The overturning of Obama's drilling ban: Victory for Republicans?
How a judge's decision to block the drilling ban affects President Obama's image in the eyes of Gulf residents and the nation
In a blow to President Obama's handling of the BP oil spill, a Louisiana judge on Tuesday blocked President Obama's six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling. Judge Martin Feldman said the Obama administration had failed to justify such "a blanket, generic, indeed punitive, moratorium." The White House is appealing the decision, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar plans to issue a new moratorium spelling out why safety concerns make the ban necessary despite the economic costs of shutting down drilling rigs. Is this ruling just a temporary setback for Obama, or will it help Republicans paint him as ineffective and uninterested in helping the people of the Gulf Coast? (Watch a CBS report about the judge's decision)
Obama now looks like the bad guy, and his GOP critics are heroes: Judge Feldman's ruling sent oil-services companies' stock soaring, says Abe Greenwald in Commentary, but it sent Obama's tumbling. "In the Gulf of Mexico, it’s been about optics" — and this ruling erodes Obama's "moral authority" by putting him on the wrong side in the fight to save the people and economy of the Gulf Coast.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Safety's the loser here, not Obama: Judge Feldman's ruling "turns the whole concept of regulation on its head," says John Cole at Balloon Juice. He's essentially saying that federal regulators must prove a well's unsafe before shutting it down, which is a recipe for another catastrophe. That's a fishy bit of judicial activism, especially coming from a judge we now know once owned stock in numerous companies involved in the offshore oil industry.
"Good thing his ruling went this way"
Overturning the moratorium could actually help Obama: Judge Feldman's ruling could be "a lucky break" for President Obama, says Christopher Helman at Forbes. Imposing the ban made him look tough on the oil companies and "appeased the environmentalists," but lifting it early will "save an estimated 20,000 jobs in Louisiana alone" and give Obama "some political cover to impose even tougher rules and standards on drilling rigs."
"Deepwater ban lifted; Big Oil lesson learned"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The growing thirst for camel milk
Under the radar Climate change and health-conscious consumers are pushing demand for nutrient-rich product – and the growth of industrialised farming
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published