Moving From Votes to Volts

The Pickens Plan is too complex and expensive (not to mention self-serving).

It forces everyone to switch to a NEW platform of cars that are INCOMPATIBLE with normal existing gasoline fuel. So if you're driving your natural gas Pickensmobile, and can't find a natural gas station, you're out of luck.

That's why it requires that we massively overhaul our entire infrastructure.

And for what? Natural gas? Liquid fuel is far more practical, but natural gas is a GAS at normal pressure and temperature. So you have to compress it under high pressure (HUGE risk of leaks and explosions) or cryogenically chill it (energy drain, safety risk, high cost, catastrophic failure problems).

Especially pointless because that same natural gas he's pushing at us can be turned (via simple, generations-old chemistry) into a fuel that IS liquid at normal pressure and temperature: methanol.

Thus the real way forward is the Energy Victory plan put forward by former NASA engineer Dr. Robert Zubrin, which is to require that all new cars sold (not made) in the US have flex fuel capability.

Flex fuel vehicles are just like normal current gasoline autos of any size, shape, function, or performance level with one CHEAP ($100~$200, unlike hybrids which cost thousands more) but critical difference: they have an additional internal fuel sensor and modifications to the fuel line and electronic fuel injector software allowing them to also use alcohol fuel (such as methanol), in the same fuel tank, in any mix (or none at all) with gasoline.

Alcohol fuel burns cleaner than gasoline - no particulate emissions hence no smog; no CO2 hence no global warming, etc. Also if spilled from supertankers or leaked from underground storage at gas stations alcohol fuel dissolves readily in days into harmless components; whereas the Exxon Valdez is still killing wildlife.

The reason we need a mandate is to break through the chicken and egg dilemma. Even though alcohol capability is cheap to add and make cheaper fuel available, few customers know about it or bother to ask for it because few gas stations have an alcohol pump. In turn, few gas stations will bother switching a pump to alcohol when only 3% of cars on the road have flex fuel capability.

With a mandate, we'd have 50 million FFVs on the road in 3 years. All would be able to fill up on gasloline if they can't find alcohol, making them a PRACTICAL bridge technology. But having a vehicle that can burn CHEAPER, safer, higher-octane, cleaner-burning fuel that does NOT fund our enemies abroad will spur demand for gas station owners to add alcohol pumps. At that point wealth is massively redirected away from the Saudis, Iranians, Venezuelans, and Russians and toward peaceful farmers and domestic coal miners (yes, coal can be made into methanol too!).

Newt has missed the point, and the opportunity. He has failed to read nor understand various alternative energy plans for years, Pickens plan included. He fails to understand that a Natural Gas car *is* using an Internal Combustion engine (save for Dean Kamen's Sterling based engine, which is an external combusion, but I digress). The beauty of Pickens plan is simple, you can not only convert future production, but you can convert existing automobiles to natural gas fairly quickly and inexpensively. A new industry, just waiting to be grasped. Millions of jobs on the line, and he keeps spouting the same old answers.

George J. Papagiannes, I respectfully disagree with your position. I think the point that Newt was trying to make was that while it is relatively easy to produce new cars that run on natural gas, it will take nearly 20 years to get the bulk of the existing gasoline engines off the road. There's also the problem of building up the infrastructure for natural gas refilling stations. Not insurmountable, and a good idea. Just not something you can do next week and also not "the long term solution" since we're talking about a finite resource that still emits carbon dioxide.

One of the points that we seem to be missing is that the cost of the fuel at the pump has declined recently as a result of reduced demand. I believe we have to invest in new energy sources but cutting consumption is a key part of the equation. I believe that innovation will get us to a point where we can still enjoy a robust lifestyle while at the same time reducing our need for energy. I agree with Newt, we have to be quick. However, I think we need to be quick in developing better energy storage, energy efficiency, and distributed energy technologies that capitalize on free sources of energy. This will open new markets, create jobs, and boost revenues. We have to stop focusing on narrow segments of our economy (the oil sector) for solutions.

WITH INSURMOUNTABLE LEADS IN ALL THE POLLS, THE QUESTION IS NO LONGER WHO WILL WIN, BUT HOW BIG OF A LANDSLIDE OBAMA WILL WIN BY: 90%? 80%? 70%? HENCE, IT CAN ALREADY BE DECLARED THAT OUR SAVIOR, BARACK OBAMA, HAS WON AND WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF OUR NEW OBAMACA NATION.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND DEDICATION. WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SMITED THE UNBELIEVERS AND OPENED THE ONE AND ONLY GATE TO HEAVEN. GOD BLESS US, GOD BLESS US ALL.

