The Democrats’ Oil Flim-Flam
Writing for FamilySecurityMatters.org, Joel Himmelfarb has written a great article exposing Democrats’ inaction. Here’s the key section of the article:
On Capitol Hill, the House Republican Whip’s office has been distributing a chart titled “What was the Democrat Congress Voting on as Gas Prices Skyrocketed?” The chart shows that while the Democrat Leadership in both houses has done everything possible to block Congress from voting on expanded drilling for oil, it has had plenty of time to spend on feel-good resolutions and trivial measures that do nothing to alleviate the hardships caused by soaring energy prices.
For example, on January 29, 2007, when gas was $2.22 per gallon, Congress voted on “Congratulating the U.C. Santa Barbara Soccer Team.” On September 5, 2007, when the price had risen to $2.84, “it was “National Passport Month.” By February 6, 2008, ($3.03), Congress was voting on “Commending the Houston Dynamo Soccer Team.” On May 14th, the issue was “National Train Day,” ($3.77) and on May 20th it was “Great Cats and Rare Canids Act” ($3.84). By June 10th, with the price at $4.09, Congress was considering the “International Year of Sanitation” and by June 17th, having pushed the price up to $4.14, the great change agents on Capitol Hill were discussing the “Monkey Safety Act.”
This is unconscionable. The Democratic leadership (I’m using the term loosely) has ignored the will of the people. They’ve left for a 5-week long vacation. What’s worse is that they didn’t a thing while gas prices skyrocketed.
Awhile back, I coined the 110th Congress, under the Democrats’ leadership, the No Solutions Congress. This graph highlights the Democrats’ irresponsible behavior. Pelosi’s behavior, along with her puppets’ behavior, is inexcusable.
Mr. Himmelfarb hasn’t been a blind proponent of the GOP, either:
Regular readers of this column know that I have been critical of Republicans’ performance on many issues. But on energy today, the GOP on Capitol Hill has shown that it understands that oil supply must be increased, and lately it has been indefatigable in working to make this a reality. Even John McCain, a longtime advocate of costly, job-destroying legislation on climate change, is supporting offshore drilling and demanding that the Democrat leadership bring Congress back to Washington right away to debate energy. The Democrat Party, by contrast, is controlled by elitists who think they can profit politically by demagoguing against oil companies and commodities traders and making empty threats to induce OPEC to produce more. In reality, their policies would ensure that Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and corrupt government officials and pipeline saboteurs in Nigeria cement their power to send American energy prices sky-high.
With the turmoil in Georgia, the American people must ask themselves if they’ll demand a robust increase in domestic energy production or if they’re willing to be held hostage by Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. I’m betting they’re tired of being robbed at the pump. I’m betting that the overwhelming majority want a robust increase in domestic energy production.
The question for the Democratic majority is whether they prefer the majority or if they demand ideological purity. Talk won’t cut it, either. I said here that talk is cheap. That’s still the benchmark because We The People demand actions, not words.
Another question for the American people is whether they want the Democrats’ innefective leadership. Let’s remember that it’s little more than half a year since enacting the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Since enacting this bill, prices have skyrocketed. Democrats heralded this as the bill that would change the course of energy history by making the United States independent of foreign oil. It’s apparent it fell far short of meeting that benchmark.
Rep. John McHugh sums things up with this statement:
“I represent the 23rd District of New York. It’s 15,000 square miles. I have the Adirondack Park…the biggest in the nation. Needless to say, there’s no subway. I’ve been all over the district the last few days and I have never in my life have people been more concerned about an issue-gas prices-like they are today. When you live in place like I do, where people live an hour from school, or an hour and a half from work…your ONLY option is getting into a car. And in some parts of my district there is snow 8 months out of the year. Not using heating oil is not an option. But on this critical issue, where is Congress? On vacation.”
“When the Founding Fathers built this great country, they wanted this House to discuss the great issues. But yet the Speaker has decided the House should go on a five week vacation. I would say to the Speaker, who is on a book tour, when you were elected Speaker, it wasn’t about having a portrait to hang out in the Speaker’s Lobby. It was about being the first in line to solve big problem facing the nation. say call this Congress back! I personally-and I’m willing to say many of my colleagues would as well-I will personally buy 100 copies of the Speaker’s new book, if that what she’s worried about and if that what it takes to call back Congress.”
Thus far, it’s difficult to prove that Democrats haven’t been about pulling on a sweater and conserving our way to a lower standard of living while living with exhorbitant gas prices. That isn’t acceptable. That approach must change.
Isn’t it time for a worthwhile new direction? Isn’t it time to reject the Democrats’ promised New Direction? Ask yourself whether you’re better off now than you were before Democrats took control of the House and Senate.
Based on the chart Republicans put together on where the Democrats’ priorities are, I’m betting that people are considering the possibility that it’s time for a change.
Technorati Tags: Gas Crisis, Nancy Pelosi, New Direction, Democratic Majority, Drilling, John McHugh, Republicans, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog