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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > July > 11 > Entry
Obama’s remarks as prepared
“I’ve often said that the decisions we make in this election and in the next few years will set the course for the next generation. That is true of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s true of our economy. And it is especially true of our energy policy.
“The urgency of this challenge is clear to anyone who’s tried to fill up their tank with gas that’s now over $4 a gallon. It’s clear to the legions of scientists who believe that we are nearing a point of no return when it comes to our global climate crisis. And with each passing day, it is clear that our addiction to fossil fuels is one of the most serious threats to our national security in the 21st century.
“For the last eight years, this Administration has narrowly defined security as fighting an open-ended war in Iraq. But in the interconnected world of this new century, new threats come from stateless terrorists, loose nuclear weapons, the spread of pandemic disease, an inability to compete with rising powers in the global economy, the threat of global climate change and our dependence on foreign oil. I’ll be talking about these threats next week and in the weeks to come, and today I’d like to begin with those related to energy.
“We now know that the carbon emissions released by countries across the globe are warming our planet, which leads to devastating weather patterns, terrible storms, drought, and famine. In fact, studies show that by 2050, famine could displace more than 250 million people worldwide. That means people competing for food and water in the next fifty years in the very places that have known horrific violence in the last fifty: Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. That is a threat to our security.
“An even more immediate and direct security threat comes from our dependence on foreign oil. The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world. Tyrants from Caracas to Tehran use it to prop up their regimes, intimidate the international community, and hold us hostage to a market that is subject to their whims. If Iran decided to shut down the petroleum-rich Strait of Hormuz tomorrow, they believe oil would skyrocket to $300-a-barrel in minutes, a price that one speculator predicted would result in $12-a-gallon gas. $12 a gallon.
“The nearly $700 million a day we send to unstable or hostile nations also funds both sides of the war on terror, paying for everything from the madrassas that plant the seeds of terror in young minds to the bombs that go off in Baghdad and Kabul. Our oil addiction even presents a target for Osama bin Laden, who has told al Qaeda, ‘focus your operations on oil, since this will cause [the Americans] to die off on their own.’
“If we stay on our current course, the rapid growth of nations like China and India will rise about one-third by 2030. In that same year, Middle Eastern regimes will be sitting on 83% of our global oil reserves. Imagine that - the very source of energy that fuels nearly all of our transportation, controlled almost entirely by some of the world’s most unstable and undemocratic governments.
“This is not the future I want for America. We are not a country that places our fate in the hands of dictators and tyrants - we are a nation that controls our own destiny. That’s who we are. That’s who we’ve always been. It’s what led us to wage a revolution that brought down an Empire. It’s why we built an Arsenal of Democracy to defeat Fascism, and stopped the spread of Communism with the power of our ideals. And it’s why we must end the tyranny of oil in our time.
“This is a debate we’ve been having in this campaign, but it’s also an issue we’ve been talking about for decades. We have heard promises about energy independence from every single U.S. President since Richard Nixon. We’ve heard talk about curbing our use of fossil fuels in nearly every State of the Union address since the oil embargo 1973. Back then we imported about a third of our oil. Today we import over half.
“Now, a few days ago, Senator McCain said, ‘Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been thirty years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country.’
“I couldn’t agree more. The only problem is that out of those thirty years, Senator McCain was in Washington for twenty-six of them. And in that time he has achieved little to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He’s voted against raising our fuel mileage standards and joined George Bush in opposing legislation twice in the last year that included tax credits for more efficient cars. He’s voted against alternative sources of energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power. Against an energy bill that represented the largest investment in renewable sources of energy in the history of this country.
“So when he talks about the failure of politicians in Washington to do anything about our energy crisis, understand that Senator McCain has been a part of that failure. When he proposes policies that give $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies but only pennies a day to Americans struggling with high gas prices, understand that that’s not part of the solution in Washington, that’s part of the problem in Washington. When he offers a plan that doesn’t make any real investment in alternative sources of energy, that represents a failure to think long-term about our nation’s future. That’s what we’ve had in this country for too many years, and that’s why we need change in November.
“I won’t pretend this change will be easy or that it will come without significant cost or some measure of sacrifice from the American people. Achieving energy independence is one of the greatest challenges we’ve ever faced, and it will be the great project of our generation. But I’ve seen that progress is possible.
“When I arrived in the U.S. Senate, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass a law that will give more Americans the chance to fill up their cars with clean biofuels. I also passed a law that will fuel the research needed to develop a car that could get up to 500 miles to the gallon. And I reached across the aisle to come up with a plan to raise the mileage standards in our cars for the first time in thirty years - a plan that won support from Democrats and Republicans who had never supported raising fuel standards before.
