CNN is reporting that Dems have decided to completely lift the ban on offshore drilling. W-T-F?

[garybeck]

Remember last week when the House passed a new energy bill, allowing limited offshore drilling, but only 50 miles offshore or more?

Here we go again.

Tuesday CNN reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a month-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.

Republicans have made lifting the ban a key campaign after gasoline prices spiked this summer and public opinion turned in favor of more drilling. President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling in July.

"If true, this capitulation by Democrats following months of Republican pressure is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gasoline prices," said House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio.

Democrats had clung to the hope of only a partial repeal of the drilling moratorium, but the White House had promised a veto, Obey said.

Just last week, the House passed legislation to open waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to oil and gas drilling but only 50 or more miles out to sea and only if a state agrees to energy development off its shore.

Republicans called that effort a sham that would have left almost 90% of offshore reserves effectively off-limits.

The Interior Department estimates there are 18 billion barrels of recoverable oil beneath coastal waters now off-limits.

Lifting the drilling ban gives considerable momentum to the underlying bill, which includes the Pentagon budget, $24 million in aid for flood and hurricane victims and $25 billion in loans for Detroit automakers in addition to keeping the government open past the Oct. 1 start of the 2009 budget year.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/23/news/economy/offshore_drilling.ap/index.htm

Can I just say... What The Fuck? A 25 year ban on offshore drilling is going to end with the democrats in charge of congress, just because they're afraid of a little veto?

They won't do anything about the speculators, which supposedly are the real problem, but they'll lift the ban on drilling.

This is ri-fucking-diculous!

[Greyskye]

1. Link?

[garybeck]

3. I added it to the OP. thanks. n/t

[bluestateguy]

2. If we win this election, it will not matter

The Congress and president still have to authorize new drilling.

[garybeck]

5. wha?

if they lift the ban, isn't that authorizing? the article also says bush already lifted the presidential ban.

[Mind_your_head]

4. Don't believe everything you read. A lot of it is "floating an idea"

to see how much resistance/acceptance it gets.

So, if you don't like it, call/write ~ get like minded people to do the same ~ resist and/or applaud. THAT.IS.PART.OF.BEING.A.CITIZEN (versus just a consumer or constituent). CITIZENS are active participants/contributors ~ in thought and deeds/actions.

Peace to all my fellow Citizens,
M_Y_H

[garybeck]

7. Wake up, this is not "floating an idea"

when the appropriations committee chairman says they "WILL" do something, it's not "floating an idea."

The dems in congress have capitulated on many things so this really is not a surprise.

And I don't need the preachy lecture on what it means to be a citizen, thank you. I've written plenty of emails, made plenty of calls on plenty of issues. I've spent thousands of hours doing this shit and every so often then throw us a bone but most of the time we're hitting our heads against the wall.

I like your positive attitude but I think you need a shot of reality. Committee Chairmen don't "float ideas" by saying they "will" do something.

[ColbertWatcher]

9. True, this may be another thing ...

... the Dems are forcing GOPhers to pick a side on right before an election.

[garybeck]

11. can you explain, by giving in to what the Republicans want to do, how is this

"forcing them to pick a side right before an election."

somehow I'm missing part of your argument.

[ColbertWatcher]

14. It hasn't passed yet. Only the house passed it.

The Senate has to agree to it.

I know it's a long shot, but they still have to choose.

I'm hoping there is a loophole.

[garybeck]

22. I still don't see your point, how this forces the Repblicans to do anything

we already know they support offshore drilling and they will vote that way in every case. this doesn't force them to do anything

[Chan790]

28. It just stole McCain's energy policy.

His policy can no longer be to "rescind the ban on offshore drilling." He'll have to find a new policy. In the meanwhile...nobody is going to drill or even begin to make plans to drill until after the election. No matter what happens, a bill to restore the ban will be brought after the election.

Nothing really changed here. Bush would have vetoed it, McCain (on the off-chance he wins) will veto it. Obama will sign a new ban once a bill is sent to him.

[garybeck]

32. those are some pretty risky assumptions

first, I fail to see why this changes anything politically. McCain will still say he's for drilling and the dems are against it. When was the last time he actually spoke the truth anyway?

and to assume that Obama is going to win, so we can let it expire now and make a new ban after, that is like playing with dynamite.

Didn't you ever see the movie Bad News Bears? Do you know what happens when you ASSUME?

Making any kind of plans based on the assumption that the election will go a particular way is not a good plan.

[FrenchieCat]

6. The ban expires. Nothing was passed.

Democrats are only being given credit because they have the leadership.

