This piece was updated at 10:57 Eastern to reflect comments from the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s communications director.
Big Oil is doing very, very well. And with industry’s third quarter profit reports coming out this week, Democrats say it’s a perfect time to remind voters that as a whole, the Republican party opposes eliminating the billions in taxpayer subsidies the oil industry receives from American taxpayers every year.
Starting today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will roll out a campaign tying several Republican candidates to their support for the subsides — and their inclination to make big changes to federal entitlement programs.
“Big Oil companies are raking in soaring profits and Republican Senate candidates still want to continue shoveling taxpayer money into industry coffers,” DSCC spokesperson Matt Canter says in a statement to be released later today.
“Republicans have long been in the pockets of their Big Oil campaign contributors, fighting at every turn to protect the industry’s taxpayer funded subsidies, even trying to cut benefits for seniors and dismantle Medicare to pay for tax breaks for big oil,” Canter said. “Republican candidates across the country are pledging to continue these tax breaks and are being handsomely rewarded with campaign cash for their loyalty.”
Democrats get money from the oil industry, too, but as this snapshot of ExxonMobil’s 2010 donations shows, the political cash from the largest oil company in the world is overwhelmingly tilted toward the GOP. That trend is continuing into the 2012 cycle.
The campaign will target Republican Senate candidates Dean Heller (NV), George Allen (VA), Scott Brown (MA), Jeff Flake (AZ) and Denny Rehberg (MT).
It’s hard to imagine an area where Democrats have a greater advantage than on oil industry subsidies. Polling from earlier this year showed 64% said they wanted the subsides ended, while just 27% said they should continue.
That’s part of why you’re seeing some national Republicans pick up the Democratic rhetoric and call for an end to the subsidies. Even as he called for massive increases in the amount of oil production and a big cut to environmental regulations — both potential windfalls to the oil industry — Rick Perry recently included the elimination of oil industry subsidies as part of his energy plan.
Update – 10:57 Eastern: NRSC Communications Director, Brian Walsh, emails TPM with these comments: “Once again, it appears one hand isn’t talking to the other within the dysfunctional Senate Democrat caucus, particularly given the fact that it was their own leadership who jettisoned the President’ proposal to raise taxes on oil companies. But given their hypocritical rhetoric today we look forward to hearing what Mary Landrieu and other Senate Democrats who oppose these tax hikes have to say about their own party strategists accusing them of being of being ‘in the pockets of Big Oil.'”