“Today, with oil and gas prices this high, we hear a lot of plans and proposals coming out of Washington since politicians are finally paying attention. The problem is, they’re reacting instead of acting. They’re searching for easy answers to get them through the next election instead of serious, long-term solutions that will offer real relief and real security for America.
“I understand the politics. In a country desperate for action, ideas like a gas tax holiday or expanded oil drilling in the waters off our coasts are popular. And I’ll say this - if there were real evidence that these steps would actually provide real, immediate relief at the pump and advance the long-term goal of energy independence, of course I’d be open to them. But so far there isn’t.
“As good as they sound, the history of gas tax holidays is that the prices go up to fill in the gap, and the big winners end up being the retailers and oil companies - not the American people. That’s what happened when we had a gas tax holiday in Illinois that I supported, and that’s why we ended up repealing it. It didn’t work. And it would also drain the federal highway fund of billions of dollars and cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
“When it comes to offshore drilling, even Senator McCain has acknowledged that it won’t provide short-term relief. In fact, if we started drilling today, we wouldn’t see a drop of oil for seven years, and even then it would have little if any impact on prices.
Meanwhile, the oil companies currently have the rights to drill on 68 million acres of land and offshore areas that they haven’t touched. I believe that before we give the oil companies any more land, it’s time we tell them to start drilling on the land they already have or turn it over to someone who will, because we need that oil. We should also invest in the technology that can help us recover more oil from existing fields. And we should also look to our substantial natural gas reserves to tap a source of energy that’s already powering buses and cars here and around the world.
In the long-term, however, we have to remember that these domestic resources are finite. Even if you opened up every square inch of our land and our coasts to drilling, America still has only 3% of the world’s oil reserves. Senator McCain may believe otherwise, but that is not a real solution to our energy crisis.
What we need are real ideas to give hardworking Americans relief from high gas prices, and serious, long-term investments to permanently reduce our dependence on foreign oil. That’s exactly what my plan does.
To provide immediate relief, I’ve proposed a second, $50 billion stimulus package that would send energy rebate checks to every American. I’ve asked Senator McCain to join me in passing such a plan, and I extend that invitation again today. I’ve also proposed a $1,000 middle-class tax cut that will go to 95% of all workers and their families. And I’ll crack down on oil speculators who may be artificially driving up the price of oil. But to truly reduce our long-term dependence on foreign oil, my plan will fast-track $150 billion of investment in a clean energy fund to help create the fuel-efficient cars and alternative sources of energy that will secure this nation and jumpstart a green economy. It’s a plan that will reduce our oil consumption 10 million barrels per day by 2030, which is more than all the oil we’re expected to import from OPEC nations in that same year.
First, we’ll double our fuel mileage standards over the next two decades utilizing much of the technology we have on the shelf today - a step that will save this country half a trillion gallons of gasoline, the equivalent of cutting the price of a gallon of gas in half. And I will provide tax credits and loan guarantees for our automakers to help them make this transition.
Second, we’ll launch a Venture Capital Fund that will provide $50 billion over five years to get the most promising clean energy technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace. A principal focus of this fund will be continuing the work I began in the Senate and investing in plug-in hybrid batteries that will allow cars to get up to 500 miles per gallon. I’m glad that Senator McCain now understands the importance of this battery technology, but it will take a lot more than a cash prize to achieve this goal. It will take a serious investment.
Third, to create a market for alternative sources of energy like solar, wind, , I’ll require that 25% of our electricity comes renewable sources by 2025, and that we produce two billion gallons of advanced cellulosic biofuels by 2013. We’ll also invest in finding cleaner ways to use coal, our nation’s most abundant energy source, and safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste.
Fourth, we’ll use our clean energy fund to invest over $1 billion a year to re-tool and modernize our factories and build the advanced technology cars, trucks and SUVs of the future - so that the jobs and industries of the future are created right here in the United States of America.
Finally, one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to conserve energy and use less oil is to make America more energy efficient and more competitive with the world. That’s why, when I’m President, I will call on businesses, government, and the American people to make America 50% more energy efficient by 2030.
When all is said and done, my plan to invest $150 billion in alternative energy will create entire new industries, thousands of new businesses, and up to five million new, green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. And we pay for all of it by taking away tax breaks for oil companies and putting a price on carbon pollution - a step that will also reduce our carbon emissions 80% by 2050.
