Dems won unexpected GOP support for climate bill

The Hill ^ | 07/04/09 | Jared Allen

[Delacon]

House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes.

In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.

 

The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes more than were necessary for passage. Forty-four Democrats bucked their leaders and voted no on the legislation.

Republicans have been relentless in attacking Democrats who supported the bill, which would set up a carbon cap and trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that Republicans have tried to label as “cap and tax,” citing studies that many consumers could see their local utility rates increase.

Some of the Republicans also cast their votes early, as dozens of Democrats were holding off on making their decisions.

“The early yes votes from them surprised us,” said a Democratic leadership aide. “We had assumed that Republican leaders had asked their yeses to hold their votes until the end.”

Instead, at least two Republicans voted yes very early in the 15-minute voting window, including Rep. Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), Obama’s choice to serve as Secretary of the Army.

Democrats, who whipped the bill for weeks and right up until the last minute, had counted on winning over anywhere from two-to-four GOP members.

And the majority wouldn’t have been surprised if Republican support had been limited to a single yes vote from Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), the lone GOP supporter of the bill as it fought its way through the Energy and Commerce Committee.

In spite of that, Democrats contended that they had enough votes of their own to pass the bill, but used the GOP cushion to allow some members to go ahead and vote no and other members who had promised Pelosi they wouldn’t let their no votes sink the bill keep their no votes in place.

Aides would not say who those members were, but said there were as many as six Democrats who were prepared to switch their votes at the last minute in order to save the bill from failing if necessary.

 

“We knew that if we had that many Republicans, then we had more people who wanted to vote no who could vote no,” a leadership aide said. “There were a few of them who told us that they didn’t want the bill to go down from their no votes.”

No Democrats changed their recorded votes.

Democrats credited the stronger-than-expected GOP showing to the Speaker’s direct outreach to a hand-picked group of moderate Republicans in the week leading up to the vote.

Through two meetings in her office – one a listening session and the second an education effort – Pelosi, bill authors Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (Mass.) and conservative Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) were able to convince many of moderate Republicans to support the massive climate change bill.

The Republicans who cast yes votes – Bono Mack, McHugh, and Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Mike Castle (R-Del.), Dave Reichert (R-Wa.), Leonard Lance (R-N.J), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), and Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) – spent the week getting blasted on conservative talk radio.

Throughout the 111th Congress, House Republicans have put up a number of united fronts against the Democratic agenda, often denying Pelosi and Obama even a single vote in support of their legislative priorities.

But despite a intense whipping effort and a rousing floor speech against the bill by Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) that won widespread praise throughout the conference, Republicans couldn’t hold their line quite so intact.

“There was never a who’s with me, who’s against me count,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said of the Republican outreach. “It was just a genuine attempt at listening to their concerns and explaining to them how we were able to address those concerns. A lot of what they were concerned about had been taken care of by [Agriculture Chairman Collin] Peterson.”

[ExTexasRedhead]

You can still stir up a hornet’s nest. I call Pelosi, Feinstein, and Boxer continually. Their staffers are arrogant, rude, and obnoxious, but I still call. Take names!

[OKSooner]

Craven, venal, self-serving Republicans.

Who'd have thought it... /s

[PhiKapMom]

Hopefully the district will send him back to TN. Republicans need a large turnout this time and a lot of grassroots support.

Sessions, who heads NRCC, said they are not going to let the DemocRATs go unchallenged this time. Hope you have a good candidate for this District.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

I replied with my own email telling her that her vote had Sonny rolling over in his grave and that my wife and I would NEVER vote for her again and hoped that the Republicans ran a good candidate against her in the primary.

I hate to say this, but she probably laughed all the way to the "Green Bank" to get her 30 pieces of silver. Please punish her in the primary if she has the nerve to run.

[Munz]

turncoats

[Thermalseeker]

Sessions, who heads NRCC, said they are not going to let the DemocRATs go unchallenged this time.

Yeah, lets hope so. In recent election cycles, really ever since the districts were gerrymandered last time and Wamp went to the 3rd District the Republicans have only put up token candidates for not only Congress, but for the state legislature seats, too. Last election the first time I saw the Republican Congressional candidate's name was on the ballot the day of the election. That is sad commentary on the part of the Tennessee Republican Committee folks. This is a rural and very conservative area and there should really not be any Democrats in high elected office and there wouldn't be if the 'Pubbies would only get in gear and put up good candidates and at least spring for some yard signs. Thus far, that has not been the case. Several candidates I've met on the Republican side have told me that they got little or no support from the state Republican folks...

[PhiKapMom]

I believe that about the State Party people in EVERY state. I honestly think some have cut deals with the Dems on seats — we won’t run here if you don’t run someone there.

Time for the grassroots to work and help fund candidates. The powers at be tried to do it to Coburn but it didn’t work in 2004. He was not the chosen candidate — mayor of OKC held that title including a mailout in the primary showing him at the WH with President Bush. That did not go over well with the grassroots so with the help of Club for Growth (Coburn’s fundraising had been shut off by the good old boy network) and a ground game made up of grassroots activists we helped him win the primary and then the general.

It takes a good candidate and a lot of elbow grease from the grassrots to tell the State Party to get on board or get the h*ll out of the way. If we are going to get good conservative candidates elected across this Country, we have to decide right now that we are going to spend our energy and any extra resources to do just that. Boots on the ground is priceless energy for the campaigns.

[Thermalseeker]

If we are going to get good conservative candidates elected across this Country, we have to decide right now that we are going to spend our energy and any extra resources to do just that. Boots on the ground is priceless energy for the campaigns.

Amen! And, it should start with the primaries. As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to see any Congressional incumbent that voted for TARP, the Porkulous bill or Cap and Tax challenged in the primaries. I think that would send both parties scrambling and let them know we mean business, even if they don't.....

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx again. Delacon!

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !