A mugging by reality

Drilling moratorium prompts Louisiana lieutenant governor to go Republican

By: Matthew Sheffield

Even though it’s been lifted, the White House’s non-scientific drilling moratorium is continuing to negatively impact its public standing. The latest manifestation of this is in the news that Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Scott Angelle is changing parties to become a Republican:

He said the scientific studies and investigations into deepwater exploration have indicated the moratorium should have been lifted weeks before it was. Instead, thousand of workers have been left jobless because of the Obama administration’s actions.

“I felt it was not handled in the right way,” said Angelle, who has testified before investigatory panels and Congress on the accident and its effects.

“Going through the process of the moratorium, I knew I had to do this,” he said. “It was an accumulation of things I was hearing about the oil and gas industry (from the Democrats in Washington, D.C.). Our state can only prosper with a strong oil and gas industry.”

Related: James Taranto ponders the prospect of would-be West Virginia senator Joe Manchin switching to the GOP if he’s elected considering how much he’s denounced President Obama’s policies.