Guest post by David Middleton
19 January 2012
Obama clean energy ad airing in Va.
A new ad from President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign that touts his energy and ethics record began airing in Virginia this week even as Republican blasted him over a decision to reject a permit for a proposed oil pipeline from Canada.
The 30-second spot (see below) makes a case that Obama’s policies have promoted clean energy jobs and reduced the nation’s dependence on foreign oil while enduring unfounded attacks funded by wealthy energy industry officials.
[…]
This campaign ad is nothing but a collection of falsehoods.
Falsehood #1: “Secretive oil billionaires attacking President Obama”… The Koch brothers (and the oil & gas industry in general) have been anything but secretive in their attacks on President Obama.
Falsehood #2: The ad implies that President Obama has created 2.7 million “clean energy industry” jobs.
The 2.7 million figure is purportedly cited from a Brookings report. The report said that there currently are 2.7 million jobs in America that “produce goods and services with an environmental benefit.”
The clean economy, which employs some 2.7 million workers, encompasses a signifi cant number of jobs in establishments spread across a diverse group of industries. (Page 4)
The report says that the “clean economy establishments added half a million jobs between 2003 and 2010.” So… Obama didn’t even “create” half a million “clean energy jobs.” He didn’t even create half a million clean economy jobs. The Brookings report refers to “clean economy” not “clean energy” jobs. The vast majority of the “clean economy” jobs are not in energy… And almost all of those jobs were created before Obama took office.
More than 82% of the “clean economy” jobs listed in the report have nothing to do with energy production…
Waste Management & Treatment … 386,116 … 14%
Public Mass Transit … 350,547 … 13%
Conservation … 314,983 … 12%
Energy Saving Building Materials … 161,896 … 6%
Regulation & Compliance … 141,890 … 5%
Professional Environmental Services … 141,046 … 5%
Organic Food & Farming … 129,956 … 5%
Recycling & Reuse … 129,252 … 5%
Green Consumer Products … 77,264 … 3%
Green Building Materials … 76,577 … 3%
HVAC … 73,600 … 3%
Sustainable Forestry Products … 61,054 … 2%
Recycled Content Products … 59,712 … 2%
Green Architecture … 56,190 … 2%
Air & Water Purification … 24,930 … 1%
Green Chemical Products … 22,622 … 1%
Total … 2,207,635 … 82%
Falsehood #3: The ad implies that President Obama somehow played a role in the increase in US domestic oil production over the last few years… That is beyond ridiculous! The plays and prospects from which the production growth was derived were worked up, leased, drilled and plumbed-up for production over the last decade or more. The effects of Obama’s disastrous anti-drilling policies won’t show up in production data for quite some time.
Obama’s anti-drilling policies began in 2009 and were ramped up in 2010. This is either the most amazingly arrogant lie to ever come out of this President’s mouth or an example of his incredible ignorance of the oil & gas industry and energy in general.
The increase in US oil production has come from two main sources:
1) Shale plays like the Bakken.
The Bakken shale play has mostly been developed on private property. Very little of the shale plays have been developed on Federal lands – And the Obama administration has actively sought to further restrict development on Federal lands. Apart from the EPA, regulation and obstruction of these sorts of plays are mostly in the hands of State gov’ts.
2) Deepwater Gulf of Mexico discoveries.
The deepwater discoveries that have been brought on line over the last three years were discovered long before Obama took office… Many were discovered while Clinton was still in office. Construction and installation of the production facilities began long before Obama took office. On top of that, much of the increase in production was the result of the ongoing recovery from hurricanes Rita (2005), Katrina (2005) and Ike (2008).
Over the last two years, the Obama administration has almost paralyzed operations in the Gulf of Mexico with an unlawful permitorium and has aggressively tried to hamper the shale plays with fraudulent EPA attacks on fracking and unlawful efforts to make BLM lands unavailable…
This is all anyone ever needs to know about President Obama’s views on energy…
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In addition to my comment above, I’d like to make a prediction…. if adds like these are allowed to stand and aren’t thoroughly debunked and exposed for the falsehoods they are…. Obama WILL win re-election.
I, for one, have no problem with there being political commentary on WUWT. If you can’t get intelligent, well-thought-out commentary on political subjects here on WUWT, then where can you get it?
At any rate, isn’t politics just another kind of weather – but one that we might possibly have an influence on? If and when mankind gets to the point where we can control weather, we should keep in mind the dangers of placing too much power into too few hands.
steveta_uk says (January 24, 2012 at 2:09 am): “Why is WUWT now covering US politics? Are you sure you want to keep the “best science blog” award?”
Science is about the truth.
So is this article.
WUWT still has my vote.
The ad is running in Ohio too. I believe it’s running in several swing states.
More Soylent Green! said at 1:27 pm
People who don’t vote don’t count, except in Chicago, where they vote early and vote often. Repeatedly.
