I think that this is actually a pretty good development for Senator McCain. It keeps his very clever Paris/Brittany ad in the news and also makes McCain seem more hip and youthful by engaging in current pop culture references. I think that McCain should do a response. The more voters conflate the idea of Obama and the sexually promiscuous effeminate actresses in McCain’s ad - the better for McCain. I think that McCain’s Paris/Brittany ad may rank as one of the most effective and shrewd Presidential ad campaigns ever and he needs to continue on that theme. Looking back it may well be determined that it won him the election not unlike LBJ’s daisy ad or Reagan’s wolves in the forest ad - it is that good.
Unfortunately for the McCain team, it looks like he’s been associated with offshore drilling, instead of an all-around energy plan that he has pushed for year. (I’m sure the MSM made sure to forget that he had an all around energy policy).
It also shows that Obama’s energy plan is worse that one Paris Hilton can come up with.
At first I thought the ad was kinda lousy. I wasn’t particularly upset about it or anything and I kinda liked the strategy, but it just didn’t seem to work. However, watching the Left have convulsions over the ad has changed my mind. It’s hilarious. Obviously the McCain team really struck a nerve.
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds emails: “It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”
Obama accused McCain and his campaign of being liars today. But McCain is sooooooo negative for calling Obama a “Celeb”. Who’s smellin’ the hypocritical stink?
McCain’s been on the stump saying the same thing Mitt did - Obama is accusing McCain of supporting Bush and his “big oil buddies” - McCain pointed out just today that Obama voted for the bill Mitt mentioned, which was loaded with goodies for big oil, while he, McCain, voted against it. Move along, folks…there’s nothing to see here.
Unrelated to this video (which I found extremely amusing), does anyone have any clue why RCP has not factored in the Zogby poll into their average? The AP poll from today made it in, but they didn’t include the other…
1. pun. noun. “the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.”
2a. crack. verb. (’crack up’) “to cause to laugh unrestrainedly.”
2b. crack. noun. (slang) “pellet-size pieces of highly purified cocaine, prepared with other ingredients for smoking, and known to be especially potent and addicting.”
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds issued this response: “It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”
“Thank you, I thank you all very much for that unique Sturgis welcome,” McCain yelled. “As you may know, not long ago a couple a hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day! Any day, my friend!” The rowdy crowd went wild, cheering their support for the candidate.
CBS’ Bob Schieffer, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and PBS’ Jim Lehrer will moderate three debates in the fall between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, the Commission on Presidential Debates said Tuesday. The debates will be held in New York, Tennessee and Mississippi in September and October. PBS’ Gwen Ifill will moderate the vice presidential debate, planned for October 2 in St. Louis.
“This year, more than ever, these debates are going to be important,” Schieffer said Tuesday. “This campaign started on such a high plane and now we’re down to the Britney Spears ads and stuff like that. I think it will be a good thing for the country to see these two men at the debates.”
It will be Lehrer’s 11th presidential debate, a record stretching back to 1988, when he moderated debates between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis. He said the 90-minute time goes by quickly.
“It is not a TV show. It’s not running a segment for the ‘NewsHour,’” Lehrer said. “It is a very important event, a major event for our country. I’m always aware of that. It’s scorching. I’m trying to make sure that things are fair, but that’s only part of it. It’s also got to be perceived as fair. It’s tough work, but it’s exhilarating as well.”
Lehrer will moderate the first debate, on domestic policy, on September 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Brokaw will moderate a town hall meeting-style debate October 7 at Belmont University in Nashville. Schieffer will moderate the final debate, on foreign-affairs issues, on October 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
There will be no podiums for the debates, with McCain and Obama instead sitting at a table with the moderator. Another major change is a loosening of the format: The moderator will introduce an issue in each of eight 10-minute segments, and instead of strict response times there will be discussions between the candidates.
“Before, there was no way for the moderators to go in there with a follow-up question,” said Schieffer, who moderated a presidential debate in 2004. “It’ll be my job to get them to ask the follow-up question themselves, and when they don’t, I’ll be able to.”
Schieffer said he’s looking forward it.
“It’ll be a little more free-wheeling. We’ll try to make it as much of a debate among the two of them rather than just asking and answering questions,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, MySpace said it would partner with the commission on MyDebates.org, a Web site that will stream the debates and offer tracking of issues, playback and other tools. After each debate, the event will be bookmarked via issue to allow viewers to check what’s important to the candidates and discuss them.
