The Real McCain: Coming Up Short On Energy Alternatives

The latest video from Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films lobs a key inquiry at John McCain, "Why won't McCain require oil companies to pursue alternate energy?" The answer, of course, is that his campaign is full up with funders, minders, and cronies who have carried water for oil companies. Which is why it is hardly surprising that the Center for Responsive Politics found "that McCain has accepted over $1 million from the oil and gas industry."

McCain's commitment to energy independence and alternatives has a mean streak of inconsistency, broken promises, and bizarre breaks of reality. It was McCain, for instance, that talked up the benefits of wind power in the shadow of a wind energy plant even though he had voted against the legislation that would have helped the wind alternative flourish. It was McCain that recently flipped positions on the matter of offshore drilling, which is sure to delight the residents of the state of Florida. And it was McCain who recently went on the Today show, possessed of the belief that "magic superbatteries" were coming to save American motorists by November.

And most recently, he's offered up a critical flip-flop on the issue of the windfall profits tax:

May 5th, 2008: "I don't like obscene profits being made anywhere-and I'd be glad to look not just at the windfall profits tax-that's not what bothers me-but we should look at any incentives that we are giving to people, that or industries or corporations that are distorting the market."

McCain today: "So what does Senator Obama support in energy policy? Well, for starters he supported the energy bill of 2005 - a grab-bag of corporate favors that I opposed. And now he supports new taxes on energy producers. He wants a windfall profits tax on oil, to go along with the new taxes he also plans for coal and natural gas. If the plan sounds familiar, it's because that was President Jimmy Carter's big idea too - and a lot of good it did us. Now as then, all a windfall profits tax will accomplish is to increase our dependence on foreign oil, and hinder exactly the kind of domestic exploration and production we need. I'm all for recycling - but it's better applied to paper and plastic than to the failed policies of the 1970's."

With an energy message that incoherent, the fact that the only constant in the McCain camp are so many oil company shills should be of particular concern.

Comments

[ozmagic]

I agree. Same prob. in OZ. Oil,coal, yea i trust u bcoz that is more profitable than free sun. lol, Its why Sun microsystems founder, forget his name, and his investment in big time California solar farms is an excellent idea. Anyone notice that rich oil billionaire just bought a crap load of wind farm development space.

[KillTheMessenger]

"McCain's commitment to energy independence and alternatives has a mean streak of inconsistency, broken promises, and bizarre breaks of reality."

And I thought he was inconsistent and unreal on EVERY issue. Silly me.

[orianna]

the failing dollar is the reason for the escalating gas prices.... Ask any economist or oil/gas exec in the know....fixing the dollar will solve that problem... and ending the war and kicking out the lobbyists and scum that permeate Bush's Washington will begin to help us solve the dollar problem. McCain's twisted and partial solution is to mask 'consumer relief' by letting oil companies burst with new profits through damaging our American coastlines. It is scandalous....iresponsible... GOP failure at work!!!

It is the dollar not the lack of oil that is causing the gas prices.... spread the word!!!!

[KillTheMessenger]

Who are you working for? Exxon?

[strick9]

personally i don't want the oil companies to develop alternative energy. why give control of these sources of energy to the same people that have been exploiting us for all these years.

[incontempt]

Fix oil the proper way democrats....expose the reason why we are here, LOUDLY

Tell the truth, loud and publicly to the people... this whole run up in fuel prices is a scam on the world by WALLSTREET and the GOP, they fanangled the trading rules to allow purchase of dry contracts!!...that means they don't need to take delivery of purchase...they just hold the paper.

To STOP high price of oil.....RESTRICT TRADING TO "WET" CONTRACTS only....IF YOU BUY YOU MUST TAKE DELIVERY OF OIL.

[incontempt]

http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/08/enron_and_todays_oil_and_gas_p.html

An explanation of what is happening ,why and who is responsible.

[KillTheMessenger]

Tell me how you are going to restrict the trading in non-American markets and I am all with you. Since you can't, I call your idea "dead on arrival".

[jethrock]

McCancer goes Nuclear

[Davwbaird]

This is just really awful.

[leduck]

everyone is going to come up short on alternative enrgy

there is nothing out there that packs the same punch as oil

[KillTheMessenger]

There is no need to pack the same punch as oil. Unless one is building a plane or a battle tank or heavy construction equipment, one can get away with almost an order of magnitude less energy density. Like that in a battery, for instance. We have to focus on what we need, not on how we like to idle 500hp engines in stop and go traffic.

[PioneerKing]

Once again the addlepated John McCain opens his mouth and nothing but mindless blather comes out. Every time McCain speaks it is justification of the reason he ranked in the bottom 1% of his class.

McCain has yet to articulate anything substantive - for all of his years in Washington he still comes across as a ignorant cipher.

Too bad for the republican party that McCain is the best that they could do - McCain is so addlepated he makes GW Bush seem like a real genius.

[realtalk]

McCAIN is selling a bunch of bull, a chevron CEO on CNN just said that no one knows if there is even any oil off the coast of Florida, or California, to be drilled, AND do we really need to be drilling in California where we have a fault line, and are prone to earthquakes, and could possibly result in a sunami.

[realtalk]

I CANNOT BELIEVE ANYONE IS GOING TO VOTE FOR McCAIN, THIS MAN IS A FOOL. EVERYTIME I READ SOMETHING ABOUT HIS LIES, AND FLIP-FLOPS, I JUST WANT TO SCREAM!! SOMEONE FIRE JOHN McCAIN PLEASE, HE IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB!!!!

[jay1975]

"Why won't McCain require oil companies to pursue alternate energy?" Becuase we are supposed to be in a free country right. I hear a lot of talk about Bush taking away the rights of the country and her citizens. How is this any different? The government should not require any company to do anything other than produce their goods and follow the laws.

[gage]

Exactly. This term is way over-used, but Greenwald is a fascist.

[Phil123]

Obama's only plan for energy is to raise taxes on "Big Oil." That's it.

How will this lower prices? Doesn't he understand basic economics?

[christieZ]

Also investing in alternative energy and forcing auto makers to up fuel efficiency standards will decrease demand and lower prices. Obama is also proposing these things. Read up.

[Phil123]

When auto companies are "forced to up fuel efficiency standards," do you think that they will pay for this by not making a profit? Or do you think that the cost of doing this will necesarily be passed along to the consumer?

[RememberTheAlamo]

Hi All!

That Ad cracks me up . . . nobody believes that oil companies should search for "alternatives" . . . The 1st rule of business . . . "stick to what you do best" . . . The second rule is "adapt".

Makes McCain look good!

Innovation rarely comes from big slow companies (You all in Southern CA know this!) . . . Innovation comes from spirited, nimble, passionate and incented players.

How do we "force" oil companies to be nimble and spirited about alterntive energy? . . . You don't!

You solve it like McCain has been suggesting . . . lower business taxes on small businesses . . . and take it a step further ... zero taxes on any profits from a company generating at least 40% of their energy from alternative energy sources.

Am thinking this group should take over McCain's campaign advertising . . . they are doing a good job and it isn't costing him anything!

Yours,

Rock Solid

[orangepetal]

It aint gonna work DNC, Pelosi, Dean, Reid. You haven't been too effective at progressing our self reliance of our nations energy resources either. What do you think, the repubs will let you do what YOU want, you have to learn to give and take.
PUMA

[olivia]

That's rich - they've had a majority of 1 in the House and Senate for less than 2 years.

Who do you think blocked progress on alternative energy?

Hint: there will be fewer around to obstruct progress come next January.

[KillTheMessenger]

Troll, is that you?