http://www.wikio.com/search=Sheppard John McCain Wikio - Sheppard John McCain http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69316490 DNC: Biden’s time By Kate Sheppard joe biden. photo: ted s. warren / ap After formally receiving the nomination as Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden took the stage. His speech focused on his middle-class roots and the lessons he learned from his parents, and transitioned into emphasizing a call to revitalize the “American dream.” While [...] Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:25:30 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69316490 2008-08-28T15:25:30Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69217597 By Kate Sheppard Former presidential candidate and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on McCain's changing policies: "Candidate McCain criticizes the climate change bill that Sen. McCain wrote ... talk about being for it before you're against it. Before he debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself." Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:40:49 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69217597 2008-08-28T01:40:49Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69089028 By Kate Sheppard Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was all over the energy issue in his speech tonight, ripping on John McCain's policies and calling for a new energy future. "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, john McCain voted 25 times against renewable energy, biofuels, solar energy. He even voted against wind energy," said Schweitzer. "A a time when Americans should be working even harder on new sources of energy, John McCain wants more of the same." "He as taken more than a million from the oil and gas industries ... he wants to give those oil companies another $4 billion in tax breaks," he continued. "Four billion in tax breaks? That's a lot change, but not the change we need." He kept the one-liners coming. "If you drilled everywhere, if you drilled in all John McCain's backyards, even the ones he doesn't know he has," said Schweitzer, to thunderous applause and cheers that cut him off from finishing the line. "That single-answer proposition is a dry well." "There just isn't enough oil in America on land or offshore to meet America's energy needs. Barack Obama understands that the most important barrel of oil is the one you don't use." He praised Obama's plan as comprehensive, calling for investment in improving fuel efficiency and creating plug-in hybrids: "Clean coal, solar ... we need them all." Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:48:38 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=69089028 2008-08-27T02:48:38Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68919627 “ABC’s George Stephanopoulos clearly had John McCain’s houses on his mind Sunday, for during the latest installment of “This Week,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s real estate holdings were discussed with every guest,” Noel Sheppard at NewsBusters reported August 24, 2008. What Stephanopoulos may not have expected was Time’s Mark Halperin claiming that “this is going [...] Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:32:14 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68919627 2008-08-25T18:32:14Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68831419 Immediately after whining about Griff Jenkin’s freedom of speech being infringed by those nasty, bad protestors, Julie Banderas and Greg Jarrett reported on Madonna’s new world tour. It seems that nasty, bad Madonna’s opening number was done against a backdrop of brief images of destruction which included Robert Mugabe, Adolph Hitler, and John McCain. Banderas didn’t think that Madonna was being fair (oh, the irony!). She was even more incensed because young people like Madonna and young people are trending towards Obama. Oh, nooooooo……..Good thing was have Fox news to make things “fair.” Madonna Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRZZvmXsSPU&eurl=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/08/24/madonna-compares-mccain-hitler-obama-gandhi I didn't see... Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:55:21 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68831419 2008-08-25T00:55:21Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68520304 By Kate Sheppard GOP presidential candidate John McCain isn't sure how many houses he owns. "I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico yesterday. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you." The correct answer seems to be somewhere between four and seven. The Obama campaign has already released this ad on the subject: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:36:28 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68520304 2008-08-21T17:36:28Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68406463 By Kate Sheppard MoveOn is dropping a cool half a million dollars on a new TV ad in North Carolina that accuses Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) of being "in the pocket of Big Oil." The ad highlights their support for tax breaks for oil companies. Dole is facing a tough reelection bid against Democratic challenger and state Sen. Kay Hagan (D). McCain is currently ahead of Obama in the presidential polls in North Carolina, but even though the state has leaned heavily Republican for the past 40 years, it appears Obama might have a chance of pulling ahead. Here's the MoveOn ad, which begins airing