GOP Rep. Raising Cash Off China-Cuba Oil Myth?
Okay, here are two new twists on the GOP myth that China is drilling for oil off America: We now have a GOP Rep. who is apparently raising campaign cash off the tall tale -- and as an added bonus, her campaign tried to deny she ever did this!
The culprit is good old Rep. Jean Schmidt, the Ohio Republican who famously called Jack Murtha a coward. In her fundraising letter -- which you can read here -- she blasts unnamed liberals who have "decided to come after me because I stood on the House Floor and pointed out that Cuba was drilling off our shores."
"Now whether they are drilling on the coast of Cuba or offshore less than 60 miles from Florida," Schmidt later adds, "it doesn't change the fact that the Communists in China understand the laws of supply and demand more than the Democrats."
When we contacted Schmidt's campaign a few days ago, Schmidt spokesperson Bruce Pfaff denied it was hers: "That does not appear to be from Congresswoman Schmidt's campaign," he said.
But it sure looks like hers. It was sent our way by the campaign of Schmidt's opponent, Victoria Wulsin, who in turn got it from a local supporter who confirmed to us today that he'd received it in the mail a week ago.
And when we took this info back to Schmidt's spokesperson, he suddenly clammed up and refused to discuss the matter on the record any further. Wonder why?
Oil companies from Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, Venezuelan, Vietnam, and other nations have partnered with the Cuban state petroleum enterprise and some are now exploring off the North coast of Cuba. Petro Brazil has drilled an unsuccessful exploratory well.
The Chinese oil company is involved in the explorations, though to this point no oil has been pumped.
August 1, 2008 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Her point is presumably that if China-Cuba drill offshore, they are stealing "our" oil, which is why we need to start drilling offshore.
Now she (or more likely her staff) has realized that it doesn't really matter if they drill onshore in Cuba or offshore, but that wasn't her original point. Regardless, it's a pretty silly and spurious argument for offshore drilling.
August 1, 2008 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
'drilling' is what she said.
August 1, 2008 9:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes and the facts and her statement ate antithetical to the truth. She lied and continues to lie just to get re-elected. Her district should get her out of her misery and let he sit home or try to find a job in this employment down market that she helped usher in along with her President and her Republican cohorts. After all, what earthly good is a lying, obnoxious former Representative to any employer. This woman has no shame.
August 2, 2008 3:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney: Oops on China drilling off Cuba
Vice-President Dick Cheney's office has acknowledged he was wrong when he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that China was drilling for oil off Cuba's coast, just 60 miles from Key West.
August 2, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Her face is really weirding me out.
August 1, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is it just me, or does she look like an old drag queen? (With apologies to drag queens everywhere)
August 1, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jack Germond used to say that people elect the leaders they deserve. But I simply can't imagine what the good people of OH-2 have done to deserve that.
August 1, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's tanned, rested and ready to rumble!
So if someone is drilling off Cuba, how does that hurt us? (I mean, aside from the possibility of an oil spill spreading to Florida?) They're adding to global supply, so they're lowering the price of crude just as much as if we were finding the same amount offshore or in ANWR.
August 1, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because they're drinkin our milkshake!!!!
August 1, 2008 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to advocate for off-shore drilling in the Gulf, presumably at least some of the oil beneath the Gulf is in a pool common to Cuban, USA, and Mexican territories.
So, I suppose, if one wished, one could argue that some oil technically now available in USA territory could be recovered by the Cuban and Mexican state oil enterprises.
August 1, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
So (honest question) does that mean the difference is who profits? Their state companies versus whatever private companies have drilling rights in adjacent U.S. territories?
Either way, I don't think it makes any difference to U.S. consumers, what with oil being a global market. Supply anywhere is supply that affects prices roughly equally everywhere. Any oil or trade experts out there, please correct me if I'm wrong.
August 1, 2008 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
but that's why they're getting everyone worked up about dependence on 'foreign' oil. they don't want us thinking about markets and speculation because that's what all this is really about - monkeying with markets to goose profits and gouge consumers. republicans are just using the net result (high gas prices) to hoodwink voters since they don't have anything else to campaign on.
August 1, 2008 9:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. I believe that the benefits of the oil extracted by the Cuban and Mexican state oil enterprises flow to the citizens of those countries. While the profits of the privately owned oil companies flow to relatively fewer folks.
