So what if Bush said Drill, Baby, Drill? What would you be saying?

[texastoast]

I see a lot of Obama enabler posts on this subject. So, drilling it likely will be (but not without a damned good fight).

This is what all you coasties have to look forward to unless we can stop this madness. If you want to let Obama know what you think about the wisdom and foresight of offshore drilling, please call his comment line at 1-202-456-1111.


http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Oil+Slick+Reaches+Queensland+Beaches+YVrC94OAU06l.jpg

[cutlassmama]

1. He wouldn't. That's the point. He would have rather invaded foreign countries

via illegal and immoral wars than drill here.

[texastoast]

2. Well, he did

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/washington/19drill.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/14/bush.offshore/index.html

And here's some smoke and mirrors.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29119940/

[MoonRiver]

3. He tried. Don't you remember?

Democrats blocked him. WTF is happening now??? :wtf:

[rcrush]

4. I give up

Its freakin amazing to see some of the posts on here right now. Fuck it. If Obama wants it then I guess we have to like it now. Whats the point in fighting it? Slowly everything that the "Left" was against under Bush is becoming ok and even loved. Anyone who says anything is demonized and labeled a freeper.

[MoonRiver]

5. You nailed it.

:thumbsup:

[rcrush]

11. I wonder

If the media reported that Republicans were suddenly pushing for Abortion rights and Gay Marriage how fast would people here turn against Abortion and Gay Rights?

Then if the media reported that Democrats were pushing to invade some random country for no reason or pushing for more torture. How fast would it turn pro war and pro torture around here?

[JonLP24]

34. Good point.

I've wondered about similar things before.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

10. Man, you said a whole lot of truth there.

If O said, "Ketchup is a vegetable," "If you've seen one redwood you've seen them all," or "Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction" there would be a small army of bobble-heads here, all nodding in agreement. :eyes: :puke:

[bigwillq]

30. ...

:thumbsup: Good post.

[MissDeeds]

36. A agree

It's sickening. I thought the people here would hold the president to a higher standard than this. Apparently not. What was wrong is now okay as long as the one calling the shots has a "D" after his name. I'll never support him or his right leaning agenda again.

Obama supporters are ready to say that if liberals stay home in 2012, they are in essence enabling Palin to become president. No. Obama has paved the way for that to happen by alienating his base. He's ticked off liberals, progressives, environmentalists, unions, proponents of peace...the list goes on and on.

[roguevalley]

44. drilling is bullshit. come up and check out the beaches in prince

william sound after the exxon valdez to see what the future looks like.

[Mojorabbit]

48. Yep. It is creeping me out to see those posts

defending this shit.

[Old and In the Way]

6. "Drill Bay Drill" was a great Republican political strategy to obstruct energy policy.

I'm not convinced that it is a great investment strategy for oil companies. They're making billions in profits with their tanker fleets filling up in the Persian Gulf. Is there enough oil in these off-shore deposits to outweigh the risks associated with these capital investments?

[barbiegeek]

22. There is NOT enough oil, that's why it's brillant

[texastoast]

24. You better check some of the reserves

And further, if secondary or tertiary recovery can be put forth as a "viable" option, it will be.

[Old and In the Way]

27. At what cost?

If those costs get passed on to the market, that oil is won't sell. If they eat those costs, the stockholders won't like it. If they could pass those costs on to the consumer, it will make alternative forms of energy more competitive. We have plenty of oil in the ground...it just can't be extracted or refined cost effectively. I really don't see an Exxon, making $18BB/year profits by gassing up in the Persian Gulf on sweet crude, suddenly investing $100's of billions on risky bet.

[Oregone]

7. If he campaigned on it, then it would be the right thing to do

Damned be the consequences

[Warpy]

8. Exactly what I'm saying now

It's a stupid talking point because all offshore drilling rigs are booked up for the next five years, slated for exploration of known fields in deep water.

[texastoast]

12. Link, please? n/t

[Warpy]

16. Memo from a company I hold a lot of stock in

so I'd suggest you do your own research. It's probably out there somewhere.

[texastoast]

17. Interesting.

I will. I just went to a christening of the Rowan Bussell rig last fall. It was headed for offshore Africa, but it wasn't scheduled up for five years.

I'll let you know what I find out.

[Warpy]

33. Thanks, I also found an old NYT article about it

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/business/19drillship.html

I do know that manufacturers have been stepping up production of this equipment since it seems that's where all new fields are being discovered.

