Posted by
Sean on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 8:08:29 AM
Further complicating Barack Obama's attempt to attract working-class voters is his lame response to the high price of gas. The price shocks and public outrage have come so fast that not even his slick political machine has had time to convincingly pretend to care. Instead of the expected soaring oratory from Obama, we've heard mainly clumsy, incomplete, ill-informed statements on this issue.
Obama's lack of genuine sympathy aside, what is his actual position on oil? Something bold, innovative, and fitting a candidate of the future, perhaps?
But while Obama's emotional, deceptive rhetoric runs dry, an opportunity emerges for genuine reform to triumph. This is an opportunity McCain must seize to win votes, and that the Republican Party can use to repair it's image.
The energy debate particularly suits McCain, since it hits on the two biggest themes of this election: the economy and national security. While speaking about this issue, McCain can offer real reform, an economic ray of hope for all Americans, and simultaneously remind voters about national security, naturally his best issue. At a recent townhall, McCain did just that with the following words:
"America imports about one third of its oil from Canada and Mexico and no one need worry about a reliance on friendly, stable neighbors, and partners in NAFTA. The Middle East and Venezuela are a different story. We import roughly a quarter of our oil from them, and they have a disproportionate impact on world prices. When we buy foreign oil from these and other sources, there are many consequences -- all of them far-reaching and none of them good. Worst of all, by relying on foreign oil, we enrich bad actors in the world, some of whom finance terrorists.
Some in Washington seem to think that we can still persuade OPEC to lower prices -- as if reason or cajolery had never been tried before. Others have even suggested suing OPEC -- as if we can litigate our way to energy security. But America is not going to meet this great challenge as a supplicant or a plaintiff. We are not going to meet it with words at all -- we are going to meet it with action. We're going to produce more, conserve more, and invent more. And to a large extent, this strategy hinges on innovations in the cars and trucks we drive."
For conservatives, the fact that McCain has acted quickly on this issue should be encouraging. It shows that he can forcefully take up a cause conservatives are passionate about. Even on ANWR, McCain recently showed an open-mindedness with these comments:
“If people have new information or want me to review policies…no matter what those policies are, I’d be glad to review them,” he said. “People have said to me, ‘I’m going to bring you new information about ANWR, how environmentally we can make it safe.’ I’ll be glad to accept new information but my position has not changed.”
While Democrats would no doubt accuse McCain of flip-flopping, he could easily deflect that. McCain could say that he's open minded enough to have reconsidered new solutions that put the best interests of the United States first. Technology has advanced to the point that ANWR drilling can be done in an environmentally sound way, and our country has always celebrated innovation. McCain has never been one to put politics or ideology before the needs of the country, and advances in technology insure that drilling in ANWR can be done while still protecting the environment. As such, this is about getting serious, and moving forward with a real plan to become energy independent.
Also hugely impressive is McCain's idea to offer a prize for whoever comes up with the most innovative battery concept, the most creative idea put forth in the campaign thus far:
"I further propose we inspire the ingenuity and resolve of the American people by offering a $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars. This is one dollar for every man, woman and child in the U.S. -- a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency -- and should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs."
Whether McCain gets onboard with ANWR or not, the choice is still crystal clear. McCain wants agressive reform by way of additional drilling, conservation, and bold innovation. Obama wants to tax innovation, increase reliance on foreign oil, and offer zero hope of a drop in pump prices -- all wrapped up in a neat package of partisan rhetoric.