Santorum Super PAC plays on Islamophobia

Ads are playing right now in Louisiana for the Republican campaigns and I just happened to see one running for Rick Santorum. The ad attacks President Obama on energy policy and it was funded by the Red White and Blue Fund super PAC. As a Louisiana resident, I would prefer that people question the ads playing on our televisions. Knowing Louisiana, this isn't going to happen, so I'm going to be the one person who writes about this damn ad.

First, it attacks Obama using buzzwords, those buzzwords being "foreign oil" and "radicals." The stage was set to plant the seed of Republican American isolationism and fear from the start. From there, the ad went on to say the money we spend on oil goes to "fund radicals with bad intentions," showing a photo of obvious angry Muslim protesters with some form of Arabic language written on a sign on a building, followed by a burning American flag.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we put the gas in our gas tanks. We, American citizens, spend the money which goes to the oil companies and countries in the Middle East, not President Obama. It's our money, not his. We're to blame, Rick. It's our addiction that is the problem.

High prices are also the result of speculation, but market speculation isn't covered in the ad. If you're not talking about market speculation, then you aren't serious about gas prices. Really. You are not at all serious about gas prices.

But we also don't fund radicals. That's just factually inaccurate. Sure, I'm certain some Middle East countries have ties to terrorist organizations, but let's face it. The oil money is going to the very rich families in Saudia Arabia, for example, so that they can live lavish and luxurious lives. Our money goes to the US oil companies so that they can reinvest in research, but also so they can fill their pockets.

Santorum's solution is to investigate domestic sources, utilize natural gas, open up drilling and build pipelines to lower costs, according to the ad.

Unfortunately, these solutions will not provide any immediate relief. These are all long term plans. The Republican plan right now is to drill, baby, drill. It was the same plan they had in 2008. They haven't evolved away from that plan, aside from talking up more natural gas investments.

Americans want immediate relief. No Republican candidate can provide that level of relief with more drilling. We have to build the equipment first and that takes time. This is a promise they cannot keep, but because Americans only think in terms of immediate results, that's how the super PAC wants to play their advertising hand. We are apparently that stupid, or at least they think we're that stupid.

If you're a Republican, ask your candidates what solutions they have to lower gas prices within the next month. Yes, a month. Maybe two.

Sure, we could establish a long term plan to lower prices and increase supplies, but what does that do for you right now? Nothing. Not a damn thing, son.

Rick Wagoner Resignation

Before you start reading all of the spin surrounding the resignation of GM CEO, Rick Wagoner, make sure you understand what's going on.

Barack Obama did not plainly ask for Wagoner's resignation. It is part of a list of concessions GM has to make in order to receive more bail out money. The headlines and news coverage will frame this in the most simplistic terms. Watch for the words "The White House has asked for his resignation." While true, it is an incomplete statement and very misleading. Blame shitty media coverage to get people riled up. It was part of a list of concessions in exchange for money.

Some reading I've done tonight makes this out to be the government telling a company what to do. Conservative bloggers are drumming this up as some sort of Socialism or Communism threat. These bloggers are publishing FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt). Tell them to stop it. Writers who use FUD to get their point across are ruining journalistic integrity. Remember, his resignation is just one concession in a list in exchange for government assistance. The government isn't just going to throw money at you and expect nothing in return. Hardly Communism folks. Just accountability.

Let's look at that. GM was bailed out briefly. They were asked to clean up their act and put out some good plans for making cars to get this country back on track in that department. In case you haven't noticed, American cars are shit when compared to anything we import. The auto industry is a major player in the American economy. Whether it's steel or plastic, the auto industry feeds millions. When they fuck up, they fuck over quite a few people.

The taxpayers bailed your ass out and progress has not been made. It's called accountability. If you can't make progress, get the hell out of the way and let somebody else do it. Rick Wagoner couldn't cooperate with the unions or get a solid plan to save the industry. He's in the way and because we tried to help bail GM out, he answers to us now.

Just so we are clear, you should probably recognize how integral the auto industry is in Obama's grand plan to pull us out of this hole. It's called going green. It's called getting off of foreign oil. If you aren't on board with that plan, you're living in the past and you're part of the problem. Doesn't really surprise me that people criticize Obama for his actions. They didn't agree with Obama's energy plan to begin with. Heck, they didn't even think he had a plan.

We want progress. If that means Rick Wagoner and AIG have to answer to the taxpayers who put up the money to help, well then I'd say that's pretty damn fair.

Gas Prices: Something to watch for

Gas prices are dropping to under $3 all across the country. I have yet to hear a clear reason as to why the prices are really dropping. Not long ago, we were faced with a supply issue related to hurricanes in the Gulf. Many stations were bone dry after a brief panic. Now that the economy is tanking, what is up with gas prices?

