Before Boston stop, Obama talks energy

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/before_boston_s.html

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor August 4, 2008 10:58 AM

Barack Obama is in Boston this afternoon to celebrate his 47th birthday and raise some money as well.

But first, he is adding more detail to his energy policy after what is being seen as a flip-flop on offshore oil drilling.

In a speech today in Lansing, Mich., he is outlining his New Energy for America plan, which includes giving an immediate $1,000 emergency rebate to help families pay rising fuel costs, investing $150 billion to create 5 million "green" jobs, and weaning the country off Middle Eastern oil in 10 years.

READ THE PLAN
http://www.newenergyforamerica.com/


GET THE DETAILS of Barack Obama's 'NEW ENERGY FOR AMERICA PLAN'
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/factsheet_energy_speech_080308.pdf


View Obama's Springfield, MO. speech[/b]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzZNP4tTfV0

After blasting Republican John McCain for supporting lifting the federal ban on more offshore oil drilling -- which the Illinois Democrat said would not provide any relief for at least 10 years -- Obama late last week opened the door to some additional exploration as part of a compromise with congressional Republicans.

Polls show most Americans favoring more offshore drilling. In a campaign summary of his energy plan, Obama's change in position is glossed over with the statement, "He’ll also work to improve access to untapped and unconventional domestic
energy supplies."

Obama also proposes a “use it or lose it” approach to existing oil leases, requiring oil companies to develop the land they have -- 68 million acres that are currently going unused -- or turn it over to another company.

He is also calling for dipping into the nation's strategic petroleum reserve, then replacing the oil later when prices fall.

He also wants to require that 10 percent of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

Obama also launched a new TV ad promoting his plan -- and attacking McCain as being "in the pocket" of Big Oil, which the spot says is making huge profits.

VIEW NEW OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1709838907

McCain, the ad says, collected $2 million in campaign contributions from Big Oil and now wants to give them $4 billion in tax breaks.

"After one president in the pocket of big oil, we can’t afford another," the announcer says. "Barack Obama, a windfall profits tax on big oil to give families a $1,000 rebate. A president who’ll stand up for you."

McCain's campaign is already noting that corporations can't directly donate to candidates. The Obama ad doesn't distinguish between executives and employees of oil companies, and the companies themselves.

"Barack Obama's latest negative attack ad shows his celebrity is matched only by his hypocrisy, after all it was Senator Obama, not John McCain, who voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill that was a sweetheart deal for oil companies," McCain's campaign said. "Also not mentioned is the $400,000 from big oil contributors that Barack Obama has already pocketed in this election."

McCain's backers will reportedly be outside Obama's speech with tire pressure guages -- gigging him for calling last week for people to take responsibility themselves for energy conservation by keeping their car tires properly inflated.

“There are things that you can do individually though to save energy; making sure your tires are properly inflated, simple thing, but we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much," he told voters in Missouri.

The Republican National Committee announced it's also giving tire gauges to newsrooms in Washington "in celebration of Barack Obama’s special day" with a press release headlined, "Happy Birthday, Barack Obama."

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BTW? I've been for Dennis Kucinich from the beginning.... I posted this because
I think we all need to see what Obama is really talking about, in detail, before...we hang him...... ;)

Every day Obama continues to deeply the centrist strategy is one day closer to McCain becoming president. He just can’t win as long as he pulls bone headed maneuvers like this.

Obama’s problem is that he refuses to degust reality. He can’t without calling’s McCain’s integrity into question. McCain insists that drilling for oil will lower prices. We know that this is just propaganda but Obama’s centrism demands that he respects McCain’s credulity on the mater, so he has no choice but to eventually concede to the propaganda. The bigger the lie McCain tells, the faster Obama has to surrender to it.

The harder Obama campaigns, the more credibility he ends up giving McCain, and the further Obama’s polling numbers will slip.

When you throw in the voter registration purges that are going on in Colorado, Florida, and Iowa, all McCain needs to “win” is the appearance of viability, something that Obama us giving up in spades.

Yes, he's said things that made me reel and he voted for FISA, which made me PUKE (gawd knows I puked on that one!!) and the "Faith Based" initiatives fiasco flip-flop and then he said he was "for" offshore drilling but I really don't think he really is for that... I think he was baiting the idiot RW in Congress and it allowed him to clarify what he was saying, even though we both know the M$M is filtering everything! I mean, even the Washington Post FINALLY released a "new" poll ( a month old.. GRR!) that they did with POOR PEOPLE and it showed they (the WP) have been LYING since the primaries that "white workers were NOT supporting Obama" and in fact, from their poll results, the white, poor voters support Obama overwhelmingly 2 to 1 !!

Am I pissed off at Obama for the FISA vote and the Faith based Initiatives and a couple of other things that I can't recall right now? YES!!!! I also see it, from experience, as typical politicians pandering to the voters they still need on their side. Am I voting FOR Obama? I didn't in the primary. I voted for Kucinich, even though he had dropped out by then and I will cast my vote for Kucinich in the GE, as the SD's from my state are and will vote for the D anyway. BUT, I'm not dumb enough to hide my head in the sand and NOT pay attention to what the nominee has to say either.

I have to know what he says NOW, so I'll have ammunition for later on! ;)