[chopchop0]

Let's see when he'll flip-flop again...

Crist banks on drilling shift to help defeat Rubio - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100615/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2615 - broken link)

In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, offshore oil drilling is quickly becoming the dominant issue in Florida's U.S. Senate race. Sitting Gov. Charlie Crist, who's campaigning as an independent in the race, has become one of the country's most outspoken opponents of exploration. But even as polls show Florida voters increasingly opposed to offshore drilling, GOP hopeful Marco Rubio is doubling down on his own support of such efforts, telling the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody that "it's the right place to be."


"Offshore drilling is going to happen whether we're for it or against it because Cuba's going to drill off its coast. We know China and Russia and Venezuela and Brazil are all exploring in the gulf and off our coasts. I don't know if it would make us feel any better if it was a Cuban oil rig that blew up and leaked water and petroleum into our waters," Rubio told Brody. "My point is that there's going to be offshore drilling whether America's part of it or not. The only question before us is how much of our future petroleum needs are going to be met domestically and how much is going to be met by buying it from Hugo Chavez. That's the only real issue before us."

It's a politically risky move. Perhaps nowhere in the country has public opinion toward offshore drilling shifted more than in Florida. On April 19, the day before an explosion set off the BP spill, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 66 percent of Florida voters supported drilling off the state's coasts. Last week, that support had largely evaporated, with 51 percent of Florida voters now against drilling.

As we previously reported (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/ynews/pl_ynews/storytext/ynews_pl2615/36543979/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100602/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2366_4 - broken link), Crist has executed a rare 360-degree shift in his position on drilling in recent years. Four years ago, he supported a ban on drilling but then later came out against it, citing economic reasons. In the aftermath of the BP explosion, he told reporters he was reconsidering his view. More recently, he has called for a special session of the Florida legislature to pass a constitutional ban against drilling off the state's beaches. Rubio has accused Crist of trying to use the spill to his political advantage.

No doubt Crist's change of heart puts him in lockstep with many likely voters this fall. And it's gotten him loads of free publicity. On Monday, Crist took his anti-spill message to Miami Beach. Today, he walked side-by-side with President Obama down a sandy beach in Pensacola, where an oil plume threatens to wash ashore in coming days. That image — presented with very divergent accompanying messages — will probably be used by both the Crist and Rubio campaigns in coming months.

I bet he'll support offshore drilling again when gas goes to $4+ a gallon

[seeriously]

It's not flip-flopping. It's called 'waking up and smelling the coffee' or should I say oil. Some politicians are savvy enough to learn from previous mistakes.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by verobeach

It's not flip-flopping. It's called 'waking up and smelling the coffee' or should I say oil. Some politicians are savvy enough to learn from previous mistakes.

Right on!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by verobeach

It's not flip-flopping. It's called 'waking up and smelling the coffee' or should I say oil. Some politicians are savvy enough to learn from previous mistakes.

It's called paying lip service to what the people want to hear when they want to hear it. He was all for offshore drilling a couple years ago when gas was expensive and Floridians were b******g about it.

Just wait til gas gets expensive again.... flip-flop charlie is going to be clamoring for offshore drilling.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

It's called paying lip service to what the people want to hear when they want to hear it. He was all for offshore drilling a couple years ago when gas was expensive and Floridians were b******g about it.

Just wait til gas gets expensive again.... flip-flop charlie is going to be clamoring for offshore drilling.

Or, you know, maybe a few years ago before the Gulf Coast was devastated by the worst oil-related accident in history. Shame on him for changing his position!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by ferret111

Or, you know, maybe a few years ago before the Gulf Coast was devastated by the worst oil-related accident in history. Shame on him for changing his position!

so once we figure out exactly what caused this and what can be done to prevent it, we're still never going to have offshore drilling again? As it stands now, offshore drilling is banned 125 miles from the FL coast. Rubio has said nothing about overturning that until we can find out exactly what happened and make sure that it never happens again.

When Charlie gets an earful from people in a few years over expensive gas, I think he's going to switch again, just like he did in 2008.

[stars99]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

so once we figure out exactly what caused this and what can be done to prevent it, we're still never going to have offshore drilling again? As it stands now, offshore drilling is banned 125 miles from the FL coast. Rubio has said nothing about overturning that until we can find out exactly what happened and make sure that it never happens again.

When Charlie gets an earful from people in a few years over expensive gas, I think he's going to switch again, just like he did in 2008.

they know what would have prevented it--they just didn't do it

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by OrlandoRE_Miracle

they know what would have prevented it--they just didn't do it

actually, they were negligent by drilling when they shouldn't have just to hurry up and stop paying the rig owners, since they were already running late. They also didn't put an acoustic trigger in, something required in other countries. Honestly, our own federal government is as much to blame as BP was. The MMS was a JOKE of an agency.

There will plenty of analysis of this event, and once an independent panel concludes what needs to be done, eventually we're going to be offshore drilling again. Maybe not now, maybe not in 5 years, but at some point, we will. Remind me, with how many hundreds of wells around the world, how often has this happened? It happened ONCE before off of Mexico in the 1970s.

Remember, it's still illegal to drill 125 miles off the coast of FL. I don't see that changing under Crist or Rubio. The investigations on the BP disaster are going to go on for a long time.

In the meanwhile, our economy continues to be in the tank since the day Obama took office. We need a change in Washington DC, not another puppet for Obama.

[stars99]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

actually, they were negligent by drilling when they shouldn't have just to hurry up and stop paying the rig owners, since they were already running late. They also didn't put an acoustic trigger in, something required in other countries. Honestly, our own federal government is as much to blame as BP was. The MMS was a JOKE of an agency.

There will plenty of analysis of this event, and once an independent panel concludes what needs to be done, eventually we're going to be offshore drilling again. Maybe not now, maybe not in 5 years, but at some point, we will. Remind me, with how many hundreds of wells around the world, how often has this happened? It happened ONCE before off of Mexico in the 1970s.

Remember, it's still illegal to drill 125 miles off the coast of FL. I don't see that changing under Crist or Rubio. The investigations on the BP disaster are going to go on for a long time.

In the meanwhile, our economy continues to be in the tank since the day Obama took office. We need a change in Washington DC, not another puppet for Obama.

Rubio is an extremist.

[debidibly]

I appreciate any person (politician or otherwise) who is willing to be open to changing their mind based on findings or current events - at least consider other options, regardless of the topic. In this case I wouldn't consider this flip flopping. It's hard to ignore the current situation. Florida has a 60B$ tourism industry being affected.