In Detroit this week, environmental leader Al Gore reminded us that elections matter.

“In looking back over the last eight years, I can tell you that we have already learned one important fact since the year 2000: take it from me, elections matter. If you think the next appointments to our Supreme Court are important, you know that elections matter. If you live in the city of New Orleans, you know that elections matter… If you care about a clean environment, if you want a government that protects you instead of special interests, you know that elections matter.”

One of the biggest differences between the Democratic and Republican parties is on the environment. Republicans still cling to the belief that the environment can be controlled. Democratic policies recognize the need to protect the environment — and they show how battling climate change can make the economy stronger.

The GOP has decided that the topic of discussion this week should be the energy crisis that Republican policies have created. While Republicans push for more tax breaks for Exxon-Mobil and other giant oil companies, and while the Bush/McCain war in Iraq rages on, the price of oil is dragging our oil-addicted economy down.

The John McCain and George Bush stupid solution to the problem?  More of the same.  The GOP has launched a well-coordinated media blitz (complete with rude exploitation of the late Tim Russert) to promote their great idea for more oil rigs off the coasts of Florida and California.  According to McCain’s own policy advisers, this idea will do nothing to help reduce the price of gas.  Add to that the obvious risk to some of America’s most beautiful beaches (witness the massive oil spill from an offshore platform on the Santa Barbara coast).  And you can finish this Bush/McCain idea off by noting that we need new sources of energy, not more of the same (more offshore drilling).  Even if we get some oil off the coast of Florida, it too will eventually run out.

The price of oil is going nowhere but up, and we need leaders with vision to get us off our addiction to oil.  Fortunately, Barack Obama has a pretty detailed plan to do just that.

Barack Obama’s plan is pretty straightforward and detailed.  It will reduce our dependence on oil while making the economy stronger.  Contrast that with more of the same bonuses for oil companies from McCain and Bush, and you see right away that elections matter.

Obama’s plan starts with higher fuel efficiency standards, so that cars on the road today use less oil.  Lower demand for oil means lower gas prices, lower carbon emissions, and more jobs in America to produce the next generation of fuel efficient cars.

Obama’s plan invests $150 billion in developing new technologies and infrastructure to move away from the oil stranglehold.

Obama’s plan charges polluters for the pollution they create — a “cap-and-trade” system which would fight climate change.  The revenue from this system would pay for job training to move Americans into higher paying “green collar” jobs.

Obama’s doubles research funding for clean energy, builds a badly needed new electricity grid, and sets tough, realistic standards for energy efficiency, among other things.  Read the full plan for more.

McCain and the rest of the Republicans have been strong-armed by the oil companies into supporting more of the same: oil.  McCain used to oppose offshore drilling, but now he’s flip-flopped.

$5 per gallon gas is painful — the only thing more painful is listening to John McCain promote George Bush’s oil policy.