McCain Scores Big With Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal

John McCain has drawn first blood in the political debate following Barack Obama's victory in the primaries. His call yesterday for offshore oil drilling — and Bush's decision to press the issue in Congress — puts the Democrats in the position of advocating the wear-your-sweater policies that made Jimmy Carter unpopular.

With gas prices nearing $5, all of the previous shibboleths need to be discarded. Where once voters in swing states like Florida opposed offshore drilling, the high gas prices are prompting them to reconsider. McCain's argument that even hurricane Katrina did not cause any oil spills from the offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico certainly will go far to allay the fears of the average voter.

For decades, Americans have dragged their feet when it comes to switching their cars, leaving their SUVs at home, and backing alternative energy development and new oil drilling. But the recent shock of a massive surge in oil and gasoline prices has awakened the nation from its complaisance. The soaring prices are the equivalent of Pearl Harbor in jolting us out of our trance when it comes to energy.

Suddenly, everything is on the table. Offshore drilling, Alaska drilling, nuclear power, wind, solar, flex-fuel cars, plug-in cars are all increasingly attractive options and John McCain seems alive to the need to go there while Obama is strangely passive. During the Democratic primary, he opposed a gas tax holiday and continues to be against offshore and Alaska drilling and squishy on nuclear power.

That leaves turning down your thermostat and walking to work as the Democratic policies.

Hey Miss Didi, thought you might like to see this if you haven’t already.

“Laura Ingraham Interviews Rush on Fox News Channel!!”
June 17, 2008

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

INGRAHAM: Joining me live from Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss the latest from the campaign trail — the most listened to man in talk radio, from the EIB radio network — Rush Limbaugh. Rush, great to have you on.

RUSH: Thanks, Laura. How are you doing?

INGRAHAM: I’m doing fabulous. What do you think about Barack Obama is now going to Iraq? How is that going to play out?

RUSH: I think you pretty much nailed it. I think it’s just for show. It’s just an illustration. Actually, I’ve been listening to Obama and some of his supporters the past couple weeks, and I’m actually forming a different impression of this guy. He’s the messiah. He’s something enlightened. He’s something new. They say he’s something we’ve never seen in US politics. I think the guy, Laura — I really do — is slick marketing and packaging. I think there are a bunch of people behind this campaign putting words in his mouth. When he’s off the teleprompter, he’s not the same guy. He’s not quite an empty suit, but he’s not what he’s being portrayed to be. He utters platitudes and cliches right out of the Democrat Party playbook. There’s nothing new about this campaign. It is simply a repackaged retread of every Democrat presidential campaign since McGovern.

INGRAHAM: Well, did you hear his description of that phone call he had with the Iraqi foreign minister? He said, “Well, I was very encouraged at the progress, uh, but, uh, uh, uh, you know, I also think it’s, you know, basically...” I agree with you. It’s stumbling. When he’s off prompter, I think that the candidate of hope and change just looks like a garden-variety liberal politician — and yet that’s up to John McCain to point out to the American people.

RUSH: Well, yeah. The McCain campaign has their own challenges in attacking the guy, because they’ve said they’re not going to. They’re afraid of being tagged as racists so they’re being very gloves-on about this. But, yeah, I saw the bit with Obama there outside his airplane. “I’m very encouraged.” Who are you, sir? I mean, yeah, you’re the Democrat Party presidential nominee, but who are you? You’re encouraged? I mean, join the club. We’ve been encouraged here for a long time about the efforts of the US military over there, and we’ve been very supportive. His party has been trying to secure defeat! They own it. They have been waving the white flag, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, a bunch of senators and so forth. It’s been a disgrace the way they have conducted themselves during this period, and he’s not going to be able to get ‘em past that.

INGRAHAM: Now, Rush, I want to move on to the McCain campaign, because on the border issue, immigration, drilling in ANWR — I know you’ve talked about this because I’ve heard you on your radio show. Look, he’s missing every opportunity to connect with conservatives. How can he get on track on those issues, given the fact that he’s to the left of conservatives on those issues?

RUSH: I don’t think he’s trying to connect with conservatives. I think what’s going on with the Republican Party is that the country club, blue-blood, Rockefeller types have really resented the conservative presence and dominance in the Republican Party, particularly since Reagan. They weren’t even that thrilled with Reagan, but he gave them 49-state landslides. But they have not been comfortable with all the members of the party. I mean, the country club, blue-blood types that go to the conventions with their sophisticated cocktail parties and stuff really resent the fact that Billy Bob and Otis from the southern states who are big pro-lifers, are also in the party. They’re very embarrassed about that. And I think that McCain’s trying to reach out and attract a majority party based on Democrats that are crossing over and independents. The problem with that is that they’re coming over as Democrats and independents. And if McCain wins, the problem for conservatives is going to be that the country club, blue-blood types will say, “See? We don’t need you conservatives to be a majority party. We can put together a coalition of people, and we really don’t need you.” That’s going to redefine the Republican Party in such a way that down the road they’re never going to be able to win that way. So it’s going to be a challenge. Just to repeat, I’m not sure that he’s really right now that eager to shore up the base. He may be later when he thinks that he’s gotten all the Democrats and independents that he can.

INGRAHAM: Now, Rush, I was just given this comment that Barack Obama made in a just-came-out article, interview in Broadcasting and Cable. I want to read this to you. He said, “I feel that media consolidation during the Bush administration has had the effect of eliminating a lot of the diversity of information sources available to persons who have to rely on more traditional information sources, such as radio and television broadcasts, and newspapers.” Rush, it sounds to me like that’s code language for: “I support the Fairness Doctrine.”

RUSH: This is flummery, Laura! This is just typical. The Democrats and the leftists that run the Democrat Party are just like the academics on college campuses. They cannot stand dissent. They cannot stand people who disagree with them. They don’t want to debate us; they want to shut us down, discredit us, however they can. It is absurd to suggest that there are fewer opinions and fewer voices in the American media today. When I started my radio show in 1988, I think there were around 125 stations doing talk. Today there’s close to 1,500, maybe 2,000. The liberals have had every chance to succeed, and they haven’t — and all of these so-called companies of consolidation have been the ones to put them on their radio stations. They’ve been given every chance. They just can’t make it. So since they can’t make it, what Obama and his crowd really want to do is just silence those that they’d rather not have to listen to. They control television. They control the newspapers. But they haven’t been able to get their arms around radio, and so rather than enter the arena of ideas and debate us about things, they want to shut us down. But it isn’t gonna work. Too many Americans will not put up with it. The radio business is too profitable; they’re not going to put up with it. I find it... It’s more of an educational exercise to inform people that the people on the left — who are supposedly compassionate, tolerant, open-minded — do not depict any of those characteristics when it comes to opposing points of view, but don’t worry.

INGRAHAM: Rush? I just like the fact, Rush, that they’ve admitted that they’ve lost in radio, that they can’t compete so they need government-style affirmative action in order to be able to compete. We could talk to you for the entire hour, Rush; I know how busy you are. Thank you so much for being with us.

RUSH: Okay. Laura, I appreciate it. Thank you for the opportunity.

INGRAHAM: All right. You take care.

RUSH: Adios.

INGRAHAM: And that means we all have to support the Broadcasters Freedom Act on Capitol Hill as well. There are a lot of lingering Republican votes out there.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.