Hey, Maybe It Really *Is* All About Oil
Usually quid pro quo doesn't work quite this neatly or this quickly, but this is a special year with special candidates. Anyhoo, turns out that only days after reversing his previous position on off-shore drilling, the joint RNC-McCain fundraising committee was rewarded with ten, count 'em, ten $28,500 donations from various senior executives at the Hess Corporation, as well as a couple members of the Hess family. Nine of the contributions came on the same day.
But that's not the fun part.
Turns out a Hess office manager and her husband, an Amtrak worker, chipped in $28,000 each too. The amazingly generous couple rent their home in Flushing, Queens. They are amazingly generous. And will, I suspect, get some phone calls from interested reporters in the days to come. Who are, you know, following the money.
This fits rather neatly into Obama's first big attack ad, released just this week. About the ways in which Senator McCain is in the pocket of big oil. You can see the ad, here.
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To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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References -
fair's fair. The summary:
The ad is dishonest, so it looks like Obama must've forgot that promise of a new kind of politics. As for the office manager who gave $28,500, I hope your anger is similar to that expressed in this post. We should be consistent, no? BTW, if Alice illegally bundled or what have you, nail her (and anyone else responsible).
--"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead." -- Paris Hilton
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)Obama has to push back because for whatever reason his polls are eroding, but that only makes him look like a regular politician, which further erodes his support among those not exclusively hunting Republican scalps. It's quite a dilemma.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )Obama always pushes back when circumstances require it. He did it with Clinton, he's doing it now. There is simply no downside or dilemma to giving this big oil story the largest possible airing. It's solid gold.
As as for party loyalty? The numbers suggest that the Dems are solidly behind their candidate, more so than the GOP. Which means the 'regular politician' stuff is mostly for Repub. consumption.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )and bill is still upset with being called a racist (as is armando, er big tent).
with respect to the numbers you referenced, you need to keep up with the trend; at the momment the trend ain't favorable.
--"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." Ob
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| parent )Here.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Obama sticks the knife in with a smile. He's practically at play here. Senator McCain? He sticks the knife in by pounding it with a sledge hammer.
And that difference will sink him, given his decision to start throwing elbows. The Senate's biggest bully is about to get ju-jitsu'd. It's gonna be fun to watch.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )how will that play in the middle of PA?
--"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." Ob
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| parent )Please administer a ruling on this:
"The Senate's biggest bully" (referencing McCain)
Insult, no?
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| parent )Given the ego's at large in the Senate, Harley could equally be accused of massaging. We would need input from McCain on his reaction for a definitive ruling.
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )if Obama is seen as just another politician then all his resume lends itself to is strong party support, which ain't enough for 50%.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )Given the current poisonous political climate for Bush and all things GOP, associated as they are in the publics mind with a disastrous foreign intervention now winding down and a worryingly failed economy. The Rove math of 50%+1 will be a losing strategy when one politician is running as 'Bush light' and the other as NOT Bush.
All that remains to be seen is to what extent resistance to electing the first black president will extend beyond its natural home in the South and whether Obama has the wherewithal to weather the storm of negative advertising and press home his natural advantage of being NOT Bush.
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014234.php
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| parent ):)
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )the prevailing attitude of the community prefers that I ignore your posts.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )http://election.princeton.edu/todays-electoral-vote-histogram/
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )Oilman greases skids for McCain campaign
Looks like the Obama campaign is guilty only of making an educated guess at where the money ended up. Campaign finance reforms make this kind of thing inevitable, but we're all adults right?
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )I'll agree that fair's fair and that applies to Obama running this ad, too. When your opponent's advertising strategy is to compare you to Britney Spears, some garden variety number fudging is downright civil. I mean, has there been an election in the last 30 years where the democrat wasn't accused of wanting to raise taxes by 20 trillion?
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| parent )Good thinking, Bird Dog. Shame on her for trying to pull something like that off without the knowledge or complicity of a campaign finance crusader like McCain.
--Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. -JH
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| parent )I guess you missed the part where I said "and anyone else responsible".
--"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead." -- Paris Hilton
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| parent )Hey, whatever ameliorates the doubts you secretly harbor about the phoney Maverick you are forced to support out of ideological fealty.
