Obama Response to McCain Ad
From the Obama campaign:
“On a day when major news organizations across the country are taking Senator McCain to task for a steady stream of false, negative attacks, his campaign has launched yet another. Or, as some might say, ‘Oops! He did it again.' Our dependence on foreign oil is one of the greatest challenges we face. In this election the American people have a real choice -- between Obama's plan to provide tax rebates to American families while creating a renewable energy economy in America that frees us from our dependence on foreign oil, and Senator McCain's plan to continue the same failed energy policies by handing out nearly $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies while investing almost nothing in the new energy sources that represent our future,” said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.
MCCAIN “CELEBRITY” ADWATCH
SCRIPT RESPONSE
ANNCR: He's the biggest celebrity in the world. But, is he ready to lead? With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling. REALITY: MCCAIN'S PLAN TO ALLOW DRILLING WON'T RESULT IN A DROP OF OIL FOR 7 YEARS, AND BY HIS OWN ACCOUNT WILL HAVE MAINLY A “PSYCHOLOGICAL” IMPACT, BUT WON'T AFFECT PRICES
Bush's Plan To Allow Drilling Offshore Would Take, According To Experts, At Least Seven And Probably 10 Years "Before Any Benefits Were Apparent." "President Bush proposed Wednesday to allow drilling off U.S. coastlines as part of a plan to boost oil supplies, but his plan is likely to go nowhere because of a reluctant Democratic-majority Congress, which fears environmental costs. Even if U.S. coastal waters were opened to exploration, experts agree that it would take at least seven and probably 10 years before any benefits were apparent." [McClatchy, 6/18/08]
McCain Admitted His Offshore Drilling Proposal Would Have Mostly “Psychological” Benefits, Even Though It Would Take Years to Develop. “Yesterday, McCain admitted that his offshore drilling proposal would probably have mostly ‘psychological' benefits, NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports. At a town hall in Fresno that primarily focused on energy issues, McCain was asked a question about the price of gas and the viability of various short-term solutions. ‘In the short term I'd like to give you a little relief for the summer on the gas tax,' McCain began, referring to his controversial proposal to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline. But then he made a surprisingly candid admission: ‘I don't see an immediate relief, but I do see that exploitation of existing reserves that may exist -- and in view of many experts that do exist off our coasts -- is also a way that we need to provide relief. Even though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial.'” [MSNBC's First Read]
McCain Adviser Holtz-Eakin Admitted That Increasing Domestic Oil Production Would Have No Immediate Impact On Gas Prices. According to the Los Angeles Times, McCain's senior policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin told reporters on a conference call that, “allowing new offshore drilling would have no immediate impact on supplies or gas prices. But, he said, ‘there is an important element in signaling to world oil markets that we are serious.'” [Los Angeles Times, 6/18/08]
Los Angeles Times: McCain's Plan To End The Moratorium On Offshore Drilling Is A “Worthless Suggestion” And “The Destruction Of Our Coasts Is Too High A Price To Pay For A Negligible Decrease In Gas Prices That's 20 Years Down The Road.” “President Bush and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain both recently proposed an end to the federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling. What's really needed, though, is a moratorium on worthless suggestions from politicians for lowering gas prices. GOP leaders like Bush and McCain are rolling out their own nonsensical non-solutions to the energy crisis after the Senate this month beat back an equally ridiculous attempt at gas-pump pandering by Democrats. … Enter Bush, who on Wednesday said he would end his father's 1990 presidential moratorium on most coastal drilling if Congress would lift its own, separate ban. His reasoning was so contradictory that it's a wonder he could finish his news conference without cracking up. While conceding that the long-term solution to high oil prices is to pursue alternative energy sources, he argued that "in the short run, the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil, and that means we need to increase supply." The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that even if oil companies are allowed to tap the 18 billion barrels under coastal waters that are currently off-limits, oil prices wouldn't be expected to fall until 2030. How is that a short-term solution? Coastal drilling isn't just opposed by a bunch of Prius-driving greenies from Santa Barbara. Existing moratoriums were put in place at the behest of tourism interests, fishermen, small businesses and coastal dwellers. That's because drilling in these waters benefits oil companies but causes direct economic harm to everyone else by trashing beaches, poisoning marine life and ruining views. … The destruction of our coasts is too high a price to pay for a negligible decrease in gas prices that's 20 years down the road.” [Editorial, Los Angeles Times, 6/21/08]
And, says he'll raise taxes on electricity. MCCAIN CITE: Barack Obama Told A Texas Newspaper: "What We Ought To Tax Is Dirty Energy, Like Coal And, To A Lesser Extent, Natural Gas." ("Q&A With Sen. Barack Obama," San Antonio Express-News, 2/19/08) REALITY: OBAMA'S CALL IS FOR CAP AND TRADE—WHICH MCCAIN ALSO SUPPORTS Obama Was Referencing Cap and Trade. “We couldn't find any other references to new taxes on coal or natural gas on the Obama's campaign Web site, although we found several items where Obama wants incentives for clean coal. Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the campaign, said Obama was referring to his proposal for a cap-and-trade system for global warming.” [Politifact]
