Weekend Flurry

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Energy, Obama, Presidential
• Date: Nov 2,2008

Newest Mason-Dixon polls: Ohio M 47 O 45, Florida O 47 M 45, Nevada O 47 M 43, Colorado O 49 M 47, Missouri M 47 O 46, North Carolina M 49, O 46, Virginia O 47, M 44. Pennsylvania is included in the chart, even though it was released a couple days back; it had Obama up 4. Mason-Dixon is one of the best state pollsters, if not the best. Their 2004 record was pretty damn good. They don't really push undecideds, as you probably notice. I see good news for McCain in these polls. If he gets most of the late deciders (I think he will get at least 65%) he is really in pretty good shape.

Today's trackers shifted towards McCain a little bit. He still needs to get closer. I was not one of the people touting Zogby's Friday poll that had McCain up. He makes stuff up to grab headlines. In the last three days his samples have been (approx.): Obama up 9, McCain up 1, Obama up 10. So there are three options here: A) Obama's two great days were outliers, B) McCain's one great day was an outlier, C) John Zogby is a bad pollster who manipulates data to get attention. No real tracking poll should show swings like that.

Senator Government: I will bankrupt you if build a coal plant. Way to look out for America. I hope people in Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania hear that. Would he also bankrupt those who currently operate coal plants, which produce over a third of our electricity? I assume yes. You think energy prices are high now? Obama wants prices higher to punish us for "bad behavior." What else has this guy said in San Francisco that he thought none of us peasants would ever hear?

Senator Government: No press conferences until Wednesday, when he presumes he will have won. Not a surprise, he doesn't do them anymore. Of course neither does Joe the Dumber. You know who does talk to the press? Governor Palin. Thank you, Senator Obama for being so gracious for talking to us then. We will all wait.

Senator Government: I didn't know my aunt who defied a deportation order and donated to my campaign was in the country illegally. The only question seems to be how this information got out; the fact about her being an illegal is of no consequence. Ladies and gentlemen, our media!!! I wonder if it would have taken the MSM to find out if Sarah Palin's cousin's ex-boyfriend had overstayed his work visa. Probably we would have known sometime in late September.

Thought this was good: Those who believe Obama's claims that he will reduce 95 percent of Americans' taxes, while he pays for near-universal health care, subsidizes clean energy, expands our military commitment in Afghanistan, adds to mass transit and highway infrastructure, etc., etc., are living in a dream world.

Final Senate picks tonight. Final Electoral Map late, late, late Monday night.

Dems Fake Fold on Drilling

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Congress, Energy
• Date: Sep 24,2008

AP: Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

(Pictured: Betty Sutton apparently celebrating high gas prices with constituents)

More to it than just the actual AP story.

Democrats aren't stupid (well they are sometimes) and they didn't want to keep fighting this issue in the public arena. Democrats also didn’t have the votes they needed despite their majority so they "decided to allow" something that was going to pass if they actually let a vote happen (which they were never going to do and lose). How nice. Wouldn't mind seeing the RNC and/or McCain running ads on this saying how the GOP sided with the people and the Nancy Pelosi majority in the House had to fold.

Short term, it is a good energy victory I guess. Long term, an energy policy that isn't just drill only or inflate your tires has to be developed. But this latest news can all be reversed by a new executive order. It can potentially be signed on January 20, 2009 by the man who didn't care that gas prices went up, just that they went up too fast. That is what the House Democrats are banking on. They know he will come through for them.

Don't be fooled…Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Betty Sutton are just kicking this down the road. They just want this issue off the table for now to protect The One. They don't really intend for any new off-shore drilling areas to be opened up.

Energy is Still an Issue…..

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Energy, Sutton / Potter
• Date: Sep 9,2008

….despite Democrats hoping otherwise. Speaking of energy:

I was recently alerted to a new PAC that is just getting started – Energy Rally for America. The group is trying to get members of Congress to agree to do the following:

*Vote in favor of The American Energy Act (House Resolution 6566)
*Add no Earmarks to the legislation
*Send it to the President for signing, before Congress adjourns prior to the November elections

This seems to me like something that politicians would want to be on board with, even with gas at around "only $3.50." The House resolution, of course, does include ANWR and off-shore drilling, but also items such as setting up a trust fund for renewable and alternative energy, calling for tax credits for electric cars. and creating funding for a $500 million prize for the first automobile manufacturer to commercially sell 50,000 mid sized cars capable of attaining 100 miles per gallon.

