President Obama Campaign Ad Defends Energy Record

WASHINGTON -- Obama for America began a nationwide television ad campaign Wednesday afternoon that was telling both for the places it will air and for what it says about the re-election team's worries.

The spot, titled "Unprecedented," highlights the president's championing of clean energy despite attacks from "secret oil billionaires" who "fact-checkers say are not tethered to the facts."

The footnotes the campaign provides to substantiate the TV spot point to the Koch brothers as the billionaire culprits and the attacks against Solyndra as the fact-checked material.

That these are the focus for the president's political advisers is surprising, if not a touch defensive. Energy debates have been vastly overshadowed by economic issues.

But a top Obama aide told The Huffington Post earlier in the week that the purpose of the ad campaign is to push back against attacks on the president that are being launched by third-party groups, which have been homing in on Obama's energy policies.

The 30-second ad is running in Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, all swing states. There was no immediate word from the campaign as to how much money was behind the spot.

Full disclosure: My wife works for the administration on issues that include Solyndra.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Jacob Cameron]

04:43 PM on 01/23/2012

The American energy industry is facing a huge decision on energy independence versus environmental credentials, interesting article here: http://www.energycareers.org/1398/americas-oil-tar-sands-decision/

[gomezrules]

11:51 PM on 01/20/2012

I don't know why the censors removed this after posting it. The responses to it are still up, but of course now have no context. What are these folks on the left so afraid of? But I'll try again.. I'd say Obama is batting just about 1.000 when it comes to his 'energy policy'! It seems like every company he has designated as 'winners' via receiving tax payer provided subsidies and other financial assistance have gone belly up, or are close to that. He stated unequivocally that his energy policy would 'necessarily' result in much higher energy costs and prices, and given how that was one of the few moments of absolute honesty and candor from him, you have to acknowledge that what he hoped for has taken place! Gasoline itself has risen something like 85% since he took office, and we're being prepped for costs spikes by the summer that will make $3 per gallon prices look like the good old days! I wonder where his apologists and abettors are when it comes to the price of oil and gas. Obama himself blamed high prices SQUARELY on his predecessor. So obviously, it's the President's responsibility to make such prices 'affordable' for the public. And also obviously, Obama has failed yet again at his OWN criteria! But where are those hypocrites who beat on that drum about Bush causing the prices to go so high? I'm waiting...

[blue2012]

09:25 PM on 04/02/2012

Have You Seen The Last Energy Bill passed in 2005? One Subsidies Gave Oil&Gas 6 Billion. Costing Taxpayers 1.266 Billion from 2007-2015 alone,Their Are Many Others, The Best Energy Bill Corporations Could Buy. A Summary Of Industry Giveaways in the 2005 Energy Bill Passed By Bush. This Is Just One. It These Giveaways came about in 2007 and Last at least until 2015.
You tell me Whose to Blame. You make NO_________SENSE!
Read This And Try Again
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/article_redirect.cfm?ID=13980
I'am HERE!!

[PennLawyer]

02:14 PM on 01/20/2012

Obama the self-proclaimed "champion of clean energy"?!?!?! Puh!
Read this scathing piece by managing editor, Bruce Dixon: Black America Paralyzed, Powerless, Irrelevant: Year 4 of the Obama Era.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/black-america-paralyzed-powerless-irrelevant-year-4-obama-era

The BP Gulf disaster occurred while Obama had a big majority in the House, but not one measure was introduced to hold oil companies to account. Obama's own “jobs council,” the Hill reports, is about to recommend the Republican energy strategy of “drill, baby drill” with minimal or no regard to the environment or attempt to wean ourselves from dirty and destructive fossil fuels. This president can't say the word “coal” without putting “clean” in front of it, or refer to “nuclear power” without declaring it “safe.”

Who is Bruce Dixon?
http://my.firedoglake.com/dianew/2011/09/30/wwl-radio-124-bruce-a-dixon-interview/

Rank and file member, Black Panther Party (69-70); 70s rank-and-file union activist in a string of factories, plants and workplaces; 1980s community organizer in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods; organizer/consulter through the 1990s- Dixon has built an impressive record of service to the cause of human liberation.

In 2002 he began writing articles for Black Commentator, and broke the first accurate analysis of the election of Denise Majette over Cynthia McKinney in Georgia that year.

As managing editor at BAR Dixon is chiefly responsible for maintaining this web site. He currently resides in metro Atlanta.