I think the Democrats have a better argument to make with the ban lifted. Because now voters will have to choose whether they want rigs right up to their coastline or if they want to do something about that. It reverses the argument and will make it harder for the GOP to demand that the Ban be kept.....because Democrats can now run offering a broader and more comprehensive energy bill (a message heard over and over in the T. Boone ad campaign). Meanwhile, the Pugs don't have an issue, since all they want to do is drill, and they can do that now. My understanding is that the oil companies didn't necessarily want to drill offshore more, but rather it was a concocted issue for the Repugs to run on. They can't run on that issue as they had envisioned anymore. I think it is a savy move on the part of the Democrats.....especially considering that they had ran out of time anyway....especially with the Wall Street shit hitting the fan.



By lapsing, the issue will gain greater prominence in the presidential election because it will be up to the next president and Congress to decide whether to renew all or part of the ban, which first was imposed in 1981 to put much of the California coast off-limits to new rigs and expanded to much of the rest of the US coast in 1985.

"This next election will decide what our drilling policy will be," said Representative David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain, like Bush, has urged lifting the ban entirely, while Democratic nominee Barack Obama has said that he would consider limited offshore drilling as part of a broader energy-policy compromise.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/24/democrats_to_let_longtime_ban_on_offshore_drilling_expire/

[garybeck]

10. I think that tactic is flawed, not savvy

Not extending the ban is lifting the ban. It doesn't matter who gets elected if this goes into the 2009 budget. Why lift the ban when the election is an unknown and the Presidential ban has already been lifted. And you think for a second that the oil companies don't want to drill where there's 18 billion gallons of oil? I disagree with the idea that letting it expire puts it into the hands of the voters. Now that BOTH sides have agreed to lift the ban, there's no choice to make on this anyway. Now if the Dems stuck to it, and a veto followed, then we would see there's a choice. Now, there is no choice. they all want to lift the ban.

[struggle4progress]

17. Because if they had tried to extend it, it would simply have been vetoed

as would any attempt to modify it. And naturally, the Dems aren't itching for a big public brawl that they would lose, just a month before the election. So, since we don't have a veto proof majority, it's our bad luck the moratorium expires this year

[garybeck]

23. so this means their tactic until the election is to cave on every issue

so the republicans can't use it against them?


they call this sacrificing your principles for politics. it stinks, it sucks, and it's not what we elected them to do.

and worse yet, the entire thing could backfire. the theory is, just give in to everything and then we can fix it all after we win the election.

Well what happens if you don't win the election? You just caved in to everything and now you can't fix it.

[struggle4progress]

38. That's completely nonresponsive to anything I actually wrote

[speakclearly]

39. Punt

The Dems in Congress are getting "hammered" at home in their districts for opposing drilling. It is killing them on the energy issue and on the economy in general. They want the focus off this issue. Over 2/3 of the public is supportive of drilling, and opposing it looks like they aren't listening to the public. They don't want to vote for drilling, and can't vote against drilling, so they are simply "punting".

It may be "gutless", but it is politics. It ain't beanbag. And they will do it on every issue that they need to until after the election. Then, depending on how the voting goes, they can "revisit" the issue. They can add the ban as a rider to some other innocuous bill and just hope the public doesn't notice it, or forgets by the next election.

Pelosi can "stand tall" on the issue, but those standing tall usually get shot in a war. And this is war.

[curious one]

8. At the moment Dems should pick and choose their battles. Besides they can change it after getting

the majority without Joe liarman.

[garybeck]

12. Remember what happens when you "ASSUME"

making huge decisions like this based on the assumption that they can change it back after the election because they're going to win the presidency or increase their majority in the Senate, is NOT smart.

[JDPriestly]

13. Why bother to vote for these people?

The Democrats talk big and then back down. Why bother?

[liberalla]

15. They threatened to SHUTDOWN the federal government

I just heard this on MSNBC:

"A threatened shutdown of the federal government over the issue finally forced Democrats to back down."


Edit to add:

Democrats concede, will end offshore drilling ban
By H. JOSEF HEBERT – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the time being at least, congressional Democrats appear to be conceding in the standoff with Republicans over more offshore oil drilling as they prepare to let a quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts fall by the wayside.

snip

"Democrats know we cannot afford to shut down the government over this," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

House and Senate Democrats for days have been working closely to try to craft a stopgap spending bill that could pass both chambers. Pelosi and Reid made clear through spokesmen late Tuesday that the issue of offshore drilling would be revisited next year as part of broader energy legislation with a new president and Congress.

more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gB6bi0EyTozdEPy0KGisTQNaS2PQD93CUKU00

[garybeck]

21. i'm sick and tired of them caving in due to a threat of a veto or "shutting down the government."

this is bs.

face it, it's a political move, and a whimpy one at that. they are afraid that mccain will slam the democrats for being against offshore drilling. so they sacrificed their principles for politics.

