Leader Boehner’s Impactful Statement
John Boehner’s office has issued this statement on the Democrats throwing in the towel on drilling. Leader Boehner sounds the same caution I sounded earlier. Here’s the money quote from Leader Boehner’s statement:
Lifting these outdated bans is a long-overdue but crucial step toward American energy independence. But it is just that: a step. Congress still has a great deal of work left to do before the ‘all of the above’ energy plan proposed by House Republicans becomes a reality. Two months ago, we introduced the American Energy Act to increase environmentally-safe drilling that gives states a stake in energy production occurring off their shores and on their lands, encourage more conservation and efficiency, and promote the use of renewable and alternative fuels.
Giving states a financial incentive would be the last domino that’s needed to fall to achieve final victory for the American people. States would get healthy in a hurry if they got annual checks in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
There isn’t an upside for Democrats on this issue once the final domino falls. At that point, they will have only delayed the inevitable. They will have stayed on the wrong side of a 70%/30% issue for almost 3 months. Fianlly, they will have lost despite putting their environmental friends first instead of putting the American people first.
They will also have weakened their freshmen by demanding that they vote in lockstep with Ms. Pelosi’s obstructionist policies. When that final domino falls, their only PR move will be spin, spin, spin and spin some more. They won’t be able to argue that they fought the good fight for the American people. They won’t be able to argue that they fought for farmers or small businesses or for OTR truckers. They’ll only be able to argue that they fought for the Sierra Club and other anti-drilling special interest groups.
I don’t think that the American people will appreicate hearing that that’s what the Democratic majority fought for. If the NRCC is smart, which I think they are, they should prepare ads saying that a vote for Rep. ____ is a vote for letting Nancy Pelosi set the nation’s legislative agenda.
Technorati Tags: Gas Crisis, John Boehner, House Oil Party, Incentives, NRCC, Drilling, Nancy+Pelosi, Sierra Club, Environmentalists, Obstructionism, Small Business, Farmers, Truckers, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
September 24th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Re: The Debate Must Go On oped
Gary wrote:
“This is a PR blunder of disastrous proportions on the Obama campaign’s behalf. If he’s the only one on stage Friday night, people will know that he chose politics over solving a crisis. Postponing this debate isn’t a big deal. Solving this crisis is important.”
With all due respect Gary, that’s Horsefeathers! He’s only making himself look like he can only do one thing at a time.
And who ever gave him that advice, if anyone did, needs their ass kicked up between their shoulders! His poll numbers are crashing into the toilet, uh-gain!
(I had to enter my comments here, because the comment box is not appearing up there)
September 25th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
“Giving states a financial incentive would be the last domino that’s needed to fall to achieve final victory for the American people.”
Not only that, but the Federal government would be in for a windfall of several billion $$ a year - in royalties, fees &c. I have no idea why they let that money go uncollected (like the oil) - unless they were just cutting off their nose to spite the Republicans.