In my column on the Gulf Spill last week, I said that according to a Bloomberg poll, 65% of Democrats opposed Obama’s ban. I said this because that’s the way Bloomberg reported it.
Most Americans oppose President Barack Obama’s ban on deepwater oil drilling in response to BP Plc’s Gulf of Mexico spill, even as they hold the company primarily responsible for the incident.
Almost three-fourths, or 73 percent, say a ban is unnecessary, calling the worst oil spill in U.S. history a “freak accident,” according to a Bloomberg National Poll. Barely more than a third say they support drilling less than they did a few months ago. The BP rig sank in April. The administration issued a new moratorium this week after a court rejected a six-month one imposed in May.
“A ban will destroy the economy in that area over nothing,” said poll respondent Ron Smallcomb, 64, a used-car dealer in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania. “This is crazy. If there’s a plane crash you don’t ground all the airlines and stop flying completely.”
A persistent emailer points out that the actual poll question isn’t about Obama’s six month ban but whether respondents support an indefinite or permanent ban. He’s right, (see bottom of page 5 of the poll).
