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Obama Speaks on Energy in Lansing, MI
Obama delivered a speech today at the Lansing Center near Michigan State University. It's an excellent outline of his energy policies and does a nice job of tying in some economy themes as well. More importantly, he speaks to his recent willingness to consider offshore drilling and his reasoning:
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080804/ELECTIONS01/80804004
So, there will be those out there will be profoundly disappointed in Obama's position on this issue. There will be others who take this opportunity to jump out and point and scream "flip flopper!" But, Obama does appear to be showing consistency in how he intends to govern, doesn't he? He is indeed a pragmatist. And he will support solutions to problems that ensure progress on an issue, even if it means sacrificing some ground on his position going in. He has the ability and willingness to compromise. Can we live with that? Will our personal ideologies and our own commitment to specific issues leave room for any compromise on those issues? Here's the link to the full article for those who are interested to the details:But the truth is, none of these steps will come close to seriously reducing our energy dependence in the long-term. We simply cannot pretend, as Senator McCain does, that we can drill our way out of this problem. We need a much bolder and much bigger set of solutions. We have to make a serious, nationwide commitment to developing new sources of energy and we have to do it right away. Last week, Washington finally made some progress on this. A group of Democrat and Republican Senators sat down and came up with a compromise on energy that includes many of the proposals I've worked on as a Senator and many of the steps I've been calling for in this campaign. It's a plan that would invest in renewable fuels and batteries for fuel-efficient cars, help automakers re-tool, and make a real investment in renewable sources of energy. Like all compromises, this one has its drawbacks. It includes a limited amount of new offshore drilling, and while I still don't believe that's a particularly meaningful short-term or long-term solution, I am willing to consider it if it's necessary to actually pass a comprehensive plan. I am not interested in making the perfect the enemy of the good - particularly since there is so much good in this compromise that would actually reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080804/ELECTIONS01/80804004
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Comments (3)
I'm not disappointed. They're going to drill, whether they find anything or not, and I'd rather have a pragmatic moderate in office when they drill than another tool of the oil industry.
August 4, 2008 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
You have to work across the aisle, and there will be give and take. Also it could be easier to get Obama's healthcare though if he compromises a bit here and there.
Remember how Barack handled the RBC, he had enough votes to split Michigan 50-50, but decided to give a little to get a broader consensus.
Obama isn't going to get his 60 senate seats, and if he did the blue dogs would probably cause problems for him anyways. He's going to have to work with the GOP, and will get a helluva lot more done if he does rather than fighting them tooth and nail for everything.
August 4, 2008 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's not to love about a Machiavellian maybe? Obama didn't say that he would promote off-shore drilling; rather he said he would consider it. To consider is not to commit.
August 4, 2008 9:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
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