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'U-Turn Udall' and 'Big Oil Bob'
Senate race in Colorado becomes a battle over energy issues |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The energy debate is playing out in down-ticket races across the country, and Colorado's no exception. In the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R), Rep. Mark Udall (D) and former-Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) are duking it out over oil. Schaffer represented Colorado's fourth district from 1997 through 2003, and in 2004 he made a failed bid in the Republican Senatorial primary. Since then, he has served as vice-president for business development at Aspect En ... |
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| Topics: advertising, Colorado, Congress, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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On the topic of overconsumption ...
John McCain doesn't know how many houses he owns |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| GOP presidential candidate John McCain isn't sure how many houses he owns. 'I think -- I'll have my staff get to you,' McCain told Politico yesterday. 'It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you.' The correct answer seems to be somewhere between four and seven. The Obama campaign has already released this ad on the subject: UPDATE: The McCain campaign responds with the arugula defense: 'In terms of who's an elitist, I think people have made a judgme ... |
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| Topics: elections, funnies, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Coal at the conventions
Group to spend nearly $2 million to promote clean coal at the conventions |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| While both the Democrats and Republicans are touting their conventions as 'greenest ever,' some not-so-green elements are making their way in as well -- namely, nearly $2 million of coal advertising in and around each convention, sponsored by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. ACCCE will drop that large wad of cash to put representatives on the streets to talk to convention attendees about 'clean coal' and the role of coal in the energy portfolio, ... |
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| Topics: Democratic National Convention, elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, Republican National Convention, video (all these topics) |
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Back to whale oil
McCain claims 'the truly clean technologies don't work' |
Joseph Romm |
20 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Late last year, after his campaign tanked, no one was paying much attention to McCain. As a result, some of the amazing things that he believes didn't get a lot of attention, such as this Cheney-esque stunner: John McCain: 'When you say wind solar and tide, most every expert that I know says that, if you maximize that in every possible way, the contribution that that would make given the present state of technology is very small, is very small. It's not a l ... |
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| Topics: elections, John McCain, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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MoveOn does N.C.
New MoveOn ad targets Elizabeth Dole and John McCain |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| MoveOn is dropping a cool half a million dollars on a new TV ad in North Carolina that accuses Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) of being 'in the pocket of Big Oil.' The ad highlights their support for tax breaks for oil companies. Dole is facing a tough reelection bid against Democratic challenger and state Sen. Kay Hagan (D). McCain is currently ahead of Obama in the presidential polls in North Carolina, but even though ... |
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| Topics: advertising, elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Environment America endorses Obama
Exclude: Another green group backs the Democratic presidential candidate |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Environment America today became the latest green group to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. 'Sen. Obama has publicly committed to fully addressing the pressing problem of global warming and moving the United States toward a new energy future,' said Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America. 'He has made clean energy one of the top issues of his campaign, and as a public servant representing Illinois at the state and federal level ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, environmental movement, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Veep-stakes
Everyone's talking about Obama's VP pick |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama is expected to reveal his vice presidential selection sometime this week, possibly as soon as today, though it's looking like a campaign event in Springfield, Ill. on Saturday is the most likely location for an announcement. If you've turned on cable news in the past few days, the pundits have been jabbering non-stop about who he might select. Most speculate that the running is probably down to four possible candidates: Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Kansas Gov ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Putting lipstick on a rig
McCain visits an oil rig, repeats call for more offshore drilling |
Kate Sheppard |
19 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Hurricane Dolly blew away John McCain's planned visit to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico last month, but the senator made another go at it today. On a Chevron-operated rig 150 miles off the coast of Louisiana, McCain reiterated his call for more offshore drilling and bashed his opponent for not being enthusiastic enough about oil exploration. 'Sen. Obama opposes new drilling,' said McCain (who himself opposed new offshore drilling until this summer). 'He has said ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, offshore drilling, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Food plight
Sen. Gordon Smith's frozen-foods plant violates environmental regs |
Kate Sheppard |
19 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith (R) is in hot water over a water-quality violation at his family's food-processing plant. Wastewater from Smith Frozen Foods in eastern Oregon overflowed into a creek recently while the plant was processing corn, a violation of state environmental regulations. This is bad timing for Smith, who has been touting his eco-credentials in what's shaping up to be a tight race against Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley this November. Smith is th ... |
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| Topics: elections, Muckraker, news, Oregon, politics, US Senate, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Like water and oil