I'll be interested in following your story.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. The very same thing I am saying right now:

More off shore drilling = Fuck. That. Shit. :mad:

I have helped clean up that crap off Bay Area beaches and wildlife. To open more areas to that type of environmental nightamre is insane.

I cannot express how angry I am at this moment, and how disgusted I am with those who here who are falling right in line with this crap. :puke:

[saracat]

13. Didn't we mock Palin for this? Remind me again who won the election?

[texastoast]

21. Yessiree, Bob, we did

And now, we have this fight against someone who wanted us to hope and change. No change here. Move along.

[eleny]

14. K&R

It's really disgusting.

[Ian David]

15. Fuck it. It's only the beaches in The Red States. n/t

[texastoast]

18. You forgot

your sarcasm smiley. (Surely.)

To update you:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8062337

[flyarm]

19. whats the point of contacting him..he knows full fucking well what it will do ..

it is a eco disaster!

He he knows that full damn well!

How did contacting him stop his giving Immunity to the telecoms???????

Or stopping the patriot act from being renewed?

or sending 70,000 more troops to Afgan.?

Or how is that Public option working ..oh it is not?

How is Nafta being scaled back????????

or renditions stopped? Oh they are not??

How is closing GITMO working out?

How's the Anti War candidate and the wars working out for us???

Heck maybe we were never democrats after all...because the democrats I know and me included have written more letters and made more calls to the White House and congress than I can count, for almost a decade to stop this shit!
And I have the phone bills to show for it..and nothing else!

[Ignis]

25. They've already answered our comments: "The Left is f*cking retarded."

What more can they say? :shrug:

[earth mom]

31. Don't forget to add the bankster bailout, the pharma sell out and the health care rip off

to that list!!!

Now the environment is on the chopping block!

But what can we expect from a "peace prize" winner who doesn't do jack shit to promote peace?! :grr:

[court jester]

37. "And I have the phone bills to show for it..and nothing else!" No, You have the most important thing

The resolve to stand up for what you believe regardless of the
yelping peanut/pom pom brigade.

I'm just a newbie here but your posts, and many others, show
that not everyone and everything can be sold out, or at least
not cheaply and without notice.

And when the time comes to rebuild, and surely it will,
Real Democrats like You will lead the pack.

Maybe next time it will last a while. I mean you can't blame
scorpions for stinging, that's what they do. The People of the US
have been largely asleep and/or legally drugged out on their couch.

The Power hungry Feds have done what power hungry people have done
forever. We have just let em get away with it. I mean really, it's still tough
to get most of my "friends" into even discussing most of the latest important
news.

And you have to hand it to 'em, they played this Divide and Conquer thing
brilliantly. The Elites have gotten pretty much what they've wanted and
many people hate their fellow Citizens. How's The War going, Comrade?

[mike_c]

20. exactly the same thing I say to Obama....

No.

[flyarm]

23. On the news on the Gulf Coast of Fla just now, the head of the top environment group just said..

( sorry I didn't catch his name..I had just come in from the beach)

On the news on the Gulf Coast of Fla just now, the head of the top environment group just said..


-This will not creat Jobs.

-This is not for national security.

-This will not increase supply.

-This is for oil corporations profit and profit only!

A rig would be 125 miles off the coast line of Sarasota beaches!


Oh and by the way..today in St Petersburg at the Vinoy Hotel..there was a huge Democrat and enviornmental protest of Newt Gingrich ..he was here to promote off shore Drilling Platforms.

And let me add..even Republican Mel Martinez Stood with Bill Nelson and fought against these Drilling Platforms off of Florida coastlines and went against Bush, and the Bush boys and their fucking think tanks.. when Bush wanted to "drill baby drill" off our coastline!

Gee Obama did what no republican could even come close to ..fuck all our coastlines and our Eco systems!

Green my ass!

[gleaner]

26. I really dislike this, but sadly I am not surprised ...

that Obama is doing it. I live in California and I am old enough to remember when we allowed offshore drilling. It was an ecological catastrophe. The rigs would leak and glops of oil would wash up on the beaches and trap sea birds and other creatures. In 1967 there was a big blow and I remember people going to the beach in groups to try to clean the oil off the gulls and other birds so that they could move and fly again. Unfortunately it didn't work well and many of them died.

