Democrats Concerned Divisions on Energy Could Cost the White House
EmailABC News’ Viviana Hurtado reports: As Hillary Clinton supporters and anti-war protestors join die-hard Democrats in Denver this week, one protest that won’t be easily discerned is the tension in the Democratic Party over energy policy.
Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, who will address the Democratic Caucus on Tuesday, says, "Energy is the one issue that is consuming all the political oxygen in the congressional races, especially the tight races, the ones where we’re in peril, and those we want."
He also believes that if his party does not take the lead on comprehensive energy legislation soon, it could jeopardize the Democrats’ bid for the White House. The legislator from Hawaii says, "This is the issue where we’re having the daylights beat out of us by Republicans and [this issue] can tip close states. … This is Senator Obama’s election to win."
Abercrombie co-authored HR 6709 with House colleague John Peterson, R-Pa. The National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act is a comprehensive energy bill the centerpiece of which features off-shore oil drilling to finance the development of alternative fuels. With more than 130 Democrats and Republicans on board, he hopes the House of Representatives will vote on this bill in September. The next steps would be for this legislation to be reconciled with a similar proposal in the Senate, before it would be signed into law by the next President.
Presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, followed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, recently said he is open to offshore oil drilling as part of a comprehensive energy package. With the economy the No. 1 issue facing voters and with gas prices still high, "the political tectonic plates are shifting considerably," says Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., who is one of the signers of HR 6709.
But the change is not enough to be reflected in the draft of the platform that will be presented this week at the Democratic convention. Offshore oil drilling is too controversial to be presented as part of the platform.
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., co-sponsor of HR 6709, says, "If we could change the platform to show us as centrists, it would take the wind out of the Republicans and give us momentum coming out of the convention. But many convention-goers are activists. They would not support this change."
Democratic supporters of comprehensive energy legislation like HR 6709 confirm they will not play hardball at the convention by introducing an amendment to the platform. But they will continue to pressure the party’s leaders and the Democratic ticket to make comprehensive energy policy, including offshore oil drilling, their top priority.
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They should be concerned about Americans not who is in the White House.
That is why I am a Clinton voter for MCCain.
Posted by: geevill | August 24, 2008, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
geevile
you have been spouting the same crap for months–if you are for mccain get over on the repub side where you belong–seems that is where you have been all along—-one of those crossover repubs–limbaugh special–the clintons are the most scandalas and corrupt people ever in the white house–most have had enough of them.
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:29 pm 9:29 pm
Obama should cost them the White House
Failure to back anyone who would make a good President.
Stupid enough not to admit it.
Foolish enough to keep the three ring circus going.
Dumb enough to go against the votes of the majority of the people.
Posted by: seah | August 24, 2008, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
it is realy laughable with the drill drill people
pelosi has it right the oil should be of benifit to all –not the exxon john people—-use the profit from for alternates as we cannot drill our way out of the 8 year repub mess we are in.
if not you better start learning to speak a few other foreign languages as the opec people will own everything here–never listen to a dummy like mccain—bottom of his class
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:36 pm 9:36 pm
cannot wait to see who mcdummy picks for vice pres. we already have dumber–guess the town idiot will be next—-go wet start your plane john–show us how smart you really are—-mcdummy beats bush by a landslide—-duhh how many houses do you own john—-ha ha ha ha
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:40 pm 9:40 pm
Unfortunately not one of the candidates has shown a willingness to do what needs to be done, though Obama has at least made an effort to LOOK like he is doing something. We need to get off oil and coal as our primary sources of energy. Solar, Wind and Water CAN provide as much as 87% of what is needed in a single term of the Presidency with as little as a $150 billion investment to innovation and tax credits for citizens that utilize the technology. Mass production reduces cost, mass consumption of technology drives innovation. A zero emissions mandate for automobiles, a mandate to include that a percentage of energy needed for every building in the US be produced by on site solar, wind or water tech. Tax credits for exceeding the mandated standards. $220 million would re-open a closed auto-plant in Michigan, put as many as 2500 people back to work building cars that don’t run on gasoline. We should be leading the global economy in getting off oil, instead we are 8 steps behind.
Posted by: louis | August 24, 2008, 9:40 pm 9:40 pm
Post-Biden poll shows Obama-McCain dead heat!
I guess Obama’s super stardom is not holding. His complete lack of experience, lack of good judgment and arrogance is shining through.
