Energy

At a press conference given by some House Republicans a short time ago, we were reminded (and I had totally forgotten about it) that it has been 5 weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled the House of Representatives to a close for their summer vacation without giving Republicans an "up or down vote" on their energy bill. Republican Congresspeople have been taking turns going back to Washington to demand Pelosi reconvene and allow a vote for the sake of the American people.

Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio reiterated that their bill will provide Americans a more diverse supply of oil, add revenue to government coffers and generate $300 billion toward working to renewable sources of energy. Congressman Mike Spence (R-IN) insisted, "bring Congress back into session!" and "Say yes to giving Americans more oil".

Congressman Thad McCotter of Michigan (via phone) joked "Democrats are back in their districts working on hybrid energy of hot air". What a card!

This is what happens when a Democrat embraces domestic energy production. In what was considered by most (including myself) as the most vulnerable senate seat in the country, Mary Landrieu has opened up a 16 point lead. Part of this is a big problem on the part of the Republicans to capitalize on an opportunity, but Rasmussen suggests another possibility.

At the same time, Landrieu has been one of the few Democrats to openly support calls for lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling. That issue is very popular with voters nationwide and in Louisiana. Last month's poll found that 75% of Louisiana voters favored offshore drilling.When "leaners" are included in the current polling, it's Landrieu 56% Kennedy 39%. Landrieu is seeking her third six-year term.

So while Daily Kos is crowing about their senate opportunities, they still are apparently oblivious to the reason that their most vulnerable Democrat is flying high. Stop and think what this election would look like if the Democrats jettisoned the environmental lobby and started campaigning on domestic energy, domestic energy jobs, and domestic energy production... in all shapes and sizes including oil.

The Republicans would be sunk. Good thing for them it won't happen.

If I may take a break from talking about "cross in the dirt" stories, McCain visited an oil rig today:

McCain rode a helicopter about 150 miles (241 kilometres) off the state of Louisiana's coast to visit the Genesis oil rig.

Jointly owned by Chevron and Exxon Mobil, the rig represents an environmental risk great enough that the US coast guard has set up a "safety zone" around its perimeter to prevent accidents.

"It is time for America to get serious about energy independence, and that means we need to start drilling offshore at advanced oil rigs like this," the Republican nominee said in his prepared remarks.

McCain and the rest of the GOP are still hammering away on this issue, and rightly so, because the left is giving every indication that they have no stomach for this fight. As was predicted by myself and many others, an election year, pocketbook issues come together to concentrate the mind of many a politician.

Even the hardcore are signalling that this is not the hill they are willing to die on:

That's the game, right there. The floodgates will open because they have to open. There's no way on God's green earth to find veto-proof majorities to re-up that ban, and no bill George W. Bush won't veto to stop it. Not a defense bill. Not a continuing resolution to keep the government running. Not a National Motherhood and Apple Pie Day bill. Nothing.

There will be a significant change in the Federal drilling policy within 30 days. Either the GOP will hold firm and get everything they want by default, or they will fold early and get some of what they want with a few bonuses like nuclear plants and subsidies and such. The Democrats are crossing their fingers and hoping for the latter.

In a recent campaign ad (watch it here), John McCain acknowledges that we're worse off now than we were four years ago. Not surprisingly, he doesn't go back to the end of the Clinton administration for comparison sake. What is striking, however, is his claim that he'll "battle big oil," if elected president.

Given McCain's stances on offshore drilling, continuing government oil subsidies, lowering corporate tax rates, in addition to his huge campaign contributions from the oil industry, I have to wonder what kind of battle we'd really witness.

Here's your question:

It's not a flip yet, but it does show McCain could bring even more pressure on the Democrats over domestic energy issues:

In an interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD aboard his campaign plane last week, McCain made clear he has not ruled out a change in his position--to one that endorses drilling in ANWR. "I continue to examine it," he said. So does his staff. McCain's campaign has been quietly studying the ANWR issue and discussing the potential consequences--good and bad--of a policy change.

But in our conversation on August 13, McCain added a new wrinkle. When I asked him if he had consulted Palin about ANWR, he said that he had not yet done so. He added, "I probably should," he said. "I will."

So I called Palin to ask what McCain can expect to hear. The answer is that Palin, who has been mentioned as a possible McCain running mate but has not been vetted, will make a straightforward case for drilling in ANWR. She says McCain's willingness to take another look at ANWR is "very encouraging."

Like Obama's recent flips on drilling, this flip would be toward a position that is much more popular with the public. But unlike the Dem side, McCain's move will make him more popular with his party, while Obama's flips dismay his own side.

Except of course for those who believe it was done for crass political reasons, that Obama is not serious about the current position. In other words, those guys think Obama is pandering, and they support him pandering because they think the true position is a political loser. Not exactly the strongest position for a politician to be in!

But McCain's willingness to move on ANWR is heartening for two reasons, one because drilling in ANWR is the right thing to do, it will create American jobs, help our trade deficit (oh and get us some more oil as well). And it won't hurt the environment, or even despoil scenic vistas, as the tundra drilling proposed is not scenic and no one goes there anyway. The biggest worry of the park rangers is that the Caribou might get too tame!

The second reason is that from the first I have had McCain pegged as one stubborn old man. Once he took a position however wrong, you could not make him see the light of day. That can be a good thing of course, but more often than not, McCain has dug in on positions that are diametrically opposed to what most Republicans want, immigration being a prominent example, but ANWR is another one. Maybe he can change his mind after all, although an impending election certainly appears to help.