——————————————————————–
Although Schieffer, Brokaw and Lehrer will almost certainly be casting ballots for Obama in November, at 71, 68, and 74, respectively, their sustained gravitas and commanding presence will help buoy their generational peer, McCain, as they sit beside a man 25 years their junior.
I love it that Paris responded to McCain and drudge is leading off with it. There she is, half naked with all her bubbly blonde airheadness. Endorsing Obama & wanting to paint the whitehouse pink.
Obama does not need enemies when he has friends like Paris & Ludicrous. Her add only serves to validate exactly the point McCain was making. Keep them coming Paris!
Sampo, get real dude. The primary ended months ago.
“This year, more than ever, these debates are going to be important,” Schieffer said Tuesday. “This campaign started on such a high plane and now we’re down to the Britney Spears ads and stuff like that.”
SAMPO - are you losing it? Mitt didn’t distance himself nearly as far from Bush as what McCain has been lately. Did you not view his latest ad about Washington being broken? Me thinks that puts more distance than Mitt’s little comment about the Bush energy policy being insufficient.
After all, he just put himself where McCain was when he voted against it, and its pretty darn obvious with our $4 per gallon gasoline that it was insufficient, to say the least.
Is unfair to blame Bush for the prices of oil. Remember, is the congress who has been against offshore drilling, anwar, nuclear, etc., including John McCain.
That’s a load of crap. Bush didn’t use the bully pulpit. He could have demanded that we drill for oil on the continental shelf in 2002 - after 9/11. He could have made it a matter of national security to not have to be at the mercy of Middle Eastern nations. And he could have beaten the Democrats into submission when he had an 82 percent approval rating. He just didn’t care enough about it. There was some talk about drilling in ANWR in 2001 but as soon as the Democrats flapped their gums for five seconds Bush caved. He should have used the bully pulpit. He could have signed an executive order. He could have been more forceful. Even if he didn’t get his way he could have embarrassed the Democrats.
And before you blame McCain, recall that it wasn’t until McCain brought up offshore drilling that Bush even had anything to say about it this year - even though the price of gasoline has been unacceptable for a solid year.
Sampo, with respect, I agree with you on some things, but I hope you never get to run our country’s Energy affairs, you would cost us the Midwest. Without getting into old stuff, while Mr. Romney may not appeal to Midwesterners in every regard, his Energy policies are appealing. To be sure, there are many Midwesterners that care a lot more about Energy than me.
Adam, with respect, how in the world can Mr. Bush use the bully pulpit when Congress (including the Senate) would not listen. Laws to not come out of nowhere, Congress, must pass them.
Adam, IMHO, a load of crap was voted against Anwar and others forms of energy. That was stupid and remember that nothing get out of the senate without having 60 votes, specially when some GOP senators voted with the defeatocrats on that and many others issues.
Bush could have embarrassed the Democrats. He could have called them called them out for not wanting to be energy independent in 2002. The public would have agreed and the pressure would have worked. I still don’t understand why he couldn’t have years ago signed an executive order mandating that drilling take place. He’s too passive. He is piss poor at leading public opinion and seems all too often to take a defensive or reactive position. Why not call congress back into session now? Why not make an example of the Democrats’ lack of concern for Joe Six Pack and his pain at the pump now? Why won’t this guy fight?
You’re giving Bush too much of a pass. He never even attempted to play hardball. Most presidents never see approval ratings in the 80’s. Bush squandered his opportunity to move the ball down the court. He could have made energy independence a national security issue. He could have sealed the border as a national security issue. He chose not to do so.
They were still double what they were in 1999. And it’s not just the price of oil - it was where it was coming from. You can’t tell me that all of the regular folks driving around in cars with American flag stickers while they munched on “freedom fries” wouldn’t have just loved the idea of not depending upon Muslim nations for our energy.
Maybe Bush didn’t mind that oil proces got as high as they did. Not that he had any specific desire to screw Joe Blow - but a case certainly can be made that Bush just simply had a strong case of apathy on the subject.