THE ONLY THING LEFT IS FOR MCCAIN TO DROP DEAD OR CONCEDE ALREADY. WE HAVE WON FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE WORLD!

This moronic scumbag Samuel J. Wurzelbacher "Joe the Plumber" had his AZ driver license suspended

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/128323

Wurzelbacher, who lived in Mesa in 2000 and had an Arizona driver's license, had his driver's license suspended by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division on May 4, 2000, following a nonpayment of a court-imposed fine for civil traffic violations, according to court records.

...owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes, according to public records, still owes more than $700 to the Mesa court system.

Records show he was cited for failure to stop at a red light and for failure to provide proof of insurance on Feb. 9, 2000, in a black Dodge truck at the intersection of Dobson and Baseline roads in Mesa.

After failing to pay his original fine of $627.50 issued in March 2000, his license was suspended and the fine was handed over to a collection agency along with a 16 percent surcharge. The now-resident of Holland, Ohio, still owes $727.90 to the Mesa Municipal Court, according to court records.

Hopefully the collection agency will break both of his legs so he'll never be able to walk nor work ever again. This typical Republican scumbag deserves it.

One thing I don't really understand about either McCain's or Obama's energy plan is how either is suppose to help us on national security by cutting down the money we send to the Middle East.

I mean the vast majority of oil we import is used for Internal combustion engines (Automobiles) or the petrochemical industry (plastics/various chemicals). So when you consider the Nuclear power (McCain's Plan) or Solar/Wind (Obama's plan) both generate Electricity, its hard to see how either would affect our oil consumption.....AT ALL!

So what gives?

I feel like most politicians just think of "energy" like money. The problem is, it may be easy to exchange one form of currency for another for money, unfortunately, the same does not hold true for energy.

Frankly, I am surprised we are not seeing a rise of professional Engineers/Scientists starting to run in elections instead of the normal career politicians and lawyers.

@blewits

Just to balance the scales, I have to mention that there are just as many die hard Republicans that will not work with moderate democrats just because of the single issue of "abortion".

One thing I don't really understand about either McCain's or Obama's energy plan is how either is suppose to help us on national security by cutting down the money we send to the Middle East.

I mean the vast majority of oil we import is used for Internal combustion engines (Automobiles) or the petrochemical industry (plastics/various chemicals). So when you consider the Nuclear power (McCain's Plan) or Solar/Wind (Obama's plan) both generate Electricity, its hard to see how either would affect our oil consumption.....AT ALL!

So what gives?

Now, what I came here to comment about in the first place.

I appreciate the interview. I have been researching several of Newt's ideas regarding energy independence and I personally believe he has very realistic and pratical solutions.

I just think it's a shame that so many liberals won't even try to see his valid points because they have such a distaste for Republicans, and especially Newt. Did you know that Newt just wrote a paper with John Kerry on health care??

Again, there is no excuse for ignorance. Dumb yes, but ignorant, no.

For all of you who just can't possibly try to work "accross the aisle", it's a shame. What this country needs is people that RESPECTFULLY work together to find solutions. Character bashing is a waste of everyone's time!

ICYEYES & ObamaYesWeCan, you should be ashamed of yourselves. When you are so full of biased rage, you will have influence over NO ONE! Grandmother dying on que? C'mon - I can't even think of a word to describe that. And ObamaYes, are you so threatened by Joe the Plumber's question to Obama, that you feel that personally attacking him and digging into his past is not only acceptable, but necessary? The only thing Joe did was ask a question. He just wanted an answer. If you should be blaming anyone about Joe, it's Obama himself. He stepped into that mess kit with his answer! It wasn't Joe that hurt your candidate, it was YOUR CANDIDATE!

Both of you are an embarassment to your parties. Shame on you. There is no excuse for ignorance. Educate yourselves and read a lot of books about respect!