Most importantly, this plan will ensure that we control the energy we use with resources and technology that are available today. The steps I just spoke about are not far-off, pie-in-the-sky solutions, they are now. Today, there are waiting lists for fuel-efficient cars. There’s an old steel mill in Pennsylvania that has become the home of a new wind turbine factory. I’ve seen a small business in Nevada powered entirely by solar power. Across the planet, countries like Germany and the United Kingdom have already implemented clean energy polices that are reducing their carbon emissions right now, and leaders like Tony Blair and Angela Merkel have done a great job of raising the visibility of climate change within the G8. Now it’s our turn to lead - to show that this future is possible for America.
In the last century, during the days that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American people were asked, almost overnight, to transform a peacetime economy that was still climbing out from the depths of depression into an Arsenal of Democracy that could wage war across three continents.
Many doubted whether this could be achieved in time, or even at all. President Franklin Roosevelt’s own advisors told him that his goals for wartime production were unrealistic and impossible to meet. But the President simply waved them off, saying, believe me, “the production people can do it if they really try.”
The challenge we face from our energy dependence is great. Meeting it will take time, and it will not be easy. But if we’re willing to work at it, and invest in it, and sacrifice for it; if we’re willing to summon the same spirit of optimism and possibility that has defined this country’s greatest progress, then I believe that we too will be able to do it if we really try. And I look forward to trying with you. Thank you.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment |
Comments
By Savanation
July 14, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this
Ah, TRS, Missed again. “Facts are facts”(TRS). “Last time we had tax rates as proposed by Senator Obama “(TRS), was during the Clinton years, before the disasterous tax giveaways to the rich by Bush, If you will remember correctly (you know, Facts are Facts) that was a time of tremendous fiscal growth and Clinton even created a surplus, plus gas was at,even then too high, $1.50 a gallon. BTW, under Sen. Obama, which you ALWAYS fail to remember, taxes will be cut for 95% of our taxpayers, especially those who earn $250,000 or less a year. I guess you don’t know any of those kind of poor people, do you,TRS? So, TRS, you can have the nation being owned by China and our debt stacked from here to the moon, or you can come to your senses and vote for the person who will get us back to the Clinton prosperity not the Bush “Nation of Whiners” “Mental Recession” which you seem to enjoy. Glad i could straighten you out. It is terrible when facts get in the way of how you want the facts to be.By TRS
July 14, 2008 12:17 AM | Link to this
Ah, the seriousness of the allegation again….but nothing that addresses or refutes the facts. Again Savagenation - you seem confused. A bit simplier perhaps - ITS BIG GOVERNMENT!!!! ITS INCOME REDISTRIBUTION!!! Last time we had tax rates as proposed by Senator Obama and liberalism running amuck in the government was during the Carter Years when we had 11% unemployment vs 5%, a negative -5% GNP growth as compared to 1% growth and while fuel prices, adjusted for inflation are higher now than then they aren’t that far apart. I realize historical perspective and facts are counterproductive to your perspective but facts are facts.By Savanation
July 13, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
Yoy know, what is really strange to me? This thread is entiltled “Obama’s, Remarks as prepared”, and four of the folks who have responded to this thread, Kevin, TRS, Ethel, and Hecky, obviously haven’t read the “remarks as prepared”. Well, if they have, with no one explaining it to them, there has been a massive lack of comprehension. I think Sen. Obama has been crystal clear in stating his policies and there doesn’t sem to be anything to contradict him about. Folks, just go back to FoxNews and try to find some new lame talking points. Your current prattle just isn’t working.By mwm
July 13, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
ANWR is a politicized issue of the republican elitists. Which will take many years to provide any benefits and may not show any savings at the pump. It is, once again, division politics being played by the republicans Bush most certainly is to blame for many adverse conditions in this country… Billions of dollars being spent on an immoral war in the arab world. No sense of diplomacy. Complete disregard for the constitution. Ties to large corporate entities which have hurt our citizens. And, a Republican minority that can’t play well with others. A scandal ridden white house… Perhaps you republicans should get your own version of, MoveOn-org. Then in a decade or so, take another shot at political power. Just remember, It is “of the people, by the people and for the people.” And not, “of Bush, by Cheney and for Halliburtion.”By Ethel S.
