Can we go back to Clinton Administration energy policies now?

[bluestateguy]

In the 2000 campaign Baby Bush whined that Clinton Administration had no energy policy, as gas was running about $1.20, or even less in some markets. Honestly, I couldn't explain to you what the Clinton Administration energy policy was, but I do remember that gas was affordable and people could afford to heat and cool their homes. Now gas is at least $2.50 a gallon and home heating oil and natural gas costs are through the roof. So I ask, can we just go back to the Clinton Administration's non-energy policy? I sure liked it.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. I'd just like to go back to the Clinton Administration's economy policies.

23 million jobs created, works for me.

[Radio_Guy]

8. Things were so much better under Clinton

Cheap gas, stock market going through the roof, jobs created left and right, a budget surplus. Heck, if his economic plan had continued and no war in Iraq, we would have the national debt paid off by now.

[bullimiami]

2. i thought the problem with clinton was he had no energy policy?

well we have one now, the adults are running the show, its working out just how they want.

[Ignacio Upton]

3. I remember that

I also remember Bush accusing Clinton of playing politics when he tapped the Strategic Patroleum Reserve....although at the time, and today, I still don't think that tapping it was worth the effort, as oil prices, while climbing in the fall 2000, only did so temporarily, and are much higher now. Unfortunately, I don't think that who's President determines 100% how energy prices are. Demand from China and India and developing countries that are buying new goods are driving it up. However, I still think that oil prices would be a little lower if we had a President who wasn't friends with the oil industry.

[tritsofme]

9. If we weren't rattling sabers with Iran

And if we didn't invade and occupy an Arab country, oil prices would be $10-15 lower/barrel.

[BlueEyedSon]

4. Clinton energy policy was to be 8 years further away from PEAK OIL

[GOPBasher]

5. Good Point.

I hate Bush with an unbelievable passion. But I really can't blame him for rising oil prices. It's simply getting really hard to keep up with the world's demand. And when Peak Oil hits, methinks we be pretty fucked.

[Yupster]

10. India and China each have

abut four times the population of the USA, and their people want cars just like we have, and over the next few decades they'll get them, and I don't know how production will be able to come close to keeping up with that demand regardless of the price of West Texas Intermediate.

[BlueEyedSon]

11. You can blame him for not do anything effective about it

[burrowowl]

6. Carter's policy

would be even better.

[enid602]

7. Carter . . . . give credit where it is due

Carter was the Energy President. First thing Reagan did was dismantle the cabinet-level Dept of Energy, and all incentives for alternative energy development were thrown out the window. The Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles still runs the world's largest solar farm in the desert outside of LA, but the company that developed it went under during the Reagan years. Although it has not been expanded during the last 25 years or so, it still produces 20% of LA City's electricity. Just think of what it would be doing had it been fully developed.