Breakthrough: Both Parties' Conventions Put the Spotlight on Energy

By Alisha Fowler, Breakthrough Generation

Breaking news! Energy is still the number one issue of the 2008 presidential election and it is taking center stage at both parties' conventions this week and next. So far this election season, Republicans have been able to effectively capture this issue and run with it, bringing the American people with them and leaving Democrats in the dust.

The Republicans are winning an energy debate set entirely on their terms. They have been enjoying the strong voter support that accompanies an "all of the above" energy strategy, even if their message is only full of empty promises. Democrats, conversely, have been entirely left behind as they have struggled to find their voice in the debate and been hammered for being unable to restrain energy prices.

The Republicans will hold their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, next week and energy policy is expected to play a major role there as well. Republicans have reported that energy has been politically helpful to them in the past weeks, with polling indicating a large majority of voters support GOP-backed efforts to increase offshore drilling and expand the range of nuclear power. This is no surprise, as Democrats have done little to offer a clear, viable alternative to the powerful "drill, drill, drill" mantra.

In most recent weeks, Republicans have adopted an "all of the above" political strategy, which includes increased production of fossil fuels as well as investment in cleaner alternatives.

Sen. John McCain says he supports this strategy, as well as cap-and-trade and tax incentives for renewables. McCain has worked to position himself as a relative maverick in the Republican party, with such unconventional support, yet he repeatedly failed to vote on the PTC extension and the critical Lieberman-Warner cloture vote in June. Senator McCain's energy efforts may be nothing but empty political posturing, but they are working in the minds of the American people.

This does not mean, however, that it is game over for Democrats. Far from it. Today's theme of the Democratic National Convention is "Renewing America's Promise" and a number of governors, the Clinton administration's Secretary of Energy and Transportation Federico Peña, and the founder of an energy technology investment firm in Portland, Oregon, are expected to tout energy development as a major component of the party's economic agenda.

The American public is all ears for what the Democrats will bring out of their convention. Democrats have a ripe opportunity to bring the debate back into their corner at the convention this week, especially today with their day focused on our energy and economy.

If the Democrats are able to find and tout a renewed, clear message of energy freedom and affordable energy prices, they will gain significant voter support and the momentum they need to run for the White House this November. We will soon see if Democrats are able to accept drilling on their terms and move the focus to real, lasting solutions, or if they will let the opportunity slip away.

One thing that constantly amazes me is the Democrats' inability to cut through the OCS drilling myth. It's a bad idea any way you look at it, and the facts support that. Why have they not been able to reframe that debate? I'm very concerned. I'm also worried about the lack of clear leadership on the part of the Dems. True, they have to get elected, and "radical" (I really mean practical) policy two months before an election is never safe. But why are we relying on an Pickens, an ultraconservative oil man, a former Swift-boater, and a McCain supporter with questionable intentions, to take the aggressive action and initiative on energy we need? Isn't there anyone else who can step up to the plate? I think that the overwhelming presence of Clean Coal advertising at the convention, yet another big lie, is a revealing symptom of what's wrong with this picture--the continued corrupting influence of corporate interests in our political system. The democrats have accepted millions in contributions from the coal and energy lobby this year, and are fundamentally compromised. www.followtheoilmoney.org Less dirty money, more clean energy. www.oilchangeusa.org Posted by: moe33 at August 28, 2008 9:56 PM

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