Morning Bell: Who Will Save America From the Left’s Energy Priorities?
Posted August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am in Energy and Environment 
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Unless the House acts today, it will be the first time since the 1950s that lawmakers left for August recess without passing a single appropriations bill. It took one issue to bring the appropriations process to a screeching halt: energy. Instead of allowing even a single debate or vote on the issue, the liberals who control Congress have shut down all work on setting spending priorities for the federal government. Explaining why she refuses to allow a vote on expanded offshore drilling Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Politico: “I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet.” Good for the planet. But who will save the U.S. economy from high energy prices?
The most important thing to remember as the House begins its five-week vacation is that liberals want high energy prices. Praising Pelosi’s planet-saving efforts, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman reminds readers that just two months ago liberals in Congress were trying to pass a massive new energy tax: “After all, a cap-and-trade system would in effect be a tax on carbon, and really would raise energy prices.” Sen. Barack Obama is also committed to keeping American energy prices high. When asked by CNBC’s John Harwood if high energy costs were good for the United States, Obama replied: “I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment.”
But not all liberals are as indifferent to the economic suffering of Americans as Obama, Pelosi and Krugman. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: “Even some Democrats are getting antsy, fearing the party’s stance could hurt them in the fall elections.” Indeed, over the past month, more and more liberals are moving away from Pelosi’s hard line against all new domestic energy production. The list includes Reps. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) and Steve Kagan (D-Wis.), House candidate Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). In fact, just yesterday, more than a dozen House Democrats broke with Pelosi and voted with conservatives to keep the House in session to debate the energy crisis.
As columnist Charles Krauthammer explains today, the liberal effort to shut down domestic oil production is a boon to oil-rich depots throughout the world: “There are a dizzying number of economic and national security arguments for drilling at home: a $700 billion oil balance-of-payments deficit, a gas tax (equivalent) levied on the paychecks of American workers and poured into the treasuries of enemy and terror-supporting regimes, growing dependence on unstable states of the Persian Gulf and Caspian basin.” But there is still hope. Yesterday Pelosi said lifting oil domestic oil production bans could “have a place” in “the bigger picture of things.” Now Pelosi’s office immediately issued a statement showing she had not changed her position, but clearly there is hope that she will.
Quick Hits:
- Five American troops died in July as a result of combat in Iraq, by far the lowest monthly U.S. death toll of the five-year war.
- Russia plans to form a state grain trading company to control up to half of the country’s cereal exports, intensifying fears that Moscow wants to use food exports as a diplomatic weapon in the same way as Gazprom has manipulated natural gas sales.
- President Hugo Chávez said he intends to nationalize the Bank of Venezuela, which is owned by the Santander banking group of Spain. Under Chávez, Venezuela has nationalized its largest telephone, electricity, steel and cement companies and has assumed majority control over four major oil projects.
- Due to public employee union strength, new employees and higher compensation are set to raise state and local government spending above $2 trillion for the first time in 2008 — about 13% of the nation’s gross domestic product.
- Sen. Barack Obama, who spoke to an adoring crowd of 200,000 in Berlin last week, has already received twice as much money from foreign sources as President Bush and Sen. John Kerry did combined in all of 2004.
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10 Responses to “Morning Bell: Who Will Save America From the Left’s Energy Priorities?”
Bob Wilis, Middleburg, Fl. on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Maybe there’s hope yet! I don’t want to be to optomistic, but maybe Grassfire.org petitions are getting some attention from our politicians.
E Henderson, Texas -retired on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
It is time for “Conservatives” to take back control of the United States government and think of Americans plight with high energy prices, high food prices and other costs to exist.
We need to drill for new oil sources and support our own development of resources, natural gas, oil, wind power, solar energy, and Nuclear Plants to totally negate buying from countries as the Middle East and other oil producing countries keeping our $$$$$ at home in our own economy.
Get rid of Politicians that don’t support these issues and stop giving our Tax money to countries who hate us.
D. Schulte…. Spokane Wa on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Thank you for your updates. I couldn’t articulate my position any better.
Valerie Cadenhead, Memphis, TN on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Your morning bell is just what I’ve been needing
as a quick conservative look at things each morning. I have forwarded your website address to many. Keep up the good work!
Joe Lamb,Texas on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Pelosi says she is, “saving the planet.” Even if global warming were valid, she and her tribe would destroy civilization. The living green group would have people living in caves without fire. Excuse me, the elite, Gore, Pelosi, etc., would still live in their mansions, drive SUVs, and fly about in private planes.
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Pelosi is also killing the Democratic Party. Voters will look at how much gasoline and energy. The association of high prices and Democrats will go into the voting booth. It is though she is unaware of the magnitude of her manipulations.
Don Daqvid on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
I think if Bush call congress back for a special session on the energy bill it will be a win win for the conservatives.
Judy Bradshaw , western Kansas on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Nancy Pelosi is nuttier than a fruitcake. How does one get Bush to call congress for a special session? He certainly should do that if it will be a win for conservatives.
IrishEyes, Alabama on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
Don Daqvid writes:
I think if Bush call congress back for a special session on the energy bill it will be a win win for the conservatives.>>
Don, that would be great but the likelihood of it happening is going to be slim to none.
The likelihood of them returning to do their jobs instead acting like imperialist would be the same reason why they don’t want that win-win. It would take Nancy Pelosi to visit a proctologist to get her head out of her arse.
When are people going to realize that the Democrats are NOT for Americans they are only for the Democratic Party? They could give a crap just as long as they are in control; they believe they can do anything.
Edwin Buck, Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
The liberals in congress and in the universities aren’t interested in solving this crisis. Their only interest is to sovietize the USA. It didn’t work in the USSR, it’s not working in Cuba or any other countries they’ve experimented, but they think that by tweeking it a little here, a little there, they can make it work in the USA. Besides, should they sovietize the USA, they will be in charge and they can promote all those people that they deem important and the rest would be just gotten rid off, one way or the other, until their minds are changed or they die off. I’ve seen it in the USSR, they’re doing it in China, Cuba and all the rest of the sovietized world.
bob cohoe/millington,tn. on August 1st, 2008 at 9:13am said:
with their current stance on energy,opposing a majorty of Americans,the left cannot help but lose seats in the house and senate…maybe even their majority.GIVE ‘EM SOME MORE ROPE!