Offshore Drilling Platform
For the last six months, the GOP has fought the Democratic-controlled Congress to terminate the two decades old congressional ban on offshore drilling for oil and gas. When Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned Congress for the summer without taking action, GOP congresspeople continued to make speeches on the floor of the House for months, even though the media was not allowed to record such speeches. The offshore drilling issue is one of only a few issues in which the GOP holds the upper hand in terms of overall popular sentiment and concentrated support from independent, centrist voters: 69% overall favor offshore drilling versus 19% against, while independent voters favor drilling 65%-19%.
Today, the political map leading to November 4 was reshuffled as House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., notified the press that the provision to extend the offshore drilling ban would be removed from the session-ending general appropriations bill, thereby terminating the drilling ban in most U.S. coastal waters. While the Republican Party has now scored a major tactical victory in outlasting Democratic attempts to obscure the debate with bill that would allow very limited drilling, taking the issue off the table could take away a major wedge issue for McCain versus Obama.
Top GOP House member John Boehner crowed: “If true, this capitulation by Democrats following months of Republican pressure is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gasoline prices…” For at least today, the GOP can revel in its success, and we’ll likely see the market price of oil drop when this news is digested by the market tomorrow morning.
Tags: House Appropriation Committee Chairman David Obey, popular support for offshore drilling, session-ending general appropriation bill removes offshore drilling ban, Wedge issue removed