From what I can tell, they will be holding rallies on the 19th of this month at the offices of Representatives who won't sign the pledge. My question. Will they be visiting Betty Sutton's office? Even if they do, she may busy barricading herself in her office thinking of new ideas like "air dry your dishes."

I don't usually publish stuff like this, but I think this group is on the right track.

Sutton Energy Plan: No Drilling

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Energy, Sutton / Potter
• Date: Aug 14,2008

CNN Money: "Weaning ourselves off oil is the answer." – Representative Betty Sutton, Democrat, 13th District, May 7, 2008.

Betty Sutton, as class president of the freshman 2006 House Democrats, is making her boss Speaker Pelosi proud. She recently sent two mailers to district residents that touted her energy "accomplishments." The mailers were paid for by taxpayers as part of the incumbency protection program. (4 individual links in this post can be clicked on to see the mailings I am describing; may take a few seconds to load.)

In her August mailer Sutton said: "As your voice in the United States Congress, your priorities are my priorities. From working to lower gas prices to keeping good paying jobs in our communities, I have been fighting for the issues that are most important to you." That sounds good. One of my priorities is indeed lowering gas prices. I just wish Sutton was actually doing something and not just following her party line.

On a separate page of the mailer, you can read what Sutton had to say under "Fighting to lower the price of energy." Nothing in there about drilling.

Sutton also sent out a piece about a month before that, touting her support of the "Energy Independence and Security Act." Guess what? Nothing about drilling. There was what you would expect – biofuels, green energy, blah blah blah. It was signed into law on December 19, 2007. Energy really plummeted in price after that, right Congresswoman? (This waste of money also included such great ideas as "air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle," and "install a programmable thermostat that is compatibale with your heating and cooling system.")

Sutton sends out these pieces with no mention of drilling. People all across America, and in her district, want lower gas prices and for America to start exploring resources here at home. Maybe Sutton is fine with gas around $3.70 a gallon as long as people are using the new kind of light bulbs and only using the washing machine for full loads. Surprising she didn't ask us to wash clothes in a bucket of water and soap and then use a clothesline for drying.

There is nothing wrong with one changing or evolving her position (she hasn't) when events warrant (and they do in this case), but in my eyes this is worse than a blatant flip flop, it's a distortion in a taxpayer paid communication. Sutton is not fighting to lower gas prices. Fighting to try and sue OPEC maybe. But that is about it. Don't forget, she was in the Democratic majority who voted 213-212 to adjourn for the summer without addressing gas prices. I would love to hear Sutton debate her opponent Dave Potter on drilling and energy and why she voted to leave Washington without doing anything. Probably a debate she would run and hide from. I am sure the phone polling she has been doing around the district on the issue lately tells her as much.

So in conclusion, while Betty Sutton tries to impress Henry Waxman with her sham oil executives hearings and talks about "market manipulation," 13th District residents can read her mailer that they helped pay for while paying about double the price to fill up their cars as compared to when Betty Sutton was elected in November 2006………..

Weekend Daily Part IV

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Boccieri / Schuring, Congress, Energy, Ohio, Weekend Daily
• Date: Aug 3,2008

48 hours after telling us peasants to fill up our tires and suck it up, Obama reverses course on off-shore drilling. There is nothing he won't change his position on – and then tell us that we are wrong, that his position never actually changed, we just didn't understand it the first time. No wonder he won't agree to any townhall debates with McCain before the real debates. He doesn't want to be exposed.

CNN: Obama says offshore drilling stance nothing new. Key excerpt: But on Saturday morning, Obama said this "wasn't really a new position."

Obama did reverse course, but his fellow Democratic senator, Ken Salazar from Colorado sure didn't. Salazar said $10 gallon gas won't make him change his mind………………….