tonight: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:21:47 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68406463 2008-08-20T20:21:47Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68293442 By Kate Sheppard Hurricane Dolly blew away John McCain's planned visit to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico last month, but the senator made another go at it today. On a Chevron-operated rig 150 miles off the coast of Louisiana, McCain reiterated his call for more offshore drilling and bashed his opponent for not being enthusiastic enough about oil exploration. "Sen. Obama opposes new drilling," said McCain (who himself opposed new offshore drilling until this summer). "He has said it will not 'solve our problem' and that 'it's not real.' He's wrong, and the American people know it. This platform we are at today sits above a field of 160 million barrels of oil, and is capable of producing on a daily basis 55,000 barrels of oil and 72 million cubic feet of natural gas." Actually, to the chagrin of enviros , Obama has said in recent weeks that he's open to a compromise on energy legislation that includes some offshore drilling -- if that's the only way to get a comprehensive energy bill that promotes renewables and measures to curb oil use. As for the question of whether more drilling would "solve our problem," experts from the federal Energy Information Administration and even the American Petroleum Institute posit that it would take about a decade for new offshore drilling to lead to an increase in oil production, but McCain says he's heard from oil execs that results could come much sooner. Speaking on the rig, McCain also emphasized other solutions to rising energy prices, including conservation and investment in alternative energy sources. "New drilling has to be part of our energy solution," said McCain. "It will not solve this problem alone. Alternative energy will not solve this problem alone. Conservation will not solve this problem alone. Solving our energy crisis requires an 'all of the above' approach. It will require aggressive development of alternative energies like wind, solar, tidal, and biofuels. It also requires expanding traditional sources of energy like clean coal, nuclear power, and offshore drilling like that done on this rig." McCain and his campaign advisors have downplayed the environmental risks of offshore drilling, but the rig he visited today had to be given Coast Guard protection in 2002 because of the "potential for loss of life and damage to the environment" if an accident were to occur there. The Obama campaign shot back at McCain after today's rig visit: "For three decades, as our energy crisis grew, decision-making in Washington has been rigged against our national interests and the interests of American consumers," said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor in a statement. "And for almost that long, Sen. McCain has been part of the problem. For decades, he has stood with the big oil companies and voted against the development of the alternative energy we need. When a critical proposal came before the Senate late last year that would have provided tax incentives for the development of alternative energy by revoking $13 billion in giveaways to the oil companies, he was the only senator who didn't vote -- and we came up one vote short." Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:57:15 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=68293442 2008-08-19T23:57:15Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67390336 By Kate Sheppard Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a new ad over the weekend in Nevada, targeting Republican rival John McCain's support for dumping nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. "Imagine trucks hauling the nation's nuclear waste on our highways to Yucca Mountain," the ad says. "John McCain supports opening Yucca. He's not worried about nuclear waste in our state -- only in Arizona." The ad then replays video of a May 2007 interview with McCain in which he appears to say that he would not want nuclear waste trucked through his home state of Arizona. Grist has covered this particular video before, and if you watch the rest of his response, which the Obama ad cuts off, it's clear that McCain seems to have either misheard or misunderstand the question (as he has with other questions on environmental issues). He goes on to say that he thinks the technology can be made safe, and that having waste in insecure locations around the country is dangerous. "What people forget is the option of leaving this waste in areas outside, maybe unprotected, certainly not well protected, all over America, rather than having it in a safe and secure repository for it," McCain continued. "I preferred not having the status quo. And, I think it is a national security issue." That's not to say McCain's support of nuclear is unproblematic. Despite the candidate's love affair with nuclear power, he hasn't addressed concerns about safety or the problem of where all this waste from those new reactors should go. And while McCain is an avid supporter of dumping at Yucca Mountain, most Nevadans oppose plans to deposit the waste in their state. The Obama campaign clearly sees this issue as a winner in Nevada. Watch the ad: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:55:55 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67390336 2008-08-11T16:55:55Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67138181 By Kate Sheppard Barack Obama put out an ad earlier this week accusing rival John McCain of being "in the pocket of Big Oil," and the Democratic National Committee launched Exxon-McCain 2008 , a website to promote the idea that the Republican candidate is in bed with the oil industry. But as Grist noted previously , Obama himself has received nearly $400,000 in donations from contributors in the oil and gas industries this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. CRP has now gone a little deeper , breaking down donations by specific companies. It found that while McCain has brought in three times more money from the oil and gas industry, Obama is the favored candidate of executives from several of the biggest companies, including ExxonMobil, according to reports from Federal Election Commission as of July 29, 2008: Through June, Exxon employees have given Obama $42,100 to McCain's $35,166. Chevron favors Obama $35,157 to $28,500, and Obama edges out McCain with BP $16,046 vs. $11,500. McCain leads the money race with nearly every other top giver in the oil and gas industry, though -- Koch Industries, Valero, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, the list goes on ... McCain also has a big edge with Hess Corp. -- $91,000 to Obama's $8,000 -- which has gotten some attention . And, overall, McCain's campaign has gotten three times more money from the industry than Obama's has -- $1.3 million compared to about $394,000. The report also details the sharp rise in donations for McCain following his reversal on offshore drilling in mid-June; three-quarters of his money from oil industry executives came after that reversal. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:01:30 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67138181 2008-08-08T19:01:30Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67004623 By Kate Sheppard Barack Obama's campaign wanted to bring the energy ad wars directly to the pump , but their attempts have been foiled. The campaign wanted to run an ad on the mini TV screens that appear on some gas pumps, pointing out that John McCain voted against higher fuel-economy standards and renewable energy, and that Obama is calling for a $1,000 energy rebate and measures to move toward energy independence. The campaign intended to roll out the ad at gas stations in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, but Gas Station TV has rejected them. Gas Station TV CEO David Leider told the AP the company had been considering running the ad, but then thought better of it. "We avoid politics in general," he said. But Obama campaign officials said the company told them it feared the ad would be damaging to the oil industry: "It looks like Gas Station TV doesn't want the American people to know about Sen. Obama's plan to offer working families a $1,000 energy rebate that would be funded by a tax on oil company profits," Mark Bubriski, Obama's Florida spokesperson, told the AP. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:13:38 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=67004623 2008-08-07T17:13:38Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66911681 By Kate Sheppard John McCain and his campaign have been ribbing Barack Obama for his statement last week that if Americans made sure their tires were properly inflated it could save as much oil as would be found in offshore areas. The McCain team went so far as to hand out tire gauges at the Democratic candidates's events. Obama jabbed back yesterday, and now McCain in conceding the accuracy of his rival's statement. "And could I mention that Sen. Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don't disagree with that," McCain said last night in a "tele-town hall meeting" with Pennsylvania voters. "The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it." Indeed, according to government figures , keeping your tires properly inflated gives you a 3 percent fuel economy benefit. Getting regular tune-ups gives you a 4 percent fuel economy benefit. Replacing your air filters can save up to 10 percent, and using the right grade of motor oil can save you up to 2 percent. Meanwhile, energy experts estimate that the U.S. only holds a total of 3 percent of the world's oil supply. So even if we drilled in every hole, we couldn't find nearly as much oil as could be saved via efficiency. Below is a bonus video of McCain in April promoting energy conservation, including advice to "turn out the lights five minutes earlier." It's unclear whether he advocates sitting in the dark for a while or simply going to sleep earlier. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:15:46 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66911681 2008-08-07T00:15:46Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66900778 By Kate Sheppard John McCain put out this new ad yesterday, "Broken," in which he's portrayed as the "original maverick" and pledges to "battle Big Oil." (Someone might want to pass the message along to his donors .) Barack Obama responded with this new ad yesterday, challenging the premise that McCain has been a "maverick" on energy and other issues: ' And today McCain issued another ad repeating the celebrity allegation (this time minus Britney and Paris ) and alleging that Obama isn't "ready to help your family." The ad touts McCain's plans for renewable energy and energy independence: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:41:50 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66900778 2008-08-06T21:41:50Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66763032 This is the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee, especially in comparison to the plan by John "Nothing but Nukes" McCain. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:00:01 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66763032 2008-08-05T20:00:01Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66756853 By Kate Sheppard After stopping at a biker rally in South Dakota this morning, John McCain is headed to Monroe, Mich. this afternoon, where he'll visit the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station. While at the power plant, he's expected to talk up his plan to build 45 new nuclear plants by 2030, and 55 more after that. During the visit, he's likely to promote the Republicans' energy strategy, which includes major support for the nuclear industry. "I am going to lead our nation to energy independence and I'm going to do it with a realistic and comprehensive 'all-of-the-above' approach that uses every resource available to finally solve this crisis," McCain said Monday. One might wonder whether McCain's campaign staff fully thought through the decision to use Fermi to tout his nuclear aspirations. The Fermi 1 plant suffered a meltdown in 1966 that took four years to repair. The meltdown prompted a book and a song titled "We almost lost Detroit," performed at the Musicians for Safe Energy concerts in 1979. (Watch Gil Scott-Heron perform it live at a 1990 concert, below the fold.) Fermi II, the plant that succeeded Fermi I, experienced a leak in 2005. And just this May, the decommissioned Fermi I reactor caught fire when residual liquid sodium made contact with air, though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it found no evidence of external radiation leakage. "The Fermi 2 nuclear plant is one of the first nuclear meltdowns and one of the most vulnerable reactors to a 9/11-style terrorist attack," said Greenpeace's nuclear policy analyst, Jim Riccio. "If there was a meltdown at this plant, caused by either incompetence or ill intent, the containment is virtually certain to fail and radiation will be released into the environment and surrounding communities. Is he planning on visiting Three Mile Island next?" The candidate often touts his belief in nuclear power, though he hasn't said much on the lingering safety, security, and waste-disposal concerns, or the prohibitive cost of building new reactors, which can run up to $5 billion each. Here's Heron on "We almost lost Detroit": Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:32:56 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66756853 2008-08-05T19:32:56Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66603938 By Kate Sheppard The campaign 2008 energy ad wars continue, delving deeper into negative territor. Today, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a new television ad accusing GOP rival John McCain of being in the pocket of Big Oil. The ad highlights the astronomical profits that oil companies have recently reported, and the roughly $2 million in campaign funds McCain has brought in from donors with ties to the oil industry. "After one president in the pocket of Big Oil, we can't afford another," says the ad, panning across a photo of George W. Bush and McCain standing together. It goes on to tout Obama's plans to instate a windfall profits tax on oil companies and use the proceeds to provide Americans with a $1,000 energy rebate. McCain's not the only one to receive donations from oil executives, however. Obama has received nearly $400,000 in donations from contributors in the oil and gas industries this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. McCain's campaign issued a statement on the ad, criticizing Obama for voting for the 2005 energy bill that offered what a "sweetheart deal for oil companies." "Barack Obama's latest negative attack ad shows his celebrity is matched only by his hypocrisy," said spokesman Tucker Bounds. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:25:27 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66603938 2008-08-04T15:25:27Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66555285 By Kate Sheppard President Bush keeps repeating his call for Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. Republican presidential candidate John McCain is consistently drilling home the same message . And on Wednesday of last week, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said that just in case the ban is lifted, his department is laying the groundwork so offshore drilling in new areas could begin in as few as three years. What drilling proponents don't say is that even if the congressional ban were lifted, many of the most promising untapped offshore areas would likely remain off-limits to oil and gas exploration. Bush , McCain , and GOP congressional leaders all say that states should decide whether to open their shorelines to drilling -- and that states should get a share of drilling royalties as an inducement to say yes. But many governors and other leaders in coastal states are saying, "No, thanks!" Some 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico were opened up to drilling by a bill signed into law two years ago, so Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi don't matter much in this debate. What's at stake is an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil off the coasts of other states. Some 10 billion of that is in Californian waters, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) wants it left alone. He has aggressively challenged his partymates on the issue, saying anyone who suggests that