In the exchange with "Joe the plumber" Obama unintentionally revealed that he really is as radical as his early political mentors and acquaintances, Davis, Ayers, Wright, Khalidi etc., (gee, there sure seem to be a lot of them) and that he is into the failed economic policy of wealth redistribution. Now there is absolute proof. In 2001, Obama, the "community organizer" turned legislator, said in an interview:

"And I think one of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was that the civil rights movement became so court-focused, I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and organizing activities on the ground that are able to bring about the coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that,"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck

2001 Chicago Public Radio Interview.

Obama's tax and spending plans alone would be bad enough, but add Reid and Pelosi to the mix, with the three of them controlling both houses of Congress and the executive branch without any effective restraint, and you have something that should causes concern even among moderate Democrats.
See Wall Street Journal: A Liberal Supermajority:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122420205889842989.html

Indeed, some democrats are publically saying as much. See Barney Franks comments on the news, including face the nation last week, stating essentially that Democrats in Congress intend to greatly raise taxes and go on a spending spree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Mazjm_A5k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJGnSAlqjoU

See http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23617.html

Obama's ill-conceived programs will require him to tax, and his health care plan alone is a substantial hidden tax on all business, large an small. In reality, it does not really matter who he taxes, those taxes are going to be passed through the economy. He has to tax, because it is they only way he can pay for his massive social engineering experiments. Any first year economics student knows that taxation is a tool used to contract an economy experiencing inflation, because it reduces demand by reducing the amount of money individuals and businesses have to spend. It is contractionary, which is exactly what you do not want to do when the problem is that the economy is contracting already into recession. Like Hoover and FDR, Obama's plans will only make it worse for longer.

See e.g. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/03/opinion/main4499465.shtml
And
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/FDR-s-Policies-Prolonged-Depression-5409.aspx


The democrats failed social engineering policies in the housing market are what brought us to ruin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1M1T2Y314&feature=related
Even Bill Clinton says so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsynspIqAoE
Obama and a supermajority of Democrats simply is not the change we need, nor is it change we can afford.

Speaking of VOLTS, One would IMAGINE that even Newsweek would have some further information on the 6 month old tape of Osama declaring war on the coal mining industry, and promising to bankrupt the industry....WOW..this is so sad and so predictable......Osama can run but he can't hide foreveve...He's little election party is coming apart one thread at a time...What a loser, he even had his grandmother die on que...just in case he might get a few sympathy votes...GET REAL..this is the same woman that he NEVER visited and called "typical white person" mindset???? Kinda like the aunt from Kenya who lives in a low income property(ILLEGALLY) and we're suppose to believe he didn't know??? Like he didn't know that Trinity Chruch and Rev. Wright had a Black Liberation Theology teachings??? And we are suppose to think that this guy is so intellegent and informed???? I think NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! McCain/Palin '08

This moronic scumbag Samuel J. Wurzelbacher "Joe the Plumber" had his AZ driver license suspended

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/128323

Wurzelbacher, who lived in Mesa in 2000 and had an Arizona driver's license, had his driver's license suspended by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division on May 4, 2000, following a nonpayment of a court-imposed fine for civil traffic violations, according to court records.

...owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes, according to public records, still owes more than $700 to the Mesa court system.

Records show he was cited for failure to stop at a red light and for failure to provide proof of insurance on Feb. 9, 2000, in a black Dodge truck at the intersection of Dobson and Baseline roads in Mesa.

After failing to pay his original fine of $627.50 issued in March 2000, his license was suspended and the fine was handed over to a collection agency along with a 16 percent surcharge. The now-resident of Holland, Ohio, still owes $727.90 to the Mesa Municipal Court, according to court records.

Hopefully the collection agency will break both of his legs so he'll never be able to walk nor work ever again. This typical Republican scumbag deserves it.

The world waits with baited breath for "nowformoresomethingotherthanthetruth" (and a supposedly ???Concerned Canadians???) to again repaste his (in what the Japanese call) SHIBAI....BS.

See my post below.

A 40 year republican

Whose brilliant idea was it to ask Newt his opinion on anything but himself and his narrow view on history?! Newt on the environment or energy? What a joke!

He refers to momentous periods in history like WW2 (flexing his newfound history buff role) and then goes back to talking about Americans not wanting to sacrifice? The difference between the wars now and WW2 is that Americans knew they had to sacrifice if they wanted to win anything. Daylight savings and recycling all came into existence because we were willing to sacrifice. You can???t have your cake and eat it too.

The American energy problem lies in three things: we can't think ahead more than six months, we???re a nation of lazy slugs, and we???re like two year olds- once you give us something, we???ll scream "MINE!" if you try to take it away. God forbid long term planning might mean sacrifice in short term gains even if it meant cheaper and more efficient energy in the long run. Laziness-Just look at our obesity rates. Too bad companies don't make HD widescreens connected to bikes. You pedal, you get to watch American Idol. That'd solve a lot of problems. And last, Americans can't always get what they want. That???s the problem of limited resources. And sometimes, we realize bad things shouldn't around anymore (think DDT or phen phen). Using so much damn energy you can't remember what doesn't get plugged in will be hazardous to our health. Soon, we'll start sticking fingers into light sockets.