Funny you should mentioned Chicago. It was the University of Chicago that did the in-depth, precinct-by-precinct study of the election.
AND Chicago is/was not the only place where that method of winning is/was used to try to win an election.
AND-II, according to another survey/study, the BO machine probably pulled as many votes for BO as money can buy and the vast majority of that 81,417,295 who didn’t vote (in 2008) were right of center Americans unhappy with the then situation in the country, sepcifically any other canidate.
Point is – their faliure to vote, did “count” – for BO.
In today’s crippled economy, I hope Obama will focus tonight on how to get our people back to work. In his address, he should by all means admit that his hold on the Canada pipeline was a huge mistake that an evil GOP operative snuck into his last speech. And before you know it, there it was on the teleprompter, and he read it very well. In any event, and in furthering last night’s network policy of keeping the audience quiet during the GOP debate, we will surely see the Congressers applauding politely, and no hissing or calling out or generally whooping it up. After all, the SOTU is a solemn event, not a political rally. Just remember that when all hell breaks loose.
Lies, more lies and dam lies!
Obama lies about Climate and everything else!!!
I am conservative in nature but I’m not religious. I find that Obama and his socialist henchmen/ Dems scare the hell out of me, their lies and manipulation disgust me. And Bush and his Neo-cons disgusted me with their warmongering in spite of the contrary evidence, he and Blair manufactured and used to take us to war.
But the path that Obama has set for America is 10 time more terrifying and won’t be easy to remedy later on, The Titanic heading towards the Ice berg comes to mind, a disaster that WILL happen.
My wife who is highly educated and a professional, watch’s the Maury show along with many of her professional male and female friends and workers. That show is a head shaker for me, both amusing and scary at the same time is this what America is and becoming? Obama’s path only leads us further down that path were the behavior on that in the gutter program is becoming the norm and Obama’s lies become his truth. 50+% of the population find him charming and except-able and can’t or won’t see what his plans / vision holds in store for them. He and his socialist are taking us all down the drain hole into the sewer.
Garethman says:
January 24, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I’ve really liked this site for years, despite my friends telling me it was primarily a newsletter for right wing Americans. I always defended you, however I’m rapidly beginning to think was mistaken. It is a complete tragedy, we have lost one of the great voices for reason in climate change and seen it sell out to political lobbying. Many of us are not leaving your site Anthony, you are leaving us.
As Grandma always used to say ” Don’t let the screen door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya!”
I used to find the incredible naivety of those demanding that Anthony, and by extension all of us here, obsessively focus our attention on the “science” merely amusing, but I’ve come to realize that that attitude is every bit as dangerous as that of the malevolent forces that have been using this charade to foster their misanthropic agenda for decades. I suspect that the real forces behind this scam are overjoyed when the skeptical community engages in these ever more arcane depositions on S/B, ALR, millimeter scale changes in GMSL, etc. because, like me, they realize they have artfully constructed the language and form of the argument so that almost nothing in regard to it can ever be either convincingly proved or disproved. Focusing on the “science” means that no one will be peeking behind the curtain to ascertain the real logic and motivation driving the program. The irrelevance of “science” to the argument is demonstrated by the fact that we are no longer slandered as deniers of “global warming”, but as deniers of “climate change”. By any rational assessment the only parties in the controversy who have suggested that climate doesn’t change are the carbon demonizers who seem to claim that, absent increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, we would still be stuck in the LIA. That is the real climate change denial.
Sadly, while we have been engaging in these endless and fundamentally impossible efforts to discredit the shoddy “science”, they have been relentlessly pursuing their program ofcreating a burgeoning assortment bureaucratic fiefdoms to manage every minutial detail of every human life, which are as immortal as Duncan MacLoed, but unlike him can’t even be dispatched by removing their heads. For all the ominous talk of “tipping points” we may indeed passed the only one that really matters i. e. the point where the bureaucratic momentum and the dominance of the “Big Lie” means that, even if someone could announce ironclad falsification of the CAGW conjecture tomorrow, it would have absolutely no effect on the future of humanity. We are locked onto our path as securely as the Empire Builder or Super Chief on the way to the coast and at the end lies not climatic doom, but the terminal station on Hayek’s “Road To Serfdom”.
Back to Science. Democrats like Obama prove an alternative dimension exists because they sure don’t live in this one.
lol, Anthony I’m here to protest that you don’t cover the political angle enough! …..
My goodness how some of these people compartmentalize! Oh yeh, sure there’s no way ideology comes into play in the climate discussion. I’m just here for the science so I can be seen as an intellectual rebel with all of my totalitarian Luddite Malthusian misanthropist communist anti-American friends. 😉
Alcheson says:
January 24, 2012 at 1:47 pm
if adds like these are allowed to stand and aren’t thoroughly debunked and exposed for the falsehoods they are…. Obama WILL win re-election
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Right on !!
In New England FERC and Congressman Markey want to change the reliability guidelines for grid expansion. Reliability becomes less important than tapping into renewable wind power in the mountains of New England and offshore.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57363549/new-rules-could-boost-new-england-renewable-power/
To be clear, Obama’s not telling lies. As Holder clarified during the Fast & Furious hearings, in order to lie, the teller must believe they are telling a lie. Obama believes this mis-information so he is not lying. Wrong, but not lying.
I would point out that the last video in the post, in which the Obummer lays out his determination to cause energy prices to “skyrocket” and to drive the coal industry into bankruptcy, was widely posted all over the internet in the Summer of 2008, but you can search long and hard through the archives of the entire Lamestream Media without ever encountering a single mention of it. That blackout is only one of many by which they colluded in anointing “The One” and is proof of the incredible hurdle that anyone running against him must clear just to approach being on a level playing field.
More Soylent Green! wrote
“Just wait,the SOTU speech is tonite.”
More like ‘The State Of The Campaign’ speech? Warren Buffett’s secretary will be up there with him. So after tax talk it will be interesting if he ever gets around to talk much about jobs. The speech is at 9 eastern.
I think markets are thinking he squeaks by and gets re-elected. But the Republicans take the house and senate.
Keith says:
January 24, 2012 at 3:57 pm
In New England FERC and Congressman Markey want to change the reliability guidelines for grid expansion.
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I would typically “lol” at such inanity, but if that truly gets adopted, jobs will get lost, but most importantly, people will die.
If I were to wish to open a production plant, would reliability be one of the most import aspects of my electricity purchases? What of grocery stores? Is refrigeration important? Does a gas heater kick on without electricity these days? Are people knowledgeable enough to bypass the need for electricity for such things? Are our elderly able to do such? I hope such massive stupidity doesn’t have consequences, but if it does, I can only pray that the judge, Markey, and LaFleur bear the full brunt of such consequences.
Ed Mertin says:
January 24, 2012 at 4:36 pm
More Soylent Green! wrote
“Just wait,the SOTU speech is tonite.”
More like ‘The State Of The Campaign’ speech?
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If the excerpts released are anything like his real speech, he will have just blown his chances for re-election, but then he already has. My dirty sock puppet could be him in an election. But, I’m not going to blog about it until I hear him utter some insanely vapid and duplicitous words. But, I’m on the edge of my seat.
Don’t disagree with the overall WUWT condemnation of Obama’s climate change stance, but at least he’s come straight out and said US electricity consumers WILL be hit hard by the costs of his proposals. Out here in Oz the Gillard government is spinning the desperate line that it’s only the ‘big polluters’ who will be hurt by Gillard’s forthcoming carbon tax, and there will be no pain for the rest of us.
David Middleton says:
January 24, 2012 at 6:29 am
To those who object to the political aspect of this post… My deepest apologies. The last thing I want to do is to degrade the best science blog in the known universe.
However, I posted this because energy and energy policy has been a frequent topic on WUWT. The blatant falsehoods in this campaign ad screamed for a rebuttal; so I wrote one. I thought it would be of interest to WUWT readers.
I would not be offended in the least if Anthony deleted this post, if he thought that it was in the best interest of WUWT.
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Thank you David. I have no problems with your post. I follow energy as well as climate. I feel very well educated within the energy arena. Climate has been my educational experience the past couple of years. The climate scam is being used to control the energy market. You owe no apologies but are due thanks.
The entire AGW scam is the most politically motivated scheme devised in modern times other than election / reelection ones.
ABO.. Anyone But Obama…
Our economic malaise is worsened by the high energy prices, all of which is politics based. Forcing us to use ethanol, not allowing domestic drilling and over regulation of just about everything. Fix that and things will right themselves very quickly.
markus says: “The science is in, there is global warming, by man. Anthony’s just mopping up.”
I liked that line, Markus! Thanks.
I beg to differ. After the filthy Chicago-style tricks that got him the nomination, there was no doubt about what kind of pig was in that poke. Anyone who then went on to vote for him was politically purblind or a damfool
Good comment. I’ve almost grown blasé about how often I get first or core breaking or crucial info and news here, and have to wait some time before it shows up on the MSM, if ever it does..
An opinion piece in the WSJ (1/24/12, p. A17) by Steyer & Podesta (chief of staff for Bill Clinton) has this LOL line:
“Under President Obama’s leadership, we appear to be at the beginning of a domestic gas and oil boom.”
The other author (Steyer) is the founder of Farallon Capital Management. The main thrust of the writing is to continue and increase the government handouts to “clean and green” firms. With such, our economy can be “soaring ahead.”
Solyndra comes to mind. As does Range Fuels:
http://theenergycollective.com/robertrapier/72768/range-fuels-goes-bust-harms-biofuels-industry-process
There appears to be a breaking story on the blogosphere that large parts of Obama’s SOTU speech have been plagiarized (verbatim translations) from speeches already given months and years ago by President Hugo Chavez.