Dem for McCain
Posted by: al | August 24, 2008, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm
mccain has the answer to everything——duhh i will ask my staff –wow what a brain.
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm
There is no way the Democrats will mention off shore drilling next week. They will come up with the same old song and dance we tried in the 70′s, which did not work. This, the economy, is one issue the Democrats where hoping to beat the Republicans on, but it’s now their problem.
Posted by: waggdogg | August 24, 2008, 9:43 pm 9:43 pm
mccain new nursery rhym—here we go drill here we go drill—how much have you gotten from exxon —mr exxon john—–i hope the government taxes the hell out of all new drilling –that will keep the money HERE–MEANWHILE LETS GET ON WITH ALTERNATE ENERGY.THE SMALL % OF OIL THAT WOULD BE AQUIRED WOULD BE NO MORE THAN A DROP IN THE OIL BUCKET –AND WOULD CHANGE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OTHER THAn THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THE EXXON JOHN GANG
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:49 pm 9:49 pm
hey david
guess you would poke fun at
STEPHEN HAWKING
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 9:50 pm 9:50 pm
HEY DAVID I REALIZE THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR JOB–BUT DONT FRET AS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME DRILLING AND PRODUCTON OF OIL—-BUT THERE IS JUST NO WAY IT WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE—IF SOME OFF SHORE DRILLING PUSHES FORTH THE PRODUCTON OF ALTERNATES I AM FOR IT –BUT TAX THE HELL OUT OF BIG OIL THEY HAVE GOTTEN AWAY TOO LONG —AND I TAHE OFFENCE WHEN I AM PAYING FOR IT—–
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
I loved it when Brokaw today asked Pelosi about having invested and having a financial interest in T. Bone Pickens
plan. She of course talked about how it was part of a package of financial investments her husband and her had made. While we’re talking about McCain’s houses we should talk about also the Democrats such as Pelosi and her husband who have money coming out of their behinds. Pelosi has money invested in alternative energy, and we know Pickens is hoping to make a bundle, and that’s not a conflict when she’s wielding the power she is around this issue? Her excuse though of course is that it’s OK because she supports alternative energy. I suppose other politicians could justify their investments also because they support capitalism. What a joke Pelosi, Reid and company are. It’s almost worth moving out to CA or NV to vote them out of office. Just like the housing bailout bill they just passed stands to benefit ACORN, one of the Democrats big supporters and who engage in doing voter registration and have been accused of shady voter registration practices. Hey, the Repubs have their friends and the Dems have theirs. The majority of this Country didn’t even support the government in bailing out the housing industry whether it be individuals or financial institutions and yet it passed. The majority of the Country supported drilling and yet Pelosi shut down and went on her book promotion tour. I don’t know why she feels the need to write a book, she has enough money already to pay for the botox injections . The GI Bill the Dems sat on for almost two years and brought it out only recently for political purposes , it’s all in the timing.
The effects of that bill for our military won’t even happen for several years and yet the Dems sat on it for a couple years so they can point out their strong support for our military during the election period.
Posted by: alpaig52 | August 24, 2008, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
THIS WINTER WHEN SOME OF YOU ARE CHOSING BETWEEN HEATING YOUR HOME OR EATING I GUESS YOU WILL LEANR ANOTHER LESSON–BUT THEN AGAIN IN THE SEVENTIES WE WERE SHOWN HOW VULNERABLE WE ARE WE WENT BACK TO THE SAME OLD BIG OIL ROUTINE—NEXT TIME AROUND THE LESSON WILL BE A LOT TOUGHER—-PELOSI HAS TRIED TO KEEP US FROM FOLLOWING THE SAME PATH–BUT DRILL DRILL THE REPUB BIG OIL SONG IS RINGING OUT AGAIN—DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH THIS WINTER ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A BAD ONE.THE PARTISON BULL CRAP NEEDS TO END—MCCAIN HAS PROVEN WHAT A DUMB IDIOT HE IS –BUT REMEMBER AS HE SAID DUE TO NAFTA WE ARE LIVING IN AN ERA OF PROSPERITY.
