respublica

More Veep talk

While some republicans are pushing Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin for McCain's vice-presidential choice, the Obama campaign is seeing a groundswell of interest in another female governor, Kansas' Kathleen Sibelius.

Thought to be a successful democratic governor in an overwhelming republican state, Sibelius is thought by some democrats "that Sebelius could help Obama form a ticket that appeals to moderate Republicans and independent voters in search of a new kind of politics."

Interesting stuff.  In the end, we'll all be surprised by whoever the two candidates choose.  Surprised or disappointed.

Where will the price of oil go?

Via Jerry Pournelle:  Scroll down to June 28

Five years ago we were told that increased refinery and oil pumping capability in the US would do no good because it would take five years for those to affect gas pump prices. Query: if we had greatly increased supply over the past five years, would not oil be at about $75/bbl, still high, but not headed to $200? And if we do nothing to increase supply now, where will oil go?

What will happen to the US economy in a time of $7/gallon gasoline and diesel fuel? And how long can we continue to send trillions to the Near East where it is used to buy the most profitable parts of the United States?

Are any politicians actually addressing these problems? Obama would hit the oil companies with new taxes. I do not recall a time when increasing a tax on a business caused a lowering of prices for that  business's goods.

The US does not need to be crippled. We have enormous energy resources in the US. We need to develop them: or we will soon have a very green, very clean, US -- only we won't own much of it. And as energy prices rise, we won't commute and we can't afford to change jobs. Like peasants.

Energy talk-bloggers and congressmen part 2

A follow up to the post just below on the conference call I took part in yesterday between 20 bloggers and 5 congressmen.

A couple of points are clear.

Higher energy costs have a direct affect on the cost of most everything else, food, goods, travel, etc.  Each political party is looking at solving this issue in two totally different ways.

The democrats are looking at regulating what we have and how we use it, while republicans want to get more domestic energy sources up and running.  The republicans see high demand and higher prices going hand in hand, thus desiring the country to begin to wean themselves from middle eastern oil and produce more of our own. 

The democrats are bringing bills to the floor which are regulatory in nature:  Telling the CFTC to "do their jobs", (wholly ceremonial) asking for a billion dollars for mass transit, and enforcing a "use it or lose it" stricture to the oil leases. None of these bills adds one drop to the supply.

The democrat majority is exercising their right to control the debate.  This is neither right or wrong, it is the way of politics.  But now everyone has left the capitol for the Fourth of July break and nothing has been accomplished in the way of working through energy and fuel issues.  The republicans took drilling in the Anwar off the table, one compromise.  Other than that, zero results.

My own opinion is that this country has to do something to increase its own supply.  We just can't depend on other countries to sell us our gas.  And, while regulating some things will work for a while, it won't solve the problem in the long run.  Despite what we hear on the news, getting a flow of domestic oil up and running in new areas will not take 10 to 15 years.  The infrastructure is already in place in several offshore areas including California and the gulf which would mean only a one year wait.

Energy talk-Bloggers and Congressmen

I had the opportunity to be part of a Blogger Conference call this afternoon featuring five members of congress and approximately 20 national bloggers.  The issues on the table for discussion were gas prices and energy policy.  The five members of the House who were in atttendance were, John Shimkus, Il-19, Roy Blunt, Mo-House Minority Whip, John Peterson, Pa-5, Thad McCotter, Mi-11, and Michelle Bachmann, Mn-6.

All are Republicans. 

Let me mention what amazed me most about the hour I spend on the phone listening.  It was the passion and energy with which each member spoke on this subject.  Frankly, we rarely get to see or hear this type of passionate discourse from congressmen and we are poorer for it. 

Each member spoke on what they and their party believe should be the direction the country should take when it comes to energy and that is, increased supply, and specifically, increased American, domestic production.

Their frustration stems from the fact the the democratic majority will not even allow dabate on the floor on increasing domestic output from the Anwar, from offshore, from coal, from natural gas fields.   The counterpoint from the democratic side is that the oil people should be drilling on the lands on which they have leases.  This has come to be known as the "use it or lose it" philosophy. 

A Townhall blogger asked about the use it or lose it" leases and the response was that this land is filled with "old tired oil fields which have drills between drills".  "Just because you have a bingo card does not mean you can yell bingo."  In other words, just having the lease does not mean there is much left. 

More later.      

Union made organic cotton fanny packs

They don't exist and the folks putting together the Democratic National Convention really really wanted them.  They want a green green convention and they want everything union. Not possible.

"Ditto for the baseball caps. "We have a union cap or an organic cap," Mr. DeMasse says. "But we don't have a union-organic offering."

Denver's mayor, John Hickenlooper, the mayor with the best name in the country, "challenged his party and his city to "make this the greenest convention in the history of the planet." Not possible.

The Veep Sweepstakes

Pajamas Media has vote going on their site which allows you to select your vice presidential choice in both parties.   Both parties have a list of names from which to choose.

At the moment, and this is of course not at all scientific, the republican with the highest percentage of votes is Alaska governor, Sarah Palin--my choice, and the democratic leader is New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson.

Seal retired

Barack Obama's campaign podium seal, a lookalike to the Presidential seal, has been taken down and put away.  Put in a lock box for official seals, you'd presume. 

Obama's campaign received quite a bit of "ridicule" over this and wisely got rid of it.  But, its existence won't soon be forgotten, politics having the long memory that it does.

Campaign committee money

A codicil to the story on special interests just below.  When Obama in effect took over the DNC  when he became the official nominee, one of his first orders of business was to make it clear that the DNC would not be taking campaign money from lobbyists or special interests.  This news was greeted with many hurrays.

But, this moratorium on campaign money does not apply to either the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee or the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 

Just saying.  It's not the perfect, pie in the sky, working practice we think we have or think we want.

Obama linked with Ethanol interests...oh my

Lots of surprised talk on cable news today about a New York Times story which reports the shocking news that Barack Obama is involved with those who have close ties to the ethanol industry, including Tom Daschle.  Daschle is one of Obama's national campaign chairmen and he serves on the boards of three ethanol companies as well as representing such interests as part of his Washington law firm work.

The Times story, and some of the news shows panel members are acting quite taken aback that a candidate who is running "as a reformer to reduce the influence of special interests" would be so closely aligned with special interests.

Well, he's the senator from Illinois afterall.  Illinois, along with Iowa and other midwestern states are in the business of corn growing. 

The reality is, the idea that lobbyists or special interests are uniformly bad, is just wrong headed thinking.  Everyone of us is represented by someone or some group.  That someone speaks for us to state or federal legislators who's job it is to represent us back home.  Think for a moment of all the things you believe are important:  education, unions, health care, banking and finance, right to life or right to choose, gun control or gun rights, public safety, taxes, highways, farming, environment, non profits, religion, etc.  Legislation can affect any of these at any time and we want to make sure our elected officials know our thoughts.

None of us as individuals can do this alone.  That might mean 100 million letters or phone calls, scattered over who knows how much time.  How much access would 100 million people have?  Companies and individuals hired to do our speaking for us and representing us as a large group are much more effective.  These people do more than throw money at elected officials, they also work with them to promote laws and regulations which we find favorable to our particular cause. 

It's very unfair to paint those working for special interests as bad, worthless, a scourge on the system or just plain evil.  Many times they are working for your interests and then it is up to the congressman or senator and their staffs to sift through the information and discern what's best to do.

An early presidential seal

Barack Obama's people have created a podium seal used during his campaign speeches which looks very much like the presidential seal.

Not getting all that much positive feedback today.  Too clever by half.

Photo via Alex Brandon of the AP for the New York Times.