July 13, 2008 1:40 AM | Link to this
Before he was elected, GWB said he was “not going to do nation building.” Now comes Sen. Obama who says that he will “change the way things are done in DC.” I think we know how well the nation building thing worked out. And Sen. Obama has already broken his written pledge to follow the campaign finance reform law before the election. He also was going to vote against FISA and get tough on NAFTA and then told the Canadians it was just campaign talk. Sen. Obama should have had at least one meeting on his Senate assignment for the Europe/NATO Committee which covers Afghanastan. Sen. Obama does not seem to take responsibility for his associations, beginning with his grandmother, ministers, church,and his crazy uncle. And when the problems with these people got challenging, he just threw all these people under his well known bus. I just hope that he does not throw the American people under the same bus because he cannot come up with some good solutions.By TRS
July 12, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this
Yes it would be nice if they all worked together but it is the goood ol’ 9% approval rated Congressional Democrats and their leader Ms Pelosi who refuse to bring the drilling option up for a vote. They run the show you know. Why doesn’t she want the vote? Because alot of the Democrats would vote for it and it would pass. Heaven forbid they serve the public rather than their narrow special interest groups. Nice try on spin but that just doesn’t work. Its fun to watch you guys try to wiggle and waggle your way through this and of course blame Bush for it all; but, the fact is the Democrats are the primary reason we are having the supply issues and the blame rests absolutely and unequivacably at their front door. Since you guys are fond of using the “big” word, ie big oil, the Democrats are beholden to “big environmentists” who are more concerned about some obscure insect being uprooted than answering energy needs of the country. Here’s a suggestion - if ANWR is such a wonderful and pristine place, why don’t you and the other interested parties plan a vacation there? You could go in the winter when its -60 degrees and covered with ice/snow or in the summer when the mosquitos are as big as eagles. Either way, I’m sure you would enjoy the scenery. By the way there is 19 million acres and I bet you couldn’t even find the 2000 that would be needed for exploration and production. Let me know how the trip goes.By mwm
July 12, 2008 5:44 PM | Link to this
We currently have a president, an oilman, that used lies to put us into a war in Iraq. Certainly, being in the middle of the arab world and, using lies to get there, did upset the oil producing nations of the world. And, since the current president has no knowledge of diplomacy, he essentially angered many countries. His buddies, the Saudi’s are not there for him. ANWR is nothing more than a bargaining chip being used by the Republican minority on the American public. Just as the abortion and gay marriage issues were used in ‘04. This will not reduce the price of gas for many years. But, using fear as a motivator, the Republicans once again are pursuing more division in our country. If, congress would work collectively on the issue and put the upcoming election aside, then the American public would benefit. However, since McCain does not have much of a chance of being elected, the minority Republicans in congress are attempting to cut their losses. With the ANWR issue. They (the Republicans) are not working for the American public, they are working against the public by keeping the oil prices high. Remember we have oil men in the executive branch. Who are locked at the hips to the oil and energy industries.By Heckofaman
July 12, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this
Is Obama a threat to national security? In a word, yes. Clearly he is not reading to handle the numerous threats to our national security…including US dependance on foreign oil. He has restated his firm position [is any Obama position firm?] that the US should continue to restrict drilling to areas under existing lease contracts, rather than opening ANWR and other areas with known reserves. Obama’s anti US oil position hurts American workers by eliminating hundreds of thousands of new high paying jobs [mostly union - Teamsters], so why is he so set on high energy prices? The answer is simple…like other Leftist elites, Obama believes that high energy prices will lead to lower use [see Al Gore’s book for a guide to Obama’s oil policy]. The left also hopes to knock the USA out of the “super power” class through the cap and trade tax on energy…which will ruin our economy. Clearly Obama is a clear and present danger to US national security.By mwm
July 12, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
There is one important thing that the past eight years have taught us. The Republicans cannot be trusted in any way, shape or form. They are akin to organized crime. It is imperative that we move our country in a new direction. One that will repair the damage the neocon Republican white house has done. Their plan and direction is a total failure. And, fear, intimidation and lie based. The new direction may include alternative energy resources, a new health care system, and, job creating projects. Also, a word called diplomacy… It may be foreign to most neocons and conservatives but, it is vital to our national interests that we communicate on an effective level with the world… The Bush clan is a failure at that.By TRS
July 12, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
