The Morning After: Exxon-Mobil's The GOP's Pledge to America

REPUBLICANS in the House and Senate will tell us that their Pledge to America -- written by former Exxon lobbyist Brian Wild -- is "one in which the people have the most say and the best ideas trump the most entrenched interests."

But, from Grist:

When it comes to energy policy, the GOP leaders actually ignore public opinion, ignore science, and instead promote the same old ideas [pushed] by big oil lobbyists and other energy interests. The entire Republican energy policy is a single sentence: "We will fight to increase access to domestic energy sources and oppose attempts to impose a national "cap-and-trade" energy tax."

"Increase access to domestic energy sources" is code for "drill, baby, drill." This language is straight out of big oil's playbook, used for years by the oil industry's lobbying groups:

• "[I]ncreasing access to domestic energy is critical to our nation's security, economic growth, and quality of life." -- American Petroleum Institute, 2010
• "It's time for the president to let the market access dependable, affordable and abundant domestic energy." -- Tim Phillips, President of the Americans for Prosperity, 2009
• "This multifaceted bill includes the building blocks of sound energy policy -- efficiency, conservation, diversity, and expanded access to domestic energy supplies." -- Jack Gerard, American Chemistry Council, 2008
• "Increasing access to domestic resources will mean more jobs, more revenues to help cash-strapped local, state and federal governments and greater energy security." -- American Petroleum Institute, 2009
• "The President again urges Congress to pass legislation that opens access to domestic energy sources such as the Outer Continental Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." -- press release from the Bush White House, 2007
• "We need to increase access to domestic energy sources." -- John Engler, President of the National Association of Manufacturers, 2007
• "Congress need[s] to increase access to domestic energy sources... [to] significantly increase domestic oil and natural gas production." -- Competitive Enterprise Institute, 2006

The GOP support for more offshore oil drilling after the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster exposed its deadly risks contradicts, rather than reflects, public opinion. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that a majority of Americans opposes more offshore oil drilling.

I'm hoping for Palin-Paul 2012, to sweep the Democrats back into office.

via Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

PS: Listening to Rand Paul's victory speech, you would think he was elected President, to speak for the nation. The Tea Partiers, middle-aged and elderly white Americans, combined with others who are unhappy with their situation today to vote against the sitting President, just as the voters went against Dubya and Clinton. The blacks and Latins who voted for President Obama in great numbers stayed away from this election, and it's questionable how much the results "speak for Americans." As a middle-aged white American, I know they don't speak for me.

I'm hoping for Palin-Paul 2012, to help sweep the Dems back into the house.

PPS: According to the Washington Post, although the House Republicans plan to investigate White House actions on many fronts, including the BP disaster in the Gulf, they've been fighting over whether or not to investigate BP.