Did McCain Just Lose Florida?

[babylonsister]

:D

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/politicalinsider/2008/06/did-mccain-already-lose-florid.html

Did McCain Just Lose Florida?

By Taegan Goddard | June 18, 2008 9:54 AM

The conventional wisdom has been that Sen. John McCain holds a solid advantage in Florida over Sen. Barack Obama due to favorable demographics -- especially the large number of older voters and those affiliated with the military.

Perhaps that's why McCain felt it was acceptable to reverse himself this week and back lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling -- something Floridians have long fought. In doing so, McCain provided an opening for Democrats, who accused him of flip-flopping on the issue and bending to the desires of big oil companies.

It's an easy prediction that Democrats are already making television ads featuring oil spills ruining Florida's pristine beaches and tourism industry.

Today, a new Quinnipiac poll actually shows McCain trailing Obama in Florida by four points. At best for McCain, Florida is going to be competitive and oil drilling will be a key issue in the campaign. At worst, McCain just seriously hurt his chances in a critical swing state.

[mvd]

1. Yea! The news seems to be getting better every day

Thanks for posting. :bounce:

[blondeatlast]

2. Another jaw-dropping error from McSame--and this'll cost precious campaign funds, too.

Not only will he lose donations, he'll have to spend bucks in what should be a "safe" state.

Oh, dear. :nopity:

[Lochloosa]

22. I agree with this blondeatlast and it's a good thing.

[SuperTrouper]

36. McSame in self-destructive mode

I really think that he does not want to do this any longer so he'll commit political suicide on the national stage

[thewiseguy]

3. McCain's stance on drilling will lose him FL

He thought FL was safe and went on to make that huge error. Now he is behind and his error will put him even farther back.

[opihimoimoi]

4. McCrane is self destructing as predicted....worn out computer parts in his 186

[featherman]

5. The poll predates the off-shore drilling flip flop... so maybe more to come on this

[monmouth]

6. Crist made a huge error also...Yeah.....n/t

[Arugula Latte]

7. Well, he didn't exactly "lose" Florida. McCain has been looking all over the house

for Florida, though, while all this time he was wearing it on top of his head.

[hisownpetard]

8. First it's his keys, then his umbrella, and now THIS!

[blondeatlast]

9. He'll recover--by spening another 7 million or so he hadn't intended to spend in a safe state!

:rofl:

[chknltl]

10. The drilling ban is a repuke meme con-job

(I just moments ago got this from the Thom Hartman show so no research on my part yet.) Apparently the oil co.s have close to 6000* active permits for drilling or utilizing existing new wells. Many of these existing permits contain wells which they COULD be drawing oil from right now! Those wells are DELIBERATELY CAPPED! The ban is on giving these bastards NEW PERMITS, not on letting them get oil from any of the existing 6000 permitted spots they have access to.

What is going on here is a con job, oil prices have been artificially driven up. They are deliberately squeezing us. While we are suffering they send in their repuke shills to pass along the meme that we could end this suffering if we grant them access to our off shore untapped reserves and the untapped reserves on our public lands.

The republican shills are using this in order to paint the Democrats as bad environmentalists who place the environment ahead of the tremendous needs of We The People. They seek to use this as their wedge to take back the majority in Congress.

To sum up: There is no ban on the Oil Companies utilizing the over 6000 permits that they are sitting on. They are deliberately trying to add to what permits they already have. We are being conned by the Oil Companies and their repuke shills into believing that the ONLY way out of this current oil crises is through giving them MORE of something they don't want us to know that they already have.

If this info gets out to the public, it could very well cost the repukes...especially mCain in Fla. If he keeps spreading the Big Oil lies in order to try conning the good folks of Florida into allowing this nearby ofshore drilling and those folks get to see the lies for what they are......

(*This number could be as high as 10,000 owned and unused drilling permits, 33 million leased acres off shore and 44 million leased acres onshore, plus 13 BILLION barrels of oil with capped wells sitting on them.-Thom Hartmann show)

On edit, Starting to research this a bit, I'll edit in links as I find them:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0415-08.htm
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=389&Itemid=1
http://www.bluestemprairie.com/a_bluestem_prairie/2008/06/house-natural-r.html
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/images/stories/Documents/truth_about_americas_energy.pdf
This last link absolutely begs to be editorialized here in DU! I tried opening it and gave up after 60 "Do you want to open this file? popups" It is where Congressman De-Fazio got his info which I heard him tell to Thom Hartmann-prompting this very post.

[futureliveshere]

27. Nice job, this deserves its own post.

Please do post this separately.

