Latest Articles

Moving Beyond "Drill, Baby, Drill"

Fall 2010  •  inFocus

Those who attended the 2008 Republican Convention had a sinking feeling when Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele shouted out his "drill, baby, drill" slogan. The slogan is an ill-advised attempt to rally Republicans around a simplistic and unrealistic answer to the nation's energy concerns. Because the United States sits atop less than 3 percent of the world's remaining conventional oil reserves, the slogan—which was immediately embraced by then-vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin—lacks even a passing acquaintance with the geologic and strategic energy realities facing the nation.

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Measuring Obama's Environmental Record

Spring 2010  •  inFocus

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV), recently released its Presidential Report Card, giving President Obama a B+ on his first year in office. Ironically, that is the same grade Obama gives himself. The prominent national environmental group bases the score primarily on the president's efforts related to climate change, which is the environmental community's top priority.

Does Obama really deserve such a high mark for efforts to safeguard the environment and address climate change? The B+ grade is quite generous given that efforts to pass climate legislation have suffered a series of setbacks largely as a result of Obama's strategic missteps and his failure to fully engage on the issue.

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Beck's Small Tent GOP

February 25, 2010  •  FrumForum

At the recent CPAC gathering, Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, in an apparent jab at Senator John McCain (R-AZ), said, "We have a guy in the Republican Party who says his – his favorite president is Theodore Roosevelt." He then proceeded to skewer one of America's most beloved presidents as a socialist.

Beck disapprovingly read a TR quote, "We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used . . . so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community." He actually misread the quote, using the word "judge" instead of "grudge" and then asked, "Is this what the Republican Party stands for?"

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The Right Climate for Bipartisanship

October 19, 2009  •  FrumForum

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Kerry (D-MA) recently penned a New York Times op-ed entitled "Yes We Can (Pass Climate Legislation)." In the article, the two Senators make a strong case for bipartisan legislation that tackles both climate change and energy security. They tout a new framework for bridging the partisan gap that has stymied climate legislation in the past.

This rare display of constructive bipartisanship has breathed new life into efforts to pass climate change legislation this year and dramatically changed the tone of the debate.

Suddenly, Democrats are uncharacteristically open to nuclear energy and additional offshore oil drilling.

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Conservatism's Green Roots

September 2009  •  inFocus

This year's debate over climate change legislation has provided a vivid illustration of how today's conservative political and media leaders approach environmental issues. The opposition to environmental protection efforts is almost reflexive in nature. Indeed, even before Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) rolled out a draft of their cap-and-trade climate bill in March, Republican leaders and conservative talk radio hosts were attacking the anticipated effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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