McCain suggests renegotiating Colorado River compact to benefit Ariz., Nev., and Calif. |
Joseph Romm |
19 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| What epic gaffe could unite Colorado's Democratic Senator Ken Salazar -- 'over my dead body' -- and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer -- 'Over my cold, dead, political carcass'? That would be Arizona Senator John McCain telling The Pueblo Chieftan on Thursady that he wants to renegotiate the famous 1922 Colorado River compact to take water from the so-called upper basin states, including Colo. and N.M., where the river originates and give it to lower b ... |
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| Topics: climate, Colorado, elections, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08, water conflicts (all these topics) |
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Mississippi mud
Mississippi Senate race goes negative as Dems attack incumbent over Big Oil |
Kate Sheppard |
18 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is targeting Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for supporting Big Oil. A new ad highlights the fact that he voted to give oil companies tax breaks and voted against legislation to curb speculation in the oil market. 'While oil companies make record profits, Roger Wicker votes to give them $28 billion in tax breaks,' the ad says. 'On Election Day, make sure Roger Wicker feels your pain.' Mississippi's Republican Gov. Haley ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, Mississippi, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, US Senate, video (all these topics) |
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Voters' Voices: Virginia
Talking with voters in northern Virginia about the environment and the election |
Melinda Henneberger |
15 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is part of a series of dispatches from Melinda Henneberger, who's talking to voters around the U.S. about their views on the environment and the election. Reston Town Center. Reston, Va. -- If Virginia were a person, it would look a lot like Rod Markham, a federal contractor, retired from the Army, who's leaning ever so slightly toward Obama but is still of two minds about the presidential race. "There's a part of me that wants so bad ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08, Virginia, Voters Voices (all these topics) |
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Quick, before time is up!
Will Gore be veep? |
David Roberts |
14 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I was just thinking to myself, "self, the time is rapidly running out for speculating about Al Gore running for president being selected as Obama's VP! What fun will punditry be then?" Luckily, Bob Kuttner's got our backs: Most folks have assumed that Gore is off the VP list, but he hasn't been slotted as a convention speaker yet, which is curious since Gore is one of the party's superstars and its most effective spokesperson on energy and the environment ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, elections, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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McCain economics
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David Roberts |
14 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Here's Obama's new ad hitting McCain: I'm not entirely sure I get the Iraq bit. Is the Obama campaign now trying to cast Iraq as some sort of pampered welfare recipient? I know it now has an oil surplus, but it's not exactly like they're sitting pretty over there. |
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| Topics: advertising, elections, Iraq, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Party Is as Party Does
Democratic party platform outlines green goals |
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14 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:33 AM on 14 Aug 2008 The Democratic Party released its national platform Thursday ahead of its upcoming convention in Denver. While the health-care section is Hillary-esque, most sections, including those environment- and energy-related, echo the calls that Barack Obama has made throughout his campaign. The section "New American Energy" declares that Dems will create up to 5 million jobs in the green-ene ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Exxon John
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David Roberts |
13 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Democratic National Committee is being mean to John McCain again: |
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| Topics: advertising, Big Oil, elections, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Sandor slander
Head of CCX endorses McCain's cap-and-trade program, reveals misunderstanding of climate policy |
David Roberts |
11 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over on Huffington Post, Frank Carlson has a story revealing that Richard Sandor, the founder of the Chicago Climate Exchange, supports McCain's cap-and-trade system over Obama's -- that is to say, he supports giving pollution permits away rather than auctioning them. The story reveals that neither Carlson nor Sandor understands the difference very well. Here's how Carlson frames it: McCain says he would dole out permits in much the same way proposed by the Clima ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, economy, elections, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Veep impact
The pro- and anti-coal contenders on Obama's veep shortlist |
Frank O'Donnell |
11 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A commentary on vice presidential prospects by Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project, and Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. ----- As presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama prepares to make perhaps his most important campaign decision -- his choice of a running mate -- two governors are said to be on the short list: Tim Kaine of Virginia and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Both are smart and popular. Both ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, coal, elections, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Waste not, want not
Obama campaign targets McCain's support of dumping nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a new ad over the weekend in Nevada, targeting Republican rival John McCain's support for dumping nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. 'Imagine trucks hauling the nation's nuclear waste on our highways to Yucca Mountain,' the ad says. 'John McCain supports opening Yucca. He's not worried about nuclear waste in our state -- only in Arizona.' The ad then replays video of a May 2007 interview with McCain in whic ... |
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| Topics: advertising, Barack Obama, elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Conventional wisdom?