A mistaken calculation. (Which no doubt does not include the recent cash from the Hess folks, btw. So a little less mistaken than you thought.) And a reduction in the corporate income tax rate -- I heartily suggest you both support and run on that, by the way -- that will net big oil a lotta fresh cash. Hey. You could run on that too.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )I endorsed McCain on November 4th, 2007, two months before Iowa and long before he was thought to have a chance.
You can harumph all you want, but it doesn't take away the dishonesty of the Obama ad.
--"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead." -- Paris Hilton
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| parent )But I'm guessing you endorsed McCain 2000. The 2008 update isn't nearly as appealing.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Just read the link.
--"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead." -- Paris Hilton
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| parent )in promulgating "energy" policy (whether prompted by all those seemingly spontaneous "individual" donations or not) might have one unanticipated side-effect: it may actually get him back in the Senate!!
Hilzoy at ObWings has the details .
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| parent )This may be a fairly bad turn for Senator McCain. Unlike some of his other hypocrisies, the press is all over this -- everybody loves a good narrative -- and Obama spent the morning talking about the Hess contributions, the timing of them, and Senator McCain's cozy relationship with big oil generally.
It's hard to see the downside in this line of attack. And I can't think of a better year for it than this one. We'll see.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )The one who received lots of money from oil company employees, or the one received lots of money from oil company employees and then complains that his opponent received lots of money from employees? I think you got your hypocrite logic all backwards. This attack by Obama will barely last a news cycle.
--"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead." -- Paris Hilton
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| parent )Roping McCain to big oil is a snap. And the Hess story is just what they needed to turbocharge the act -- as I said before, everyone loves a good story, and this one is great, including the astonishingly generous couple from Queens.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )pounded the pulpit, declared he's All Fer Drillin', based on some push poll or another. Obama says, great, I'll take a look at what some Blue Ribbon Commission (the usual pressure valve by which pols don't have to make decisions), but if you want to play Wildcatter John, you won't mind if I put you the same trick bag George Bush and Dick Cheney have been in for quite some time now.
McCain has blundered horribly. Obama will now proceed to tar him with every Rich Oil Man joke since Rockefeller's monopoly and JR was shot.
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| parent )Until the Olympics. But I agree that this may be a bigger blunder than anyone knows at the moment. A money scandal for Mr. Campaign Finance Reform? Not good. A big oil connection for the Maverick? Even worse.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )and the Keating money and all the rest of it. He's a Hero, Harley, we can't tar and feather our War Heroes. We must always be moderate and temperate and see Both Sides of These Things. If McCain wants to take oil money, well, we're busily enriching these bums every time we pull into the gas station.
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| parent )as that would be against the law.
--"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." Ob
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):)
--GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.
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| parent )I always get a really good price
--"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." Ob
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| parent )with the reference. Can you enlighten me?
Thanks.
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| parent )that calls to drill the Alaska wilderness are merely symbolic rather than sensible or substantive policy.
--Fence post turtles -- They don't get up there by themselves, some moron had to put 'em there.
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| parent )course his call was misleading, ignorant or both
in addition to great gas prices, every christmas the green & white offers great christmas presents.
--"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." Ob
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| parent )and balanced approach to energy policy and yes as a SYMBOLIC gesture to appease the screaming idiots who believe drilling solves everything.
Facts remain facts -- proper tire inflation trades out as equivalent to a large percentage of what can be gained by drilling Americas remaining oil reserves.
More drilling is mere drop in the barrel.
--Fence post turtles -- They don't get up there by themselves, some moron had to put 'em there.
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| parent )An old chestnut that happens to be true and part of almost every pol's energy comments over the last several years. Including most Republicans.
But it's just the kind of thing for the GOP to run with. Silly, vapid, and hypocritical. Heh. Appropriate sig also.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Are the republicans trying to jump on that because it reminds them of the Carter cartigan thing? Don't they understand that the situation is completely different? To start with, Obama, Carter, different public speaking styles. And job descriptions at the time of said statement.
Or are you just commenting on how it's actually true that reducing gas consumption by 5-10% would be an equivalent to a .20-.40 cent drop in the price of gas which does indeed dwarf what we'd be likely to see from adding a few drops a day of production 10 years from now.
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| parent )