“Not that long ago, though, it would have been madness to suggest that oil could go from $18 a barrel to $65 in four years—and even crazier to suggest that such a run-up wouldn’t spark a painful recession, with consumers spurning trips to the shopping mall and businesses crippled by cost hikes. Conventional wisdom has held that there are price thresholds that can’t be breached without affecting spending habits. In 2003, for instance, Republican pollster Frank Luntz spoke of $2-a-gallon gasoline as a “magic number” that, if crossed, would harm Republican reelection hopes. Well, gas passed $2 a gallon a month before the 2004 election, and the oil guy in the White House still won. Two bucks wasn’t so magic after all.”
Yes, Adam, oil prices well double, but while people cried and complain, they were still willing to buy gas at the same rate. When gas tripled, people cried louder, but still were not serious. Only now are the people willing to cut bback on comsuption and demanding an increase in production. Unfortunately, the public does not care until it hurts. So I disagree with you that Mr. Bush could have done something. While, I still have my disagreements with Mr. Romney, he did have the foresight on Energy that Mr. McCain and Mr. Huckabee to name a few people failed to have. Yet, it did not score Mr. Romney many points and the time. Either people did not care about Energy or they had other disagreements with Mr. Romney. To be honest, in my case, it was both. I still do not care about Energy as much as the average American, but until recently, the rest of the country was not serious either.
Many of you have made good points…and in some ways all of you are right. As a matter of national security, we should have been moving fast toward energy independence. Unfortunately, none of our leaders did a good job at all of moving pushing for it. As far as the extremely fast ramp up, I don’t think many of us saw that coming, especially back in 2002/2003. But, the point is, we should have been doing it anyway for national security reasons.
I voted for Bush twice, and would do it again, considering the alternatives, but it is true he has not been good at leading the nation in some ways. I appreciate the things he has done right, but energy is not one of them. McCain hasn’t done a lot either, and interestingly enough, it wasn’t until Mitt and he started getting buddy/buddy on the plane flights that McCain came down on the side of off shore drilling, and and attitude of taking a second look at ANWAR. It may have not had anything to do with it, but I believe Mitt very well may have influenced him.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I think that this is actually a pretty good development for Senator McCain. It keeps his very clever Paris/Brittany ad in the news and also makes McCain seem more hip and youthful by engaging in current pop culture references. I think that McCain should do a response. The more voters conflate the idea of Obama and the sexually promiscuous effeminate actresses in McCain’s ad - the better for McCain. I think that McCain’s Paris/Brittany ad may rank as one of the most effective and shrewd Presidential ad campaigns ever and he needs to continue on that theme. Looking back it may well be determined that it won him the election not unlike LBJ’s daisy ad or Reagan’s wolves in the forest ad - it is that good.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Unfortunately for the McCain team, it looks like he’s been associated with offshore drilling, instead of an all-around energy plan that he has pushed for year. (I’m sure the MSM made sure to forget that he had an all around energy policy).
It also shows that Obama’s energy plan is worse that one Paris Hilton can come up with.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Kavon’s two-cents:
Any “lady” that wears heels with swimwear is not a lady at all.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I thought it was clever. And her energy plan makes sense!
August 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
JA Pruce:
At first I thought the ad was kinda lousy. I wasn’t particularly upset about it or anything and I kinda liked the strategy, but it just didn’t seem to work. However, watching the Left have convulsions over the ad has changed my mind. It’s hilarious. Obviously the McCain team really struck a nerve.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Did you see McCain’s response? Paris supports drilling…heh.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds emails: “It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”
August 5th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Amusing. She just wants *surprise* more attention.
It still doesn’t change the fact that she’s still an idiot, she’s still ugly and she’s still a whore.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I think it’s bad, because it ties McCain to Paris.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Surely more entertaining than anything put out by McCain or Obama…
http://www.political-buzz.com/
August 5th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
My fingertips started to have a burning sensation after watching that video.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
“Kavon’s two-cents: Any “lady” that wears heels with swimwear is not a lady at all.”
- Kavon has been married too long.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Wait, Did the McCain campaign say that Paris Hilton supports “Drilling”, OMG! Does Tucker Bounds not watch YouTube? Of course she does.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Paris Hilton for VP? lol
August 5th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Obama accused McCain and his campaign of being liars today. But McCain is sooooooo negative for calling Obama a “Celeb”. Who’s smellin’ the hypocritical stink?
