Vilsack: McCain Puts Oil First, Not Country

The Obama campaign and Democratic operatives have been pushing for weeks to paint McCain as a stooge of Big Oil. On Tuesday they tried a new tactic: using the Arizona Republican's own words against him.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, on a conference call with reporters, leveled some of the hardest energy policy attacks to have emanated from the Obama team this campaign.

"[McCain] continues to reject bipartisan compromise because it would roll back massive tax breaks for the oil companies," he said. "That is not putting the country first, it is putting the interest of oil companies first."

The former governor looped his comments, which played off of McCain's new motto "Country First," into the current legislative debate. Pointing to the Gang of Ten compromise -- a deal that would open up limited land for off-shore drilling while leveling a windfall profits tax on oil companies, which Obama supports and McCain opposes -- Vilsack spoke of the presumptive Republican nominee as unwilling to back even the most rudimentary tolls on Big Oil.

"We have been talking about our energy problems for 30 years," he concluded. "And John McCain has been in Washington for 26 years. It is now time for someone, Sen. Obama, to put the interest of the country ahead of oil."

Comments

[ThinkAgainMyFriend]

I just sent a comment to the DNC

Saying today Governor Vilsack made an effective point when he said,
"McCain puts Oil First, Not Country"

Finally, someone that knows how to make something stick!! A play off McCain's slogan!!!
That's it, that's how you do it!

The Democratic Party needs to be the Attack Dog! Let them know how you feel!

http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contact

[Viper]

He should have said BIG Oil first...

Oil and the country are linked economically. Its giving BIG oil tax breaks while they are swiming in profits and instead of reinvesting in new energy .. our buying back their own stock.


Regards

[BigLib]

Hasn't Barry taken more money from Exxon than McCain?

Didn't Barry's grandaddy work for Standard Oil? Guess Barry like Bush and Cheney comes from an Oil Family.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Yes, Barack Obama has had more donations from INDIVIDUALS who work at Exxon - HUGE difference.

and let's see some proof about Barack being from an "oil family". His grandfather was in the army during WWII and he worked as a furniture salesman.
DOH!

[tea in the harbor]

You got s there, brainiac! He's big oil every bit as much as Oprah's great great grandfather was a cotton baron!

[rollingdivision]

Yes, that may be true but big oil are the current bogeyman for the Democrats.

[blueshield]

For all those who don't think Sen O should be hitting back because it's the "low road", here's how it's done. About blinkin time.

[kellygrrrl]

absolutely!

plant the seeds, let them sit for the summer in the minds of the voters, then watch them grow to vines that will strangle the GOP!

brilliant!

[tea in the harbor]

As long as we're planting, how about we point out to all those "family values" voters how nice it will be to have Leona Helmsly McCain in the White House! Won't it be grand to have a woman who cut off her sister's credit card on the day of their father's funeral as the face of American compassion?

[neocon43]

Kellygirl still drinking the koolade of the empty suit messiah!

[CharlesJ]

If you check the record of J McCain, you will notice he has always voted with the big oil companies. He has never voted with the American people on this subject, I wonder why. In fact McCain holds one of the worst voting records period with over a 50% not present to vote record. The man talks a lot of trash but has very little data to backup his talk, check the voting records you will be so very surprised.

[Meggie]

All true. But, he also gave a speech to the VFW this week, and he did it with a straight face, and they sat there and listened to his BS. His record on veterans is no better than his record on oil.

[schatsie]

Ok, this sounds like a great commercial. voting for oil companies what percentage of the time, voting against women's reproductive rights 99% of the time and in favor of privatizing Social Security and Medicare and bringing back the draft....

[jupitor]

He lies about the cross in the sand story he stole, and stands in front of the military with a straight face. That's sick

[neocon43]

Good luck with that line of reasoning.­I hope Obama takes Mccain on the military.H­e will mop him up like the debate Saturday night!

[SheriChardonnay]

and this needs to be put in a commercial ad! as well as the oil companies have the oil already to drill with...WTF Obama campaign needs to get with it!

[ThinkAgainMyFriend]

No! The Democrtic Party needs to be the Attack Dog!

Send them a comment and tell'um to get with it!
http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contact

[Independent voter]

Whoa - what happened here? Some Democrat found a spine and spoke out against McCain.

[DrFitz]

Too bad Bill Clinton didn't do the same while he was right there in front of the right audience.

[rcwblessed]

Instead, speaking to the National Clean Energy Summit (8/18/18), Bill Clinton said:

“Obviously, I favor Senator Obama’s energy positions, and Democrats have been by and large the more forward-leaning actors,” Mr. Clinton said. “But John McCain has the best record of any Republican running for president on the energy issue and on climate change.” He added, “I’m very encouraged about where the presidential rhetoric is in this campaign.”

I say, if you can't help us, don't hurt us.

[JohnnyLee]

Part that burns me is they (oil companies) want to drill in OUR outer shelf and then sell OUR oil back to us without paying taxes or royalties.

IF drilling is such a good idea why doesn't the federal government do it and sell it to the American people at cost?

[Independent voter]

British Petroleum currently drills your oil off Alaska and sells it to Communist China.

[JohnnyLee]

Well color me stupid - at least in Alaska they get a check every year on oil taxes and royalties.

[DrFitz]

The barge that sunk and spilled fuel all over the Mississippi new poor New Orleans was shipping what was already drilled here to Europe.