This is depraved and unnecessary. I wonder who gave Obama a special reward on this one? The studies taken by the people who opposed Bush's plans said that this would not produce enough oil to be of any real benefit, and what it did produce would not be enough to warrant the environmental damage it would cause. Obama seems to have no end of tricky little surprises and reversals for us. I'm surprised that anyone still believes in him. It has to be a full time job just keeping your eyes closed to support his lies and the damage he is doing to this country.

[dgibby]

28. Can you imagine what the Outer Banks will look like after

a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane? What a nightmare!

BTW, Ed just had Marvin Odum, Pres.of Shell Oil on just now. He's all for this. What does that tell us?:nuke: :grr:

[gleaner]

35. I hadn't even thought of the hurricanes ...

I've lived all my life in California and we don't have them. Even without storms like that though our beaches were consistently a disaster area in one place or another until we forced the drilling to stop. We still have rigs but they had signed 99 year leases which the courts would not break. But Obama has yet to announce any new drilling offshore for us. Over 20 years ago Bush Senior called for a moratorium on offshore drilling for the whole country. Obama has apparently decided to go back on that for the Atlantic seaboard, but not yet for the west cost where he would meet some pretty stiff opposition.

The hurricanes with offshore oil rigs in place would be even more disastrous than they already are. I hope there is some way that we can push back and stop this. It is lethal. It would not do that much for the economy, but even if it did nature is not replaceable and you despoil the environment at your own peril. Look at the dust bowl during the Great Depression. That was caused by careless and ignorant use of the land. In those days the ignorance was understandable. No one had ever heard the word "environment." Now it is simply inexcusable.

What the happiness of Odum tells me is that Obama perhaps had a third closed door meeting with the oil companies after he met with the health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies. He is very busy selling us out, isn't he?

[dgibby]

39. Well, if he's not, he's definitely giving the wrong impression.

Keith and Rachel both covered this tonight very well. They are both well worth watching.

[gleaner]

45. I will be sure to watch them ...

I always record their shows and watch them when I have some uninterrupted time. Today was a busy, hectic day but tomorrow I can get my coffee and concentrate. And I'm sure he did have a deal with the oil companies. It is his one two style. Announce the news about student loans that he knows people want to hear and then under the cover of that, wait a few hours and lay the drilling crap on us.

My husband is as infuriated as I am. He is an avid Rachael and Keith viewer too. Please call your representatives. I will be calling mine. This is not only an east coat issue. It affects all of us.

[dgibby]

51. Unfortunately, I'm living in SC.

Calling my reps (Graham,DeMint,and Brown) is a complete waste of time. I basically have no representation in Congress.

[gleaner]

53. These guys are bad ....

but they do have in common ambition, greed and a desire to keep power. That is why I always call the againsts too. They need to know that somehow, someway this might cost them more than it is worth. If they hear from enough people who are opposed and tell them "I could never support you as a candidate if you back offshore drilling," it might have some effect. Then call the representatives outside of North Carolina. The Congressmen and Senators who come out opposing it. Tell them you don't live in their state but you agree with their stand and would support them in ways other than voting or perhaps vote for them if they ever ran for national office. I did this with people like Bernie Sanders under Bush and he was receptive. Many of them will be, because inside each political animal is a desire to be a bigger political presence.

Also, find environmental groups in your area who will be bringing pressure and ask them how you can help. If you are strapped for cash like I am and unable to donate, explain that and they will find something else for you. I did a bunch of home data entry for Code Pink during the war in Iraq. They had been waiting for someone to do that and took me up on it in a big way. I'm calling to oppose offshore drilling from California. Not only my Congressmen but others in Congress who might be opposed and who would speak out or try to bring pressure to bear. And I have Olbermann's statistics to bolster my remarks. He and Maddow did an excellent analysis on their respective shows.

The worst thing we can do is accept this in silence. I don't live in North Carolina but your state and its beautiful coastline is still a precious resource to me which I do not want to see despoiled. Maybe we can't work miracles, but on the other hand maybe we can increase caution. November is closer than they think and people are really, really angry about this.

[flyarm]

43. let me assure you ..we in Fla have thought very long and hard about the Hurricanes and drilling

platforms..do remember Katrina came up through the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Fla ..at a Cat 5..it hit the gulf states at cat 3 ..but it came up through the Gulf of Mexico as a Cat 5..

we also had Ivan that all but destroyed Pensacola ..and we had Francis that came across the state from the Atlantic to the Gulf..and several others in the recent few years that have come straight up the Gulf..

The Head of the Tourist Board of Fla was at a protest tonight in ST Pete that said a spill or slick of oil would destroy the economy of Florida..and the drilling is not just planned in the Gulf ..the local news tonight showed the map..it also encompasses most of the east coast from Virginia down..and encompasses a huge chunk of the nothern part to mid State on the Atlantic side of Florida ..sandwiching in Florida about 2/3rds of the State or more!

This is a dispicable betrayal by Obama and the democratic party..the republicans must be rejoicing tonight!

Why not..this is the republican policy..that even the republicans couldn't do..even the two Bush boys couldn't push this through..it took Obama a " so called " dem to do it!

[gleaner]

46. I hear you and I feel for you ....

I feel for all of us. This issue touches all of us. It is our country and the natural resources that would be destroyed could never, ever be restored to what they once were. It is a betrayal. I was hoping for an exploration of alternate energy that is environmental friendly like wind power or solar power. In both Florida and California, any place where there are a lot of sun, solar power is a natural. It is clean, it is abundant, it is not destructive and it is unlimited unlike fossil fuels. This is what Obama promised us. Exploration of alternate energy sources that would be better and cheaper for all of us in the end. Maybe that is the part that the special interests could not tolerate. That it is cheaper. That no one would get fat and rich from it. People could have made a living developing the technology to deliver it, but that isn't enough for a lot of people.

Obama is for all intents and purposes acting just like some of the worst of the Republicans. He lies and it is caught on tape and then he denies it and expects people to doubt what they can see with their own eyes and hear very clearly for themselves. He lost me a long time ago, but if he hadn't he would certainly have lost me with this.

Please protect yourselves and your environment. Call and write your representatives. Call and write Obama. He ignores criticism but I think he needs to know that he is not fooling as many people as he thinks. Some people would rubber stamp whatever he did, but hopefully they are in the minority and this will give even them pause to think, though I doubt it.

[earth mom]

29. I hope Gore tells Obama he is going to run against him in 2012! He must be livid with Obama!

And probably regrets endorsing him!

Obama is nothing but a god damn corporatist and that's saying it nicely!!! :grr:

[stray cat]

32. If it were part of a comprehensive solid energy plan - why not? I'm not against a decent plan

just because of who presents it. If Obama said no blood for oil and that was the complete text of his energy plan I would be concerned that he was a shallow naive idiot.

[taterguy]

38. I'd be saying the same thing

STOP DRIVING SO DAMN MUCH

[athenasatanjesus]

40. I don't think much of the community here supports it.

The support threads could easily come from one of the various support lobbies you know.

[Nikki Stone1]

41. Kicking for the pics--and R

.

[troubledamerican]

42. Disturbing, honest question. You are banned for asking it.

[DCBob]

47. It's different.. I trust Obama... there must be a legitimate reason.

I didnt trust Bush... even if he said things I agreed with, I didn't trust his motives.

[flyarm]

49. oh yeah..neither Bush did this..nor did Reagan..we needed a democrat to fuck us!!

yes he has fucked us!! in every way!

wow ..what a place to put your trust!!

This guy has done what no republican could do!

FISA..immunity to the telecoms
Renewed patriot act..
Sent 70,000 more soldiers to Afgan
Continues renditions
Hasn't closed Gitmo..and no trials as of yet!
Has expanded war into Pakistan
billions and billions of our money for a stimulus that the American people haven't seen shit of
Banks get bail outs and won't make fucking loans
Destroyed real health "CARE REFORM" ..the helath industry got biggest bail out ever!


with a democrat like this ..who needs the republicans to fuck us?????????

[Bodhi BloodWave]

50. One of the problems on here these days in my eyes

is that a lot of people only see the headline(or read somebodies opinion) then get pissed off and starts to attacking the President for what they deem a betrayal.

Looking deeper into the issue for reasons, facts, nuances gets skipped over(and in some Obama's own words on the matter will be ignored since its just 'propaganda' so can't be trusted).

I consider it a rather sad thing to see here on DU since i recall how good we were as a site seeking that stuff out a few years ago.

[texastoast]

52. What about "offshore drilling" do you need further defined?

I've known about offshore drilling for 40 years and lived with it many of them. I understand its nuances, its publicity spin, and its devastating effects on marine life, clean oceans, and clean beaches.

What I miss about DU is the fact that we seldom had apologists when it came to such a departure from long-held, core Democratic values.

I'm not attacking Barack. I'm attacking the idea that offshore drilling is a viable option. I've been against offshore drilling since Barack was in his early teens.