August 5th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
LOL. Slick Willard draws a blank while trying to be a chear leader for McCain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4BmgxF0zvw
What’s this?! Then he slams Bush-Cheney… What a piece of work Mitt Romney is!
August 5th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
my bad. mitt only slammed bush–not cheney.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
sampo,
I think that Mitt just shot any chance he had at the Veep spot with that appearance.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Obama: “McCain says that our energy crisis has been thirty years in the making, but he was there 26 of those 30 years!”
Translated: “Don’t blame me for this — I’ve only been around for a few years!”
August 5th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
LOL!!
Actually pretty good. She was self-depricating and still came out looking more mature than McCain. xD
August 5th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Is she headed to make her next porn movie?
August 5th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
#11,
I recommend antibiotics-STAT!!
Kristopher #12,
I stand appropriately “zinged”
August 5th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
McCain’s been on the stump saying the same thing Mitt did - Obama is accusing McCain of supporting Bush and his “big oil buddies” - McCain pointed out just today that Obama voted for the bill Mitt mentioned, which was loaded with goodies for big oil, while he, McCain, voted against it. Move along, folks…there’s nothing to see here.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
19, i’d really like to know what Barack was doing the day McCain became a Representative… Smokin’ a bowl perhaps?
August 5th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Lol, sampo! You guys crack me up. No pun intended.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I hate to say it, but I thought that was hilarious.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Lol, sampo! You guys crack me up. No pun intended.
That’s good, because you didn’t make a pun.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Apparently some other folks here had the same impression I did watching that video: “Wow, Paris Hilton has a better energy plan than Barack Obama.”
August 5th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
#27,
I was thinking the same exact thing…
Unrelated to this video (which I found extremely amusing), does anyone have any clue why RCP has not factored in the Zogby poll into their average? The AP poll from today made it in, but they didn’t include the other…
August 5th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Alex #27,
1. pun. noun. “the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.”
2a. crack. verb. (’crack up’) “to cause to laugh unrestrainedly.”
2b. crack. noun. (slang) “pellet-size pieces of highly purified cocaine, prepared with other ingredients for smoking, and known to be especially potent and addicting.”
Obama did cocaine.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
You guys are definitely conservatives, you know nothing about drugs, but a lot about sex.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
#30,
Well justified.
Anyone got an answer to my question in #29?
August 5th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
#31 logcabingop,
No, no, some of us conservatives have been quite well familiarized with meth during our private massage sessions.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
Crack, like — the drug! Oh man!
I cannot believe I only thought of the literal crack, like, a split!
August 5th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
33, were you an intern?
August 5th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
logcabingop #35,
Spiritual advisor to George W. Bush.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
34. You are very innocent. 35. That would be a cool job. Do you get to marry the bush twins?
August 5th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds issued this response: “It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”
August 5th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
“Thank you, I thank you all very much for that unique Sturgis welcome,” McCain yelled. “As you may know, not long ago a couple a hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day! Any day, my friend!” The rowdy crowd went wild, cheering their support for the candidate.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
37 - Apparently so.
Oh, good grief, he wasn’t really an adviser!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Moderators set for presidential, VP debates
CBS’ Bob Schieffer, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and PBS’ Jim Lehrer will moderate three debates in the fall between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, the Commission on Presidential Debates said Tuesday. The debates will be held in New York, Tennessee and Mississippi in September and October. PBS’ Gwen Ifill will moderate the vice presidential debate, planned for October 2 in St. Louis.
“This year, more than ever, these debates are going to be important,” Schieffer said Tuesday. “This campaign started on such a high plane and now we’re down to the Britney Spears ads and stuff like that. I think it will be a good thing for the country to see these two men at the debates.”
It will be Lehrer’s 11th presidential debate, a record stretching back to 1988, when he moderated debates between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis. He said the 90-minute time goes by quickly.
“It is not a TV show. It’s not running a segment for the ‘NewsHour,’” Lehrer said. “It is a very important event, a major event for our country. I’m always aware of that. It’s scorching. I’m trying to make sure that things are fair, but that’s only part of it. It’s also got to be perceived as fair. It’s tough work, but it’s exhilarating as well.”
