So contends Jessica Peck Corry, writing at PoliticsWest. She contends that higher energy prices could benefit Republican candidates who are pushing for more exploration and production.
Nicknaming him "Big Oil Bob," ProgressNow claims Schaffer is "little more than a puppet of the Big Oil industry."
But the strategy is misplaced, especially as escalating oil costs raise the cost of just about every product we buy as consumers. As Denver Post editorial page editor Dan Haley recently pointed out, "The threshold at which you begin to make lifestyle changes depends on your income level and on, well, whether or not you're a masochist. But it appears that $4 may be the threshold that begins to shift the prevailing political winds."
Schaffer, on staff with a major energy company, has actually worked to improve relationships with international energy leaders and oil-rich governments....
But for savvy Republican candidates, they should remember this: Voters this November want a responsible energy policy that will balance our energy needs with reasonable protections for the environment. They are starting to see that off-shore drilling—already done in green nations like Norway—may become inevitable here. While once Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was too sacred for exploration, we may just want to take a second look.