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:10 pm 10:10 pm
NOW DAVID —–YOU CAN TELL US ALL THE BENIFITS OF OFF SHORE DRILLING AS PERHAPS WE WILL SAVE ONE OR TWO CENTS 10 YEARS FROM NOW and since if we do not go to alternates we will still have to import over sixty percent of what we use—–JUST TELL ALL OF US THE BENIFITS
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
DAVID I WOULD AGREE ON A WOMAN—BUT NOT THIS ONE AS THE SCANDALAS BAGGAGE SHE BRINGS WITH HER WOULD BE DISASTEROUS—wow something like the clintons in the white house again—the thought is enough to scare any thinking person.just remember how many cross over repubs tried to change the primarys as they know that mccain would beat her..
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:19 pm 10:19 pm
secret jails. protesters will be arrested , the Democrat party and the NAZI party are no different… democrats objects to constitutional right for people. lock up anyone that is anti obama. DNC=HITLER and the Gestapho
Posted by: Hilly-Billy | August 24, 2008, 10:25 pm 10:25 pm
hey david now look at what you have done
THE REDNECK GANG ARE ON THE MOVE
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:27 pm 10:27 pm
Go hell with Howard Bigmouth Dean, John Loser Kerry, Teddy Murderer Kennedy, Nancy Uglyface Pelosi, and the gang that will be celebrating in Denver.
Vote for McCain!
Hillary 2012!
Posted by: Rob | August 24, 2008, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
AND NOW THE GAY COMMUNITY
GOOD NIGHT DAVID –WE WILL PROBABLY BANG HEADS AGAIN—BUT I DO HOPE YOU KEEP YOUR JOB–ME I DONT NEED ONE AND SHOULD NOT EVEN CARE .
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:36 pm 10:36 pm
“Obama’s super-stardom is not holding. His complete lack of experience, lack of good judgment and arrogance is shining through.”
Hey DNC Party leaders – are you guys nervous? Well you should be. You deserve it.
Dem for McCain
Posted by: JKan | August 24, 2008, 10:38 pm 10:38 pm
JUST CAUGHT YOU
ALTERNATE FUELS ARE THE ANSWER as the money will stay here we all would benifit–as for the surge i predicted that as the factons were coming to gether and were after the insurgents months before the surge—-i knew bush would do that as a last ditch effort to give some validity to his actions which were a lie to start with–WMD WHERE.YOU WILL LEARN A LOT MORE ABOUT MCCAIN BEFORE THE ELECTON.
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:44 pm 10:44 pm
Democrats concerned divisions on energy could cost the White House?? It ain’t just divisions on energy…it’s the fact they can’t come up with a decent candidate! The division’s are also race and gender. They have no moral values.
I know that doesn’t really matter to a lot of you, but it does to some Americans. This was your election and you will blow it again!
Posted by: Ed | August 24, 2008, 10:56 pm 10:56 pm
just maybe i know too much about mccain.
you can start with how someone that was at the bottom of his class in school – could possibly get into the naval acadamy and as a pilot which took very intelligent people only—family influence—-i would prefer if you got the rest of his true history elsewhere.
as mccain for alternate energy if you remember obama started that and mccain made fun about it –windmills is obama crazy- words right from mccains mouth.guess that is why i have called him the super parrot
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 10:57 pm 10:57 pm
davis
biden will give mccain nightmares–and he knows it–wait till he loses his temper completely.
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
David from Tex..
Yeah, man, they blew it. I told them months ago that Hillary would lose… and she did. I’m telling them now that Obama will lose. In a couple months you will see! It doesn’t even matter who McCain picks for VP!! I’m an independent and we are the ones who will determine this thing. The far left and the far right are just too far!!
Posted by: Ed | August 24, 2008, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm
david
with todays children
GOOD LUCK
GOODNIGHT
Posted by: rodney | August 24, 2008, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm
I want a windfall profit tax on all the alternative energy sources which are guaranteed to make a profit because of government subsidies.
Posted by: Sluggo | August 24, 2008, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
John McCain and Barack Obama are exactly tied at 45% in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update. There was no immediate boost to Obama’s support coincident with the announcement of Joe Biden as his running mate.
Bye Bye Obama
Posted by: Samantha | August 24, 2008, 11:12 pm 11:12 pm
The Democrat Party has made this mess! It is about energy and all the other issues we are concerned about. The Party and the Superdelegates rammed the nominee down our throats. We do not believe that he has the knowledge and the experience to lead. Having Biden prop him up still does not mean he is ready.
They were so anxious to force Hillary out way before most of the primaries had been held, so that Obama would have time to “pivot” for the general election? What a joke! He wasn’t ready then, and he is not ready now. Give us some more show business so that we might actually believe he is Presidential. He is not. We have listened to everything he has said and found him to be a real double-talker.
