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Author |
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Section |
The grill of victory
Over half of Americans want to barbecue with Barack |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The survey you've all been waiting for: 52 percent of Americans say they would prefer to have Barack Obama at their 4th of July shindig. Only 45 percent reported that they would prefer McCain, according to the latest Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll. Says the AP: 'People would rather barbecue burgers with Barack than munch meats with McCain.' That includes one in six people who said they plan to vote for McCain in November. Only one in 20 Obama voters said t ... |
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| Topics: elections, presidential race 08, Barack Obama, politics, news, holiday, Muckraker (all these topics) |
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The drill of the chase
RNC to drop $3 million on ads hitting Obama on energy |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Roll Call reports ($ub. req'd): The Republican National Committee is launching $3 million in independent expenditure television ads in four states, focusing on the energy issue. The ad is slated to run on network and cable television in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and will highlight the differences between Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on energy security. 'Following Barack Obama's decision to become the only major party ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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My other candidate is a bike
Obama, transportation policy, and the highway bill |
David Roberts |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Great story in CQ this week on bike politics. Did you know that Obama met a few weeks ago with 160 cycling advocates and promised them his support? I didn't. The 600-pound gorilla in transportation politics is the 2009 negotiation of a new highway bill, which according to CQ 'is already being touted as embodying the greatest overhaul of federal transportation policy since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act into law half a century ago.' ... |
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| Topics: presidential race 08, bikes, public transportation, placemaking, politics, Barack Obama (all these topics) |
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The media is (almost) onto McCain's cynical doubletalk
'Purpose,' McCain's new energy ad, features wind turbines he voted against |
Joseph Romm |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| McCain has a new ad titled 'Purpose': The AP critiqued it with a piece titled, 'McCain energy ad short on specifics.' Okay, mainstream media, half credit. The ad has a much bigger problem than lack of specifics -- McCain is trying to get a political boost by claiming he will champion popular clean energy technologies that he, like President Bush and most conservatives, has consistently opposed:SCRIPT: Announcer: American technology protected the world. We went to th ... |
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| Topics: John McCain, mainstream media, presidential race 08, elections, energy, politics, video (all these topics) |
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Derailed
McCain just not that into Amtrak |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over at the Boston Globe, columnist Derrick Z. Jackson does an excellent job of highlighting John McCain's beef with Amtrak: For years, McCain, in the comfort of cheap gasoline for autos and airplanes, made Amtrak a personal whipping boy. Despite the fact that governments in Western Europe and Asia zoomed far ahead of the United States by supporting high-speed trains to relieve congestion, promote tourism and now as we are coming to know, save the planet, McCain has ... |
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| Topics: elections, John McCain, Muckraker, news, placemaking, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics) |
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'Often contradictory stances'
Mainstream media realizes that McCain's energy rhetoric and record don't match up |
Kate Sheppard |
01 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The mainstream media has started to pick up on the fact that John McCain's energy policy is totally inconsistent. Bloomberg: As a senator, John McCain has condemned policies that pick market winners and losers, aiming particular criticism at government ethanol subsidies as a taxpayer rip-off. As a presidential candidate, the Arizona Republican himself is backing specific industries in proposals for relief from high energy prices and foreign oil dependence. ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, John McCain, mainstream media, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Per Hirsh incentives
Newsweek political journalist transcribes McCain campaign spin on energy |
David Roberts |
29 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Last October, Barack Obama laid out a detailed, ambitious, and comprehensive energy plan, and he's been talking about it ever since. A couple weeks ago, John McCain let loose a flurry of one-off energy gimmicks -- a gas tax holiday, offshore drilling, a prize for a car battery -- which he crammed together under the heading 'the Lexington Plan.' According to Washington Wise Man Michael Hirsh, in a mash note that would embarrass a crushing tween, that puts Obama on th ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Ethanol with your coal, anyone?
