Why Are You Surprised?

Drill, Baraky, drill.

Everything this administration has done has been to encourage domestic industry. Whether that is at the cost of trade negotiations (ones that have already been in effect, and ones that should have been approved by now) or environmental protection.

This is just another form of the fear of domestic firms have toward foreign competition. "Less foreign dependence" reads "more profits for those firms at home." Not efficiency, not economic gain, but PROFITS to inefficient and extractive domestic firms who wield market power. This is just protectionism in the guise of "national security", which is an old story.

So environmentalists, stop acting so surprised. "They took our jaaarbs" trumps "tree-huggers" every time. Just like "They took our jaaarbs" trumps Free Trade and basic economic principles. Our domestic industry is so coddled and self-righteous that instead of trying to transform themselves in the new economy, they are groping for any chance to protect themselves from some vague threat of "foreign dependence". The labor unions support this, because they get just as much profit from it as managers. So to all of you environmentalists who are now feeling the same pain that free-traders have been feeling under this administration, let me break it down for you how this President ranks things:
domestic industry = labor unions > wall street > health care > environment, trade, "main street", education, immigration, competition.
Welcome to the club.