Republican Party Sells Out on Energy and Hands 2008 Election to Democrats
Not that they really had a chance to win any seats anyway, considering the American public is made up of a bunch of idiotic ignoramuses who are clueless about the fact that the Democrat Party has caused this energy crisis and has wanted high gas prices all along. But, as many around conservative blogs have already stated, this is why they call the Republican Party “the Stupid Party”.
However, I still am sticking with blaming the American public. Politicians are just like the entertainment industry and the mass media: they are only going to do what keeps getting them votes. If the American public stopped watching the filth on TV and stopped buying the crap put out by the music industry, the entertainment industry wouldn’t be continuing to make their filthy crap. If the American public stopped watching the mass media, stopped subscribing to the newspapers and stopped tuning into the cable news’ smut TV with all their shows about Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and the latest slut of the day, the mass media wouldn’t continue to put that crap on TV and would actually have to report on things of interest to the American people. But, their continued broadcast of crap ‘news’ just proves that the majority of the American public is made up of a bunch of shallow, superficial ignoramuses who enjoy watching that nonsense.
The same holds true for politics. Politicians don’t vote themselves into office. Politicians are not handed the keys to the office by their predecessors and they are not granted their seats due to a family inheritance. The American People vote them into office. Thus, a bad politician is due to a bad American public. Period.
And now, here we go again with the Republican Party pulling a John McCain and going for “compromise” and “bipartisanship” over principle and what is the right thing to do for the country. This is all due to the new direction of the Republican Party in which John McCain is trying to take it. “Moderatism”. Yeah, all those loudmouth, holier-than-thou “moderates” who have been berating us conservatives saying that “bipartisanship” and “moderatism” is the way to go, well here you go @ssholes. This is what you get from “moderatism”. F#cking tools.
Politics has its puzzling moments. John McCain and most of the GOP experienced one late last week. That was when five of their own set about dismantling the best issue Republicans have in the upcoming election.
It’s taken time, but Sen. McCain and his party have finally found — in energy — an issue that’s working for them. Riding voter discontent over high gas prices, the GOP has made anti-drilling Democrats this summer’s headlines.
Their enthusiasm has given conservative candidates a boost in tough races. And Mr. McCain has pressured Barack Obama into an energy debate, where the Democrat has struggled to explain shifting and confused policy proposals.
Still, it was probably too much to assume every Republican would work out that their side was winning this issue. And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson — alongside five Senate Democrats. This “Gang of 10″ announced a “sweeping” and “bipartisan” energy plan to break Washington’s energy “stalemate.” What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.
That’s because the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast — putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska’s oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.
The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on . . . oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn’t have penned it better. And so the Republican Five has potentially given antidrilling Democrats the political cover they need to neutralize energy through November.
Sen. Obama was thrilled. He quickly praised the Gang’s bipartisan spirit, and warmed up to a possible compromise. Of course, he means removing even the token drilling provisions now in the bill. But he’s only too happy for the focus to remain on the Gang’s efforts, and in particular on the five Republicans providing his party its fig leaf.
Equally gleeful was Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrat. She had been sweating the energy debate, especially after her vote against more oil-shale production — a position her Republican opponent, John Kennedy, had used against her to great effect. Yet there she was, chummily standing with the Gang of 10 and boasting that she is working with “five Republicans” to “lower prices at the pump by increasing offshore drilling here at home.”
Mr. McCain, who had been commanding the energy debate, was left to explain why he, of all people, wasn’t more enthusiastic about a “bipartisan” effort on energy, especially one that includes “drilling.” His camp was forced to take refuge in taxes, explaining that their boss couldn’t sign up for a bill that included more. If this is what Mr. McCain’s good friend Lindsey Graham considers “helping,” somebody might want to ask him to stop.
And pity poor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been working overtime to stanch GOP losses this fall and head off a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate. His dogged efforts to highlight Democratic opposition to drilling has kept energy in the news and laid the groundwork for GOP candidates to use the issue to their advantage.
In the Colorado Senate race, Democrats had christened former GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer “Big Oil Bob” — hoping to smear his oil industry career. “Big Oil Bob” has instead embraced his pro-drilling positions and is pummeling opponent Mark Udall for his antidrilling stance. In recent weeks, Mr. Schaffer has erased Mr. Udall’s lead. Polls show Republican Sens. Norm Coleman (Minnesota) and John Sununu (New Hampshire) both climbing in the polls on the back of strong energy arguments. As two of the GOP’s most vulnerable senators, both might well have run for cover with the Gang of 10. Instead they’re fighting on the merits.
The “bipartisan” Republican senators have undercut these efforts, and boosted Ms. Landrieu. They’ve even put a smile on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s face. He’d been struggling to tamp down the energy debate through November, where he hopes to increase his majority and permanently shelve drilling. He’s now counting on the Gang to fruitlessly continue “negotiations” straight through the Senate’s short September session and solve his problem for him.
Not one of the five Republicans in the Gang is facing a tough election this year. That’s the sort of security that leads to bad decisions. And theirs is the sort of thinking that could leave Republicans in a permanent minority.
My Congressman, Representative Thaddeus McCotter, has been one of the Republicans in the House leading the charge against the Democrats. Now he has been hung out to dry during his re-election campaign as well. Thanks a lot you f#cking putzes. This is what happens when you nominate a complete “moderate” jackass idiot like McCain who has been against drilling for pretty much his entire career. So now he just lost this issue as a campaign strength and he will be back to getting pummelled by Barry Obama on his way to a landslide loss to the Obamessiah in November.
Brilliant.
I f#cking hate “moderates” and their so-called “bipartisanship” and “compromise”. You know what bipartisanship and compromise are? They are giving the other side what they want, while you compromise any principles you claim to have and get jack sh!t in return. *That* is “moderatism”. F#cking tools.
Stephen Spruiell: The Ethanol Gang
Earlier today, Larry linked to Kim Strassel’s Wall Street Journal article on the Senate’s “Gang of Ten.” I’m linking to it again, because it is vitally important reading for anyone trying to understand the damage the gang is doing. Here’s a key passage:
… it was probably too much to assume every Republican would work out that their side was winning [the energy] issue. And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson — alongside five Senate Democrats. This “Gang of 10” announced a “sweeping” and “bipartisan” energy plan to break Washington’s energy “stalemate.” What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.
That’s because the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast — putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska’s oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.
The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on . . . oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn’t have penned it better. And so the Republican Five has potentially given antidrilling Democrats the political cover they need to neutralize energy through November.
There’s one word that explains why these five Republicans are selling out: Biofuels. The gang’s “compromise bill” contains billions in subsidies for research into biofuels, and for the manufacture of ethanol-burning cars.
Thune is from the corn-producing state of South Dakota and has always been a big advocate for corn ethanol. The flagship university in Corker’s home state of Tennessee houses a major biofuels research center, specializing in cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass. Chambliss is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He and Isakson both represent Georgia, where they are trying to figure out how to turn Georgia peanuts into fuel. And Graham — well, Graham just seems to have a mania for joining bipartisan gangs.
The worst part — as Strassel points out — is that the gang would raise the money for these new ethanol ventures by repealing tax provisions that allow oil companies to write off the cost of expanding refinery capacity. Whatever this bill is, it’s not a cheaper-gas bill. In fact, despite its meager drilling provisions, it looks a lot like the opposite.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: It May Be August
but I gather some congressional phone lines are keeping pretty active over this:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republican Policy Chairman, Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) issued the following statement about the Senate group known as the “Gang of Ten.”
I oppose the Senate’s “Tepid Ten” attempt to address America’s energy crisis.
The Tepid Ten’s scheme is ill-advised and injurious to America’s energy future.
In treating Americans’ energy reserves like a re-districting map, politics – not production – is this proposal’s goal. In consequence, if embraced this proposal will perpetuate a governmentally imposed ban made obsolete by soaring energy prices and, thereby, continue a governmentally imposed shortage of American energy, particularly oil and gas. Thus, this proposal will not increase energy supplies sufficiently enough to provide economically suffering Americans critical, comprehensive relief from high gasoline and natural gas prices. Compounding this problem, the proposal’s tax increase will be passed on to Americans through higher gas prices; and, thus, increase working people’s pain at the pump.
Given these aforementioned and other flaws in their proposal, the Tepid Ten should, instead, heed working people’s cry to unleash America’s full energy; lower gasoline and natural gas prices; and always remember – be it regarding our energy crisis and other issues – the words of President Ronald Reagan:
“Government isn’t the solution. Government is the problem!”
Larry Kudlow: The Oil Tax Cut Is Good for Growth, Lower Inflation, and Solving the Credit Crunch
The tax-cut effects of lower oil prices are the single-biggest economic story right now. Even with Fannie Mae’s terrible reported earnings, stocks are up 240 points in today’s trading. Why? Because oil is down another $4 to $116. That’s a more than 20 percent drop from its peak in mid-July, about the time President Bush launched his drill, drill, drill offensive to roll back the moratorium on offshore and domestic production, including shale and ANWR.
Bush removed the executive moratorium order, and now the entire country is clamoring for Congress to remove its moratorium. So far the Reid-Pelosi Democrats continue to dither and oppose new drilling. And as Kim Strassel wrote in today’s Wall Street Journal, the so-called “Gang of 10” compromise is a lousy deal. Obama is flirting with that compromise, but he has basically positioned himself as the anti-driller. Fortunately John McCain has repositioned himself as the pro-driller, and his rising polls show popular support.
