Proof Positive Pelosi Doesn’t Care
This Sunday, Late Edition will play Nancy Pelosi’s interview Wolf Blitzer. Several of the things she said are laughable but one thing she said is total spin. Here’s the spin that I’m refering to:
But Pelosi’s comments come as a new Gallup poll registers the lowest level of congressional approval among Americans in the polling organization’s 30-year history of conducting that survey.
That poll showed that its approval rating had reached an anemic 14 percent, while more than 70 percent of those polled said they disapproved of the job Congress is doing.
The House speaker said she doesn’t consider those numbers a negative referendum on the Democrats in charge, saying she thinks they stem largely from Congress’ failure to end the war in Iraq.
“Everything I see says this is about ending the war, ‘I disapprove of Congress’ performance in terms of ending the war,’” she said. “In the House, we, of course, have over and over, five or six times, sent to the Senate legislation for a time certain to reduce our deployment in Iraq and bring our troops home safely, honorably and soon. We haven’t been able to get it past the Senate or the president of the United States.
The 110th Congress doesn’t have a signature accomplishment to speak of. The best thing they’ve done is pass the FISA reform bill but they didn’t do that until the warrants had almost expired. Even then, they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the table.
To say that Congress’ approval rating is lower than Nixon’s at the time of his resignation is all because of the war simply isn’t credible. It’s the biggest pile of BS I’ve heard in awhile.
Here’s how Wolf Blitzer started the interview with her:
BLITZER: Back when you wanted to be in the majority, you issued a press release on April 24, 2006. At that time, the price for a gallon was $2.91.
Among other things, you said then, “Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices by cracking down on price gouging, rolling back the billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks and royalty relief given to big oil and gas companies, and increasing production of alternative fuels.”
That was then. You’ve been in power now as the majority for more than a year and a half. The price of a gallon of gas is more than $4. In some parts of the country, including in your area, closer to $5 a gallon. And there’s no relief in sight.
What are you doing to fix this? Because a lot of people are disappointed in the record so far.
PELOSI: Well, we have passed in the House of Representatives every one of those initiatives. They’ve run into a brick wall with the Republicans in the United States Senate and with the president of the United States. But in passing our energy bill, we were able to achieve with public support and outcry…
BLITZER: So it’s all the fault of the Senate?
PELOSI: Yes, absolutely.
BLITZER: As simple as that?
PELOSI: Every single one of these bills passed the Congress of the United States. The price of oil is at the doorstep. Four dollars-plus per gallon per oil is attributed to oilmen in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate.
Make no mistake, all of these initiatives have passed. We get to the Senate, 59 votes on the, repealing the subsidies, 59 votes on renewable electricity standards, 59 votes…
Give Wolf credit for not giving her a softball right out of the gate. Give Ms. Pelosi credit for giving one of the lamest responses I’ve ever heard. In her estimation, nothing is the House’s fault. In Ms. Pelosi’s mind, they’re more brilliant than Edison.
Ms. Pelosi’s opposition to increasing oil production is her way of telling the American people that she doesn’t care about the financial woes high gas prices they’re feeling. The pain they’re feeling is the result of the Democrats’ ‘drill-only-where-the-environmentalists-give-us-permission’ policy.
High gas prices aren’t unlike a regressive tax in that they hurt the poorest among us the most. High gas prices hit those that are at the bottom end of the middle class, too.
Simply put, Ms. Pelosi’s opposition to drilling is her giving the American consumer the finger. That isn’t just unconscienable, it’s immoral. It’s insulting to hear Democrats say that they’re the party of the people. They’re nothing of the sort. Her party is the party that, first and foremost, looks out for their rich donors, then the special interests. Only after they’ve satisfied the special interests do they even consider the plight of the middle class or the small business owner.
Here’s another instance where Mr. Blitzer challenges Ms. Pelosi:
BLITZER: There are a lot of people out there, including plenty of Democrats, who say one of the most important things to do right now is to resume offshore drilling off the coast of California, Florida, elsewhere around the United States. Take a look at this poll that CNN/Opinion Research Corporation recently did.
“Do you favor offshore drilling?” Seventy-three percent said yes. “Do you oppose offshore drilling?” Only 27 percent.
You’re among the 27 percent. What’s wrong with letting the oil companies go ahead and develop those offshore oil drilling opportunities?
PELOSI: Well, there are 33 million acres offshore that all of these companies have the opportunity. These are for lease, and many of them with the environmental approvals to go forward.
That’s why in the House on Thursday, today, we have the drill bill. Drill responsibly in leased lands. This does not mean go into protected, environmentally-protected areas and drill.
The impression that the White House would give you is that if you could drill in these protected areas, the price of gasoline will come down. Even the president, in his press conference the other day, acknowledged that that was not the case.
This IBD article refutes Ms. Pelosi’s claim that President Bush thinks that opening up the OCS and ANWR wouldn’t affect prices. Here’s how Ms. Pelosi’s argument is refuted:
Even if drilling works, it’ll take a decade or more for the oil to flow.”
This is quite an argument coming from the Democratic Party, which has made keeping oil off the market a linchpin of its energy policy for decades.
If President Clinton hadn’t vetoed the idea of drilling in ANWR back in 1995, we’d have that oil on the market today. Ditto if Congress had approved ANWR drilling in 2002, when President Bush requested it.
Even so, the larger point is false anyway. New oil will be flowing in some cases within three to four years, according to industry estimates. But the impact on prices will be immediate. Why? Because markets would suddenly have to discount future oil prices for the expected gain in oil supply. That would cause oil prices, especially in futures markets, to drop.
By the way, this isn’t just conjecture. President Reagan, within a week of his inaugural in 1981, removed domestic controls on oil. Energy prices began tumbling almost immediately, with oil falling from $34 a barrel in early 1981 to just $11 by 1986.
President Bush and VP Cheney are oilmen. They know about the effects of Reagan’s deregulation. President Bush knows better than to think that there wouldn’t a price benefit to increasing oil production.
I’ve listened to the portion that Ms. Pelosi is talking about. It’s clear that President Bush is attempting to lower expectations. It’s disingenuous for Ms. Pelosi to say that President Bush agrees with her that increasing production won’t change prices.
Notice that her reply includes this:
This does not mean go into protected, environmentally-protected areas and drill.
TRANSLATION: The environment matters more than people. If the environment is protected, their policy is an unqualified success.
Frankly, Ms. Pelosi’s and her environmental extremist allies’ priorities are off. If their priorities were solid, they’d put people ahead of the environment. That won’t happen because the environment is their god.
Isn’t it time that we returned Ms. Pelosi to minority status? Isn’t it true that we can’t afford another 2 years of her in the Speaker’s office?
Technorati Tags: Gas Crisis, Crisis Of Choice, Nancy Pelosi, Wolf Blitzer, Environment, Bill Clinton, blue Collar Workers
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog