Sometimes in politics, particularly in campaigns, parties get wedded to slogans — so wedded that no one stops to think about what they’re saying, whether the reality has changed and what the implications would be if their bumper stickers really guided policy when they took office. Today, we have two examples of that: “Democrats for Afghanistan” and “Republicans for offshore drilling.”
Anyone who looks at the growth of middle classes around the world and their rising demands for natural resources, plus the dangers of climate change driven by our addiction to fossil fuels, can see that clean renewable energy — wind, solar, nuclear and stuff we haven’t yet invented — is going to be the next great global industry. It has to be if we are going to grow in a stable way.
Therefore, the country that most owns the clean power industry is going to most own the next great technology breakthrough — the E.T. revolution, the energy technology revolution — and create millions of jobs and thousands of new businesses, just like the I.T. revolution did.
Republicans, by mindlessly repeating their offshore-drilling mantra, focusing on a 19th-century fuel, remind me of someone back in 1980 arguing that we should be putting all our money into making more and cheaper IBM Selectric typewriters — and forget about these things called the “PC” and “the Internet.” It is a strategy for making America a second-rate power and economy.
But Democrats have their analog. For many Democrats, Afghanistan was always the “good war,” as opposed to Iraq. I think Barack Obama needs to ask himself honestly: “Am I for sending more troops to Afghanistan because I really think we can win there, because I really think that that will bring an end to terrorism, or am I just doing it because to get elected in America, post-9/11, I have to be for winning some war?”The truth is that Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Pakistan are just different fronts in the same war. The core problem is that the Arab-Muslim world in too many places has been failing at modernity, and were it not for $120-a-barrel oil, that failure would be even more obvious. For far too long, this region has been dominated by authoritarian politics, massive youth unemployment, outdated education systems, a religious establishment resisting reform and now a death cult that glorifies young people committing suicide, often against other Muslims.
Before Democrats adopt “More Troops to Afghanistan” as their bumper sticker, they need to make sure it’s a strategy for winning a war — not an election.
Well thought out, as usual. Worth considering, as usual. Though I wouldn’t use this as the single touchstone to decide who to vote for in the coming presidential election.
the us should stop pumping oil tommorow.. and let the chips fall where they may..
save it for later
if bo embraced the metric system he could lose
Try to build a nuclear plant or put up a wind farm….
Between the EPA, the NRC, and the tree-huggers, forget it….
Try to build a dam that can harvest water for generators. Same problems….
Countries that lack these “protections” are the ones that’ll win…. It’s not a level playing field.
I’ve got a friend who owned a coal mine. He shut it down when the EPA demanded that he restore the surface conditions to better than what he started with. This stuff isn’t all that clean, but it could have been used, somehow, to take some of the load off the oil and natural gas related fuel needs.
There are plenty of AlGore-proof energy sources we could be working with, but the infrastructure’s got to be built up, and that can’t happen overnight. IF we can get past the tree-huggers and “not in my neighborhood” people….
You bet your sweet light crude ass there is.
Friedman is usually on the wrong side of the issues. He’s one of the yahoo pushing mass transit among other things. Complete un-American.
Ed,
we should be putting all our money into making more and cheaper IBM Selectric typewriters
Hey, I can get you some, cheap
“…Before Democrats adopt “More Troops to Afghanistan” as their bumper sticker, they need to make sure it’s a strategy for winning a war — not an election…”
Agree, but Americans are simpletons. Describing how energy independence leads us out of the middle east, creates jobs here in the US and cleans up the environment is too much.
Furthermore, the Republicans will continue to drag the conversation away from what’s good for America to whatever Karl Rove has in his slime lab.
#3, Stu,
Bullshit, more bullshit, and even more bullshit. Have you been reading too many of Lyin’ Mike’s posts?
Currently there are at least 30 nuclear generating plants in the application stage.
Name ONE wind farm where the EPA, NRC, or tree huggers have restricted or hindered the application.
Name ONE dam that has been denied that would not have caused serious environmental damage in its own right.