But oil markets see the political tide in favor of drilling. As poll after poll is released — showing huge public support for drilling — oil traders are selling contracts short in anticipation of greater oil supplies in the future. And while all this is going on, the oil shock of the past six-to-nine months has curbed energy demand and promoted conservation. In other words, markets work. The combination of expected future supply increases and a pullback in demand is working to bring down prices.
Again, oil-price drops have a huge tax-cut effect on the economy. What many pessimists overlook, however, is that the tax-cut effect of lower oil will significantly help solve the credit-crunch problem in financial markets and at the large banks. Think about this. Declining oil enhances consumer purchasing power, raises profits, and gives everyone more economic strength. Folks struggling to pay mortgages will have a better time of it with lower energy costs. Pocketbooks will stretch further. Business commodity costs will go down and profits will go up. All that sub-prime mortgage paper sitting in bank portfolios will be worth more as homeowners can better service their mortgages in the wake of shrinking energy burdens.
The very key point here — which is being missed by so many — is that lower oil will solve the credit crunch. Just as the price shock of the last few quarters deepened the credit crunch and brought the economy to the edge of recession, today’s oil-price plunge will ease the credit crunch and strengthen economic growth. Not only that, but plunging gold prices and the strengthening of King Dollar show the counter-inflationary impact of lower oil. Real interest rates are rising in the Treasury market as oil prices fall.
The oil tax cut is good for growth, good for lower inflation, and good for solving the credit crunch that has plagued financial markets. In effect, the credit problems that continued to resurface are yesterday’s story, and the credit solution coming from plunging oil is tomorrow’s headline.
This is why the Goldilocks summer stock market rally has legs.
Mexican Army Invades United States
See-Dubya at Michelle Malkin’s site asks:
I figured this news would send the blogosphere through the roof. On my usual prowlings I see one squawk from the Jawa Report.
Did we just give up on this whole “border” thing?
That should have been evident to everyone months ago. The American public could care less about illegal immigration and border security. If they did care, they would not have nominated Captain Amnesty – who is friends with racist pro-illegal immigration group La Raza as well as racist pro-illegal immigration Juan Hernandez – for President in the Republican Party.
Also, take a look at all the polls. Where does illegal immigration rank on things people care about regarding this upcoming election? Towards the bottom.
And yet, people tell me that I am supposed to put my trust in the American people to do the right thing and vote for McCain over Obama in November.
Bwahahahahahahahahaha! Don’t make me bust a lung. With all due respect to Forrest Gump, I may not be a smart man, but I know what BULLSH!T is.
And that is what everyone telling me to put my faith in the American public are flinging at me. Barack Obama is going to win. Because the American public is made up of a bunch of selfish, fickle, superficial ignoramuses.
And just like the American public has forgotten all about the hot issue of 2007 — illegal immigration — by November, the American public will have forgotten all about the hot issue of the summer of 2008 — gas prices and domestic drilling. And the vast majority of them will cast their votes for Senator Obama. And the Democrat Party will also gain seats in the House and Senate.
You doubt that? Then let’s hear your argument. And again, remember, the American public nominated Captain Amnesty, shill of La Raza, for the Republican ticket for the Presidency. If you think I’m going to put my trust in a bunch of morons who did that after they were supposedly all up in arms about illegal immigration in 2007, think again.
See-Dubya at Michelle Malkin: Followup on the Mexican Army’s latest incursion
Are They Journalists or are They Americans?
I have to admit that the first thing that came to mind after reading this post at Blackfive about a FOX News Channel cameraman, Chris Jackson, rescuing a wounded U.S. Marine after an IED blast was along the same lines as commentor “Grimmy”:
“I suspect many libs will be condemning this cameraman for abandoning his “journalistic integrity” and doing anything other than standing by and filming the Marine as he burned to death.”
That was my thought as well. Actually I was thinking, for any other “journalist”, and especially a cameraman, their first instinct would have been “ooh! ooh! We’ve got action here! Where’s my camera so I can get this on tape and broadcast this exciting footage to the world to show how horrible it is here in Afghanistan and how Americans troops are failing!”
And then I got to thinking about how so-called journalists have always stated that they have to be “impartial” when it comes to war reporting and not “cheerlead” for the United States to succeed. They have to remain “impartial” and be journalists before they are Americans.
Hmmm…
So, I’d like to know why journalists remain “impartial” when it comes to America’s efforts in war, however, journalists throw that impartiality to the wind when it comes to American politics.
Apparently, they are journalists before they are Americans and they are Democrats and Leftists before they are journalists.
Actually, in my opinion, all journalists are scumbags until they prove otherwise. Mr. Chris Jackson, you have proven otherwise. Kudos to you, sir. And kudos to FOX News Channel for employing such a man.