33. Who cares if we F*ck up the entire shoreline and fishing in the United States,a dn give away our oil

MY portion of the oil is for sale - 1,000 trillion per barrel - how much are you getting for yours?

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The2ndWheel]

39. Our reactions are irrelevant

You can be for it. You can be against it. If at any given time, a particular resource isn't needed, you might win a battle. However, if at any given time, a particular resource is needed, you're going to lose the war.

[seabeckind]

42. Ahh, still playing chess I see...

So after you've suckered the other guy by sacrificing all your pieces the king can swoop in and conquer the board...

Brilliant! :sarcasm:

Perhaps it's time to quit negotiating with extortionists -- even if they're wearing a suit.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

43. I am still steaming over a lobbiest for --

the pesticide industry being appointed by O as our chief agriculture negotiator. :cry:

I can only process one outrage a day right now.

But, yes, "drill, baby, drill" sucked ass when parroted by Sarah Palin and it STILL sucks ass when proposed by a Democrat.

[Individualist]

47. Bush offshore drilling bad; Obama offshore drilling good.

:puke:

[JCMach1]

48. I prefer beaches with a little less oil on them thanks! No matter how 'clean' Oil means OIL

in the freakin' water... and on the beaches...

I can take you to some beaches here in the UAE if you want to see what I mean. Of course, it will take two weeks to get the oil off of your feet.

[donco6]

49. But it's only in REPUBLICAN water.

So that means it's OK.