offshore drilling would lower gas prices is "blowing smoke." Chances are slim that Arnie and other state lawmakers would permit drilling near their shores anytime soon (even though a slim majority of Californians now support it). Other West Coast governors are of the same mind. On July 29, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) joined Schwarzenegger in a vow to fight the push for more offshore drilling. In June, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) and North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (D) spoke out against offshore drilling, citing the damage it could do to their states' tourism, real estate, and natural resources. "Our economy is driven by tourism and use of the shore," said Corzine. "I think we would have a hard time getting public support for this concept." Likewise, Easley said he didn't believe the North Carolina legislature would approve offshore drilling. In the Northeast, Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) and other political leaders say " no way ," fearing for their state's fishing industry and environment. Massachusetts tried offshore drilling up until 1982, and found there wasn't much oil there -- plus opposition to drilling from Bay Staters is "fierce," writes Boston Globe reporter Beth Daley . Maryland's governor is opposed . Neither Delaware nor Rhode Island has much shoreline to tap. And if Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R) is in favor of offshore drilling, she hasn't said so yet ( she didn't bring it up in a recent speech on energy issues). It's proven politically unpopular in Virginia as well, where the state legislature killed two bills that endorsed the notion of offshore drilling in June (though Democratic Gov. Timothy Kaine says he's open to exploration ). Florida's leaders long maintained a bipartisan opposition to drilling -- until a few weeks ago. After McCain flipped on the issue in June, Gov. Charlie Crist (R), who is interested in being McCain's vice president, followed suit -- albeit unenthusiastically . Other Florida Republicans have also backed McCain's drilling call , and a number of Florida voters are shifting in the same direction -- a recent Quinnipiac poll found that public support for drilling has jumped from 50 to 60 percent in the state. But even Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez has fought to keep rigs at least 125 miles off the state's Gulf Coast, where tourists like to hang out. And most Democratic leaders in the state remain bitterly opposed. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) wants to lift the moratorium , but oil companies gave up on finding oil off the state's coast in 1980, after spending millions on test wells that yielded very little. South Carolina legislators have also indicated that they're game for offshore drilling, but Gov. Mark Sanford (R) says he opposes it . "We would certainly have some hesitation just based upon tourism and the natural beauty along the coast," said a spokesperson for the guv . "We certainly wouldn't want to do anything that would kill the goose that laid the golden egg." The good news for Sanford: Geologists say there's almost no oil off the state's coast. A recent Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of Americans said they would support drilling in places currently off limits if it would bring down gas prices. But that's a big "if." Economists and energy experts say drilling wouldn't do a dang thing for prices in the short-term, and very little in the long term. And the lack of either political will or available oil reserves in most coastal states makes drilling even less of a practical answer to high gas prices. Bush, McCain, and other Republican leaders continue to blame congressional Democrats for blocking offshore oil drilling -- but Dems in Congress are clearly not the only ones standing between oil companies and the outer continental shelf. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:04:48 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66555285 2008-08-04T08:04:48Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66387337 By Kate Sheppard John McCain said today that he believes what Big Oil says about the amount of oil still available in the United States' outer continental shelf, rather than estimates offered by energy experts , economists, and the government's Energy Information Administration . A questioner in the crowd at the National Urban League conference in Orlando, Fla., asked the Republican presidential candidate about reports that offshore drilling would reap no benefit for consumers for at least a decade, if even then. "I don't agree," McCain replied. "In fact I met with oil executives just a few days ago in California ... and the fact is that we can, using existing facilities, expand our oil production within months, according to these executives." McCain continued, "In my view and that of oil company executives that I've talked to -- the people that actually do it, not those that comment on television, but those that actually do it -- we could, in a very short time, have a beneficial effect as we bridge the gap between our dependence on foreign oil and becoming energy independent." "So I disagree with those experts and I've talked to the actual people that do the work, that are in the business that say within months and certainly within a very short time, we could have additional oil supply for this nation," he said. "So we ought to drill now." Maybe the oil execs who spoke with McCain should check in with the American Petroleum