[blue2012]

09:36 PM on 04/02/2012

Did He Create An Energy Bill?
Here's The Bill That Won't Expire Until 2015 This Bill was Created By Bush.in 2005.
BTW Did He Give Big Oil and Corporations 6 Billion and Other Subsidies Why Are You Trying to insinuate A Black Panther from 69-70? If Created Policy or anything I'd What To Here About Him.
Until Then Lets Talk About The People Who Do.
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/article_redirect.cfm?ID=13980

http://grist.org/list/2011-11-14-romney-is-recycling-all-of-bushs-epa-hating-energy-advisors/

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/03/mitt-i-wont-detail-plans-because-then-id-lose.html

BTW The 2005 Bill Gave Coal Co. about The Same
Take A Look At That Bill. in First link.

[valwayne]

06:14 PM on 01/19/2012

Incredible! Obama's doubled gas prices since he took office, given us Solyndra and what appears to be another near $50 billion wasted on other Solyndra like companies, and he's killed the Keystone XL pipeline killing over 20,000 high paying jobs for average working Americans and forced Canada to consider shipping their oil to China while we pay through the nose for oil from Hugo Chavez? And Obama is doing ads touting his energy policies? He's been the worst President on Energy since, well since ever! Obama is a total disaster!

[leedan]

07:23 PM on 01/19/2012

You need to talk to the speculators about the price of oil and gas Mr.Obama can't raise the price of gas because he doesn't own any oil companies.

[bellaratta]

10:18 PM on 01/19/2012

When the first sentence references a president causing gas prices to rise (or fall). then I don't bother to keep reading.

[l78lancer]

04:53 PM on 01/20/2012

Agreed. "They" will probably say that gas prices have gone up by more than .30 gal over the past few weeks, in part, because of the pending now completed decision on the XL permits. Folks don't get the tendency of speculation to make things which really don't exist affect the price of what actually does.

[AtticusinPa]

02:34 PM on 01/20/2012

Gee. What happened to that "We love free market capitalism" motto? This is the free market at play. The president does not regulate the retail price of gasoline, except very indirectly through federal purchases to and sales from the strategic petroleum reserve. Go peddle elsewhere.

[l78lancer]

04:56 PM on 01/20/2012

And if he didn't do that they would be screaming to high heaven. Regulation is only undesirable to the right until it somehow directly benefits them.

[ssnt]

02:23 PM on 01/19/2012

WaPo gives the ad three pinocchios. Some things never change.

[joecjr]

02:11 PM on 01/19/2012

Hey that's a good plan run on a failed policy and poor leadership! Should work for you really well. Friction like this is always entertaining and there are those that will believe anything. It just when the actual truth comes out well it isn't always fun to hear it and face up to it and ads like this will be brought into the light of day where they will fade away.

[Shan Wells]

01:52 PM on 01/19/2012

Man, the mods are shutting down comments pretty quick. Here's a reply for educated black man, if you're still out there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm–Leach–Bliley_Act

[DANIELISTICALL]

01:17 PM on 01/19/2012

By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 9, 2011
WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday tried to use newly released e-mails to tie an Obama campaign donor with a stake in the troubled Solyndra solar energy company to an effort to lobby the White House for approval of loan guarantees to the company. But Democrats said the complete record showed exactly the opposite.
“To the contrary,” they said, “the evidence the Committee has received to date supports the opposite conclusion: neither Mr. Kaiser nor individuals working for him lobbied the White House or asked White House officials to intervene in agency decisions on behalf of Solyndra.”

[DANIELISTICALL]

12:56 PM on 01/19/2012

"The EPA has been implementing regulations to force utilities to reduce emissions of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and mercury even though the current emissions are not causing air-quality or public-health problems anywhere in America." That was Steven Milloy, Fox News commentator and founder of the website junkscience.com, incorrectly stating in an op-ed in the Washington Times that there have been no health impacts from global warming emissions. In fact, recent Union of Concerned Scientists analysis shows that global warming threatens public health and raises health care costs by increasing ground-level ozone —the primary component of smog, which can exacerbate lung diseases such as asthma and cause breathing difficulties even in healthy individuals.

[K August]

01:31 PM on 01/19/2012

The whole world is concerned about climate change.....too much co2 in the atmosphere...except our Republicans. Even China is worried!

China report spells out "grim" climate change risks
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/18/us-china-climate-idUSTRE80H06J20120118

[Constitine]

01:34 PM on 01/19/2012

LMAO
The Chinese EPA, doesn't exist .

[Darwincrat]

12:48 PM on 01/19/2012

Regardless of the merits of opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, it is a political weakness for the President. His team is smart to have made the decision early this year, and to get out in front of the issue with ads before his opponents have a chance to define him. It may have been the right call, but there is a reason the Republicans were insistent on forcing his decision before the 2012 elections. It is reassuring to see the Obama team is making politically strategic moves

[Constitine]

01:27 PM on 01/19/2012

No "Temp" pipeline, in lieu of "Temp" infrastructure ?

