A statement by Dan La Botz, Socialist Party Candidate for U.S. Senate (Ohio)
18 May 2010
The last month’s disastrous and tragic events have provided a remarkable window into the relationship of the oil corporations to the U.S. government and its environmental policy. On March 31 President Barack Obama announced that his administration would permit oil drilling off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, reportedly as part of a political strategy to win Republican support for the president’s environmental agenda. Maybe there was also an element of payback in the decision. Two of Obama’s top “bundlers” were oil executives and his presidential campaign received $213,000 from oil companies. Many Obama supporters, even former Vice-President Al Gore’s Repower America, expressed their disappointment and distress at the decision. By wooing the Republicans, Obama was also capitulating to the oil companies who provide so much money to both parties and their candidates. The decision couldn’t have been more badly timed...
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