Institute. The industry association states up front that opening the outer continental shelf for exploration wouldn't result in bringing new oil to market for five to ten years. Here's the group's words [PDF]: Before a lease sale could even occur, a complete environmental study would have to be conducted by the government. Once leased, it could take anywhere from five to 10 years for production to begin, depending on the amount of oil and gas discovered, availability of infrastructure and the geological complexity of the region. In an area like Destin Dome, offshore Florida, where there is a confirmed discovery of natural gas and infrastructure exists, supplies could come on more quickly, perhaps in less than five years. Frontier and deepwater areas with no infrastructure in place would take longer. Guy Caruso, the Bush-appointed head of the Energy Information Administration, has said that offshore drilling wouldn't affect the price of gas very much, citing a recent report from his agency. This directly counters claims that drilling would bring down energy prices in the short term. "It does take a long time to develop those resources," said Caruso. "Therefore the price impact is muted by that." Watch the video: Of course, McCain is right -- oil executives have been claiming that there are potentially major gains to be made if the moratorium on offshore drilling is allowed. ExxonMobile's executives touted their support earlier this week, and Shell and BP . McCain's rival, Democrat Barack Obama, has blasted the GOP candidate's support for offshore drilling, saying that claims of immediate benefit to consumers is disingenuous. "John McCain's proposal ... would not provide families with any relief, this year, next year, five years from now," he said. "Believe me, if I thought there was any evidence at all that drilling could save people money who are struggling to fill up their gas tanks by this summer or the next few years, I would consider it, but it won't." Obama did, however, tell a Florida newspaper today that he could support some drilling if it were necessary to enact a comprehensive energy plan. Regardless of where the candidates stand, Congress would need to lift their ban on offshore drilling, an issue that has tied the body up in knots all this summer. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:42:38 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66387337 2008-08-01T23:42:38Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66361253 By Kate Sheppard John McCain's call for more offshore drilling has resulted in an influx of oil money to his campaign coffers, as we reported earlier this week. Yesterday, Campaign Money Watch put out a comprehensive report [PDF] on just how much much money Big Oil has been sending to the GOP candidate, and how it compares to his previous donations from oil interests. From the report: • In Texas alone, June oil and gas-connected donations to McCain's Victory '08 Fund, his hybrid fundraising venture with the RNC and state committees, reached $1,214,100. Of that total, $881,450, or 73 percent, came after June 15. McCain announced his position in favor of offshore drilling on June 16. • All over the country, oil industry donors wrote large checks to the joint fundraising account in the wake of the reversal on drilling policy. Oil executives and their spouses from Colorado, Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Indiana, and Florida gave donations between $5,000 and $100,000. The major outpouring of donations outside of Texas came from oil giant Hess, whose executives and family members from New York and New Jersey gave $285,000 within a week of McCain's Texas swing, with ten donors all maxing out to the RNC with identical $28,500 donations. • These new totals dwarf his previous fundraising from the industry. From 1989 through May 2008, John McCain had raised more than $1.3 million from the oil and gas industries, and 33 McCain staffers and fundraisers have received a total of $9.65 million in lobbying fees from the same sectors. According to the report, McCain has received seven times more money from the industry during the 2008 election cycle than he did during his 2000 presidential bid, when he opposed offshore drilling . Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:32:50 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66361253 2008-08-01T18:32:50Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66243655 By Kate Sheppard "Big Oil companies have our economy and politics in a choke hold," says a new TV ad released today by the Sierra Club Political Committee. "They are getting billions from the government, raking in record profits, while we pay more and more for gas." "John McCain's answer?" the ad continues. "Another $4 billion giveaway to Big Oil." The ad, "Full Nelson," shows a family being squashed by oil barrels filled with cash. It goes on to praise Barack Obama (whom the Sierra Club has endorsed ) for proposing an energy plan that includes investments in clean energy and energy-tax rebates for families. The 30-second ad will air in Colorado, New Hampshire, Ohio, and the District of Columbia. Another ad released today by MoveOn.org also focuses on John McCain's energy policy, and features a disillusioned middle-aged man calling the candidate's offshore drilling plan a "gimmick." You can watch both ads below the fold. Sierra Club's ad: MoveOn's ad: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:35:13 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Sheppard+John+McCain?rinfoid=66243655 2008-07-31T19:35:13Z