The Beltway conventional wisdom holds that to the extent that for Republicans to do well this year, they need to present themselves in the way John McCain always has: as a ‘different kind of Republican.’ To a large degree, that means associating yourself with McCain and boosting his campaign. But how do you do that on an issue like energy, where McCain is out of step with many Republicans on the issue of drilling in ANWR? Senate Republicans seem to be turning to expanding domestic production generally, without getting hung up on the question of ANWR drilling:
This approach allows the GOP to stand for expanded supply, without necessarily speaking to the question of ANWR. That still puts many candidates in the difficult position of disagreeing with their nominee on a high-profile issue, which is probably unavoidable. As for Democrats, they are forced to defend an extreme position, and one which goes against their own rhetoric. While they say they favor a balanced and long-term approach, balance for them means all conservation and no new production. And they reject expanded supply as being too long-term to do any good. So what’s their answer? Attack “Big Oil.” But if prices stay above $4.00 per gallon, voters will almost certainly be willing to entertain new ideas–even from the party of “Big Oil.”