[chknltl]

31. Done, thanks

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=366362&mesg_id=366362

I am still researching it though but what is turning up shows me that you are correct in that this needs it's own thread. I'll likely catch some hell for how I posted this as an editorial but I really wanted to continue on with the research as opposed to turning it into a proper editorial. BTW this would be my first ever DU editorial anyway...I am hoping the links cary it over my woefully inadequate journalistic skills. Probably should have posted it in GD...hindsight.
c

[BornBlue]

35. I was tuned in to Ed Schultz during my lunch hour

and he had a very interesting caller by the name of Pat Higgins. Apparently Mr. Higgins was an investigator that worked on the Alaskan Pipeline accident, and left after his computer files were secretly downloaded.

He made a lot of similar points, but took it a step further. It is his belief that the oil barons are not happy with the quality of oil they currently have access to. They want to drill off shore and in Alaska because the oil quality is better, which means they can charge more and make even more than they already are.

Just a little add on, that I found interesting.

[Cha]

11. Time for mccain to get out those

old flip flops and flip flop again. This is really a stupid idea..not looking at the big picture at all. Only the OIL men's picture.

[babylonsister]

14. I have to wonder who's advising ole weathervane McSame. He

seems to have more than just a personal problem. ;)

[Cha]

19. It would be interesting to

learn just who's advising "weathervane" to pander all these short term goodies to the liv. I'm seeing him or her being replaced in the imminent future.

[VolcanoJen]

12. Even Joe Scarborough said this on "Morning Joe" the other day.

Old "Dead Intern" Joe said that he was a true rightwing nutjob (his words!) when running for Congress in Florida, but when it came to drilling off the northwest Florida coast, his policy was the same as Greenpeace!

He said supporting offshore Florida drilling is the death knoll to all Florida politicos, and he couldn't believe McCain was adopting a strategy that would just kill him in Florida. He then went on to say that if Obama immediately went on the air with ads up and down the Florida Gulf Coast touting McCain's new-found love domestic drilling, he'd jump ahead of McCain by twenty points. :-)

[blondeatlast]

13. Amazing. That means McCain's going to have to drop HUGE bucks to overcome (if possible)

the damage he's done in what should be a very safe state for him.

SA-WEET! :bounce:

[thewiseguy]

24. I dont see what big spending will do for McCain?

He is urging an end to ban on drilling. No matter how much money he spends there things wont change.

[blondeatlast]

34. It's a a very unpopular opinion in a safe state. They're gonna have to drop a lot of resources

(money and campaign staff) to overcome it.

Even Sean Hannity has said that offshore drilling in FLA was a loser for him.

[Ysabel]

15. who knows with florida but i hope this hurts him...

[Lochloosa]

23. It will hurt him here Ysabel.

It will hurt a lot.

[Ysabel]

30. good... :D

[Lugnut]

16. Atta boy, John.

Keep talkin'.

[Johonny]

17. Isn't the likely out come

A McSame policy of more off shore drilling, except in swing states like Florida and New Jersey. I can hear them now

"I never said Florida, I just said we needed to explore more off shore options."

[progressoid]

18. Maybe he'll pick Jeb as his running mate!

[Happyhippychick]

20. I heard last night that he might lose FL just for this reason.

[suffragette]

21. S.S. McCain

With statements like that, he'll want to look for his life jacket since that sucking sound is his campaign sinking.

[futureliveshere]

25. Check out Kos' diary on this. FL just became open country

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/18/122457/136/128/537859

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. He might get Arizona.

[dsomuah]

28. Not yet

Obama's lead in Fl is still within the statistical margin of error. But he still has a far better chance of taking Fl than Kerry did 4 years ago, and the assesment by Hillary supporters that Obama couldn't carry places like Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania is obviously bullshit. But there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that Florida stays in the blue column.

[thewiseguy]

32. The FL poll was done before McCain's drilling plan

He must be much further behind right now.

[dsomuah]

39. We'll see

It's hard to say how the drilling plan will affect the numbers. Some Americans will buy into the false promise that drilling can lower gas prices, and may rally to McCain because of that. Some, especially those in coastal areas, might be worried about potential oil spills. They will probably do another state poll in about a month so we will see what happens. Meanwhile we have work to do. I live in Georgia. I think I might have to find some time to go down to Fl and participate in voter registration excercises.

[Imagevision]

29. My guess is that's where Charlie Crist comes in - to shore up Florida

[babylonsister]

37. But he's backing McCain, so there are three peas in a pod, and the

Floridians won't be happy:

Crist Angles For VP Slot: Endorses McCain’s Plan For FL Oil Drilling Despite Opposing It Last Week»

Oh, and Mel Martinez changed, his mind, too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3473485

[LSK]

33. even if he doesnt lose FL, lets hope he has to spend a lot of $$$ there

[Median Democrat]

38. Are You Sure Its Not McCain's Stand On Social Security?

John McCain was a very strong advocate of privitizing social security not too long ago. Yes, John has since flipped flopped several times on the issue, but the sizable retirement population in Florida can't really rest easy that McCain won't take another shot at the proposal.

[JCMach1]

40. Yes, OFFSHORE DRILLING

Even repugs hate this idea in FL.

This will sink him unless he flipflops yet again.