[conspiracy theory]
Since Bush & Co. caters to big oil, I would not be surprised if he nudged a few of his buddies to stop gouging so much. Pick a reason that makes sense for you. Explanations are endless.
[/conspiracy theory]

Big Oil has always fallen back on the supply & demand defense when confronted with accusations of price gouging in light of record breaking profits. Many said that because high prices would reduce usage, eventually demand would drop and in turn, prices would follow. Is that what we are seeing? The cycle, according to Big Oil, will continue because when prices drop, demand will suddenly spike and drive prices up again. If supply & demand really is behind all of this, I would expect to see this trend. If this trend does not play out, I will be left scratching my head and back on the price gouging bandwagon.

Off Shore Drilling and Consumerism

Look, the bottom line is that any off shore drilling isn't going to make any bit of difference in the current gas price debacle. It won't even impact the prices in the near future. There is one argument worth hearing with regard to off shore drilling. If the time comes where we should need it, starting now would ensure that there is an infrastructure in place ready to go at it. A lot is required to set up before any drilling actually begins.

I'm not big on oil tycoons. Personally I think they're a bunch of crooked SOB's just like any other major company has. I heard T. Boone Pickens on BBC America the other day and he actually sounded more on the level than the piece of crap CEO that showed up on Larry King Live to answer questions. Pickens is on the track towards alternative fuels. It's about time the rest of the oil industry jumped aboard. Like he said, we've been drifting far too long on oil alone.

Now let's play some hypotheticals for a brief moment. I heard someone the other day ask why the democrats are against off shore drilling. It goes without saying that the person in question is a staunch conservative, but I'll mention it anyway so it's perfectly clear that we are talking about someone who thinks in terms of black and white (simplistic as I've stated before in my blog). Let's say we could start drilling tomorrow. Lots of oil, right? How would that drive prices down? Demand would stay the same or go up. We as consumers would hear that there's oil out there and we'd toss out the thoughts on conservation in a heartbeat. We'd drive and then we'd drive some more. Guzzle guzzgle guzzle. Prices would definitely not fall. The current democrats understand that. Bush Sr. understood that and he's a republican. It's not a partisan issue, but I see many love to make it one. It is just another way to play politics and avoid any serious discussion.

Pickens agrees that the way this market works is that demand goes up, prices soon follow, leading to penny pinching and decreased demand, and in turn a drop in prices. Once the price drops, the consumer is going to start buying again which will drive demand up one more time. It's a cycle we need to get out of.

We've learned that biofuel botched things up. The stuff drove the price of corn up. I'm sure big time farmers don't mind that, but it still doesn't help the situation. We've made the produce market suffer as a result. Add that to already high fuel costs and the produce industry will be in a world of hurt with the rest of us.

We're going to have to start making sacrifices my fellow Americans. If you're living outside of your means, don't just cut back just a little. Cut back a lot. You're going to get hammered in the months and years to come if you don't start sacrificing some of your toys. NASCAR would be a great group to lead and set an example. Imagine giving up or completely redesigning your trade as a NASCAR driver to stand up for alternative energy and fuel conservation. They won't do that of course. Fuel costs are going to get them anyway. Better be realistic sooner than later. Ignoring it won't make life any better. Still, they'd be a great group to stand up and get the right wing rednecks thinking about responsible energy plans in this country.

Right now, I think most Americans would rather bitch about it than do anything that might change the way they consume everything within an arms reach. It's a real shame, isn't it? I know people are going to scoff at the idea, but we should have listened to Carter when we had the chance. Eventually, you're going to have to come around to the idea that we cannot drill our way out of this.

Some people like to say Bush has been telling us we need to break our dependency on foreign oil over the last five or six years. No. He hasn't. He's said it publicly over the last year and a half or so and that's only because of his drop in approval ratings. He has no intention of breaking our dependency on foreign oil. He'll say anything to make himself look good in the eyes of his base, but he won't put his money where his mouth is when the rest of America (roughly 70%) needs him to. The dems don't have a true majority in Congress, so you can't bring up checks & balances. The so called majority is so narrow you'd be lucky to get a piece of paper to slide between them. Let's face it. Bush is an oil man. His family is tied to the Saudis and let's not forget Texas. The reality is he's saying one thing and doing another. That's been how he ran both of his campaigns. It's how his administration has behaved. It's how the current conservative movement behaves. The dems may be doing things half assed and cowardly, but at least they aren't two faced. Don't you ever put W in a good light with regard to dependency on foreign oil. It's a sure sign that you've been suckered by a two faced liar. Yeah I know you don't like to admit you've been suckered, but you might as well man up and take your licks for your naive thoughts. His drill off shore and drill Alaska plans are just fluff statements for the public to hear so he doesn't have to come up with any original plan. He can sit back and let us argue over whether or not we should. Hold his ass accountable and quit kissing it.