Nancy Pelosi ought to be ashamed for thinking the American people would be fooled by her sham “drilling” proposal, which was recently approved in the House of Representatives. As Representative John Boehner (R-OH), one of the leading proponents of real energy independence, remarked on Pelosi’s energy bill:
“How much new drilling do we get out of this bill? It’s zero. Just zero…It’s a hoax on the American people. This is intended for one reason … so the Democrats can say we voted on energy.”
Although it may have passed in the House, the bill’s chance of survival is minimal as it moves into the Senate. As even Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) admits, the Pelosi energy bill will undoubtedly be found “dead on arrival” when brought to the other house of Congress.
Nevertheless, a different—and just as problematic—energy bill actually has a fighting chance of living to become law.
The legislation, sponsored by the self-declared “Gang of 10” and dubbed the “The Energy Reform Act of 2008,” has already been covered extensively by the ALG News Bureau. Although it has been sculpted by a group of Republicans and Democrats, the proposal reeks of the same old “head in the dry sand,” anti-drilling liberal ideology embraced by Pelosi and her cohorts.
In brief, this legislation would be a step backwards for the energy independence movement. The only drilling permitted by this plan would be criminally limited—only a few select sites off the coast of Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia would be open to energy exploration. Likewise, the desolate and miniscule oil-laden portions of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would remain off-limits as well. And, to make matters worse, it would permanently seal off vast swaths of the outer-continental shelf that at least currently require an annual reauthorization.
The plan also calls for heavy subsidies for alternative energy sources—instead of letting the profits go towards cutting costs for consumers. And it would impose burdensome tax increases on the oil industry.
Although dressed up to be a solution to pull Americans from the dizzying heights of staggering gas prices, the Gang of 10’s proposal is really a ruse engineered to pull the Democrats from the pit of political ineptitude. It’s a blatant reputation-saver for the Democrats, a party that has consistently stood opposed to the majority of Americans and is now suffering due political consequences.
Americans would be better served if Congress were to do nothing and simply let the moratorium on drilling expire at the end of the month. That being said, those Republicans who haven’t been hoodwinked by Gang of 10’s so-called “compromise” plan must do all they can to stop this legislation from passing in the Senate. They must filibuster.
Fortunately, Republican Senator Jim DeMint is currently spearheading an effort to garner the 41 votes needed to execute this filibuster in the Senate. In a letter sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator DeMint urged the Congress to allow the drilling moratorium to expire and allow October 1st of this year become known as the first American Energy Freedom Day. So far, 40 Republicans have signed the letter in support—Senators Corker and Kyl being the most recent—and, given the fact that Senator McConnell is the Republican Minority Leader, it is assumed his vote would mark the 41st.
So which Republicans have abstained from signing the DeMint letter? Well, for starters, John McCain.
As Senator McCain travels to and fro across the nation courting voters to elect him leader of the United States, he must first demonstrate leadership over his own party. He needs to publicly voice his disgust over the Gang of 10’s plan and his support for letting the moratorium expire.
As Democrats scramble to salvage their reputation amidst the flotsam and jetsam of their wrecked energy policies, Republicans must not buckle and succumb to any drilling sham disguised as “compromise.” Republicans can’t forfeit the high ground on the energy debate by surrendering to a compromise energy plan crafted under the terms and language of the no-drill Democrats.
Actually neither energy plan—Pelosi’s in the house and the Gang of 10’s in the Senate—truly qualifies as a traditional compromise. By tying up America’s own energy resources, either policy would be detrimental to energy independence efforts. Having Congress sit on its hands, do nothing and let the moratorium on offshore drilling expire at the end of the month would yield far better results than those offered by these two plans.
Senator McCain has clearly demonstrated a propensity to reach across the aisle and compromise—and now is not the time for compromise. It’s time for the Republican Presidential nominee to stand up and help shoot down the Gang of 10’s sham energy proposal.
Although he may seem reluctant, Senator McCain can find solace in the fact that President Bush has already promised to veto the Pelosi energy plan or any other obstructionist “drilling” legislation that gets put on his desk. Also, one of McCain’s most trusted allies, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has showed his support to allow the moratorium expire as one of the original signatories of the DeMint letter. However, he was also one of the original “Gang of 10”. Mr. McCain needs to talk to his friends in the Senate to reconsider the “compromise” that will have the effect of permanently locking away American energy resources.
All the elements are in place to defeat this ploy on behalf of the Democrats, but leadership will be needed at this critical juncture. Time is running out for the moratorium, and more and more Republicans are signing on to the filibuster. All that is left is McCain.
By stepping up and providing leadership on this crucial issue, Senator McCain has nothing to lose and everything to gain. This, of course, includes the White House.
