How To Respond To The Republican and Big Oil Lies About Gas Prices

The Republicans and their shady front groups are trying to shirk responsibility for high gas prices and trying to blame Democrats. The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has a point by point rebuttal to the GOP lies and obfuscations. The Republican "plan" is more of the same-- more of exactly what has gotten us into the current mess-- and based on the same exact "reasoning:" kowtowing to the GOP paymasters at Big Oil. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Big Oil has "donated" $220,438,183 to federal politicians (75% to Republicans and most of the rest to hacks and shills from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party). Believe me, Big Oil isn't shelling out that kind of money because they feel "patriotic." Those are, by any definition except a Congress' that is permitted to make their own definitions, bribes. And Republicans have responded-- and it costs us every time we fill up our cars. This year, Big Oil's biggest recipient is, surprise: John McCain, a slimy political hack who first came on the national scene as part of the Keating Five, taking massive bribes from a wealthy banker friend, bribes that wound up costing taxpayers several billion dollars when the bank McCain was covering up for went belly up.

But McCain isn't the only politician Big Oil is bankrolling. They are spending tens of millions of dollars trying to get subservient Republicans elected across the country. One right-wing hack who dances to their tune is Ohio's Kirk Schuring. Big Oil is his 4th biggest source of campaign contributions. And, predictably, he has come up with an energy "plan" which looks suspiciously like it was written by the same Big Oil lobbyists who are writing his campaign checks.

The 6-page pdf from the Select Committee on Energy Independence, linked above, has all the thorough answers to Big Oil and their GOP puppets like Schuring. But Schuring's Democratic opponent, state Rep. John Boccieri, knows that few people are going to wade through this document. His response to Schuring and ExxonMobil's lobbyists is my favorite campaign ad so far this week. Take a look:



And John Boccieri isn't the only honest man explaining that there is no chance America can drill its way to lower gas prices. An OpEd in today's NY Times gives it to you from T. Boone Pickens point of view. He implies that fellow Texan George Bush is a "fraud" or at least offering fraudulent energy policies.

This is a political parable for the ages: the guy who was behind one of the knockout punches to John Kerry four years ago is now doing Democrats the biggest favor of the election by calling Republicans on their phony energy campaign.

“Totally misleading” is the way Pickens describes Republican attempts to convince the public that if we just opened up all these forbidden areas to oil drilling then gas prices would fall. He’s not against new drilling, but he is honest enough to say it wouldn’t do anything.

Republicans are furious at their longtime benefactor. Senator John McCain is currently running an ad in which he directly blames Barack Obama for $4-a-gallon gas at the pump-- as bogus a claim as anything yet made in 2008.

Then along comes Pickens, Texas oilman and billionaire corporate raider, overwhelming the McCain attack with a saturation message that has the added value of being true, as Henry Kissinger once said about another matter.

Pickens was a geologist before he found a deep pool of money, so when he says “the geology just isn’t there” to reduce oil imports through new drilling in offshore areas, he has some cred.

But, more importantly, Pickens is betting $10 billion in constructing what he says will be the world’s largest wind farm in the gusts of West Texas. If the mighty winds of the American midsection were harnessed, it could free up plentiful natural gas for vehicles-- a relatively quick step away from foreign oil.

OHIO STATE SENATOR JOHN BOCCIERI IS GOING TO BE A CONGRESSMAN-- BYE BYE RALPHIE

CNN is reporting what no one doubted would happen before the end of the year: another Ohio Republican, 82 year old Ralph Regula, will be retiring at the end of the session. As first reported here last June, the Ohio Democratic Party is firmly behind John Boccieri. The 16th CD-- just south of Cleveland and Akron and taking in Medina, Stark (and the city of Canton) and most of Ashland counties leans Republican, bust less and less in recent years. Bush won with 54% of the vote against Kerry (if the votes were counted properly) but both Governor Ted Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown racked up substantial victories in the district last year, convincing the DCCC that OH-16 is a great shot for a takeover.

Regula has been bitter and disconsolate ever since Jerry Lewis stole the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee out from under him. Regula's voting record is tragic-- pure, unadultered rubber stamp, something one would expect from a member of Mitt Romney's "whip team." On Iraq Regula has never differed with the Bush Regime-- not even once. And now that he's finally retiring... he says he wants to be a cowboy.

Regula's son Dickie was supposed to inherit the seat but he lost an election as a Stark County Commissioner and he is no longer considered a viable candidate for elective office. A vicious GOP primary is expected between two far right nutcases, State Senator Kirk Schuring and Ashland County Commissioner Matt Miller. Schuring is an anti-choice fanatic and a typical crooked pol. Both have reputations as pathetic hacks and neither is well regarded. Many Republicans in the district particularly detest the overly ambitious Miller because he ran a vicious primary campaign against Regula last year and had already declared he would oppose him again this year. Senator Boccieri is a major in the Ohio Air Force Reserve and is currently stationed in Iraq.

TWO STATE SENATORS SQUARE OFF IN OHIO 16-- BUT REGULA IS STILL BREATHING

John Boccieri and Gov. Strickland

We've mentioned before that doddering, senile old Ralph Regula (R-OH) is near the end of his trail, at least politically, and that he would probably retire "soon." He was hoping, like so many self-entitled Inside the Beltway hacks, to leave his district to his son, Richard. But the son was defeated in his attempt to be re-elected to the Stark County Board of Commissioners last year, short-circuiting that notion. Among the Democrats getting thinking of running in OH-16 are State Sen. John Boccieri, Alliance at-large Councilman Steve Okey, Canton councilman Bill Smuckler, and Ohio appeals court judge Scott Gwin.

The district leans Republican. Bush won in 2000 and 2004 with, respectively 53% and 54% and last year Regula won re-election to his 18th term with 59% of the vote (his smallest percentage in many years). Saturday's Beacon Journal makes it clear that Republicans are losing patience with Regula. Democrats are already coalescing around Senator Boccieri who has officially announced his challenge and is being backed by popular Governor Ted Strickland.

The wingnut most likely to throw Regula under the bus is a right-wing, anti-choice state Senator named Kirk Schuring. He doesn't have the cajones to challenge Regula in a primary but he says he wants to be ready in case... something happens (Regula is about to turn 83). He can expected to be a rubber stamp nonentity for a Bush/Cheney-like agenda. People who think America has been going in the wrong direction need to look in other directions than Schuring.

Today's L.A. Times published a poll reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the tepid response the Democratic majorities have had to the excesses of the Bush Regime. Democrats are sick and tired of symbolic, non-binding votes and are fed up with "impeachment is off the table." Most people are aware Bush is far and aware the worst occupant the White House has ever had. Voters repudiated him last November and elected majorities in both houses and now they expect results. A vote for Schuring would, of course, be a vote for more Bush. What about John Boccieri? He says things have to change and local Ohio bloggers seemed excited about him running. He's not some slimy Inside the Beltway Cheney-Dem and is opposed to Bush/Emanuel/Hoyer corporate trade legislation. He was deployed to Iraq 3 times as part of the Air Force Reserve so it's less likely that the GOP Cowardly Chicken Hawk Brigade will be able to swiftboat him successfully-- not that they won't try-- but we need to find out his stand on the occupation. (In his annoucement speech yesterday he called for an end to the occupation.)