Lehrer will moderate the first debate, on domestic policy, on September 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Brokaw will moderate a town hall meeting-style debate October 7 at Belmont University in Nashville. Schieffer will moderate the final debate, on foreign-affairs issues, on October 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
There will be no podiums for the debates, with McCain and Obama instead sitting at a table with the moderator. Another major change is a loosening of the format: The moderator will introduce an issue in each of eight 10-minute segments, and instead of strict response times there will be discussions between the candidates.
“Before, there was no way for the moderators to go in there with a follow-up question,” said Schieffer, who moderated a presidential debate in 2004. “It’ll be my job to get them to ask the follow-up question themselves, and when they don’t, I’ll be able to.”
Schieffer said he’s looking forward it.
“It’ll be a little more free-wheeling. We’ll try to make it as much of a debate among the two of them rather than just asking and answering questions,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, MySpace said it would partner with the commission on MyDebates.org, a Web site that will stream the debates and offer tracking of issues, playback and other tools. After each debate, the event will be bookmarked via issue to allow viewers to check what’s important to the candidates and discuss them.
——————————————————————–
Although Schieffer, Brokaw and Lehrer will almost certainly be casting ballots for Obama in November, at 71, 68, and 74, respectively, their sustained gravitas and commanding presence will help buoy their generational peer, McCain, as they sit beside a man 25 years their junior.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I love it that Paris responded to McCain and drudge is leading off with it. There she is, half naked with all her bubbly blonde airheadness. Endorsing Obama & wanting to paint the whitehouse pink.
Obama does not need enemies when he has friends like Paris & Ludicrous. Her add only serves to validate exactly the point McCain was making. Keep them coming Paris!
Sampo, get real dude. The primary ended months ago.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
“This year, more than ever, these debates are going to be important,” Schieffer said Tuesday. “This campaign started on such a high plane and now we’re down to the Britney Spears ads and stuff like that.”
bias already??????
August 5th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
The sound of Paris in the White House will drive the SoCon to the polls.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Full episode of the best South Park episode mocking Paris Hilton: http://www.southparkstudios.com/guide/812/
August 6th, 2008 at 1:41 am
SAMPO - are you losing it? Mitt didn’t distance himself nearly as far from Bush as what McCain has been lately. Did you not view his latest ad about Washington being broken? Me thinks that puts more distance than Mitt’s little comment about the Bush energy policy being insufficient.
After all, he just put himself where McCain was when he voted against it, and its pretty darn obvious with our $4 per gallon gasoline that it was insufficient, to say the least.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:20 am
Paris is hotter when she doesn’t talk.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I’ll see you bitches at the debates.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Is unfair to blame Bush for the prices of oil. Remember, is the congress who has been against offshore drilling, anwar, nuclear, etc., including John McCain.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Falz,
That’s a load of crap. Bush didn’t use the bully pulpit. He could have demanded that we drill for oil on the continental shelf in 2002 - after 9/11. He could have made it a matter of national security to not have to be at the mercy of Middle Eastern nations. And he could have beaten the Democrats into submission when he had an 82 percent approval rating. He just didn’t care enough about it. There was some talk about drilling in ANWR in 2001 but as soon as the Democrats flapped their gums for five seconds Bush caved. He should have used the bully pulpit. He could have signed an executive order. He could have been more forceful. Even if he didn’t get his way he could have embarrassed the Democrats.
And before you blame McCain, recall that it wasn’t until McCain brought up offshore drilling that Bush even had anything to say about it this year - even though the price of gasoline has been unacceptable for a solid year.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Sampo, with respect, I agree with you on some things, but I hope you never get to run our country’s Energy affairs, you would cost us the Midwest. Without getting into old stuff, while Mr. Romney may not appeal to Midwesterners in every regard, his Energy policies are appealing. To be sure, there are many Midwesterners that care a lot more about Energy than me.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Adam, with respect, how in the world can Mr. Bush use the bully pulpit when Congress (including the Senate) would not listen. Laws to not come out of nowhere, Congress, must pass them.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Adam, IMHO, a load of crap was voted against Anwar and others forms of energy. That was stupid and remember that nothing get out of the senate without having 60 votes, specially when some GOP senators voted with the defeatocrats on that and many others issues.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Ohio Joe,
Bush could have embarrassed the Democrats. He could have called them called them out for not wanting to be energy independent in 2002. The public would have agreed and the pressure would have worked. I still don’t understand why he couldn’t have years ago signed an executive order mandating that drilling take place. He’s too passive. He is piss poor at leading public opinion and seems all too often to take a defensive or reactive position. Why not call congress back into session now? Why not make an example of the Democrats’ lack of concern for Joe Six Pack and his pain at the pump now? Why won’t this guy fight?
