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Republican National Committee: Obama's Power Shifting

When Will Barack Obama Stop Shifting On Energy Issues?

Obama Is Shifting On His Own Speech He Gave One Year Ago

WASHINGTON, May 14 PRNewswire-USNewswire — The following was released today by the Republican National Committee:

Today, The Detroit Free Press Reported Obama Has Not Been Straightforward With His Account Of His Speech Before Detroit Automakers:

"To Hear Sen. Barack Obama Tell It, His Speech To The Detroit Economic Club Last May Pitching Tougher Fuel-Economy Standards Was A Daniel-In-The-Lion's-Den Moment, One That He Has Replayed For Crowds From Oregon To North Carolina." (Justin Hyde, "Obama Talks Tough On Auto Industry," Detroit Free Press, 5/14/08)

Obama's Retelling Of His Story "Has A Few Flourishes;" Most Notably, He Received Applause Despite Repeating To Crowds That "Nobody Clapped." The Illinois senator's retelling of his story has a few flourishes. While Obama has repeatedly said 'nobody clapped' and that his message was met with silence, the record from that speech from the Detroit Economic Club tells a different story. Obama won at least mild applause several times from the crowd of 2,000." (Justin Hyde, "Obama Talks Tough On Auto Industry," Detroit Free Press, 5/14/08)

Click Here To Watch Obama Receiving Applause And A Standing Ovation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDn_QoVfMpk_

OBAMA IS SHIFTING ON JOHN MCCAIN'S RECORD ON CLIMATE CHANGE

On The Campaign Trail, Obama Attacked McCain, Saying It Was "Breathtaking" For Him To Address Climate Change:

Obama: "It is truly breathtaking for John McCain to talk about combating climate change while voting against virtually every recent effort to actually invest in clean energy." (Ben Smith, "Obama On McCain Speech: 'Breathtaking,' Not In A Good Way," Politico's "Ben Smith" Blog, www.politico.com, 5/12/08)

But In 2005, Obama Praised McCain's Leadership On Climate Change:

Obama: "So what can we do to protect our planet? The first step is to adopt the McCain-Lieberman amendment. This bipartisan approach is not only good environmental policy, it's good economic policy." (Sen. Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 6/22/05, p. S7008)

Click Here To Watch Obama Praising McCain On Climate Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Jtl51aWb0_

OBAMA IS SHIFTING ON HIS OWN ENERGY RECORD

On The Campaign Trail, Obama Criticizes Current Energy Policy By Blaming Vice President Dick Cheney:

Obama: "We've been talking about energy independence since the '70s, since many of us were kids. Yet year after year, the only thing that's changed, we actually import more oil than we did in the '70s. Exxon Mobil made $11 billion for two consecutive quarters, and everybody here is paying $3.70, $3.80 at pump. Why is that? Well, part of it is Bush put Cheney in charge of energy policy. Mr. Cheney met with the renewable energy groups once, the environmental groups once. He met with the oil and gas companies 40 times. That's part of the reason."(Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Durham, NC, 5/5/08)

But Obama Voted For The 2005 Energy Bill That Democrats Criticized For Giving Tax Breaks To Those Same Companies:

Obama Voted For The 2005 Energy Bill. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 74-26: R 49-6; D 25-19; I 0-1, 7/29/05, Obama Voted Yea; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #158: Passed 85-12: R 49-5; D 35-7; I 1-0, 6/28/05, Obama Voted Yea)

— NOTE: McCain Voted Against The 2005 Energy Bill. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 74-26: R 49-6; D 25-19; I 0-1, 7/29/05, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #158: Passed 85-12: R 49-5; D 35-7; I 1-0, 6/28/05, McCain Voted Nay)

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI): "The Congressional Budget Office, CBO, estimates that implementing the bill will cost $5.1 billion in 2006 and $35.9 billion over the 2006-2010 period. I am concerned that this estimate does not include the at least $10.1 billion in unpaid-for tax breaks. The $10.1 billion includes $5.7 billion in production tax credits and $4.4 billion in various subsidies to the oil, gas, and nuclear industries." (Sen. Russ Feingold, Congressional Record, 6/28/05, p. S7453)

— Sen. Feingold: \"The oil, gas, coal, hydroelectric and nuclear industries are mature industries that do not need to be propped up by the taxpayers.\" (Sen. Russ Feingold, Congressional Record, 6/28/05, p. S7453)

— Sen. Feingold: \"In sum, the American people deserve a more fiscally responsible energy policy than that is reflected in this bill, and I cannot vote in favor of it. This measure will need to be improved in conference to get my vote.\"(Sen. Russ Feingold, Congressional Record, 6/28/05, p. S7453)

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI): "However, I am disappointed that the bill provides nearly $6 billion in tax breaks for oil, gas, and coal, and in addition, provides tax credits for nuclear energy. These tax breaks are provided despite the fact that President Bush has repeatedly stated that we do not need tax breaks for the oil and gas industry given the high prices Americans are experiencing." (Sen. Jack Reed, Congressional Record, 6/28/05, p. S7471)

OBAMA IS SHIFTING ON HIS SUPPORT FOR A GAS TAX HOLIDAY

Obama Has Claimed That The Gas Tax Holiday He Voted For In The Illinois State Senate Didn't Make A Difference In People's Lives:

Obama: "Part of the reason why I know this is because when I was in the state legislature, there was a bill like this that came up and I voted for it. And six months later, we decided not to renew it because it wasn't making any difference in people's lives, it wasn't helping." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Hickory, NC, 4/29/08)

But The Gas Tax Holiday Obama Voted For Did Help:

Gas Prices Suddenly Dropped Between 8 And 10 Cents A Gallon Overnight When The Tax Suspension Went Into Effect. "When the tax suspension went into effect July 1, the change in price was obvious, as prices suddenly dropped between 8 and 10 cents a gallon overnight." (Karen Mellen and Ray Long, "As Gasoline Prices Drop, Tax Debate Continues," Chicago Tribune, 7/20/00)

During Floor Debate, Then-State Sen. Vince Demuzio (D-Carlinville) Spoke About How The Temporary Gas Tax Relief Helped Illinois Truckers. Sen. Demuzio: "[I]llinois' reputation as a high-tax state penalized Illinois' intrastate truckers who could not travel to the surrounding states to purchase lower-taxed fuel. The unfair advantage forced Illinois truckers to compete against out-of-state operations that could afford to charge lower rates. The sales tax repeal has resulted in a more level playing field for our State's trucking industry." (Sen. Vince Demuzio, State Of Illinois 91st General Assembly Regular Session Senate Transcript, 11/15/00, www.ilga.gov, pp. 46-47)

AAA Attributed Part Of The Decline In Gas Prices To Illinois' Temporary Suspension Of Its Gas Tax. "The price of gasoline in Illinois dropped 40 cents since its peak this summer, according to the latest survey Wednesday, a record decrease for one month. ... The AAA credited both states [Illinois and Indiana] for temporarily suspending their five percent sales tax on gasoline, and on an increased supply of cleaner-burning reformulated gas." (Robert McCoppin, "State Gas Prices Set Record One-Month Decline," Chicago Daily Herald, 7/19/00)

— AAA Chicago Motor Club's Steve Nolan: \"The Temporary Repeal Of The State Gas Tax Has Helped [With Gas Price Drop]...\"(Robert Manor, \"Illinois Finds Dramatic Relief At Gas Pump,\" Chicago Tribune, 8/17/00)

The Decline In Gas Prices Was "Aided By The Suspension July 1 [2000] Of The State's 5 Percent Sales Tax On Gasoline." "State legislators had called for the hearings as pump prices soared well above $2 a gallon. The recent decline — aided by the suspension July 1 of the state's 5 percent sales tax on gasoline — took some of the political expediency out of the hearings." (Courtney Challos, "Legislators Now Irked Over Falling Gas Prices," Chicago Tribune, 7/13/00)

And Obama Actually Suggested Extending The Gas Tax Holiday:

Obama Actually Suggested Extending The Gas Tax Holiday During Debate. Obama: "My suggestion would be that, if we want to, we should extend the suspension of this tax until we have further data." (Sen. Barack Obama, State Of Illinois 91st General Assembly Regular Session Senate Transcript, 11/15/00, www.ilga.gov, pp. 51)

OBAMA IS SHIFTING ON ETHANOL

Obama Recently Suggested He Was Open To Changing Ethanol Policy:

Obama: "There's no doubt that biofuels may be contributing to it [food supply problems]. And what I've said is, my top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat. And if it turns out that we've got to make changes in our ethanol policy to help people get something to eat, then that's got to be the step we take."(NBC's "Meet The Press," 5/5/08)

But Obama Has Been An Ardent Supporter Of Ethanol Subsidies And Mandates:

In June 2007, Obama Voted To Pass The Senate Version Of The 2007 Energy Bill, Which Mandated The Use Of 36 Billion Gallons Of Ethanol By 2022. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #226: Passed 65-27: R 20-23; D 43-4; I 2-0, 6/21/07, Obama Voted Yea)

Obama Voted Multiple Times To Require The Use Of Billions Of Gallons Of Ethanol In The 2005 Energy Bill. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #138: Motion Agreed To 69-28: R 39-14; D 30-14; I 0-0, 6/15/05, Obama Voted Yea; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #139: Adopted 70-26: R 38-14; D 32-12; I 0-0, 6/15/05, Obama Voted Yea; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 74-26: R 49-6; D 25-19; I 0-1, 7/29/05, Obama Voted Yea)

Obama Said The 2005 Energy Bill Took "Significant Steps In The Right Direction On Energy Policy" By Realizing "The Promise Of Ethanol As A Fuel Alternative." Obama: "I also want to indicate the degree to which this bill takes significant steps in the right direction on energy policy. It helps us realize the promise of ethanol as a fuel alternative by requiring 7.5 billion gallons to be mixed with gasoline over the next few years. It provides a tax credit for the construction of E85 stations all over America — E85, a blend of ethanol and gasoline that can drastically increase fuel efficiency standards for our cars." (Sen. Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 7/29/05, p. S9338)

Obama Even Issued A Press Release To Tout How The 2005 Energy Bill Would Benefit Illinois Because It Would Double Ethanol Use. "[S]enator Barack Obama Friday voted in favor of the comprehensive energy bill, saying it will help Illinois and start America down the path to energy independence by doubling ethanol use, greatly increasing the availability of E85 ethanol pumps, and investing in combination plug-in hybrid and flexible-fuel vehicles, as well as clean-coal technology. However, he warned that bolder action is required if lawmakers are really serious about dealing with the high energy costs that are plaguing American consumers." (Sen. Barack Obama, "Obama Says Energy Bill Helps Illinois By Doubling Ethanol Use, Investing In Clean Coal," Press Release, 7/29/05)

— Obama Touted How The Ethanol Mandate Would Benefit Illinois Because It \"Will Be Grown In The Corn Fields Of Illinois.\" \"This bill, while far from a solution, is a first step toward decreasing America's dependence on foreign oil ... It requires that 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol be mixed with gasoline by 2012. That's 7.5 billion gallons of fuel that will be grown in the corn fields of Illinois, and not imported from the deserts of the Middle East.\"(Sen. Barack Obama, \"Obama Says Energy Bill Helps Illinois By Doubling Ethanol Use, Investing In Clean Coal,\" Press Release, 7/29/05)

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