WASHINGTON -- Congressional Republicans and Democrats agree that high gasoline prices are the driving domestic political issue of the moment, spurring new campaign advertisements and maneuvering almost every day. But that is about all they can agree on when it comes to the national panic at the pump.
Making it increasingly clear that the Congressional debate is more a matter of political positioning than policy creation, the Senate failed Wednesday to come to terms on the ground rules for considering an energy bill, delaying a proposal to curb speculation in oil futures and stymieing a broader review of energy initiatives.
The stalemate is drawing sharp contrasts for the November election. On the one side is the Democratic leadership, pushing its view that oil companies must be pressed to explore their current holdings and that the nation should pursue more alternative energy sources without opening areas now off limits to drilling. On the other are Republicans with their dominant message: Drill.
“We should come out for developing more American energy, and not rely on expensive foreign sources,” said Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee. “We can develop our offshore resources far from the coastline in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, and add to our energy supply.”
Republicans say they are willing to back alternative energy proposals and conservation as well but drilling has been their priority. And in an election season when the terrain has been steeply tilted against them, Republicans say they have finally struck pay dirt on an issue they can exploit with some success. Polls show that Americans want cheaper gasoline and that many are willing to embrace new drilling if it can bring down the price.
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Some Democrats grudgingly concede that Republicans have finally gotten a little traction on an issue after struggling for months to find their footing. But they say it is far from enough to fundamentally alter the election landscape.
And they point to the fact that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are closely identified with the oil industry, a tie that makes it unlikely the high price of gasoline is going to be pinned on Democrats, especially when Republicans had full control of Washington for much of the current Bush era.
“With the election now set between change versus status quo, drilling is not the silver bullet for our energy policy or the Republicans' political misfortunes,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
Democrats also say that most voters can be persuaded that expanded offshore domestic drilling is no solution to a gas price crunch that calls for innovation and exploration of new ways of powering America.
“Why are they clinging to this?” asked Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, referring to the Republican emphasis on drilling. “They are mired in the past.”
As they step up their cooperation with Senator Barack Obama's campaign, leading Democrats also say they believe Mr. Obama can carry a debate with Senator John McCain over offshore drilling, arguing that allowing additional coastal exploration would have no immediate impact on gas prices. They say the energy issue can be cast as a generational one, with Mr. Obama representing a shift away from a focus on oil while his opponent, Mr. McCain, is embracing new drilling as the chief solution to gas prices.
