More Democrats are starting to shift towards supporting the controversial Keystone pipeline, reports Jennifer Steinhauer in the New York Times (4/20/12). The media discussion has leaned heavily in favor of the project, so perhaps this is no surprise. And this report is no exception.
The political fight over Keystone has a lot to do with how the story is framed. Take this paragraph from Steinhauer:
With gas prices sticking near $4 a gallon, unemployment high in many states and demonstrable support for the project in numerous polls, many Democrats–especially those from states where pipelines are commonplace–are beginning to sound almost indistinguishable from Speaker John A. Boehner, who called Mr. Obama “increasingly isolated” in his opposition to expanding the project.
There are two key assumptions in that paragraph: Keystone would do something about gas prices and it would would generate a significant number of jobs. This is exactly what Keystone proponents like to stress. But the Keystone project, as we’ve noted before, would create few jobs and have no consequential effect on gas prices.
Steinhauer doesn’t get into this, writing only: “The number of jobs that could be created by the Keystone expansion–supporters say 20,000–is disputed.”
Well that’s not very helpful–especially considering other estimates find it would create only 2,500-5,000 jobs.
And the piece leans heavily on supporters of the project–Republicans and Democrats alike–with little room for actual critics.
With media coverage like this, it’s little wonder that polls show support for the Keystone pipeline.
The corpress are the masters of the self-fulfilling prophecy, aren’t they?
Provide only the information – and disinformation – desired by those in power …
And then present the polling of a propagandized public as somehow representative of their will.
Goebbels would be proud.
And perhaps a wee bit envious.
Another factoid the corporate media ignores is the State Department report that estimated only about 200 permanent US jobs. Otherwise, it’s foreign jobs and oil for export (through a duty free port, no less).
As Jim Hightower made clear, there are numerous refining facilities before the proposed pipeline gets to Texas. Why then go all the way to Texas? Answer: Because it’s a PORT. The refined diesel oil is for export, not for domestic use. The vast majority of the jobs that will be created are temporary, i.e. they will last only for a couple of years during the construction of the pipeline. After that, there will only be about 200 domestic permanent jobs. Of big concern, is the fact that tar sands oil is extremely corrosive as it travels through the pipeline. A devastating spill is almost guaranteed. This project is about nothing more than shortsighted greed.
And not a word about the scar that will run the length of the nation. It’s already started, the one photo I’ve seen of the project looks like the land is being laid waste for miles around it. Just think, an environmental disaster 2, 147 miles long and the damage can never be undone and it will never be accounted for.
Canada must be laughing all the way to the bank at what predictably greedy dupes we are.
As for the jobs, jobs, jobs lie, no one cared when the auto industry went under or when the steel mills were permanently shut down along Lake Michigan around Gary, Indiana. It still looks like Chernobyl after decades of neglect.
America. What a country. Politics. What a sham. Oil companies. What liars. And now the Gulf of Mexico is showing exactly what was predicted by environmentalists — unbelievable damage to plants, sea life, fish, birds, and on and on and on. And the highly touted Keystone Pipeline will produce only TEMPORARY jobs. Like in Alaska, when the job’s done, it’s done. Back to the unemployment line, while the rich … always the rich … get richer. And if the Republicans have their way, the poor will get … children.
Bah. A pox on all their houses.
Everything…I will say it again…EVERYTHING that brings oil from A to B outside of the middle east is a good thing.Hell it is a great thing.The President should get his dumb ass outta the way.
The ruling elite mega rich, who BTW have the armies and cops of the world behind them, will not cease their rape of Mother Earth until every last drop of oil has been extracted and the Earth looks like a Mad Max and Waterworld nightmare.
We can sit in front of our iPad, sip our Latté, pontificate, and upload it onto the FIAR blog via our local coffee house wi-fi. But we need to become the change we want to happen. My wife and I drive a Prius, buy Energy Star appliances, eat organic vegetarian food, and we plan to convert our triplex to solar energy soon. We, the saner people of the world, should lead by example.
That’s right, Nancy. It’s going to get exported. Obama will probably cave, sooner or later. And of course, when the inevitable spill occurs, no one will be able to remember that the pipeline’s detractors, armed with the truth, warned us.
Export or import has no…..import!It takes years to bring something on line, but only minutes to change the distribution allotment.In a national emergency we would have access.Immediate access TIM.What don’t you get about that?