John McCain is the straight talker with real experience and knowledge of the issues. He is a real hero with experience that means something.
FROM THE HANOI HILTON TO THE WHITEHOUSE!
McCain ’08
Posted by: georgia | August 24, 2008, 11:27 pm 11:27 pm
“If we could change the platform to show us as centrists, it would take the wind out of the Republicans and give us momentum coming out of the convention. But many convention-goers are activists. They would not support this change.”
————————
But what is the point in electing a Democrat that will behave like a Republican? If I want a Republican in office, I will vote for the real thing.
Posted by: DennisNC | August 24, 2008, 11:57 pm 11:57 pm
Why ruin the environment any more drilling everywhere? The BIG oil companies have said that instead of them being satisfied with making a “reasonable” profit (and curbing their greed) they would put more of that (than last year) into finding other means of energy. I’ve noticed nothing.Maybe it’s time that every home possible shoule have a wind turbine and solar panel via oil companies.
Posted by: drowningamerican | August 25, 2008, 12:10 am 12:10 am
The republican/democrat thing is a gimic anymore. I agree with “sluggo” It’s all Americans going down unless we harshly deal with the serious issues like big business and CEO’s only in it for huge profits. Gov’t payments and spending needing to be revamped from the top, down.Way out of control, and obvious,but no one high up has the balls to begin dealing with this mess.
Posted by: get-real-people | August 25, 2008, 12:55 am 12:55 am
Barack Obama & Nancy Pelosi deep down love high gas prices to appease their environmental supporters.
They are so out of touch with middle America.
Posted by: John from FL | August 25, 2008, 1:06 am 1:06 am
rodney I may not end up voting McCain but I disagree with you about McCain’s intelligence. Obama wasn’t pulling very good grades in varied schools either but one of the differences is that McCain, himself, is always bringing up his fourth at the bottom of the class in his sometimes self-deprecating sense of humor. McCain is supposedly a voracious reader and doesn’t just read the funnies but has been a Niebuhr reading guy himself as Obama has. McCain partied his way through school and people who are familiar with McCain
have talked about how he really would have preferred to go to someplace like Princeton but his path was already somewhat set for him. Stories we’ve heard about him in pilot school would indicate his learning style is probably more hands-on then someone like an Obama and his presentation, as we saw at Saddleback, is clearly the direct opposite of Obama. Neither his place in school, learning style nor way he articulates himself says anything about his intelligence. One of the things clearly many like about McCain and sometimes fear about Obama is that McCain is clearly more of a doer and Obama more a thinker. Obama talks about bi-partisan work yet McCain has the record; Obama talks about seeing merit in opposing viewpoints and again McCain’s positions on some issues such as global warming and immigration are more in line with the Democrats; Obama talks about sticking up to one’s party and yet McCain has the record. At Saddleback when Obama was asked about bi-partisan work he gave two examples and one included work he’d done with McCain and he pointed out that they both
were not popular with their respective
parties at the time as a result. Whereas
McCain can reel off a laundry list of examples of bi-partisan work and having bbeen in opposition to his own party.
I think these two have very different styles in almost every capacity and that isn’t a good or bad rather they are just different. I don’t think though that you can underestimate McCain’s intelligence though.
Posted by: alpaig52 | August 25, 2008, 1:13 am 1:13 am
i cannot believe that obama chose biden. in fact , the two together obama/biden, sounds like osama bin laden. give me a damn break. hillary should have won the democratic nomination, as the dnc via howard dean, chose to steal her delegates and give them to osama. what a rip off. add two more dems, me and my sis, are not going to vote this year, as there is no choice to be made, hillary is not in the election…..god help denver…look out..
Posted by: carlasue | August 25, 2008, 1:47 am 1:47 am
Some Obama ads try to paint John McCain as a “Big Oil” guy… the truth of the matter is Obama’s policies make Obama a “Big Foreign Oil” guy… it’s Obama’s (Democrats) policies that have us so dependent on foreign oil… and only now that’s it’s becoming clear they’re going to lose votes because of it they start to “consider” domestic drilling. So let’s not forget who got us into the energy mess we’re in.
http://www.UpYoursObama.com
Posted by: Up Yours Obama | August 25, 2008, 4:03 am 4:03 am
What will they do if there is no post convention bounce due to more Hillarians moving away from Big O?