August 2, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
i think ann arbor's point was quite the opposite. because the market for oil is global, any increase in supply (regardless of where its from, where it goes, or who does the drilling) goes toward satisfying global demand, reducing scarcity and competition. at least in a fundamental sense... because the 'problem' isn't that the US can't get its hands on enough oil to meet demand, the problem is the balance between global supply and global demand (and the monkeying with the market to exaggerate the imbalance).
August 2, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
August 2, 2008 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for nearly making me lose my lunch.... Mean Jean is *not* somebody to see after a Shrimp Burrito...ugh. I'd rather watch a cow taking a dump, or a quadruple by-pass heart surgery than look at her face (smiling or not).....
August 1, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know I've railed about this here before, but the obstinate reiteration of the word myth in this context on this site is really getting to me. The accurate word for this is lie.
There is no myth involved (i.e., a tale that grows up in a society to present its highest aspirations and values in story form). Why misuse a noble word as a euphemism when we have a perfectly straightforward English word for what's going on:
Lie.
August 1, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it needs to be pointed out at every point of this venture that:
1. The Republican myth is a BOLDFACE lie purely for political gain . . .
AND . . .
2. That during control of both Congress and the White House by the Republican Party, a Canadian oil company actively operating (pumping oil) on actual American soil (Colorado) was sold to the Chinese and the Chinese are have been actually pumping actual American oil out of actual American dirt and shipping it away from America ever farging since.
Someone needs to call Dr. Wulsin's campaign . . .
August 1, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't retire for the night without giving us a post about Obama flip flopping on offshore drilling, TPM.
August 1, 2008 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caPBxhOVCl8
August 2, 2008 2:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course, it's all 'our' oil--as in the old wingnut meme about Iraq: 'what's 'our' oil doing under their sand?'
August 1, 2008 10:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Schmidt reminds me of what Katherine Harris would look like with botox in a picture that was photo-shopped to make her eyes look less crazy.
Her behavior clearly shows here desperation to keep her sinecure.
August 2, 2008 5:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama Flip-Flops again, says he may back offshore drilling. For people who are basing their votes on candidates’ positions on issues, they should be forewarned. Obama doesn’t really have any. The notion that he believes in any set agenda or fixed principles is, the words of Bill Clinton, a “fairytale.” Obama is an empty suit.
August 2, 2008 9:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
though slightly less empty than mccain's suit.
August 2, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama’s Flip Flop on oil was so sudden that a pro-Obama group is still running ads in Colorado slamming McCain for supporting off-shore drilling. They really should check with the Obama campaign hourly to see what the current party line is on any given issue. Obama panders and flip flops to what ever the public consensus is on any particular issue in the fore front of this political race. I mean does he really think everyone doesn't know that he has no original ideas and is spineless?
August 2, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
You're completely ignoring McCain's recent reversal on offshore drilling--it's paid off handsomely for him, too.
But hey, why let the truth get in the way of one of your fact-free rants? You haven't yet.
August 2, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
And Mean Jean Schmidt does have original ideas? Maybe they are cause they are batshit insane - which generall leads to pretty "original ideas."
As you should know, being batshit insane yourself.
August 2, 2008 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is the offshore drilling debate becoming this years pre-election gay marriage debate???
August 2, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
It was starting to look that way. But with Obama throwing his weight behind the 'Gang of 10' compromise on energy, it looks like he's neutralized the GOP trump card for 2008 and given plenty of other Democrats permission to follow.
Looks like the Republicans better go back to hoping for another terrorist attack.
August 2, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
O man, I'm not sure of the comparison you are making here: Offshore drilling and gay marriage - but I think I'll just pass on by.
LOL!!
August 2, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
It has to be something wrong with the voting machines in Ohio for this nut to keep winning.
August 2, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
And they give us Texans such a bad time...
August 2, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney: Oops on China drilling off Cuba
Vice-President Dick Cheney's office has acknowledged he was wrong when he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that China was drilling for oil off Cuba's coast, just 60 miles from Key West.
August 2, 2008 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tuesday I will redouble my offer to help vic wulsin in any way i can.This Schmidt woman`s actions are not logical,nor are they particularly sane looking on the surface of it.I bet if we look into her record there are som skeletons hiding somewhere.
Or maybe she really is that dumb
August 3, 2008 12:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone else think Jean Schmidt looks like Nurse Diesel from the film High Anxiety?
http://twitchfilm.net/pics/diesel01.jpg
- FTF
August 4, 2008 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink