An Opportunity Missed

An Opportunity Missed 

The Republicans have a wonderful opportunity this election year. Roughly 70% of the American people support drilling for oil offshore, in ANWR, and extracting oil from our vast oil shale reserves. Nearly 1.4 million Americans have signed the Newt Gingrich "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition at www.americansolutions.com. (If you haven’t signed Newt’s petition yet, please do so now.)

The Democrats aren’t interested in finding more oil. No, that’s not right. They are opposed to drilling for oil, extracting oil from oil shale reserves anytime, anywhere. They blame the oil companies. They say finding more oil won’t lower the price of gas at the pump. They blame speculators. This is all demagoguery.

The real reason they oppose drilling for oil is that they don’t care about gas prices. Obama says the problem was the steep rise in gas prices. They want you to abandon your car, move into an anthill in some big city, make do with less, and do whatever they want you to do. After all, liberals are smarter than you and I are. They know what’s best for you.
Previously, these same folks have suggested doubling and tripling the tax on gas to get Americans out of their cars. They take a low view of the average American and couldn’t care less about individual freedom.

Forrest Gump quoted his mother as saying, "Stupid is as stupid does." She must have had the Democrats in mind. But then again, why isn’t the presumed GOP Presidential nominee pounding the Dems on this issue which breaks so heavily on the side of common sense?

Instead he’s jetting off to meet with the Dali Lama in Vail, Colorado. Then he’s off to San Francisco where he praised Nancy Pelosi as "one of the great American success stories." In the same interview he heaped accolades on Al Gore for his leadership on "Global Warming." And let’s not forget the disastrous interview with the New York Times where our dinosaur candidate admitted that he couldn’t send out e-mails or get on the World Wide Web without help from his staff or his wife.

Some Republican members of Congress understand the power of the oil drilling issue, but it’s hard to gain traction when your presidential candidate enjoys being a "maverick" more than being right on the issues.

The polling numbers on Democratic leadership of Congress have never been lower (they’re even lower than President Bush). Republicans have an opportunity for a historic landslide if they push conservative issues like drilling for oil now.

Will the GOP once again prove itself to be the Stupid Party or will John McCain wake up from his nap and start leading the Party to a dramatic victory in November? Only time will tell.