Offshore drilling dominates debate, campaign

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: July 21, 2008

Watch the entire debate

The first debate of the 2008 Senate campaign was feisty and at times mean spirited. But throughout it a note agreement kept popping up.

“We have to have a very comprehensive, long-term energy plan,” Republican Jim Gilmore said.

Democrat Mark Warner echoed the same thing, saying over and over, “I’m the only candidate who has put out a comprehensive plan.”

In fact, both candidates have comprehensive plans and they agree on almost all points except one.

“We have to have more domestic oil production,” Gilmore shouted.

In fact, Gilmore made that case in almost every answer.

“We have to be prepared to drill in ANWR and bring that oil in. We have to be prepared to drill offshore and bring that oil in and produce that oil now,” he said.

WSLS Political Analyst Dr. Bob Denton says the issue works for Gilmore.

“It’s about action vs. inaction,” he said.

But Warner, who opposed drilling in Alaska and is open to offshore oil exploration, calls Gilmore’s plan a silver bullet that won’t help much.

He used an interview WSLS did with Gilmore to make his point.

“He disagreed last week in Roanoke with the Bush Energy Department and says ‘baloney, I don’t care what the federal government says.’ The very Bush Energy Department that says this is not going to provide a total solution,” Warner said.

Here’s the transcript from the actual interview, conducted two weeks ago at the Orange Mart in Roanoke County where Gilmore helped pump people’s gas.

WARREN: “Governor, the federal government said that if you increase domestic oil production it won’t really impact prices or the amount produced until the year 2030.”

GILMORE: “Boloney.”

WARREN: “That’s the federal government.”

GILMORE: “I don’t care what the federal government says. We know that that’s not right.”

That exchange has now popped up in a Democratic ad on YouTube. It features the WSLS interview with Gilmore and then brings in quick interviews with President George W. Bush, Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. All of these men say drilling for oil domestically won’t produce a huge quantity of oil. After each man the ad goes back to Gilmore saying “baloney.”

Warner is also running a television commercial featuring his plan to handle rising gas prices.

All of that demonstrates the power of this issue.

“It’s all offshore drilling at this point,” Dr. Denton said of the campaign.

The reason? Because what happens at the pump hurts.

“Everybody suffers at the gas pump,” Dr. Denton said. “That is the individual, common person and that’s where the battleground is.”

That means, as we saw Saturday, Virginians should get ready to hear a lot more about offshore drilling.