Ocean Pollution

Should Surfers Vote for Barack Obama?

When it comes to surfing, the one thing we know (and like) about Barack Obama is that he grew up in Hawaii and spent some time in Indonesia. In fact, if you click here, you can see a nice shot (and our thoughts) on Obama surfing.

But when it comes to things that surfers care about, Obama’ s ticket is generally considered by voters to be greener than John McCain, even though we do give some props to McCain for being greener than his fellow Republicans. That said, Obama, himself, does not promise to uphold the ban on offshore drilling, which is contrary to the views of the Surfrider Foundation. Obama said he would consider offshore drilling as part of  comprehensive energy plan. How is this any different from McCain’s camp?  When it comes down to ocean conservation, maybe just a matter of semantics or “the message”? We also know that Democrats tend to be a bit more conservative in election campaigns so as to not appear too loony liberal. That could be at play here. When it comes down to it, it seems Americans might care more about the price of gas, than the cost of offshore drilling. And in fact, we at DailyStoke.com wonder if the polling indicates that offshore drilling is something a Democrat should be in favor of.

So what does Obama promise our nation’s waters, creatures (and surfers!) who need them? Here’s a brief rundown from Science Debate 2008:

• Expand research programs on the effect of climate change on oceans and the effect of acidification on marine life that are conducted at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey.
• Ensure that the United States ratifies the Law of the Sea Convention, a 1994 agreement supported by 153 parties that seeks to promote international communication, foster peaceful use and conservation of ocean resources and preserve the marine environment.

So where does that leave Obama? It’s not bad at all. And generally, surfers should believe the Democrats (the party of Al Gore etc.) more than the policies of the Republicans (the party of W) when it comes to protecting the oceans and our beloved beach breaks. Who is more likely to sell out off-shore drilling off the coast of California?

We also note that Obama’s Veep Candidate, Joe Biden, is from Delaware, which has some great surfing at Rehoboth and Dewey Beach. According to Science Says, Joe Biden….

• Supports an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050
• Supports 40 miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency standards by 2017
• Wants the US to use 20% renewable energy by 2020
• Opposes offshore drilling or drilling for oil in the Arctic (ANWR)
• Take Big Oil’s $2 billion dollar tax breaks to pay for offshore wind farms
• Ensured protection of 100% of the coastline in his home state
• Wrote a plan to exchange debt-relief for rainforest protection
• Believes polluters should pay Superfund fees to clean up their toxic waste
• Wants the US to take a stronger stance to end commercial whaling

That’ll have some good influence, on a future President, we’d hope.

Related Posts

• Surfers - please don’t stick your foot in Obama’s face
• A skeptic’s response to Surfing HQ’s post on Obama surfing