Landrieu pushes Keystone vote in bid to boost energy industry, runoff chances

Fox News.com ^ | November 13, 2014

[Kaslin]

Sen. Mary Landrieu is looking for a win-win, as she pushes for a Senate vote to approve the long-delayed Keystone pipeline in a bid to deliver a victory for the energy industry -- and for herself, in a tough runoff election next month.

The senator is facing Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy after being forced into the runoff. Within hours of returning to Capitol Hill, Landrieu called for a Senate vote on the Keystone bill, which is now teed up for next Tuesday.

Republicans responded swiftly to Landrieu's maneuvering, scheduling a vote in the House as early as Thursday on an identical bill sponsored by Cassidy.

The back-and-forth amounts to a continuation of their bitter Senate campaign, with one of the most controversial energy projects in America caught in the middle. The TransCanada-built pipeline, which would cross over an aquifer in Nebraska, has been held up for six years by environmental and other concerns

[csivils]

I think Cassidy should be very vocal that he wants a vote, now! That it is the right thing to do and it shouldn’t have taken Landrieu so long to do it, but better late than never.

Landrieu’s situation only gets worse if there is a vote, and even worse if it passes and is vetoed.

[slumber1]

The most outrageous part of this story is this statement by Josh Earnest

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, traveling with President Obama in Burma, told reporters that the president takes a "dim view" of legislative efforts to force action on the project.

The man who thinks he can unilaterally change US laws takes a dim view of congress actually doing their job

[catnipman]

Suddenly trying to pass the XL pipeline after opposing it for years is a transparently political hail Mary Landrieu pass, though actually a very good thing for our country (and Canada) if it passes and Obama signs it, but fortunately such weak tea is too little, too late to save Landrieu.

She’s toast in the Bayou State because the voters there are too smart to fall for such blatant pandering from such a 99% Obama toady as Landrieu.

[WMarshal]

She has had 6 years to push hard for this. She didn’t so her push now, when she is likely to loose, is purely self-serving and transparent in its hypocracy.

[ZOOKER]

I'm sure Reid and Obama will time this kabuki bill to the party's satisfaction.

IOW, the bill arrives on Obama's desk in time to influence the election, but not so early that Obama has to act on it before the vote. He'll just sit on it until after the election then veto it.

[Pearls Before Swine]

It’s a lose-lose, since it will be vetoed and she’ll lose the runoff.

I agree, except with the order. It will be passed before the election, she'll lose, and Obama will veto it. Or, some poison pill delay will be inserted into the bill, so it isn't really effectively passed.

[DPMD]

This is pretty much an admission that her opposition to Keystone was purely political, since her “conversion” to that of a proponent of Keystone is merely to get reelected. Earlier opposition was based on a calculus that it would help her remain in office, obviously. This should be pointed out and hammered home by Cassidy.

[ScottinVA]

Not only does Mary infer Louisiana voters are racist, she’s also going full Gruber and expecting them to be stupid, too.

[ScottinVA]

Republicans responded swiftly to Landrieu's maneuvering, scheduling a vote in the House as early as Thursday on an identical bill sponsored by Cassidy.

Now... slip in an Obamacare repeal rider and push that beast onward.

[ScottinVA]

This is going to do nothing but piss LA voters off even more at the dems.

And of course, Fat Mary will be too slow to get out of the line of fire.

[fortheDeclaration]

Landrieu is done.

[lormand]

Landfill is feeling the heat!