Pelosi: Doing her best to keep her job
Pelosi wont allow a vote on off-shore oil drilling. She has guaranteed herself reelection. She has at the same time guaranteed the dislike of North Americans all over the country. Pelosi and her key supporters in the Conress can try to make the case that lifting the federal moratorium is non-sensical and that it wont help for 10 years. Democrats even have some very specific facts that support their claim that the federal moratorium doesn't need to be lifted.
In a year when everyone, pundits and surrogates from both parties, admit that the Republicans should be taking a bath this year and losing many seats in both the House and the Senate this allows Republicans to have a very important issue that could single handedly win them various elections. Sen. Obama has seen the writing on the wall and agreed to allow more drilling; with the premise that only if it is part of a broad energy policy. Certainly North Americans are going to be more happy that Mr. Obama will allow or support it regardless of his reasons or reservations.
Pelosi is playing dangerous politics that could seriously hurt her party but at least her voters will continue to love her and she has now locked up her job.
This is a big opportunity for Sen. Obama. He has to go from saying he'd be okay with oil drilling as long as it is part of a broad energy policy to telling Pelosi she has to listen and get something done. Our government is elected to carry out the will of the general public. Mr. Obama could show he'll actually lead his party and that he wont simply cave in to them; wont allow them to govern him like this country saw with the Democrats during Jimmy Carter's only term, the first two years of President Bill Clinton's first term, and the Republicans during the curent President Bush's two terms. It helps very few when a president allows his own party to do everything they want. Their must always be limits and a checks and balance between the Congress and the executive branch.
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3 comments:
"This is a big opportunity for Sen. Obama. He has to go from saying he'd be okay with oil drilling as long as it is part of a broad energy policy to telling Pelosi she has to listen and get something done. Show he can actually lead his party and that he wont simply cave in to them; wont allow them to govern him like this country saw with the Democrats during Jimmy Carter's only term, the first two years of President Bill Clinton's first term, and the Republicans during the curent President Bush's two terms. "
See the problem with that logic is McCain brilliantly yesterday in Pennsylvania put Obama on the defensive by demanding he get Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the do nothing Democrat Congress back to Washington immediately and not leave until they solve this energy crisis with more drilling, more nuclear and more alternative energy. And House Republicans are doing a terrific job going to the House chamber each day and demanding the Dems stop shutting down the Congress and allow a vote. Republicans could not have asked for a better gift than Pelosi's stubborness. If the Democrats dont bring Congress back into session before the Democratic convention... the GOP in St Paul will just have a field day slamming Obama and the do nothing Congress day after day for taking a vacation while Americans are paying $4 gas. This is why Obama has seen his lead vanish...because the McCain camp and that Gas prices ad has done an effective job turning the American public very mad about Obama's energy plan. And this is going to be the GOP strategy to continue to pound away on this all the way to Nov 4.
That isn't a fault in the logic of the post. It seems that Obama has moved toward showing he is willing to compromise as he is now willing to work with the "Group of 10" despite it including oil drilling. What my post is getting at is that he needs to go further and force his own party to compromise. Regardless of whether Sen. McCain has said he should do it or not, the action of actually doing it is what is far more important.
It shouldn't be ignored that President Bush could call Congress back and force them to get this issue taken care of but he hasn't in order to play politics and allow his party to win on something; putting his party before what is best for the United States.
Neither should one ignore that Republicans have been an equal part of this problem for the past 30+ years. Even when they have had the power to do so they have failed to pass a comprehensive energy bill. Both parties are to blame for this current energy "crisis". Republicans used to fight against anything that had more than oil and nuclear involved. Democrats have continually fought against anything involving oil. Both parties have failed to put this country first when it comes to energy policy so one moment in which Pelosi acts as she does should not be seen simply as typical Democrat politics. Their are Democrats who have demanded the same things of Pelosi that Republicans are demanding, just fewer of them but more importantly ones without enough power to force her to change. Which comes back to why Sen. Obama must do so as he is now the leader of his party; at least unless he looses the presidential race.
"It shouldn't be ignored that President Bush could call Congress back and force them to get this issue taken care of but he hasn't in order to play politics and allow his party to win on something; putting his party before what is best for the United States.
Neither should one ignore that Republicans have been an equal part of this problem for the past 30+ years. Even when they have had the power to do so they have failed to pass a comprehensive energy bill. "
Actually in fact that is completely untrue. As Newt Gingrich has stated many times on both Bill's show and Hannity's show that in 1995 the GOP controlled Congress actually managed to get an energy bill passed that would have opened up ANWR, end the Congressional ban on offshore drilling and build 12-15 nuke power plants. It was vetoed by Pres Clinton. If you are 1 who believes the Democrats assessment it would take 8-10 years for that oil to come to market, had Pres Clinton signed the GOP's energy bill alll that new oil and nuclear energy would be pumping into the market and gas prices wouldnt be $4.
And even if Pres Bush called Congress back into session tomorrow he couldnt force Pelosi to have a vote. Certainly if he did that it would put the spotlight directly on the Democrats. And the Democrats are playing a dangerous game thinking they can run out the clock to November and wont suffer consequences for their abject failure to really fix our energy crisis. Blaming Obama and the Dems is clearly having a major impact on the Presidential election and in Senate races especially in Colorado that is benefitting Republicans. Pelosi and Reid play this game at their peril.
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