[riverdeep]

16. The Dems caved, plain and simple.

You can argue it was a smart move or not, but let's call it what it is. What this comes down to is public ignorance. Most of the public was brainwashed into the 'drill, drill, drill' line and really believe that it's going to lower their gas prices in the near future. There is still overwhelming support for offshore drilling. It's really a factor of a distracted or apathetic public combined with the power of near monopoly media not doing their job in presenting corrections to factual errors.

Combine that with the Republicans threat of shutdown and being so close to the election and the long history of caves over highly important issues where the Dems actually had public backing, and the cave could be seen coming down 5th avenue.

[WilliamPitt]

18. They could "decide to allow" free public access to a time machine on the DC Mall.

Doesn't mean there will be folks going to DC tomorrow so they can have themselves a picnic yesterday. :) ;)

Sometimes you have to say boneheaded stuff to win elections. When they start drafting contracts to build drilling platforms off Sanibel, then I'll be ready to make some noise.

This? South Texas and Louisiana voters whose local economy would benefit greatly from offshore drilling gigs. Every little bit helps, especially in the House and Senate races.

[Democat]

19. Democrats are good at stealing defeat from the jaws of victory!

They have been doing it since Clinton was president at least, why are you surprised now?

[garybeck]

24. Why is it that the best parts of the bill get taken out at the last minute?

I really is disgusting.

[jayfish]

30. This Is A Tactical Victory.

We get to take the issue off the table and in the process show that the Thugs are even bigger liars then they are now. The price of gas at the pump is not going to go anywhere because of this and soon people are going to be asking the Republicans what happened.

Jay

[madrchsod]

20. no one is going to drill in the ocean tomorrow.

drilling off the coast of the usa is years away from ever happening. much to do about nothing

[Subdivisions]

25. From what I understand, the ban that has been in place banning

off-shore drilling will simply be allowed to expire in a couple weeks or so.

[garybeck]

27. right, but the original bill extended the ban

a valid question is, how many times in the 25 year ban has it been extended.

regardless, they had the extension/modification in the bill and then they dropped it because they are whimps.

what they don't realize is that this will not give them the political leverage they think it will. the repubnikans will still say the democrats don't want to drill, regardless of what happens with this bill. So they cave in, and they lose on the issue too.

[dana_b]

26. bend over, Dems, bend over

who cares if the oceans are polluted? They only supply a large percentage of the population with food. Animals living there? Who gives damn! hey - they don't have souls anyway, right?? who cares if they suffocate in the waste that's leaked??

[garybeck]

29. they've bent over so many times they might as well just stay in that position.

n/t

[alfredo]

31. This takes away a campaign issue for the Reps. Not much damage can

be done between now and Jan 2009. It's better to do this now and win, than to stand firm, lose the election, and have Pres McPalin.

[garybeck]

33. I disagree

McCain is a compulsive liar and will continue to say he's the only one that wants to drill and the dems don't want to drill, regardless of what this bill says.


they could have gone after the speculators who are really responsible for the surge in oil prices. but no, instead we have to play some kind of risky political game by caving in so we take an issue away from them, and hope that we win so we can fix the mess we created after the election. that is a stupid and risky plan.

McCain will continue to make this a wedge issue regardless, and what happens if Obama doesn't win?

You're not supposed to sacrifice principles for politics, but that's exactly what this is, and it could easily backfire.

[FrenchieCat]

34. The Dems will win.

The ban lifts automatically.
This takes the Drill debate off the table,
so "Drill, baby Drill" doesn't mean anything,
because they can drill if they want to....
but they don't really want to.
This will demonstrate that allowing offshore drilling
doesn't lower gas prices.

This is a win for Dems,
and if you can't see that
then you are one of those
who doesn't want to understand,
you just want congress to do what you demand,
without any thought to the realities on the ground.

This is not caving.
This is strategy.

I realize that the Dems don't have a good track record on Strategy,
but I believe that they have finally figured things out.....

They are playing it smart.

Meanwhile the Republicans are fucked.
They don't have an issue to whine about.
It's been taken off the table.

[garybeck]

35. I've seen that movie before.... 4 years ago. n/t

[alfredo]

36. Nothing can prevent him from lying, but I think Obama's team has cast

enough doubt on McCain's credibility that those charges won't stick.

[garybeck]

37. the charges do stick, even if they're not true

repitition of a lie makes it true

turn on the radio, it's all over the place. my UPS delivery man has it blasting every time he comes to my house

[alfredo]

40. Those who listen to that shit weren't going to vote for a black man anyway.

[EFerrari]

41. They're betting the farm on the election.

I don't think that's a good idea. :(