Obama Says Drill Baby Drill?

Obama Says Drill Baby Drill?
Written by Paul I. Adujie





Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin Republican presidential tickets aggressively promoted a no holds barred drilling of fossil fuels of the hydrocarbon type, wherever it can be found within and near the North American continental shelf. And in particular, they sought unrestrained drilling in places such as ANWR, Alaska, Florida, the Virginia-Maryland axis and the Gulf of Mexico etc

Conversely, Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden and in fact, Democrats and all liberal leaning politicians and platforms advocated utmost restraints in matters of unmitigated hunt and drillings for hydrocarbons and fossil fuels in North America and the Democrats were applauded by key environmentalists and environmentalist groups

President Obama as candidate was sanguine on matters concerning environment preservation and the consequences of eco degradations, with particular reference to the United States. Mr. Obama articulated superbly robust environmental stance. But now, there are baffling shifts and tinkering which have left environmentalists and others aghast. Tongues are wagging in connections with unburdening of oil companies in the business of explorations and prospecting for hydrocarbons or fossil fuels in the United States.

President Obama since occupying the White House, has moderated many of his policy positions or what some had assumed were his core beliefs. Many are left wondering what Mr. Obama’s motives are, in reference to these changes and shift away, from his policy stances, which had appeared heartfelt. Whatever happened to his concerns for fauna and flora, and oil drilling consequences or impacts on the environment?



There are indications that Mr. Obama has remained enamored and fixated on his rather idealistic hope for bipartisanship with his nemesis and opponents in the Republican party which has busied itself, and draped itself as the political party of NO, since the inauguration of President Obama

President Obama ought to know by now, that his hope for bipartisanship is forlorn. I thought President Obama ought to pronounce bipartisanship dead or impracticable or even impossible. Mr. Obama’s Health Reform Law as an American narrative was hijacked by Republicans and the Tea Party. And after the very partisan Health Care Reform Law bruising debates, why insist on nonexistent bipartisanship? What with all the nastiness which attended it and festooned upon it by the Republicans? The nastiness which were mostly from the Republicans and their Tea Party surrogates? It was the Republicans who falsely characterized and lampooned Mr. Obama’s efforts at creating a paradigm shift in health care delivery for all Americans.

The Republicans have fought and frontally attacked every policy program perspective of President Obama. Republicans have attacked and attempted to derail the second Stimulus Package, just as they have opposed, stalled and stymied implementations of sundry policies of Mr. Obama’s administration by refusing to consider Mr. Obama’s appointment and nominations.

In view of these purely partisan blockades of Mr. Obama by the Republicans, why does, and why would, Mr. Obama persist in his indomitable quest for bipartisanship? Why has Mr. Obama abandoned his previous position on drilling? Why has he abandoned or jettisoned cap and trade energy policy which he had supported? Even now, despite Mr. Obama’s unilateral truce and olive branch to the Republicans on this reversal of his energy policy stance, the Republicans were quick to reject Mr. Obama’s obvious deference to the Republicans. Mr. Obama is reportedly yielding so much grounds to placate and soften Republican oppositions. Republicans have been a destabilizing factor in every of Mr. Obama’s policy forays. Republicans are happy to keep the volatility between themselves and the Democrats alive with the hope of reaping electoral windfall in the forthcoming midterm elections in this Fall. The Republicans see election wins in every policy debate with the Obama administration. But bipartisanship still seems possible

As part of dividends from Mr. Obama’s triumphant victory from the hard fought battle over Health Care Reform Law, it was expected that more presidential confidence, swagger and even bravado, would return to Mr. Obama. And that he would become emboldened by the victory and buoyed in subsequent policy pursuits. Why then is Mr. Obama back slipping the American narrative into the back pockets of the Republicans once again? Why risk allowing Republicans to define and drive the energy debates as was the Health Care Reform Law national debate during the preceding 15 months?

What would it take to convince Mr. Obama already, that his bipartisanship idealism is moribund as far as the Republicans are concerned? It is quite obvious by now, that Republicans are only intent derailing the Democrats and their policy direction, for Republicans’ advantage. These are fights Republicans are glad to have and have been spoiling for such chances to scandalize Democrats.

President Obama and the Democrats’ political survival depend on the realization that there is a fight. And to prevail in these fights, the Democrats have to recognize that there is in fact, a worthy fight, ideological and cultural. What is more? The Democrats have to realize that the Republicans are splendidly uninterested in bipartisanship. The Republicans are unwilling to have fair and balance debates of the issues.

It is therefore quite counter productive for President Obama and the Democrats, to be veering to the right with hope of co-opting Republicans on public policy issues.

Clearly, Democrats must understand that the Republicans are desperate political orphans, after they, the Republicans were completely repudiated for their wrongheaded policies. Thereafter Democrats were rewarded by the electorate with a resounding mandate and so, the Democrats are the current incumbents, who must deliver on matters of pubic policies without ceding the public policy high ground to anyone else.

President Obama and the Democrats’ political fortunes, will be on the chopping blocks in the next elections and they will swim and sink depending on whether the electorate adjudge President Obama and the Democrats to have done right by the electorate. And not whether President Obama and the Democrats were fine bipartisan gentle-people.

In all of this, it must be borne in mind, that President Obama and the Democrats inherited two foreign wars with America wrapped in quagmires. As well as, a domestic economy in comatose condition, with the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates 100 years. President Obama and the Democrats must focused on cleaning the humongous mess which was created and left by the Republicans. The dexterity so demonstrated in these cleaning efforts by President Obama and the Democrats, is what they will be judged on.

The idea that President Obama and the Democrats seem intent on squandering their mandate, their goodwill and electoral wins, which were awarded to them by the electorate in the 2008 general elections is a bad idea. President Obama and the Democrats must stop trying too hard to act, be and seem like the ultra conservative Republicans who were appropriately and properly rejected at the polls by the American people on November 4, 2008.

President Obama is more effective when he is in fighting spirit, when he is decisive and unties his own hands. Obama wins when he ditches his entrenchments in his romantic pleas for bipartisanship with the Republicans. President Obama and the Democrats must cease allowing Republicans to hijack policy narratives.