Why did the Democratic House and Senate go along

[malaise]

with lame duck George Bush following his stimulus speech on July 15th 2008 and lift the ban on offshore drilling on the continental shelf.

[ananda]

corruption and abused childl/wife syndrome

nt

[asdjrocky]

1. Because it's theatre.

It's sports and they all play on the same team. They fight with each other in front of the camera, then go and have drinks and make deals and split up the country.

Tell me this, if it's not all fixed, why then do the same two teams play in the big game every four years? If we looked at any other thing in the world, business, sports, music, awards, we would clearly see the fix is in. I guess there's something about men in two thousand dollar suits lying, that we as a country can not resist.

[depakid]

2. Here's your answer:

Imagine what they'll do when prices reach $300 - $400 per barrel.

[notesdev]

3. Everyone's on the same payroll

Democratic/Republican is just a ruse to keep the people stirred up and pitted against each other so we can't unite against the looting and pillaging.

[RKP5637]

5. The pay and benefits are excellent, and there are big rewards even after

one has served, and we all pay for it... in many ways...

[Curmudgeoness]

16. Exactly. They are all whores, either side.

The are afraid that if the ordinary citizens ever cooperated, they could not control us.

[City Lights]

4. We are a nation of, by, and for the corporations. nt

[RKP5637]

6. USA, Inc. n/t

[laughingliberal]

10. +1 nt

[Selatius]

7. Because companies like BP and Exxon et al. have the money to push you out of office.

This is basically the math of the situation. Rich people have a competitive advantage in a private election system vs. poor people. It takes quite a lot of poor people donating money to off-set the amount of money a relatively small group of rich people have.

[clarence swinney]

8. WALL STREET OF AMERICA

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CAN BUY ANYONE

[karynnj]

9. Because in 2008, gas prices had risen to high levels - I think $4 and

the public was very in favor of offshore drilling. Even now, if you look at the most recent polling, 31 want drilling expanded and 33% want to allow all the existing and ban new wells. This is (I hope) the height of the problem, look to that to rise if everything gets fixed. http://pollingreport.com/energy.htm

Look back to 2008, there's a NYT/CBS poll taken 7/31 and again on 8/15 - in both over 60 percent were for it - largely because of gas prices. http://pollingreport.com/energy2.htm (Kerry explained that the amount that we could get would not be enough to significantly change the price of an international commodity, but that was not a "sound bite" or a "slogan". )

They were driven by the people.

I

[malaise]

12. But the said public was against the wars in Iraq

and Afghanistan and we are still fighting. No polls don't influence political decision-making.

[karynnj]

13. When each of those wars started far more than 50% were for them

- especially Afghanistan. I think the reason many agreed to offshore drilling was that both the politicians and the public thought it would lower our price of gas (or at minimum) make us closer to self sufficient. I will agree that the Congress may not follow their districts opinion, but in more cases than not they at least consider it.

[malaise]

14. Are you suggesting that after the massive oil spills

in the 70s and 80s people were for off shore drilling?

[karynnj]

17. The op question referred to 2008 and I answered it for 2008

The fact that you want a different answer does not mean that what I wrote was not relevant.

[Individualist]

11. Pro-corporate DLC has been in control of the party since the Clinton administration.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. Welcome to the Corporate States of Amerika. We are beyond

the point of no return.

[Greyhound]

18. Yes. We talk as if 2007 & 2008 didn't happen.

"We can't possibly get anything done, so why even try?"

Sound familiar?