Democratic and Republican conventions pledge to be greener than ever before |
Kate Sheppard |
10 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Can you find the green in this picture? Photo: Vidiot Both the Democratic and Republican national conventions have pledged to go greener this year. And they've drawn mockery for their efforts -- particularly the Democrats, who say they'll be putting on 'the most sustainable political convention in modern American history.' A Wall Street Journal article in June reported that convention organizers were having difficulty finding union-made, organic-cotton f ... |
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| Topics: Democratic National Convention, elections, energy, greenwashing, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, Republican National Convention (all these topics) |
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The Roe less traveled
GOP rep in Tenn. loses primary after being linked to Big Oil |
Kate Sheppard |
08 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In Tennessee, freshman Republican Rep. David Davis lost his primary last night, apparently in large part because his opponent linked him to Big Oil. Davis is the first sitting Tennessee congressman in 40 years to lose in a primary. He was beaten by Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe, who accused Davis of accepting money from industry PACs, backing offshore drilling legislation, and 'selling out' to Big Oil. Davis has yet to concede, though tallies find Roe 570 vote ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, elections, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, Tennessee, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Who's getting the oil money?
Obama favored by Exxon employees, but McCain has gotten more oil money overall |
Kate Sheppard |
08 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama put out an ad earlier this week accusing rival John McCain of being 'in the pocket of Big Oil,' and the Democratic National Committee launched Exxon-McCain 2008, a website to promote the idea that the Republican candidate is in bed with the oil industry. But as Grist noted previously, Obama himself has received nearly $400,000 in donations from contributors in the oil and gas industries this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Polit ... |
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| Topics: campaign contributions, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Get to work!
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David Roberts |
07 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| MoveOn takes on McCain the voteskipper: For more on those votes, see here. |
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| Topics: elections, energy, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Doesn't anyone know how to play this game?
Unilateral drilling deal is bad politics |
Gar Lipow |
07 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Joe Romm seems to think Obama's public support for drilling is smart politics, getting something for nothing. Romm is one of the smartest policy guys out there, but I think he has missed a key point on the politics here. Supporting drilling is a way of reaching out to low-information voters. But low-information voters don't make up their minds based on policy details; they make up their minds based on symbolism and perception of candidate gestalt. For Obama to say 'Dril ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, John McCain, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Gas impasse
Obama campaign's attempts to get gas ads at the pump foiled |
Kate Sheppard |
07 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama's campaign wanted to bring the energy ad wars directly to the pump, but their attempts have been foiled. The campaign wanted to run an ad on the mini TV screens that appear on some gas pumps, pointing out that John McCain voted against higher fuel-economy standards and renewable energy, and that Obama is calling for a $1,000 energy rebate and measures to move toward energy independence. The campaign intended to roll out the ad at gas stations in Tam ... |
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| Topics: advertising, Barack Obama, elections, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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