Opinion: Convincing You to Vote Red - The White House and John McCain

Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com

Now more than ever, we can not believe anything the Bush Administration says. It is election season, and above all else the current administration serves its party (even above serving the American people, which includes pesky Democrats and bothersome independents). What this means is that for the next three months the Bush Administration will doctor press-releases in order to subtly support John McCain.

Want proof? In an August 12 2008 meeting with the Coalition for Affordable American Energy (CAAE), President Bush delivered this (indirectly pro-McCain) message:

“One of the things that came out in this discussion was there's a lot of folks in our country who understand we could be doing something about the high price of gasoline and we're not. Obviously we need to be wise about conservation, but we've got to be wise about increasing the supply of oil here in America. If you're concerned about the price of gasoline, one way to affect that price of gasoline is to increase oil supplies.

“And one of the things the workers know that I fully understand, as well, I'd rather our consumers be buying gasoline made from oil here in America than gasoline from oil being made overseas. We want our dollars, to the extent possible, to be here at home, staying here at home.

“And so we discussed a variety of strategies about how to affect the supply of oil, and one way that we can affect the supply of oil is to increase access to offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf.”

In looking at this statement it is of primary importance to first rebuff anyone who believes that Bush is merely conducting his regular presidential duties. While it should be a goal of his to both keep the American people informed of his ideas and to address energy concerns, he did not simply do this here, though it may appear so. As opposed to reasonably identifying the ways in which America can lower its dependence on foreign oil, Bush instead (indirectly) reiterated the Republican Party catch-phrase that if McCain is elected, at home off-shore drilling will begin, thus increasing the supply of non-foreign oil.

How many times have you heard that if McCain is elected, off-shore drilling will begin? Countless times, no doubt. And what is Bush saying in this statement? That off-shore drilling is the cure to the common American’s problem of high gasoline prices… Not all that indirect, eh?

So as Bush appears to be commenting on gasoline prices, what he is actually doing is lobbying for McCain.

The next point of note is that he blatantly avoids supporting alternative energy sources in any way, shape, or form (as this would indirectly support Obama). There should be no question that nuclear, wind, and hydro generated power for homes should be pursued, and that research and development in bio-fuels (from ethanol to hydrogen to electricity) is an intelligent, responsible, and necessary investment, yet we hear only the briefest of comments on these pursuits throughout Bush’s statements.

So while his statement is a subtle, but noticeable endorsement for McCain, it is also a denunciation of Obama’s ideas – the perfect statement. What’s more? Bush’s address comes across as a fact more than an opinion. But it isn’t – it’s more opinion than fact. To be fair, much of what he is saying is true. It is a fact that America needs to become less dependent on foreign oil. It is a fact that off-shore drilling would help reduce that dependency. But that is merely part of the equation. The way in which Bush’s statements are released minimize the importance of both alternative energy and trade with democratic nations (Canada, for instance), which would also reduce America’s dependence on oil coming from hostile states. Off shore drilling would be a minor achievement in the battle against gas prices and foreign dependency, but if you took Bush’s statement as is, you would be under the impression that off-shore drilling would cure any and all problems.

By releasing statements that essentially reiterate McCain’s campaign promises, McCain’s policies sound (to the inattentive) as balanced and informed – heck, McCain’s ideas are the same as all the intelligent people who advise Bush. However, any thinking person should be able to realize that if seizing control of 75% of the world’s fourth largest oil reserve, opening up the ANWR region to drilling, and approving expanded off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico hasn’t drastically affected oil (and thus gas, or so the logic goes) prices, then allowing states to vote on whether or not to destroy their marine ecosystems won’t either. In essence, this rally cry of the McCain party is just a fabricated voter draw, aimed at (off) shoring up support for his campaign. In practice, the idea (of state-by-state off-shore drilling) would not help the average American any more than a functioning tire gauge (it would however allow those involved in Big Oil to drill easily if a large oil reserve was found off the American coast).

A good question you may be asking yourself is ‘why does it matter what Bush says, most of us believe he is an idiot, so don’t his words discredit McCain?’ Well, not exactly. While it is true that the majority of people think George W is a moron, his words are still taken to heart. Whenever words are disseminated from the highest levels of government with the sanction of ‘top-level advisors’ the public takes notice, and in their heart of hearts, hope (and usually believe) those words to be true.

This is not a new phenomenon that favours only George Bush. Think back to Clinton’s administration, we gave him the benefit of the doubt with Lewinski until the facts proved otherwise. In Canada, we believed Chretien when he told the public that there was no federal sponsorship scandal, until the facts proved otherwise. In South Korea, President Lee Myung Bak has been accused of political corruption, which he has vehemently denied – although there is overwhelming evidence suggesting he has engaged in corrupt activities, he continues to lead South Korea. In other words, when a given head of state speaks, we tend to take their words without a grain of salt, and this is a mistake – history has proven that.

Another good argument would be, ‘well, we do need to lower gas prices, and the only way to do that is via off-shore drilling.’ While that is partially true (that gas prices need to go down), is not completely accurate. T. Boone Pickens, a man who has made billions off of oil disagrees. "I can give you an Oklahoma guarantee that natural gas will never sell above diesel and gasoline prices (as fuel for vehicles).” So if a man who makes money off of oil is telling us, his customers, that more oil is not the way to lower gas prices, shouldn’t we be listening?

Pickens has in recent months and years become increasingly aware that Peak Oil is no myth, and that in order to combat the Peak Oil problem we can not simply drill off-shore and call it a solution. Rather we must develop alternative energy sources like natural gas, wind, solar, and nuclear power. If a man who makes his money off of oil is telling us not to buy (his) oil, we would be wise to heed the advice – regardless of what those trying to win an election tell us.

To reify everything said, the point being made is that whenever we hear Bush speak we should closely examine how much of his statement is directed at informing the American people about an issue, and how much of it is directed at furthering McCain’s campaign. With an open mind and an attentive eye, you’re sure to find that the majority of Bush’s words are aimed at helping McCain. This is no conspiracy; it’s common sense. The Bush administration is no longer talking about governing, their talking about winning an election. There should be no question that – if ignored – this tactic will profoundly affect the upcoming election; however, by paying attention to the words coming from the White House we can see through these indirect advertisements and call them out as the mindless endorsements that they are.

Thanks for reading.

GRMM