August 6th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Falz,
You’re giving Bush too much of a pass. He never even attempted to play hardball. Most presidents never see approval ratings in the 80’s. Bush squandered his opportunity to move the ball down the court. He could have made energy independence a national security issue. He could have sealed the border as a national security issue. He chose not to do so.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Adam in 2001 or 2002 the prices of oil weren’t that high to justify any hardball.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Also until 2003 the defeatocrats had the control of the senate. Until 2005 were only 52 republicans senator including Chaffee, McCain and Hagel.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:59 am
They were still double what they were in 1999. And it’s not just the price of oil - it was where it was coming from. You can’t tell me that all of the regular folks driving around in cars with American flag stickers while they munched on “freedom fries” wouldn’t have just loved the idea of not depending upon Muslim nations for our energy.
Maybe Bush didn’t mind that oil proces got as high as they did. Not that he had any specific desire to screw Joe Blow - but a case certainly can be made that Bush just simply had a strong case of apathy on the subject.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:06 am
A little dated (2005), but incredibly relevant to the discussion about oil
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/8994
August 6th, 2008 at 9:10 am
IMAO Falz = unintelligent
[quote]in 2001 or 2002 the prices of oil weren’t that high to justify any hardball[/quote]
What?????? Yeah, cos nobody ever saw this coming. Dang, I mean, who’d have thought gasoline would ever reach $4/gallon?
Give me a break.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:30 am
FredsFighter obviously John McCain didn’t.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Thanks Jeff (59), this quote say it all:
“Not that long ago, though, it would have been madness to suggest that oil could go from $18 a barrel to $65 in four years—and even crazier to suggest that such a run-up wouldn’t spark a painful recession, with consumers spurning trips to the shopping mall and businesses crippled by cost hikes. Conventional wisdom has held that there are price thresholds that can’t be breached without affecting spending habits. In 2003, for instance, Republican pollster Frank Luntz spoke of $2-a-gallon gasoline as a “magic number” that, if crossed, would harm Republican reelection hopes. Well, gas passed $2 a gallon a month before the 2004 election, and the oil guy in the White House still won. Two bucks wasn’t so magic after all.”
August 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Yes, Adam, oil prices well double, but while people cried and complain, they were still willing to buy gas at the same rate. When gas tripled, people cried louder, but still were not serious. Only now are the people willing to cut bback on comsuption and demanding an increase in production. Unfortunately, the public does not care until it hurts. So I disagree with you that Mr. Bush could have done something. While, I still have my disagreements with Mr. Romney, he did have the foresight on Energy that Mr. McCain and Mr. Huckabee to name a few people failed to have. Yet, it did not score Mr. Romney many points and the time. Either people did not care about Energy or they had other disagreements with Mr. Romney. To be honest, in my case, it was both. I still do not care about Energy as much as the average American, but until recently, the rest of the country was not serious either.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Many of you have made good points…and in some ways all of you are right. As a matter of national security, we should have been moving fast toward energy independence. Unfortunately, none of our leaders did a good job at all of moving pushing for it. As far as the extremely fast ramp up, I don’t think many of us saw that coming, especially back in 2002/2003. But, the point is, we should have been doing it anyway for national security reasons.
I voted for Bush twice, and would do it again, considering the alternatives, but it is true he has not been good at leading the nation in some ways. I appreciate the things he has done right, but energy is not one of them. McCain hasn’t done a lot either, and interestingly enough, it wasn’t until Mitt and he started getting buddy/buddy on the plane flights that McCain came down on the side of off shore drilling, and and attitude of taking a second look at ANWAR. It may have not had anything to do with it, but I believe Mitt very well may have influenced him.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
So who gets her for VP first, Barack or John?
August 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Maya #65,
Sounds to me like she’s going for the big one. Didn’t she say she was going to have Rihanna as her VP?
August 7th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Just when you think the country can’t sink any lower….:)