July 9, 2004
THERE'S A NAME FOR DEMOCRATS LIKE THIS--REPUBLICANS:
Key Democrats split with Kerry on Arctic oil: Three candidates are vital in helping their party regain Senate (Tom Curry, 7/08/04, MSNBC)
While the man at the top of the Democratic ticket, Sen. John Kerry, has led the opposition to oil drilling on the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Democrats' hopes of regaining control of the Senate hinge on pro-drilling candidates in three key states: Alaska, Oklahoma and Louisiana.In Washington on Thursday, the three Democratic candidates in those states — Rep. Brad Carson of Oklahoma, Rep. Chris John of Louisiana, and former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles — joined forces to, in effect, declare their ANWR independence from Kerry.
If this trio wins their races this fall, they'll do it partly by running against Kerry on ANWR.
Not only did Kerry lead a 2002 filibuster that scuttled any chance of approval of ANWR drilling, but he reveled in his role as anti-ANWR crusader.
"How sweet it is," Kerry told reporters after the April 2002 vote to sustain the filibuster against drilling.
In an energy policy speech in January 2002, Kerry said, “Big oil and its allies have lusted over the (Alaska) refuge for two decades. With each attempt, they made up new arguments for despoiling a unique and irreplaceable Arctic environment.”
Alaskan Knowles gave a backhanded slap to such rhetoric Thursday.
“Not only do we support a responsible development of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for exploration and potential production of oil and gas, but we support changing the tone in the United States Senate,” he said.
“I really believe that having Democrats who are willing to stand up for a strong energy policy, independent voices, is going to make a difference in the 109th Congress as to whether we have an energy bill or do not,” Carson said.
He added that “we need people in the U.S. Senate who are members of the Democratic Party, but who are willing to do what’s right for the United States and increase domestic production and availability of both oil and natural gas.”
It'd be even sweeter to pass ANWR drilling because Senators Kerry and Edwards weren't in attendance to stop it. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 9, 2004 3:20 PM
Nice to know but I'd rather have these senate seats stay in GOP hands (Alaska, OK) or won by the GOP (Louisiana). And the GOP should force a vote on ANWR to make Kerry/Edwards take a stand.
Posted by: AWW at July 9, 2004 3:32 PMAWW: Agreed. Although both candidates have demonstrated that voting and taking a stand are entirely unrelated.
Posted by: John Resnick at July 9, 2004 5:30 PMHopefully everyone will some day realize the Arctic North Slope is not the hallowed ground that is portrayed by environmentalist. The proposed site for ANWR is quite small in size. Only a dot on the vast flat landscape. That coupled with ever advancing methodology of Arctic construction assures little of no damage to the environment. The oil companies at Prudhoe Bay have pulled all stops to assure America's Oil Field is the cleanest on this planet.
Posted by: Tom Wall at July 9, 2004 8:37 PMThe reason for the GOP to push votes like these is to force them to drop whatever campaigning they were planning for that day and go back to the Senate and defend their earlier votes.
(Kerry's running ads here in the Upper Left Washington during tonight's Mariner's loss. Wonder why he's spending money in what should be a safe state?)
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at July 9, 2004 9:28 PMRaoul - if you believe the stories of Kerry's tremendous fundraising it might be because he has money to burn..
Posted by: AWW at July 9, 2004 10:10 PMKnow anyone personally who has visited ANWAR on vacation? I understand about 100 people a year have during the limited daylight season. Know anyone who knows anyone who has?
The environmentalists want to save this pristinely primitive environment for future generations. Know anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who visited this wonderland to sightsee ... or seriously plans to? I'm certain someone does and we must save it for them.
Posted by: genecis at July 10, 2004 10:15 AMIt takes a special kind of wealthy masochist to take that vacation -- the mosquitos are all-consuming, at least when the sun is above the horizon...
Posted by: curt at July 10, 2004 12:09 PMI've long wondered if opposition to ANWR isn't an effort to prevent jobs in Alaska and facilitate a takeover of the state by Democrats. The same goes for closing off forests in the name of the spotted owl.