I love how the pundit class has spent an entire summer regaling us with tales of how the GOP has taken back the energy/high gas prices issue by stressing drilling and forcing the Democrats onto the defensive.
You could all sing along from the hymnal at this point. Republicans are "winning the issue" because they are aligning the Democrats with moonbat environmentalists. They are making us look bad because we won't turn America's coastline into a cluster of oil platforms.
There is only one part of this wondrous narrative that is problematic for the GOP AND their friends in the punditry: there is ample evidence that America's voters aren't buying it.
While most of us (perhaps deservedly) are paying attention to the presidential race, SurveyUSA has done us all the favor of paying some mind to the battleground House seats around the country in a series of polls. For the past week, SUSA has polled a total of five battleground House races: CO-04, FL-21, KS-02, MN-03, and PA-10.
These races represent a geographic diversity that represents a nice overview of America at large. You have all regions covered, you have urban, suburban, and rural districts represented. You even have some races with GOP incumbents, and some with Democratic incumbents.
For those who care (though this is not the point of my diary), here are the topline results.
CO-04: Betsy Markey (D) 50%, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) 43%
KS-02: Rep. Nancy Boyda (D) 50%, Lynn Jenkins (R) 43%
FL-21: Raul Martinez (D) 48%, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) 46%
MN-03: Erik Paulsen (R) 44%, Ashwin Madia (D) 41%
PA-10: Rep. Chris Carney (D) 49%, Chris Hackett (R) 45%
They also, sensing that this is becoming a seminal issue in the campaign, polled on the energy issue. The first question was a simple one--who do you blame for the high price of gas. To simplify matters: I have named Republican sources (The oil companies and the President) and Democratic sources (The environmentalists and Congress). There were other sources as well (foreign governments, state lawmakers), but we'll leave them out of this discussion.
So...voters in swing districts...who do you blame?
CO-04: Republican Sources 46%, Democratic Sources 28%
KS-02: Republican Sources 48%, Democratic Sources 24%
FL-21: Republican Sources 53%, Democratic Sources 22%
MN-03: Republican Sources 46%, Democratic Sources 23%
PA-10: Republican Sources 51%, Democratic Sources 24%
And here is where it gets really golden. If there was a consistent theme in Denver last week on the energy issue, it was that drilling should take a back seat to seeking new alternative energy sources ("the kind that will bring five million jobs to America" is a phrase I heard a lot).
And, as luck would have it, SUSA asked that exact question in these swing districts. So, America, what do you want?
CO-04: Energy Alternatives 58%, Offshore Drilling 34%
KS-02: Energy Alternatives 56%, Offshore Drilling 34%
FL-21: Energy Alternatives 61%, Offshore Drilling 31%
MN-03: Energy Alternatives 59%, Offshore Drilling 33%
PA-10: Energy Alternatives 54%, Offshore Drilling 36%
Not. Even. Close.
The bottom line is this--Democrats should keep up the pressure on this issue. At every turn, remind voters that they are for energy alternatives that will one day loosen the grip foreign oil concerns have on America. Remind voters at every turn that the only solution McCain, Palin, and the GOP have is one that does little to help the problem, and seeks to primarily accomplish one goal--enriching the very oil companies that voters blame for all of this in the first place.
Don't be afraid of this debate, Dems. Embrace it. Despite what breathless media pundits tell you, the voters will be with you on this one.