Reid Offshore Drilling Plan Splits Dems

The Hill:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic front opposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration.

Reid's proposal was meant to insulate Senate Democratic candidates from public anger over gas prices. Instead, it has created a divide with liberal colleagues and drawn fire from senior House Democrats.

A group of influential Senate and House Democrats has sided with environmental groups against Reid to call exploration in new areas unnecessary.

Read the whole story: The Hill

Comments

[BigLib]

I thought Libs said we couldn't drill our way out of this problem?

What is Dingy Harry up to?

[ohiomark]

He is showing what a spineless, inept, pandering "leader" he is.

[dayala]

just what we need more oil drilling and Co2.

"Giant chunks break off Canadian ice shelf "
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080729/wl_canada_nm/canada_arctic_col

[NoBo08]

The story in your link says:

"The break-off is consistent with other changes we've seen in the area, such as the reduction in the amount of sea ice, the retreat of the glaciers and the break-up of other ice shelves," Wohlleben said.

She said a likely reason for the shelf breaking away was a strong wind from the south.

This link contradicts the reduced sea ice claim and shows an increase over last year.

http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

[UnbiasView]

LOL, it sounds cool to blame global warming and humans on everything though.

[cdub1991]

If I'm understanding your point, then your reading comprehension leaves a bit to be desired. Reread your own link and come back when you actually understand what's being said.

[MicahD]

REID'S DAYS ARE NUMBERED.
This is the worst sort of political pandering. He knows that this will have no immediate effect on gas prices and no real long term affect.

We need progressive thinking, we need to move beyond the 20th century and this guy Reid is no leader of the future.

Screw you, Harry Reid AKA SENATOR PAT GEARY!

[DesertLight]

There were better choices at the Senate for minority leader. How did he get the nod?

[darthdarcy]

That's because the Democrats don't believe they can explain the complexities of the Futures Market and the manipulation of the Oil market you their voting constituen­ts...

If we end the Enron, London and Goldman Sachs loopholes it will cut Oil prices by 30-50%...

The Republicans created this disaster and now they are manipulating it to their advantage because The Democrats are not taking their case to the people..Re­id should go or send others on C-span and he should have Michael Greenberger the former Director of the CFTC explaining to the poor stupid America people...m­any of them those who post here even...

[UnbiasView]

You are honestly smoking crack if you think it is that easy . . . on the other hand if you believe speculation is the main problem, drilling would drop the price too since they are speculating that we won't have oil in the future which raises the price.

[ohiomark]

Libs always blame the wrong people, especially when they are trying to deflect the blame from themselves.

[NoBo08]

If what you say is true, the Republicans must be some smart folks.

[condew]

Not smart, but organized like lemmings.

[JaneEyrez]

Since McCain said the effect of offshore drilling would be psychological, why can't we just pretend to do it?

[condew]

I like that idea.

[Viper]

If Reid does not take this issue off the table.. with 77% favoring more offshore drilling..­. Obama will not get elected.

Regards

[condew]

I don't get it. How is this connected to Obama?

[YeahDonkey]

CAN WE GET RID OF THIS GUTLESS COWARD PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh you have a new drilling plan eh, maybe some offshore sights? You did such a great job of keeping nuclear waste out of your state why not create drilling plan?

[leduck]

sure
which country should we drill in
the best prospects are in iraq

[nippersdad]

They have their no bid leases in Iraq already, mission accomplished. Time to move on.

[NappyRoots100]

Are some of you under the mistaken impression that if oil companies find oil in Alaska or the Gulf Coast that that oil will only be used here in the US? Well let me disabuse you of that thought. Any oil that is recovered will be put onto the world market, therefore it will affect our costs very little if at all. BTW John McCain voted against legislation that would have restricted the use of any US recovered oil in international markets.

[condew]

Excellent point, and worth repeating.

"Any oil that is recovered will be put onto the world market, therefore it will affect our costs very little if at all. "

[repubstheirownworstenemy]

And won't be seen for 10 years anyway.

[leduck]

almost got knocked off my chair by a sharp jolt (5.6) preliminary from chino hills
sweet
the earth is alive
oil..., what oil?
i i want something bigger with visible surface displacement
first study the quake, then focus on oil

[Calinative]

Notice Republican talking heads keep saying "we" need to drill in Alaska. Who's we?
It really means giving drilling rights to Exxon so they can get "our" oil and sell it to the Chinese. A gallon of gas will go down by 25 cents in about ten years. I'll be driving an electric by then.

[Viper]

50% of a barrel of oil is not usd for feul... plastic, tires, lubricants, fertilizer, synthetic fivers, and drugs

Regards...­.

[UnbiasView]

And what are the prices of those things doing in the past 5 years?

[Calinative]

It's actually less than 20% used for plastics, etc. But you're right. I'd forgotten about all the plastic crap that ends up in our landfills or floating in the ocean.

[Calinative]

It's less than 20% for plastics, etc. And those things can be made from other sources as well.

[speeddeeps]

You know what the funny thing is, mostly Senat0rs from landlocked states support this.

[Viper]

77% of Americans support more drilling offshore. Most of the U.S. population lives on the Coasts...

Regards

[jay1975]

Not to mention that the outer continental shelf is so far offshore that no one would even know that they are there.

[UnbiasView]

How many people here believe speculators are a big problem when it comes to oil prices today?

If you do, you should be all for drilling if your motives are to lower prices because the speculators are currently speculating that there will be a supply shortage in the future which causes the prices to go up. If you told speculators we are going to have a guarenteed supply in 10 years, the price will be lowered.

If you want to knock it out of the park, add drilling to the current speculation bill and we'll see what happens. If your motives are not to lower prices than just come out and say it instead of saying it will do nothing, Americans want action.

[RTIII]

The laws related to speculation were changed a few years ago to make it easier - they lowered the margin. It has led to a huge increase in the numbers of speculators and it artificially raising the price because if you need a futures contract to ensure your gas stations (for example) have enough oil resource, and you are in competition with more people for it, you're forced to pay more...

Putting a rein on speculation is done by enacting better regulation, not by drilling. ...Drillin­g will be too little too late.
.

[UnbiasView]

You are contridicting yourself on the speculation issue, if more supply makes prices go down then why would you not want to increase that supply.

BTW, for every speculator transaction, there is a seller and a buyer so someone is going to win and someone will lose.

[GoGreen]

What kind of doorknob proposes additional offshore drilling to "insulate Democratic senators" at the expense of the party's presidential candidate? O has repeatedly said that drilling is a gimmick and not the answer and that McC is merely playing politics. The only thing this will accomplish is (1) creating support for McC's position and adding credibility to it; and (2) undermining O's position with the media repeatedly hammering O on being opposed to something that other party leaders consider essential.

[UsofA]

An open letter to Harry Reid:
Dear Senator Reid,
I'm repeatedly at a loss as to why you lead Democrats in capitulation to corrupt, minority Republicans. The moral relativism you seem to adopt is not compromise it is shortsightedness.
Your latest offshore drilling "compromise" is a case in point. Drilling benefits no one but the oil companies who have fleeced this country enough. Drilling damages our emergent energy policies, our environment and our future.
Please find a spine, Sir.

[PKSSK]

I think this oil drilling issue will help us all to see who the democratic politicians, typically blue dogs, are that have chosen to mislead and lie to their constituents and the public on behalf of oil industry profiteering. The politicians in favor of this issue are leading the public to believe that oil drilling is going to have an immediate positive affect on gas prices, even as the prices are fluctuating now, despite any new oil drilling. It would be nice if politicians would take the time to educate the public with the truth about the lies and corruption of the oil industry, but then that would require them to work on behalf of the public and we all know that work is not in thier vocabulary, only money, corruption and corp greed are the words these politicians understand.

[condew]

I like Democracy for America's ideas. They replaced one Republican pretending to be a Democrat with a real, Progressive Democrat, Donna Edwards. Maybe that should be the push in 2010; give Obama a PROGRESSIVE Democratic Congress.