Drill, baby, drill

Vice presidential debate

On October 2, 2008, at the vice-presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, "drill, baby, drill" reached a new prominence. Referring to the energy crisis and McCain's 20 votes against funding solar and wind energy, Joe Biden stated that McCain thinks "the only answer is drill, drill, drill. Drill we must, but it will take 10 years for one drop of oil to come out of any of the wells that will be drilled." Palin responded, "The chant is 'drill, baby, drill.' And that's what we hear all across this country in our rallies because people are so hungry for those domestic sources of energy to be tapped into."

Aftermath of the BP oil spill

Republicans continued to use the slogan after the 2008 election. In 2010, however, the slogan received renewed attention because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a major oil spill at a BP offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill caused extensive environmental damages and economic losses estimated in the billions of dollars. As a result, some proponents of "Drill, baby, drill" became embarrassed about their previous support. The slogan was parodied as "Spill, baby, spill", and "Kill, baby, Kill". Two senior Republican senators, Jon Kyl and Pat Roberts, made comments attempting to distance themselves and the Republican Party from the slogan.

Legacy

Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund in 2014 harked back to the "drill baby" phrase as he launched a renewed effort to limit the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Other uses of this slogan

The Norwegian Progress Party's Youth Wing also used the slogan "Drill, baby, drill!" in 2021 to symbolize that the party does not want Norway to stop drilling for oil and gas.

References

References

1. Harger, Jim. (2008-10-02). "GOP election promoter urges handlers to unleash Sarah Palin". Michigan Live.
2. (5 June 2010). "Top of the Ticket | Sunday shows: You better want to hear Adm. Thad Allen this weekend; he's everywhere | Los Angeles Times". Latimesblogs.latimes.com.
3. Geiger, Julianne (May 11, 2023), [https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Trump-Promises-To-Drill-Baby-Drill-If-Electe "Trump Promises To "Drill, Baby, Drill" If Elected"]
4. (19 July 2024). "'Drill, baby, drill': America's fossil fuel boom risks bust in Europe". POLITICO.
5. Sharma, Gaurav. (20 January 2025). "‘Drill Baby, Drill’: Donald Trump Declares U.S. Energy Emergency". Forbes.
6. link. (2016-09-11 , The Commission on Presidential Debates, October 2, 2008. Retrieved 2016-09-29.)
7. Seitz-Wald, Alex. (May 5, 2010). "Sens. Kyl And Roberts Pretend Republicans Never Embraced The Slogan 'Drill, Baby, Drill'". [[ThinkProgress.org.
8. Rushing, J. Taylor. (May 4, 2010). "Nelson says colleagues embarrassed by 'drill, baby, drill'". [[The Hill (newspaper).
9. Corrigan, Patrick. (May 1, 2010). "Editorial cartoon". [[The Toronto Star]].
10. (2010-05-28). "Group wants boycott at gas station in Reno | rgj.com | The Reno Gazette-Journal". rgj.com.
11. Rushing, J. Taylor. (May 4, 2010). "Senior Republicans distance themselves from 'drill, baby, drill'". [[The Hill (newspaper).
12. Krupp, Fred, [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141204/fred-krupp/dont-just-drill-baby-drill-carefully "Don't Just Drill, Baby -- Drill Carefully: How to Make Fracking Safer for the Environment"], ''Foreign Affairs'' magazine, May/June 2014. Article discussed [http://www.hulu.com/watch/637432 in Krupp t'v. interview] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-08-08 , ''[[Charlie Rose (TV series)). Charlie Rose]]'', aired 05/15/2014; minutes 36-53. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
13. (2021-09-07). "Frp-sjokk i skolevalget. Vant ungdommen med "drill, baby, drill"".