McCain's Cap and Trade Position Is Similar to Those of the Democrats. “McCain's cap-and-trade position is similar to both of his liberal potential adversaries. According to his campaign Web site <http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/EnvironmentFactSheet.pdf> , Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) also supports ‘implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.'” [Business and Media, 3/19/08]
McCain Calls for Cap and Trade Mechanism to Limit Greenhouse Gases. “John McCain Proposes A Cap-And-Trade System That Would Set Limits On Greenhouse Gas Emissions While Encouraging The Development Of Low-Cost Compliance Options. A climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, similar to the successful acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism is that it allows the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance options.” [McCain Climate Change fact sheet]
REALITY: OBAMA HAS CALLED FOR A TAX CUT TO HELP FAMILIES PAY FOR RISING GAS COSTS, WILL INVEST BILLIONS IN CLEAN ENERGY Obama Will Invest $150 Billion over 10 Years in Clean Energy: Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe. [Obama Energy Plan]
Obama Would Institute A $1000 A Year Tax Cut To Middle Class Families To Help Pay For The Rising Cost Of Gas. Obama said, “We'll also take steps to reduce the price of oil and increase transparency in how prices are set so we can ensure that energy companies aren't bending the rules. And to help… families meet the rising cost of gas, we'll put a middle class tax cut in their pockets that will save them $1,000 a year, and we'll eliminate income taxes altogether for seniors making less than $50,000.” [Obama Energy Plan, 4/29/08]
Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that's the real Obama. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message. REALITY: OBAMA WILL INCREASE DOMESTIC PRODUCTION, DOUBLE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS SO WE RELY LESS ON FOREIGN FUEL, INCREASE INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLE FUELS
Obama Plan: Require Oil Companies to Use Existing Drilling Leases: “The 68 million acres of stockpiled leases have the potential to produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil each day. This would nearly double total U.S. oil production. The Obama plan would force oil and gas companies to either produce or pay a fee on unused federal onshore and offshore leases they are stockpiling.” [Obama Energy Plan <http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/> ]
Obama Would Double Fuel Economy Standards Within 18 Years. Obama has developed an innovative approach to double fuel economy standards within 18 years while protecting the financial future of domestic automakers. His plan, which will save nearly a half trillion gallons of gasoline and 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2028, will establish concrete targets for annual CAFE increases while giving industry the flexibility to meet those targets. Obama's innovative approach broke through a 20 year deadlock in Congress and is the basis for bipartisan legislation that passed the Senate this year. [Obama Energy Fact Sheet]
Factcheck.org: Obama Proposed Spending $150 Billion To Develop “A Variety Of New Energy Technologies” Eight Months Before McCain First Mentioned His $300 Million Car Battery Prize. Factcheck.org wrote, “And far from saying ‘no to innovation,' Obama has proposed spending $150 billion over 10 years to develop a variety of new energy technologies, specifically including advanced biofuels, ‘clean coal' technology, and wind and solar technologies. We find no specific reference to electric-car research, but we also find no evidence that Obama is opposed to developing electric cars. Furthermore, Obama laid out this $150 billion proposal in a speech on Oct. 8, 2007. That is more than eight months before McCain first mentioned his $300 million car-battery prize on June 23. Readers may judge for themselves which candidate is more aggressive about promoting energy innovation.” [Factcheck.org, 6/26/08]
Obama Will Invest In Developing the Next Generation of Biofuels.
Barack Obama will work to ensure that advanced biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, are developed and incorporated into our national supply as soon as possible. Corn ethanol is the most successful alternative fuel commercially available in the U.S. today, and we should fight the efforts of big oil and big agri-business to undermine this emerging industry. But it represents only a drop in the bucket of our energy demands and making ethanol from corn has some significant limitations. Today we produce about 5 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol per year while we use about 140 billion gallons of gasoline. Even if we are able to double – or even triple – production of ethanol from corn this will still offset only about 10 percent of our gasoline demand. There are also real concerns about bringing set aside lands into corn production as well as concerns about an increase in the use of pesticides, water use and upward pressure on the cost of food for people and livestock alike. These constraints reveal the scope and scale of our energy and environmental challenges. Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013. Obama will also work to improve the national supply of advanced biodiesel. From here the Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Fund will speed the deployment of multiple facilities. [Obama Energy Plan]