Great scene yesterday on the House floor where Republicans kept talking about energy even after Speaker Pelosi shut off the lights and turned off the microphones and TV cameras. One Democrat did stay and watch for a little while – Dennis Kucinich. Regardless, it was the most attention garnered by the Republicans since the 2006 loss of control. For a great write up on this, check out what Da King wrote about it.

Late last week, we did interviews with both Kirk Schuring (me) and John Boccieri (Kyle). Expect to see them here early this week.

Stevens Sinks: A new Ivan Moore Research poll in Alaska shows Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) leading Sen. Ted Stevens, 56% to 35%. However, even though Stevens faces six opponents in the Aug. 26 Republican primary, he still holds a huge lead over chief rival Dave Cuddy (R), 59% to 19%. Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Begich leading Stevens, 50% to 37%. Alaska Republican primary voters need to wake up. Now.

OH-3: Jane Mitakides, Democratic challenger to Mike Turner, puts out a release saying that 70% of her funds raised have come from inside the district. Interesting, because around 45% of her total contributions have come from her own household. Over 43% of the total amount raised to date was contributed by the candidate to herself – $140,789.45. Seems a little dishonest and deceptive if you ask me. Turner has over 4x the cash on hand than does Mitakides. The quarterly filing of Mitakides here.

Jesse Jackson Jr. would be interested in Obama's junior senator of Illinois slot if it becomes available. I wonder if he is appointed if he would be fortunate enough to see his primary opponent and general election opponent self destruct and then get to face Alan Keyes in his first defense of the seat. Probably not.

Kyle beat me to the punch putting up the newest McCain ad two posts below. I love it. I like both of the new ones. Democrats do not. They are starting their typical crying about the GOP running smears and negative campaigns. These are smears? Kyle tried to use some sarcasm but he knows it hits right to the core of Obama. McCain is getting more aggressive and putting out better ads right now than is Obama.

Buckeye Punditeers said it this way: Obama may still go ahead and win this election. However, the seeds have been planted for a 100 day assault on him that his campaign may not be able to survive. August is the time to start the assault on Obama's record and past statements.

I would be nervous too if I was them………

Citizens of America: Inflate Your Tires

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Energy, Obama
• Date: Jul 30,2008

Citizen of the world, Barack Obama, today in Missouri:

Here is the text of the video: There are things you can do individually, though, to save energy. Making sure your tires are properly inflated — simple thing. But we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling — if everybody was just inflating their tires? And getting regular tune-ups? You’d actually save just as much!

Get back on the teleprompter!! The crowd didn't seem too enthused by Obama's answer. Nice energy plan. Powerline does the math: So, on the above assumptions, it would take only 11,308 years of proper tire inflation to equal "all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling."

So if we all inflate our tires, the problem is solved according to Obama. Maybe President-elect Obama can set up a plan to have police checkpoints to monitor everyone's tire pressure. I am going to head to a gas station as soon as this post is done and do my part. Then I won't have to worry about gas prices or oil anymore. But really, that is fine. I am not against inflated tires. But I am against that being your idea to avoid having to drill. No word if this just applies to Americans or also to people overseas.

No wonder Senate Democrats don't want any energy votes to come to the floor. Obama would have to vote on things like more drilling. I really think that is what the games in the upper chamber are all about at this point. Protection of Obama.

The House Democrats did their part today to avoid voting on drilling. By a vote of 213-212 they voted to adjourn Friday for their summer recess. Every single Republican who cast a vote voted to stay. They were joined by 17 Democrats. Not included in that 17: Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Marcy Kaptur, Betty Sutton, Dennis Kucinich, Tim Ryan, Zack Space, and Charlie Wilson. That is every Democrat in the House that represents Ohio. This must be part of that grand plan I heard so much about in 2006 that Nancy Pelosi and her crew said they had to bring down gas prices if we elected them (that have now basically doubled).

Also, I watched the first 2 minutes of this speech on TV today, just enough to see Claire McCaskill of Missouri introduce His Highness. I still can't believe McCaskill beat Jim Talent in 2006 for that Senate seat. She is terrible.