Why did Barack Obama soften his stance on offshore drilling last week?  I asked this question of a campaign insider, who is also a long time environmentalist.  The answer back was basically: “Don’t blame Obama, we (environmentalists) didn’t do our work well in the community, which is why the American people think that offshore drilling is the answer to our energy crisis”.

This answer made sense to me initially, and its certainly no shocker to think of the environmental community as somewhat ineffective, but actually, it turns out not to be true.  A great overview of the issue just posted by the Yale Forum backs up a poll from last week conducted by The Wilderness Society.

It turns out that its really all about how you ask the question.  If the choice is between investing in clean energy (wind, solar, tire gauges) and offshore drilling, then clean energy wins coming and going (76% to 19% in the TWS poll).

So the real question, again, is why has the mainstream media so uncritically reported the polls in which drilling is presented as the only option to lower gas prices – despite the fact that there is no way drilling will have any significant impact on the price of gas.

And I suppose, its still worth asking why the Obama campaign has given proponents of drilling a leg up, by conceding even a little.

3 Comments

  • This is a typical bait and switch issue:

    The issue is what are we going to do moving forward to resolve permanently our energy dependence on foreign oil. It sounds resonable to say increase drilling at which is so little that it will not put a dent into the 140 billion barrels of oil we use every year. But it sounds reasonable. Right? Bait?

    Those of us who have been alive for the last 45 years or so have seen the US prestige, honor and wealth leave for foreign shores. We were raised during the 70’s oil embargo. And our government did nothing. We have seen our own oil fields decline. And we the people have done nothing. We have seen cars devolve into complete wasteful polluting machines and we business community have done nothing.

    Now can we face our own failure? Can we face it that we cannot look for answers from a government who has completely abandoned our interests? Can we accept the fact that it is time for the American People to rise up and take control of our destiny and future. It is time to make a new generation of wealthy from electric cars and new forms of energy and transport. When we accept this chaellenge and lead government and business back to the path of providing legitimate choices. As long as we are settled with being led we will be lost!

    Thanks,
    Rob

  • It’s all WHO you ask. The MSM is all in bed with “Big Oil”. Ask any one with 1/2 a brain, (my 8 -year old grand-daughter) knows not to believe ANYTHING on FOX News, and only 25% of anything you see or hear on the rest of the MSM. Try LINK or Free Speech TV if you want a REAL view of the world.

  • Of course, Obama has received nice contributions from coal and oil in the past. I hope he’s just playing lip service to the concept, but he should be fighting it with convincing arguments that the “ineffectual environmental groups” should be feeding him. He needs a better environmental/energy advisor!

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