Newt is just another angry, greedy conservative without the remnants of hope or creativity. He's still stuck in that rut thinking that the 1980s were beautiful islands in the sky where sound economies ran on WV coal, CO uranium, and offshore oil. But don't mention black lung disease, radioactive waste, or Valdez 1989. That stuff doesn't matter so long as you can pad the GOP pocket. The same folks who believe foreign policy is throwing a coup d???etat in any country who disagreed with the US (and it certainly helps if they have oil reserves or rubber trees).

Next time Newsweek, pick someone who did something other than embarass the country for under the sheets business to make a political point, and certainly one that hasn't had his own fair share of embarrassing moments. Try interviewing someone who knows about progressive energy that'll keep America's economy and environment running a longer than whenever it is that we start glowing green, our forests look like battlefields, our buildings are black with coal dust, and all our kids have respiratory problems. If the environmental, economic, or foreign relations policy of these idiots doesn't kill me first, it'll be the absurdity of people who still think this shallow run our country that will. Seriously. I'm tired of the worn out ideas from the industrial revolution. Move on people. Think outside the box.

Whose brilliant idea was it to ask Newt his opinion on anything but himself and his narrow view on history?! Newt on the environment or energy? What a joke!

He refers to momentous periods in history like WW2 (flexing his newfound history buff role) and then goes back to talking about Americans not wanting to sacrifice? The difference between the wars now and WW2 is that Americans knew they had to sacrifice if they wanted to win anything. Daylight savings and recycling all came into existence because we were willing to sacrifice. You can???t have your cake and eat it too.

The American energy problem lies in three things: we can't think ahead more than six months, we???re a nation of lazy slugs, and we???re like two year olds- once you give us something, we???ll scream "MINE!" if you try to take it away. God forbid long term planning might mean sacrifice in short term gains even if it meant cheaper and more efficient energy in the long run. Laziness-Just look at our obesity rates. Too bad companies don't make HD widescreens connected to bikes. You pedal, you get to watch American Idol. That'd solve a lot of problems. And last, Americans can't always get what they want. That???s the problem of limited resources. And sometimes, we realize bad things shouldn't around anymore (think DDT or phen phen). Using so much damn energy you can't remember what doesn't get plugged in will be hazardous to our health. Soon, we'll start sticking fingers into light sockets.

Newt is just another angry, greedy conservative without the remnants of hope or creativity. He's still stuck in that rut thinking that the 1980s were beautiful islands in the sky where sound economies ran on WV coal, CO uranium, and offshore oil. But don't mention black lung disease, radioactive waste, or Valdez 1989. That stuff doesn't matter so long as you can pad the GOP pocket. The same folks who believe foreign policy is throwing a coup d???etat in any country who disagreed with the US (and it certainly helps if they have oil reserves or rubber trees).

Next time Newsweek, pick someone who did something other than embarass the country for under the sheets business to make a political point, and certainly one that hasn't had his own fair share of embarrassing moments. Try interviewing someone who knows about progressive energy that'll keep America's economy and environment running a longer than whenever it is that we start glowing green, our forests look like battlefields, our buildings are black with coal dust, and all our kids have respiratory problems. If the environmental, economic, or foreign relations policy of these idiots doesn't kill me first, it'll be the absurdity of people who still think this shallow run our country that will. Seriously. I'm tired of the worn out ideas from the industrial revolution. Move on people. Think outside the box.

newt your a doosh, just because you wrote a book doesn't make you an expert by a long shot. there is simply not enough domestic supplies to become independant, so in essence we'd be making ourselves more dependant on foreign oil. you can call it a pious dream, but the fact is we can either lead or follow. nobody wants to be second to the moon. again your a doosh please leave the public sphere forever

Obama???s plan for jobs on Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states, and Obama???s plan for dealing with the high cost of energy, including electricity generation.

An audiotape of an interview Barack Obama did in January 2008 with The San Francisco Chronicle has surfaced in the final days of the presidential campaign. On the tape Obama tells the interviewer, ???so if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can ??? It???s just that it will bankrupt them because they???re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that???s being emitted.???

Now, why would Obama say that in San Francisco and not Pennsylvania?

And why did Newsweek take their story on the Pennsylvania campaign down yesterday after this story broke?