Billionaires for Obama |
JMG |
29 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Via Sam Smith, Lynn Sweet notes a few of the folks meeting with Obama: WEDNESDAY OBAMA PRIVATE MEETING IN CHICAGO WITH BUSINESS LEADERS: 1. James Bell, CFO of Boeing, aerospace, IL 2. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, financial services, NY 3. Ann Fudge, former CEO of Young & Rubicam, public relations, IL 4. Mark Gallogly, Centerbridge Partners, NY 5. Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, auto manufacturer, MI 6. Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, energy/alternati ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Some political news debris from this week: The League of Conservation Voters announced today that they've created the first green bundling site. This allows folks to donate en masse to green candidates around the country. LCV will direct the funds to the candidates it will support this year in Senate and House races. Just off his big Everglades restoration deal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist hosted a conference on climate change. Crist's friend and Californi ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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The battle of Lexington
McCain touts energy plan in another new ad |
Kate Sheppard |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain has a new ad promoting his 'Lexington Project' to move the country toward energy independence: As with previous ads, this one shows footage of windmills and solar panels, but I don't see any nuclear reactors. Odd, considering his love of nuclear energy and his plan to build 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030. |
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| Topics: elections, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy, video (all these topics) |
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Prez briefing
A smattering of presidential campaign news |
Kate Sheppard |
26 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Recent news on the presidential campaign front: Barack Obama held an 'Economic Competitiveness' summit today with leaders from the business, labor, education, and philanthropy, in which he touted his plan to invest $150 billion in the green energy sector and create five million new jobs. 'This can be the moment when we make a truly national effort to end our addiction to oil,' Obama said. 'Just as Roosevelt invested in an Arsenal of Democracy and Kennedy took us ... |
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| Topics: elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Crist cross
Was Florida guv's big Everglades deal an attempt to keep him in the running for VP? |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over on The Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capitol blog, Keith Johnson raises the question of whether Charlie Crist's $1.75 billion deal to buy 300 square miles of the Everglades from U.S. Sugar Corp. was timed to keep his chance at the VP spot alive, as some Floridians have suggested. Last week Grist noted that Crist's enviro cred may be at stake now that he's backed John McCain's call for off-shore drilling. Tuesday's announcement of the deal for the Evergl ... |
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| Topics: elections, Florida, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Waste line
McCain on nuclear waste problem |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| With John McCain in Nevada today promoting, among other things, his love of nuclear power, Sierra Club is circulating this video of McCain talking about nuclear waste. McCain's a proponent of using Yucca Mountain to dispose of the waste, and a lot of Nevadans don't like that idea very much. In the video, though, he appears to say that despite his support of dumping in a neighboring state, he wouldn't feel comfortable with nuclear waste traveling through his home s ... |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, nuclear power, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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What the next president should say
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Andrew Dessler |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Here is what I would like the next president to tell the American people: The era of cheap energy is over. We will never again see cheap gas, and we can expect the price of electricity to rise inexorably. In order for the United States to survive, we need to rebuild our energy infrastructure. To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we need to implement a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. This is a national security issue. We need a Manhattan-style go ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, energy, fossil fuels, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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The pot-shot heard 'round the world
McCain names his energy plan and bashes Barack Obama while he's at it |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain gave another energy speech today (bringing the grand total in the past week to four), this one in Las Vegas. It seems like the big new thing in this speech is that he's given a name to the various components of his energy plan that he's rolled out slowly over the past week: 'The Lexington Project.' 'In recent days I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lexington Project -- named for the town where Americans asserted their independenc ... |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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'It is now'
Obama lays out an energy vision that's economics and security first |
David Roberts |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I just read the energy speech Obama gave on Tuesday in Nevada. I'd call it a TKO if I didn't sound so unconvincing using boxing metaphors. Watch what he leads with: "A green, renewable energy economy isn't some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now."This is what the campaign, correctly in my judgment, has decided people need to hear first and foremost: It's happening. People just like you, who live around here, are getting jobs doing this stuff. The Ob ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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'Bipartisan leadership for energy independence'
Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith touts work with Obama in new campaign ad |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon is touting his work with Barack Obama to improve automobile fuel efficiency and his 'bipartisan leadership for energy independence' in a new television ad. Smith, the sole GOP senator on the West Coast, is fighting to maintain his seat this year in what's expected to be a tightly contested race against Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley. Watch it: The Obama campaign issued a statement yesterday on their candidate's appear ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, energy, fuel efficiency, Oregon, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Obama on nukes
RNC claims Obama contradicts himself on nuclear power |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Perhaps in response to Barack Obama's criticism of McCain on nuclear power yesterday, the Republican National Committee is circulating a research piece claiming the Democratic candidate has flip-flopped on the issue, citing quotes and videos of Obama. The quotes: From the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., in July 2007: 'I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Muckraker, news, nuclear power, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Voters' Voices: Oregon
Talking with voters in Portland about the environment and the election |
Melinda Henneberger |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Photo: David Grant 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. Portland, Ore. -- Oh, the indignity of tooling around environmentally aware Portland in a big-dog SUV, in between conversations about the environment. Even the guy at the rental-car counter was apologetic: 'I know,' he said, when I gulped at the news that my economy car ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, John McCain, Oregon, politics, presidential race 08, Voters Voices (all these topics) |
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Nevada say never again
Obama heads to Nevada, takes on McCain in energy policy address |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Not to let John McCain have all the attention on energy policy this week, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama gave a speech on energy today in Springs Preserve, a 180-acre area in Nevada dedicated to sustainability. 'What we are seeing here ... is that a green, renewable energy economy isn't some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now,' said Obama. 'It is creating jobs, now. It is providing cheap alternatives to $140-a-barrel oil, now. And it can c ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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No McCain, no gain
GOP candidate calls for energy efficiency in a California speech |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain gave yet another address on energy and environmental issues today (the third in the past week, if you're counting), this one focused on energy efficiency, which he says should begin at home with the federal government. 'Energy efficiency is no longer just a moral luxury or a personal virtue,' he told a crowd gathered at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History in California on Tuesday morning, echoing language from his June 17 energy speech. 'A sm ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, energy efficiency, John McCain, Muckraker, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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'New and cleaner'
McCain ad touts energy policy, including the not-so-new ideas |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain released a new ad today touting his plan for energy independence. 'We must shift our entire energy economy toward new and cleaner power sources such as wind, solar, biofuels,' says McCain in the ad. 'It will include a variety of new automotive and fuel technologies, clean-burning coal, and nuclear energy.' It also promotes his recent call to end the federal moratorium on offshore drilling, which is neither 'clean' nor 'new.' Watch it: |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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In the loophole
Obama calls for regulation of oil markets and decreased dependence on oil |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On Sunday, Barack Obama promised to end unregulated oil speculation and close the 'Enron loophole,' which he says are at least partly to blame for rising gasoline prices. 'For the past years, our energy policy in this country has been simply to let the special interests have their way -- opening up loopholes for the oil companies and speculators so that they could reap record profits while the rest of us pay $4.00 a gallon,' Obama said in a statement. 'My plan ful ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Oil Together Now
Prez candidates tout new policies to lower oil prices |
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23 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:47 AM on 23 Jun 2008 John McCain and Barack Obama have both called for changes to national energy policy in recent days that they said would eventually help lower oil and gasoline prices. On Sunday, Obama called for closer regulation of oil speculators that have been a major force contributing to the rise in oil prices. He said his plan would close the "Enron loophole" -- a provision exempting trade in ... |
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| Topics: energy, gas prices, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Dear swing state, I love you more!
Obama sweet-talks Florida, criticizes McCain's shift on off-shore drilling |
Kate Sheppard |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama responded to John McCain's call to end the moratorium on off-shore drilling in a press appearance in Chicago on Friday and made his own appeal to the voters of Florida: When I am President, I will keep the moratorium in place and prevent oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts. That's how we can protect our coasts and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas p ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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