Posted by: Obama-Yah-Wright | August 25, 2008, 4:27 am 4:27 am
wow, osama bin biden is expecting at least a 10% bump in the polls afte the convention….doubt it….he really, and royally screwed up. hillary made her mark on this election…our voices will be heard….look out denver.
Posted by: carlasue | August 25, 2008, 4:39 am 4:39 am
Yea geevill if you think McCain cares about the average american family unless yours are one of the ones that earn 5 mill a year, you sure need to think again. McCain’s too busy deciding which of the seven dining tables he will eat at!!!!!
Posted by: merle7 | August 25, 2008, 6:13 am 6:13 am
The MSM has become adept at generating news, rather than reporting it. Thus, I use the MSM to gather what little facts they do make an effort to report and ignore the rest. Obama/Biden 08!!!
Posted by: caliguy55 | August 25, 2008, 7:37 am 7:37 am
Nobama is the OCR (Optical character recognition)reader for the teleprompter – he as no intellegence at all. You’ll have to ask nobama’s teleprompter to find out what his energy policy is. I am also amazed that nobama chose biden for his VP, instead it should have been the “Nobama Teleprompter” ticket.
Posted by: Norman | August 25, 2008, 8:20 am 8:20 am
Look for a double digit lead by Obama at the end of the week. You heard it here first. Obama/Biden 2008!!!
Posted by: pt | August 25, 2008, 8:36 am 8:36 am
This an election that the DEMS should be winning hands down…
Bozo is wrecking it …
At this stage, polls are showing Obama-McCain at dead heat, and this right after his VP announcement.
Hope is fading for the Dems… fast …time to regroup around HRC for 2012 … abandon the OsamaBin-laden ship
Posted by: Dead Heat | August 25, 2008, 8:45 am 8:45 am
The idea of CHANGE for OBAMA is that he can keep changing at the whism and fancy of the political climate …
“BIDEN”~”The RUSSIAN forced me to it”
Posted by: "I chose BIDEN on my HAWAII vacation" | August 25, 2008, 8:52 am 8:52 am
pt, your Bozo is in the doldrums.
OBAMA = 47%
MCCAIN = 47%
That is 0 point lead
Posted by: Honey, I shrunk the lead | August 25, 2008, 8:56 am 8:56 am
“BIDEN”~”Sorry Hillary, the Georgians made me do it”
Posted by: "I chose BIDEN on my HAWAII vacation" | August 25, 2008, 8:59 am 8:59 am
Do any of you “anti Hawaii” people recall that O was born in HI???? He still has relatives there, you morons. Why wouldn’t it make sense to go home to visit?
Posted by: DublBogey | August 25, 2008, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
“…McCain can reel off a laundry list of examples of bi-partisan work and having bbeen in opposition to his own party.
I think these two have very different styles in almost every capacity and that isn’t a good or bad rather they are just different. I don’t think though that you can underestimate McCain’s intelligence though.”
Posted by: alpaig52 | Aug 25, 2008 1:13:43 AM
alpaig52, Great post!
Posted by: georgia | August 25, 2008, 12:11 pm 12:11 pm
“…when Obama was asked about bi-partisan work he gave two examples and one included work he’d done with McCain and he pointed out that they both
were not popular with their respective
parties at the time as a result. Whereas
McCain can reel off a laundry list of examples of bi-partisan work and having bbeen in opposition to his own party.
I think these two have very different styles in almost every capacity and that isn’t a good or bad rather they are just different. I don’t think though that you can underestimate McCain’s intelligence though.”
Posted by: alpaig52 | Aug 25, 2008 1:13:43 AM
alpaig52,
Great Post!
McCain ’08
Posted by: georgia | August 25, 2008, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
I am not a McCain fan, by any means. But he is right on drilling and I think the party is a day late and dollar short in addressing the issue. Americans see Democrats as obstuctionists on the issue. And most sense the Democrats position is bad for America. The debacle in the House where Pelosi allowed adjournment without at least discussing drilling really steamed me. She appeared to be afraid of even considering the issue. And I believe it was purely a partisan decision without considering what the average American thinks. So here’s the deal…I am an average American, I’m tired of being drained every time I fill the tank, I believe drilling will drive down prices and I don’t think the party cares. I will vote accordingly.
Posted by: Don | August 25, 2008, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm