As an opinion piece in the St. Petersburg Times frames it, despite his other failings, at least California’s governor stands firm on the offshore oil drilling issue, whereas Florida’s president’s brother has caved like a Hardee County sinkhole in the dry season:
Both are Republican governors of coastal states whose residents oppose oil rigs near their fragile beaches. Both ran for office on a pledge to oppose any weakening of the current ban on offshore drilling. There the similarities between Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California end.
Bush has reversed his position and is now actively involved with a California politician, Rep. Richard Pombo, to lift the drilling moratorium (established by Congress and President Clinton). Pombo and Bush would replace the ban that keeps oil rigs more than 200 miles off Pinellas County beaches with a shaky political deal that would allow states to request a 50-to 125-mile barrier.
Schwarzenegger had a different message for Pombo, in a letter dated Nov. 3:
“As you know, the waters within the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California are currently protected from any new oil and gas leasing by a federal moratorium. This moratorium has been in place for 24 years and enjoys widespread support from the people of California, including bipartisan support from elected leaders.
“When I ran for governor I took a strong stance against any further oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, and called on the federal government to buy out the existing federal leases. I oppose any efforts to weaken the federal moratorium for oil and gas leasing off the coast of California and I support efforts to make the moratoria and the presidential deferrals for California permanent.”
Unfortunately, when it comes to standing up to Big Oil, rather than having the Terminator for governor, Florida has the Compromiser.
I wouldn’t give Arnold too much credit. It’s not like he really has a choice – even someone as dense as he is wouldn’t dare mess with the coastal drilling ban.
Ending the ban is not even an issue in CA, and it won’t ever be. There are already dozens and dozens of unsightly derricks in the coastal waters. Nobody could ever muster the support to add more of them.
Pombo is an anti-evironmentalist whacko from the East Bay. His influence in the state is roughly nil.
The other difference between Jeb and Arnold is that Jeb sucks as a politician, while Arnold sucks as an actor playing a politician in real life.