Comments on: Barack Obama Vs. Barack Obama on Offshore Drilling

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:58:48 +0000

F- – - – - racist

By: J. Clifford

J. Clifford — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:54:04 +0000

No, I don’t buy that argument. Here’s why – offshore oil drilling is a highly objectionable thing to the majority of Americans who are likely to vote for Obama. Americans – Republican or Democrat – don’t at all mind the federal government from stepping in to prevent the states from doing something objectionable.

States rights really isn’t all that popular as an issue unto itself, even among Republicans – witness the way that they’re happy to support efforts to create a national ban on marriage equality, instead of letting the states decide.

By: mccainridge

mccainridge — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:37:23 +0000

I don’t think that Obama is changing his position should be suprising. In fact, I think Obama got a bit out-smarted on this one.

You see, McCain staked out aposition that he supported oil drilling, if the STATES supported oil drilling.

If Obama opposes, then he is (as the potential head of the federal government) telling the states they can’t do something, even when the states themselves are supportive. No president wants to be in a position of opposing the will of the states, and McCain crafted his position to say “Let the states decide”.

Obama’s stance was a losing position to take, and so McCain ended up forcing Obama to change.

What’s surprising is the issue played out this way, and makes me wonder if Obama has the political experience to know when he’s fighting a losing battle. By not carefully defining his position before hand, he wound up looking weak.

By: J. Clifford

J. Clifford — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:34:44 +0000

Well, you can take my comment, then, Jim. I’m profoundly concerned – not that Barack Obama won’t get elected, but that he will finish the job of remaking the Democratic Party as the political Party of the Near Right, concerned mostly with siphoning off Republican voters, while presuming that progressives won’t have any choice but to vote for Democrats as the lesser of two evils.

Obama is turning his back on progressive values – and it’s not just a one-issue problem.

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:45:45 +0000

I take Luv's comment with a grain of salt, considering Luv's decision to vote for John McCain in November, which would, um, pretty much "hand the Repubs the election."

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:31:39 +0000

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. … corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

— U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 (letter to Col. William F. Elkins) Ref: “The Lincoln Encyclopedia”, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)

By: Luv in Ca

Luv in Ca — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:03:18 +0000

Just another group he dumped and igorned just to get elected. He just handed the Repubs the election. He shot the progressives and he shot the eviromentalists…whose next?