Richard WarnickCan Oil Money Buy a Government Shutdown?
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come up with a terrific GOP strategy: shut down the government like they did in 1995.
What’s Gingrich mad about now? Congress hasn’t voted to lift a moratorium on new offshore oil drilling, which is a favor owed to the oil companies by the congressmen who took campaign contributions from them. “Drill here, drill now!” is also a political gimmick that the GOP leadership thinks the public will fall for.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
My biggest worry, is that oil companies will decide to subtly reduce oil production, driving the price up and gaining them monopoly profits, while also increasing pressure to drill in ANWR and offshore. For all we know, they may be doing that right now.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Who could forget the phony electricity shortage created by Enron? I remember Governor Leavitt telling Utahns to take down their Christmas lights because California was starving for power!
The oil companies pull stunts like that all the time.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Unfortunately, Richard, the public is already falling for it, and in a big way, too!
August 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Russia too uses the flow of oil to manipulate those in its sphere. Not at all unthinkable.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I long for the time when people who stepped down in shame like Gingrich and Rove disappeared from the public eye instead of getting big jobs in the media.