Posted on 08/15/2012 6:19:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
With only the formality of the Republican National Convention standing between them and the November election, the “Comeback Team” of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan has a little less than three months in which to convince a majority of the American electorate it is better equipped to govern the country for the next four years than its Democrat counterpart. If these two Republican leaders wish to get a jump start on accomplishing that goal, there is one person with whom they quickly should set up an appointment – Texan T. Boone Pickens.
Romney noted in his speech last Saturday at which he announced Wisconsin Rep. Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate, that working to achieve “North American energy independence” was one of the top priorities of his campaign. Words, of course, are important; but if in fact the GOP presidential candidate is serious about accomplishing that goal, he should waste no time in scheduling a trip to Dallas and visit with Pickens.
Such a move would not only underscore the Republican Party’s commitment to developing a comprehensive national energy policy, but demonstrate it understands what it will take to do so. This would show also that the GOP standard bearers are not afraid to seek the assistance of those who truly understand what a winning energy strategy will entail.
Drawing a clear difference with the current administration on energy policy will not be difficult for the Romney-Ryan team.
During his first four years in office, President Obama has done nothing to move America closer to energy independence. In fact, the current administration’s drive toward the mirage of “green energy” -- as exemplified by the multi-hundred million dollar Solyndra scandal - - coupled with its heavy-handed regulatory edicts, has made us more rather than less dependent on foreign energy sources. Even Obama’s legislative failures – most notably the “cap and trade” proposal he championed prior to losing his Party’s majority in the House of Representatives two years ago -- would have worsened our energy- dependent position.
Stacked up against the Obama Administration’s failed energy policy – the U.S. now imports some 60% of the oil we use -- the Romney-Ryan team has an excellent opportunity to seize the initiative on this one aspect of federal policy that could not only assist in turning around the economy, but help secure economic stability for generations.
And there is no need for the Republicans to reinvent the wheel in this regard. Pickens has mapped it out for them. In the past four years, this legendary Texas entrepreneur has crisscrossed the country touting the need to develop alternate energy sources. The “Pickens Plan” provides a workable blueprint for unleashing the potential of resources sitting untapped inside the United States’ borders; at the same time offering diversity in sources of energy that could be utilized to keep the economy thriving.
As Pickens has noted, the U.S. currently relies heavily on oil produced by OPEC nations. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service in April, the United States spent “$327 billion on net oil imports in 2011.” Especially when considered in the context of the $1 trillion budget deficit the federal government will rack up this fiscal year, our reliance on foreign oil serves neither our national security nor our economic interests. It only empowers our allies-of-convenience and our potential adversaries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Is the Pickens Plan perfect? No. Would its author insist on rigid adherence to every jot and tittle as the price for helping the GOP craft and articulate a workable and comprehensive energy independence platform to present to the voters over the course of the coming campaign? Of course not; Pickens is too good a businessman to make such a demand.
A sit-down with Pickens would be a session from which both Romney and Ryan would emerge with a deeper understanding of the true cost of continuing the energy-policy status quo. More important, they would be learning from a man who has been phenomenally successful since the 1950s in identifying and implementing real solutions to the energy needs of American businesses and consumers.
Go ahead. Call Pickens. It could be one of the most important calls of the entire campaign.
Except if oil is threatened, we go to war which isn't cheap.
Bob Barr has gone mad. Pickens is a scam artist.
Which is exactly where we are now, by the way.
The Middle East is a sh!t-hole, and energy-rich North Dakota has an unemployment rate of about 3%.
Yes but he is primarily a gas man now. He is on Cavuto from time to time and ticks off reasons for implementing policies favoring gas. The main one is to develop gas for use in place of diesel fuel in the 18 wheelers. That change alone would result in reordering the fuel business and need for imports.
He has the numbers and makes a very convincing case. He is sort of Ryan like, down to earth, unpretentious, humble.
Those electrical providers are subsidized by the government, both federal and local, and have been ever since there was a light bulb.
T bone is a selfish arrogant guy.
We need patriots who love this country
Pickens is a very shrewd dude. He drilled a bunch of wells on his Texas spread and created a bunch of “wetlands” that shelter all kinds of “endangered species.” In this way he totally co-opted the lefty-greenie-snailhugging enviroweenies.
Crony influence peddler? Not so much...
To H with Pickens...he was right in the front of the line for government handouts when he was promoting wind energy.
Plus, his nit-wit wife is promoting a ridiculous wild horse refuge...which is fine, but like T Boone, she wants to do it with OPM...Other People’s Money.
The heck with appointing rich guys to anything. They have proven they are good at making money, so that’s what they should do.
If you want people who are smart and motivated, get a bunch of young self-made businessmen, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, and set them to work on problems that have nothing to do with their personal profit line.
For the interview take them to a Texas roadhouse and tell them they have one evening to get in a fight and win, make three friends, and get a date with a waitress. If they can do these things, they can handle working with congress.
How about not? This Perot wannabe has no business being in a position of power.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.