Republicans alter their energy tactics
They aim to hijack gas-price and enviro issues from Democrats
By Daniel Scarpinato
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Expanded offshore drilling is the new mantra of Arizona Sen. John McCain, presumptive GOP presidential nominee. But as recently at this year, he was against the idea.
Tim Bee, the Southern Arizona Republican candidate challenging incumbent Democrat Gabrielle Giffords for Congress, says he's a big fan of alternative energies. But last year, as president of the state Senate, he said he wasn't convinced global warming even existed and advocated more lanes on the freeway as the best way to cut carbon emissions.
And Vice President Dick Che-ney once called conservation a "personal virtue" but not "a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." Then in a statement just this month, President Bush acknowledged that a "comprehensive strategy" should "expand conservation measures."
A reading of the tea leaves? Smart election-year politics? Flip-flops?
Or following the lead of a GOP strategist whose ideas, polls show, appear to have found the pulse of voters:
● Don't cozy up to the White House or big oil. Neither is very popular.
● As much as people are worried about energy costs, they still care about the environment, so don't trash tree-huggers.
● While alternative energy is a popular item, nuclear power is low on the list of preferences, especially with women.
Republicans — looking to hijack the energy issue from Democrats in the face of record gas prices and congressional inaction — are carefully shifting their message at all levels on environmental and energy concerns.
And with Democrats resistant to new drilling and more controversial alternatives like nuclear energy, the GOP's new talking points stress environmental populism, framing Democrats as favoring an eggs-in-one-basket strategy for bringing down gas prices.
In an election year when the odds are against them, energy may be one issue where it's plausible for Republicans to out-message Democrats, some say.
An internal memo sent out earlier this summer by a top Republican strategist advises candidates to support a balanced energy plan that recognizes the environment.
It also says to distance themselves from big oil and avoid running against the "Democratic Congress," which is still more popular than the GOP.
"Run against your opponent," the memo advises.
The four-page document was sent out on June 27 by Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies, a national Republican political and public-affairs research firm. Bolger, who was traveling, did not respond to requests for comment.
Bolger's advice parallels statements by Bee and McCain, who, along with the Arizona Republican Party, are Public Opinion Strategies' clients.
"It's called politics, and it's called wanting to win," said pollster Bruce Merrill, a political-science professor at Arizona State University. "It probably has more to do with politics and getting elected than what's best for either the planet or the country."
Not to suggest that Democrats don't have their own talking points. After opposing new drilling, over the summer, Dem-ocrats have veered to the middle, calling for drilling on the 68 million acres where oil companies already have leases.
But experts say that posture may be as much of a half-truth as the Republicans' position that new offshore drilling will bring down prices.
In reality, the GOP's promise is likely decades away, experts predict, and much of the land Democrats point to is either unfit for drilling or already in the process of being explored.
Still, polling shows the GOP's message is in tune with public opinion. About 65 percent of Americans say they support new offshore drilling, with 75 percent saying the rising price of gas has caused financial hardships for them personally.
And the public's views may be less driven by political partisanship than politicians recognize. Most Americans blame oil companies and foreign countries that produce oil more than the Bush administration, the war in Iraq or the Democrats in Congress.
Issues both parties are strong on — drilling for Republicans, alternative energy for Democrats — find high favor in polling. That's why Bolger advises clients not to "spend a lot of time attacking environmental groups."
"Instead, it is important to communicate that you are concerned about the impact on the environment," he says.
The Democrats' biggest advantage, he writes, is their support for a windfall-profits tax, which even a majority of Republican voters support.
As for nuclear energy, "it tends to be low on the list of steps people want to see taken. Women are more more concerned about nuclear than men."
Bolger also tells clients: "The surest way for a Republican to lose this November is to stand against change and be a defender of the current politics. The second-best way to ensure a loss is to try and turn the election into a referendum on national Republicans versus Democrats.
"We're getting beaten badly on the generic ballot," he says. "People don't like what Republicans have been doing."
But Arizona Democratic Party spokeswoman Emily DeRose, who has been highly critical of both Bee's and McCain's positions on this issue, says Republicans are "misusing the energy issue."
"I think you could look up 'hypocrisy' in the dictionary, and you'd find the GOP leadership on this issue," she said, pointing out that when Republicans controlled Congress, they also failed to pass an energy plan. "I think, ultimately, the American people will see through it."
Bee spokesman Tom Dunn rejected the notion Bee is subscribing to party talking points, although he was familiar with the Bolger memo. But Dunn said he's seen varying strategies on how to win the election — all with different angles.
"We just have to put together the best strategy for us to win," Dunn said. "The people of the district, when we're out knocking on doors, this is the issue that they want addressed."
Still, in polling, the general public seems to trust Democrats on economic and energy issues more than it does Republicans. But Merrill says the GOP's "drill, drill, drill" message, coupled with its new talk about alternative energies, has proved frustrating for Democrats — hence the calls for forcing companies to drill on existing leased land.
And Merrill says McCain's position on drilling is not only more popular than that of Dem-ocratic rival Barack Obama, he's actually forcing Democrats to moderate their stance.
On Aug. 16, during an interview with the Rev. Rick Warren, McCain declared: "We've got to drill now, and we've got to drill here, and we've got to be independent of foreign oil."
"McCain has found that to be a very effective campaign position," Merrill said. "I think it's quite clear that (Democrats) are getting beat up in terms of public opinion."
Democrats, he says, still have a leg up on alternative energy and addressing environmental concerns, despite the GOP's outreach. But whether that matters this election cycle is questionable, Merrill said.
"The short-term crisis has really folded things back in the direction of jobs and money rather than the longer-term position of protecting the environment," he said.
● Contact reporter Daniel Scarpianto at 307-4339 or dscarpinato@azstarnet.com.
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