From Jan 2001 to Jan 2007, the GOP held congress and the presidency

So why didn't they open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and our coastal shelves to drilling?

I'll tell you why....


Because the oil companies have no intention of drilling for more oil at this time.


Here's why:


They have a product that is currently keeping refineries running at near 100% capacity. Having more crude oil at their disposal would be pointless, because there is no capacity to refine any more oil than they already are refining.


But there *IS* one side effect of making more crude available to the oil companies.... lower prices.

This is simply supply and demand. Making more crude available means a glut of supply...but with no way to refine more of it, the demand side of the equation doesn't go up. This results in lower prices per barrel of crude, and less profit for the oil companies.

Now... why would the oil companies want to have lower prices for their product while not selling any more product?

Answer: They wouldn't.

It's all a big bluff.

They have no intention of opening up new drilling and they never have .... it's a phony argument meant to deflect the public away from blaming the oil companies for high gas prices.


President Obama called their bluff.


They aren't going to drill. They never had any intention of drilling for more oil. Unless this country increases its refinery capacity, drilling for more crude oil is a pointless exercise.

Just as having more wheat won't create any more bread if there aren't any bakeries to make it.

If drilling off the coast and in the ANWR was a priority for oil companies, it would have happened between January 2001 and January 2007 when the GOP owned all the levers of power in Washington.

The fact that it didn't happen back then is all you need to know.


Now... why would President Obama call their bluff? What does he gain?


Let me preface the answer with this question:

How many times do people on the left have to become outraged at something Obama is doing, only to later find out he was playing a game on an entirely different plane than they were imagining?

Obama is taking "drill baby drill" off of the political table for the GOP, without actually having any drilling take place. The conservatives have one less political arrow in their quiver for the midterms, and if progressives would settle down and think about things a little bit, they'd realize what's going on here.


Stop with the binary thinking. There's more going on here than you realize.

The reason Boehner is acting pissed is because he knows that a powerful rhetorical weapon that the GOP planned on using in the fall has been taken away from them.

..there was some talk about refining capacity. Drilling is kind of beside the point. How long before the Repugnants demand more refinery capacity?

Tell me where it is wrong.

it will cost us to drill but be free to put into the reserve.

...

....Smart man.