The EPA has never ordered anyone to restore the surface better than what it was. Maybe you could name this mine so we could research it a little more. This is a common accusation made by those who want to rape the earth, despoil the land, and walk away.
we should be putting all our money into making more and cheaper IBM Selectric typewriters
Hey, I can get you some, cheap
Really? I would like a wide-carriage Selectric-I (not that el-cheapo crap II)
I’ll even pay for shipping if you throw in some extra balls.
#8 Mr Fusion
Sorry, MF. Check the newspapers out of Buffalo and Rochester NY. Two or three times a week there are stories of local towns passing ordinances to stop wind farm construction in the area. We are located in fairly windy part of the country due to the proximity to Lakes Erie and Ontario. There have been numerous attempts to build wind farms in the area. The nut jobs have come out of the woodwork with the usual cries; “Save the birds”, “I didn’t move to the country to look at some damn wind turbine”, “The constant flicker causes epileptic fits”. Most of the surrounding towns have passed zoning ordinances stopping the construction until “further studies show them to be safe”.
Also, although I don’t have details at hand, it seems as though the folks on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are fighting tooth-and-nail to stop an off-shore wind farm from being developed. I would guess that most of these people are of the “no more oil” persuasion also.
People are always in favor of these projects as long as they have no effect on their own life style.
Tom Friedman said, “Republicans, by mindlessly repeating their offshore-drilling mantra, focusing on a 19th-century fuel, remind me of someone back in 1980…”
He must have gone into a coma during the last 30 years as the Repubs battled to get nuc power going, only to be opposed by the dems and enviro wacko’s. But, journalists shouldn’t let facts get in the way…
#3 “Currently there are at least 30 nuclear generating plants in the application stage.”
And of that 30 only 3 have even been given “early site approval.”
http://tinyurl.com/6xksqa
At the above link follow the links and see how it has taken 2 years for a site to even get that far.
NIMBYism is gonna kill us.
When was the last US nuclear power plant opened?
How does this compare with other countries?
What does any of this, or the post, have to do with the headline drilling in Afghanistan?
This is going to be fun to watch all you folks DEBATING/BITCHING about..
1. we will PROBABLY NEVER leave Afghanistan.
2. we will NEVER fully LEAVE IRAQ.
3. the rules/regulations/requirements and site EVALUATIONS for any power plant, solar, wind, water, wave, tide, has a STARTUP cost in the $10,000,000 price range to even START.
4. USA OIL has MORE tax on it then IMPORTED OIL.
#8, Bill,
Name ONE wind farm where the EPA, NRC, or tree huggers have restricted or hindered the application.
So the local municipalities are the EPA? Nor would these local people count as extreme environmentalists, or tree huggers in your parlance.
So would you care to name ONE wind farm the EPA or tree huggers have stopped?
I would guess that most of these people are of the “no more oil” persuasion also.
And most guesses are lacking in facts. The tourists businesses are fighting the wind farms there.
#11, Cow-Paddy
… the Repubs battled to get nuc power going, only to be opposed by the dems and enviro wacko’s.
Please, please, name ONE nuclear power plant the Democrats blocked. Then tell us which nuclear power plants the Repubs battled to start. You imply the responsible media ignored this so please set us straight.
The Department of Commerce oversees the licensing of nuclear plants. Since Three Mile Island, there have been 19 years of Republican Commerce Secretaries and only 9 years of Democrat Commerce Secretaries. Sure sounds to me like the Republicans could have battled a little harder.
There’s a wind farm being blocked not 30 mi. from where I live and at least two more in SW MN.
Personally, I’m all for it. I want wind turbines everywhere. I want nuke plants everywhere. I want oil wells everywhere. I want coal plants everywhere.
If it was STANDARD practive to install a 1-2K windmill on EVERY HOME…we could solve about 25% of energy problems..
If we used them in the PROPER/best LOCATIONS we could do 40+% very easy.
the MAIn problems come from Corps/big buildings/HEAVY machines…THOSe suffer.
#18, iHotAir,
Is the EPA stopping them or the local wing nut crowd who don’t want the visual blight.
I notice several people will stand up and say “They are doing this” but they won’t mention the name of the supposed site. Yet they suggest it is an innocent person, group, or agency to blame.
Morans