The Democrats had vowed to take up energy policy after the 4th of July recess, but now they have scrubbed all plans to bring energy legislation to the floor of the House. Why? In the words of The Hill, they are “in a bind” because they fear that any effort on their part to offer energy legislation would be met by Republican amendments to permit domestic drilling for oil and gas.
This would force Democratic Congressmen to take a position on whether they want to do something serious to bring down the cost of gasoline, as an overwhelming majority of Americans want. The Democrats, amazing as it may seem, are locked into a blind, ideologically-driven opposition to doing what is necessary to meet America’s energy needs. The Hill quotes one Democratic aide:
“Right now, our strategy on gas prices is ‘Drive small cars and wait for the wind,’”
The Democrats know that they risk the wrath of the voters if they continue to force gasoline prices higher and higher:
Further complicating matters for Democrats is the growing number of pro-drilling Democrats who are becoming increasingly worried that voters might throw them in with their anti-drilling leadership.
One pro-drilling Democrat predicted that the backlash against Congress for gas prices could rival the outrage voters felt about the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
I’ve got news for the Dems: the voters care about gas prices a whole lot more than they ever cared about Jack Abramoff.
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