[sylvia wadlington]

12:37 PM on 01/19/2012

President Obama is keeping his promises on energy and this really frightens the big five, BIG OIL, BIG PHARMA, BIG INSURANCE, BIG BANKS, WALL STREET. The BIG "O" is going to zero them out and all the trollie comments in the world are not going to stop him because the people of America have had with all the MISTER BIGS.
Obama/Bidden 2012
Warren/Schumer2016
Plenty more where those came from MISTER BIGS, and that means you are on your way out!
Move your money to a credit union,
Protect your right for birth control,
Protect your social security and medicare,
Protect your right to vote,
Protect your environment,
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS FROM LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICES.

[DANIELISTICALL]

01:04 PM on 01/19/2012

FANNED from New Orleans

[Constitine]

01:28 PM on 01/19/2012

The "What hasn't worked for 65 years" Party!

[DANIELISTICALL]

12:32 PM on 01/19/2012

As Americans continue to struggle with outrageous, unstable gas prices, big oil continues to benefit from them. Last week, the five biggest oil companies reported a massive $30 billion in first-quarter profits, a 38% increase from last year.1
Despite these astronomical profits, yesterday House Republicans voted unanimously to block consideration of a Democratic proposal to end some of the tax breaks and subsidies we give to big oil every year. As recently as this March, House Republicans — while simultaneously pleading poverty and fighting for crippling budget cuts elsewhere — voted unanimously against repealing these oil subsidies, at a total cost to us of $45 billion over 10 years.

With the exception of the deep Gulf, where there are restrictions, people are drilling as fast as they can," said Lynch, who regards himself as a moderate Republican.

[rukiddingmetoo]

01:46 PM on 01/19/2012

Senate---Three Democrats and two Republicans crossed sides in the 52-48 vote, preventing the bill from reaching a required 60-vote threshold for passage.

In the end, Democrats from oil-producing states, including Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Begich of Alaska, opposed the bill, along with Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

President Obama was BP Oil’s largest recipient of campaign monies. Energy companies have given $7.5 million to Democrats compared to $7.3 million to the GOP in PAC contributions since the last election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

[DANIELISTICALL]

12:20 PM on 01/19/2012

New Wilderness Protections Called For By Obama Administration
By MATT GOURAS 11/10/11 03:24 PM ET
HELENA, Mont. -- The Obama administration is calling for 18 new wilderness and conservation area declarations in nine Western states, according to a report released Thursday by the secretary of the Interior that he hopes will result in new legislation from Congress establishing the new land protections

[K August]

01:34 PM on 01/19/2012

Good for Obama.......meanwhile the House TPublicans were adding riders to bills.....one of which was to open up mining of Uranium IN THE Grand Canyon!

[DANIELISTICALL]

12:08 PM on 01/19/2012

fact, the Solyndra loan guarantee was a multi-year process that the Bush Administration launched in 2007. You’d never know from the media coverage that: The Bush team tried to conditionally approve the Solyndra loan just before President Obama took office. May 2005: Solyndra is founded to provide a cost-competitive alternative to silicon-based panels. Late 2007: DOE Loan guarantee program is funded. Solyndra was one of 16 clean-tech companies deemed ready,,The Bush Administration and DOE moves forward to develop a conditional commitment. January 2009: In an effort to show it has done something to support renewable energy, the Bush Administration tries to take Solyndra before a DOE credit review committee before President Obama is inaugurated.

[cheryljim430]

12:42 PM on 01/19/2012

Bush backed off and Obama should have done the same, when are people going to stop blaming Bush for all the bad things Obama does.

[DANIELISTICALL]

12:49 PM on 01/19/2012

The Bush team tried to conditionally approve the Solyndra loan just before President Obama took office. The company's backers included For instance, Bloomberg had this incredibly misleading headline yesterday, “Obama Team Backed $535 Million Solyndra Aid as Auditor Warned on Finances.” If you replace “backed” with “touted,” that would be accurate. But the headline makes it seem like the White House had decided to give $535 million to a company after an auditor had said it was financially troubled.
since you asked,,,TURN OFF FIX NEWS

[Constitine]

01:29 PM on 01/19/2012

When they can run on their "No Results" Record !

[OWSoros]

01:08 PM on 01/19/2012

The Bush admin was smart enough to decline the Soly loan.
Obama apparently couldn't or wouldn't decline them because he needed to pay back his big campaign donor with tax payer money.

[DANIELISTICALL]

01:17 PM on 01/19/2012

FALSE ,,,YOU ARE NOT INFORMED,,,see next post

[Constitine]

01:30 PM on 01/19/2012

F&F!

[DocSyracuse]

12:00 PM on 01/19/2012

Speaking of "Group Love"- have any of you listened to Grouplove? Awesome band.