After weeks of refusing to allow a vote in the House of Representatives on drilling for new domestic sources of oil, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated today that she may indeed finally allow a vote on the measure. Republicans have been holed up in the House chamber, conducting a protest session of the House and calling on Pelosi to call the House back into session to vote on drilling. Some Democrats have also been signaling that they would like an opportunity to vote on drilling as well. Faced with growing pressure from the right and the center on an issue supported by more than 70% of Americans in some polls, Pelosi had no choice but to give in to Republican-led demands for a vote.

"They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas. We can do that. We can have a vote on that.

But it has to be part of something that says we want to bring immediate relief to the public and is not just a hoax on them."

Last week, Pelosi told ABC News that Republicans would have to, "use their imagination," in order to figure out a way to get a vote. Republicans did just that, continuing the ad hoc floor protest for more than a week after the House officially recessed for the month of August. Now it appears that their creativity, and the good press they have been receiving for their efforts are about to pay off.

House Minority Leader John Boehner ignored the criticism of three Democratic House members and doubled down on execution rhetoric by following up his warning that the American people are going to "hang" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for refusing to call Congress back into session to vote on whether or not more land should be opened up for oil drilling with a post on his blog by someone named Nick titled, "Marie Antoinette, the Book Tour."

John McCain also took a few shots at Pelosi and the Democrats for taking Congress out of session without new legislation in place to reduce oil prices, which, ironically, seem to be dropping like a rock without Congress in session.

In an interview with CNN's Larry King last night Pelosi fired back, pointing out that McCain, who leads the Senate in missed votes this Congress, recently missed "two very important bills on energy". Pelosi also told King that she was open to a vote on drilling.

Yesterday, two stories appeared regarding John McCain's fund-raising operation.

First came word that McCain was returning $50,000 in donations from a Florida bundler named Harry Sargeant. From The Washington Post:

Sargeant, who runs the International Oil Trading Co., in Boca Raton, Fla., said he asked several friends and colleagues to gather the funds for McCain.

Among the "friends" who went out and collected?

Sargeant said in an interview yesterday that at times he left the task of collecting the checks to a longtime business partner, Mustafa Abu Naba'a, who is not an American citizen. According to court reports, Abu Naba'a is a dual citizen of Jordan and the Dominican Republic.

Money raised by Abu Naba'a is being returned. Sargeant raised at least an additional $460,000 for McCain, some of which was gathered on his behalf by a former high-ranking CIA anti-terrorism expert who is now Sargeant's business partner. Sargeant did not name any of the other associates who may have helped him with fundraising.

Second is the revelation that Hess Corporation executives donated $300,000 to McCain's coffers just days before the Arizona Senator recanted his off-shore drilling position. Furthermore, it was revealed, two of McCain's top campaign officials have worked as lobbyists for Hess.

Following up on Dave's previous coverage, I'm wondering if the GOP is going to gain any traction with the after-hours protest going on in the Capitol building. Enraged that Sen. Pelosi adjourned Congress without allowing a vote on the American Energy Act (and sensing an opportunity for positive prime-time exposure) , House Republicans have staged what they are calling the House Republican Uprising.

The Minority leader's webpage is chronicling the entire event. In short, the GOP demanded continued debates and a resolution to address the critical energy crisis. Pelosi, sensing an increasing demand for drilling and heightened media coverage as the House extended beyond the normal end-of-session, declared the House in recess and sent everyone packing. The GOP refused to abandon the issue, and showed up to work the next day, demanding a solution to the energy issue before Congress closed its doors. Pelosi went so far as to turn off the lights and cut off the microphones in the House. And yet the GOP show up each morning, demanding congressional Democrats return to the capitol and address the issue.

Are the Republicans situating themselves as the party which speaks truth to power, which endures against the censorship of a distant ruling class, which carries the message of the people to the halls of government? If they can pull it off - if the Democrats don't find an alternative solution or abandon their paranoid aversion to drilling for oil - the GOP may be in a position to win over a segment of the population and stave off the massacre they'd been bracing for in November.

This principled stunt could be the turning point for the Republicans. All they need is a little visibility and continued cooperation from the frantically discordant Democrats. The GOP has the upper hand on the merits of the energy issue - if the electorate sees this, as well as the Democrats' obstruction of a promising energy solution, the backlash may eviscerate the November gains which Democrats have been so eagerly anticipating.

Note: Last night, as the Republicans continued to debate options to confront America's energy problems and called upon Democrats to return to work, Sen. Nancy Pelosi was at a book signing for her newest venture into feminist literature, "Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters." I'm anxious to read the chapter on work ethics.

As I reported earlier, John McCain has been having great difficulty with his Vice Presidential shortlist, as those on it keep either complimenting Barack Obama, falling mute when asked to defend McCain, or locking themselves in mortal combat with the denizens of Hades.

It appears that McCain has chosen a novel solution: To appoint himself the running mate on a ticket headed by Exxon.

At least, that's the gist of a slick (sorry), new satirical website rolled out by the DNC today. From Politico:

The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday is launching an "Exxon-McCain '08" campaign, complete with a gas-pump logo and garish red buttons, bumper stickers and yard signs.

...The fantasy presidential campaign is a rebuke to the Republican National Committee for tire gauges labeled "Obama's Energy Plan" that were distributed to campaign reporters this week.

You can check out the site here, but I've got to say, I think Paris Hilton's response to the "Celeb" ad was better. Maybe they should have tapped her for this assignment.