[Meggie]

What makes you think they'll sell it to us? If China is the highest bidder, then the oil corporations will sell it to them. Americans would do well to never forget - corporations always say they're working for stockholders first.
If we give oil companies leases to drill, they will do whatever they want with whatever they find. McBush wants Americans to remain this stupid until it's too late.

[Relax08]

Exactly. This who drilling thing is a fraud. It will just lock in these rights to BIG OIL for a few more generations and do nothing to solve American's energy problems. This drilling issue is a complete and utter fraud designed to help no one but Big Oil.

[TrooAmerican]

They should, but that means the Feds would be in the business of Oil Exploration, Drilling, Transport, Refining etc. Which would cost us rediculous amounts of money Why? because their would be court fights to no end for "nationalizing" our oil supplies and the loss of trillions of dollars in profits for the Oil industry and our Repuglican Politicians currently benefitting from lobby money, donations, bribes, etc.

[FrictionSoul]

They would never sell it to us. AFter they decimate the middle class, we won't be able to afford their gas. They'll sell it to the Chinese, whose middle class is 30 times as big as the US and with much more money.

[IronMikeKaty]

Just the pure ignorance of these anti-oil people amaze me every day. Try to do a little research before you show us the color of your panties. You go out and buy your renewable energy. I will buy my fossil energy and save money. Global warming is a farce. If the temperature warms up a few degrees then move where it don't flood. Man is intelligent enough to adapt! Maybe some of the liberals won't be able to move from the coast lines if the flooding starts but the conservatives will.

[lvdragonlady]

IronMike you need a time out.
You are obviously a oil partner or stock holder to be screaming so much about not knowing anything.
You are the type of person who has let this issue continue, in it's present form, so that you could line you pockets some more.
Don't own enough cars and houses yet huh?

[DrFitz]

"IRON" Mike. Get a life. What do panties have to do with it. Like any woman would screw a knuckle-dragger like you. Global warming stands behind many other reasons people on the coast don't want drilling opened up. We already choke on sulfur fumes from the ships bringing cheap imports from China (using tons of fuel by the way) to stock shelves of big box stores in the midwest. You think we're going to put our tourism industry at risk for driling? Dream on.

[schatsie]

You (IronMikeKaty) keep funding those tax breaks for the oil companies and the $400,000,000 pension for the CEO (and that is the tip of the iceberg, do you think his cronies did not get more than that) and the taking of the Indian Royalties and the taking of the US royalties in the Caribbean.­... there is more money in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland than you want to even think about...

I think its' time for a fair deal for the working stiff and that means bringing back the tax system from the 50s when the economy roared and the top rate was 90%

[Pupadup4oBama]

God your stupid...I hope you didn't breed.

[Relax08]

You are beyond stupid. You are crazy.

[lovethesinner]

VILSACK ATTACK! (way ta go, Tom!)

[leftoflennon]

Vilsack for Veep?

Go Tom!

[BrighterStar]

This article is based on a faulty premise. The fact is that the prosperity of this country is dependent on oil. Therefore, the fate of oil and the country goes hand-in-hand and it is not possible to put oil first.

[justobserve]

You missed the point: "[McCain] continues to reject bipartisan compromise because it would roll back massive tax breaks for the oil companies" . It is about less tax breaks for oil companies.

[BrighterStar]

He is against the compromise because it is bad for the country. It has very limited new oil drilling while taxing the industry that is producing what we need.

[kristycu]

our prosperity is not dependent on oil- and as i mentiond in my comment below- we send out oil as well, why don't we keep it here if we need it that damn much

[Redeemer777]

Laughable logic. At least you admit the country s dependent on oil but close your thoughts to the possibility of ending that relationship by interlinking the fate of oil and the country indefinitely. BS.

[PlainBread]

Not really.

We've been dependent on oil doesn't mean that we always have to be dependent on oil, especially oil companies (which McCain favors) or oil from foreign countries. The fact that our country is dependent on [foreign] oil or oil companies is in fact a sad thing. Both companies and those foreign countries make a lot of surplus while here we ... you know the rest.

[BrighterStar]

It would be nice if someday we were not dependent on oil, but for the time being we are. We need to accept that reality and open more areas for exploitation.

[theriondata]

That's got to be about as dumb a comment as I can imagine. What are you, the head of Exxon?

[ThinkAgainMyFriend]

Governor Vilsack "You just won my Vote"!

[Raymondf]

Oil better be first. I would rather get that 700,000,000,000 dollars her at home than give it to people who hate us. Then maybe just maybe we can save this country.

[kristycu]

yeah that would be great wouldn't it but until that happens we will still be sending money out. but what you failed to realize is that (i believe) a good chunck of the oil we do produce is shipped out of the country- how about that if we are in need of oil that much how come president bush say hey we need that oil more than most and have the oil we produce stay here in the states

[Meggie]

What proof do you have that you aren't goingto be sending dollars to people who hate us? Giving leases to big oil isn't going to do anything but give them control over whatever is in the ground. You will still be paying the same people as before. And if demand goes up, you will pay more no matter where it has been drilled.

[obamanation31]

I love it! So true!

[CashMurda407]

We should have never allowed this country to be governed by a party of privateers (republica­ns)....the­y DONT PUT THE COUNTRY FIRST!

[loax]

We need more Dems coming out and exposing McCain for the fraud he truly is!

[JackND]

Has Obama officially endorsed the Gang of Ten plan?

[kristycu]

I'm not sure- I know there were some things in it that had to still be worked out- we really won't know it all until they come back, but he said he would be willing to support it, but there is some fine tuning that needed to happen