1 - we don’t “know” that carbon emissions are warming the planet. Thats a exxagerated “Goreism”. The science on this is disputed at best. Recently 31,000 scientists signed a document disputing the premises that this is a “done deal” - so at best he starts out with the a disputed premise. Thats not to say we shouldn’t seek to address the issue - just not with the panic ridden fervor that Big Al advocates #2 - “30 years of missed opportunities” which include 19 yrs for which the Dems had majorities in Congress and 11 in which they held the Presidency. Actually this is the best argument against the massive governmental intervention Obama prescribes as a cure for it demonstrates its the Federal Government’s inefficiencies. Government has proven itself the most inefficient way of trying accomplish anything. From the old Soviet Union extreme to the days of LBJ and Jimmy Carter liberalism, it has proven itself incapable of long term solutions, particularly when the marketplace is better equipped to handle the issue. Senator Obama’s plan is to take investment $$$ away from the private sector in the form taxes (the ol’ tax the rich class warfare) and placing the capital in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats. Rather than putting the free market to work on the problem, he will be seeking to dispurse the $$$ around making those in government “king makers” as to who gets the money and incentives and who doesn’t. Ever hear of earmarks and some of the inefficiencies it brings about? Past experience has always shown that government funded initiatives are slow and inefficient. Folks receiving the “investment” will want to suck up the funds as long as they can whereas when the market demands something (and it is demanding alternative fuels as well as current fuels), it seeks to get the product to the marketplace ASAP so it can get a return on investment and make a profit (I realize profit is a bad word to some). By contrast, one of McCain’s proposals, in has offered 300,000,000 to the first person who can perfect electric technology and bring it to market. Simple question - who has more incentive to get this done - a slow moving government bureaucrat or poltician with his/her special interests to satisfy or the private sector person who’d like to have $300,000,000? That is an example which provides incentive and a desire to get ‘er done. In summary, Obama’s plan sounds “utopian” and I agree with many of the concepts but I am always leery of governmental intervention into something which is better doen in the the private sector. #4 - we again see this Democratic “smokescreen” of 68 Million Acres already open - there has been no oil found there - they need to quit insulting everyone’s intelligence with that one. How about 2000 acres of 19 Million acres available where we know oil exists? Its call ANWR. In the final analysis, whichever way you fall on this, there is still no good reason why not to take advantage of our own reserves. Nothing he said addresses the fact that oil will be needed a long time down the road. If we began to drill now, we can bring about some result in 7 years (perhaps sooner)- that is a certainly which even Obama admits. What guarantees has Senator Obama given us that any of his “investments” will yield a result in the same timeframe. Only a maybe at this point. Taking advantage of our own reserves can provide jobs now, bring revenues to states which need them and is the quickest and surest way of getting at our needs, both for national security and consumer. One has us sitting at the pump waiting for what we know will work while the other is saying “hang on - we’ll have the fuel to some sometime - we’re just not sure when”. There is still no compelling reason why we should drill here and drill now. Do it all - research, develop and drill - thats what makes sense.By E
July 11, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this
He will do a fine job as our next president. Don’t give me that crap about experience. We had a some president with plenty of experience and look were they led the country. Stop all the negative remarks and give the Sen. a chance. Peace.By Kevin
July 11, 2008 6:31 PM | Link to this
Obama is a worse flip-flopper than John Kerry could dream of. No coherency at all. All one has to do is read or listen to him during the primaries and read or listen to him now. I was all for him until I learned who the real Obama is. The Democrats are mostly responsible for the energy crisis by blocking oil production every year since Clinton vetoed the bill to start drilling in ANWR in 1995 and offshore. The Democrats are against coal and nuclear energy production and exploration. Whether it’s left-wing judges, environmental wacko groups, or the Democrats in Congress the high prices are a result everyone has to put up with because of them. The Democrats will spin the truth on this issue. Don’t let the Democrat’s lies and deceit persuade the voters this year on this issue if it’s important to anyone, learn the real truth through research.By Kevin
July 11, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this
Obama is a worse flip-flopper than Kerry could dream of. No coherency at all. All one has to do is read or listen to him during the primaries and read or listen to him now. I was all for him until I learned who the real Obama is. The Democrats are mostly responsible for the energy crisis by blocking oil production every year since Clinton vetoed the bill to start drilling in ANWR in 1995. Whether it’s left-wing judges, environmental wacko groups, or the Democrats in Congress the high prices are a result everyone has to put up with because of them. The Democrats will spin the truth on this issue. Don’t let the Democrat’s lies and deceit persuade the voters this year on this issue if it’s important to anyone, learn the real truth through research.By Savanation
July 11, 2008 5:14 PM | Link to this
(not) the old politicians of the past. Sorry. Bad fingers.By Savanation
July 11, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this
Ethel, TRS and others, please note. This is what a real leader does when confronted with a problem. He doesn’t say: Let’s give the folks a few pennies a day and they will be fine. He doesn’t say: Drill!!!! ANWAR!!!! LOW GAS PRICES!!!!* (* and he has a bridge to sell you in beautiful Brooklyn). Please read Sen. Obama’s message carefully, esp. you Ethel. A coherent, practical, visionary plan, which may be difficult, but even Republicans could do dificult things if they understood them. Thank God that at this terrible time in our nations history, a new leader has come. This is the time for intelligent leadership, but the old politicians of the past.