Is It Time to Dump "Drill, Baby, Drill"?

Republicans are desperately searching for a new catch phrase since the best one of all time has become associated with McCain's losing candidacy.

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Republicans are searching for a new catchphrase to define this year’s offshore drilling debate after concluding the memorable “drill, baby, drill” line of the last presidential campaign has lost potency — or even worse, become a political liability.

Time is of the essence. Already, some Republicans are fretting that they haven’t upgraded the message in time for the fast-approaching energy debate. “This year, everyone’s thinking maybe they’ll actually come up with grown-up things to say,” said Republican energy lobbyist Michael McKenna, president of MWR Strategies. “‘Drill, baby, drill’ impeded the conversation. We energy guys hated it.”

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican who has been at the forefront of environmental issues, called the catchphrase “fun and catchy, but devoid of reality.” And at the recent House GOP congressional retreat, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty begged his fellow Republicans to sharpen their energy message to help win back voters. “‘Drill, baby, drill’ is a great slogan, but it’s not enough,” he said. “We need to identify with emerging issues and get ahead of them.”

All eyes are now turning to new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who coined the phrase, and some lawmakers hope he might crank out another infectious slogan. Steele’s “drill, baby, drill” went viral after he bellowed it onstage at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., last September when gas prices spiraled above $4 a gallon. Soon after, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin began using it so much that many thought she had actually coined the phrase.

“So do you want to put your country first?” Steele asked in his convention speech. “Then let’s reduce our dependency on foreign sources of oil and promote oil and gas production at home. “In other words: Drill, baby, drill! And drill now!” said Steele, who used to sport a red lapel pin bearing the slogan.

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© Janet Crain

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