Senate rejects GOP oil drilling plan (GOP measure, defeated Tuesday by a vote of 56-42)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/13/08 | H. Josef Hebert - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The Senate has rejected a Republican energy plan that calls for opening an Alaska wildlife refuge and some offshore waters to oil development. Supporters of the measure couldn't get the needed 60 votes to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster threat.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said more domestic oil production is needed to keep prices in check and to reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports.

Opponents said areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and coastal waters that have been off limits to drilling for 25 years ought to remain that out of bounds to oil companies. The GOP measure, defeated Tuesday by a vote of 56-42, would have allowed coastal states to get a waiver to the offshore drilling ban.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

I just sent a blsitering email to my useless Senator Casey asking him why he voted "No" on this when gas is closing in on $4.00 per gallon in rural Pennsylvania.

Not that he will pay any attention to it...

[not2worry]

Martinez, figures, that putz. I can’t wait to vote against him.
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Ditto!

And if Crist is on the ticket as VP I’m voting Ron Barr.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Actually, Landrieu (D-LA) voted Yea...the only one.

[wny]

That's where your wrong. The MSM will report it. NY Times haedline tommorrow:

SENATE BLOCKS BUSH PLAN TO ENRICH OIL COMPANIES

[PA Engineer]

Well, it’s time we got some FRESH BLOOD in the GOP.

The last time that happened PA voters replaced Santorum (R) with Casey (D).

[mdwakeup]

This was not a cloture vote. Under the unanimous consent agreement to bring the amendment up, it was subject to a 60-vote requirement. It was a straight up-or-down vote on the McConnell-Domenici amendment. McConnell-Domenici got 42 votes.

[WarToad]

“He’s going to need his Rino’s if he is president.”

Problem is, if this RINO get’s in the office, he’ll pad his staff with RINOs, he’ll favor RINO’s in congress and senate. RINOs will rise in the party. Post-McCain Presidency would see elite RINOs even more deeply entrenched as the GOP standard.

A McCain presidency could have significant ideological consiquences to the future of the GOP. It’d almost be better to suffer through a Pres Obama, see the party discard McCain and RINO’s, rediscover their conservative roots and push forward a real conservative in 2012.

[TomGuy]

The Pubs never had a commanding lead to overcome it and the Rhinos within. I just do not understand why Bush did not take the Executive order route due to the national security issues involved.

You actually answered your own query: the Pubbies lack backbone to really confront the Dems.

If McCain or the Pubbies really wanted to make an issue for November, they would take this topic and cram it down the throats of the Dems. They would, if necessary, buy time on every media out and flood it with the result of the vote -- and tie it directly to the $3.30-$4.00/gal fuel prices.

But, alas. They will give in, lay down, roll over. After all, they don't want to upset McCain's 'friends' across the aisle.

[Cobra64]

Rush just quoted stats on ANWR drilling in 1994, when Clinton vetoed the bill.

I didn't hear Rush's source of his quote.

Does anyone have the source?

I want to put this on a few dozen blogs.

[Arrowhead1952]

The senate is proof you can train a monkey to do the same job.

LOL.. That is good tag line material. Too bad it is the truth.

[WarToad]

“Not one “D” on the Yea side.”

Landrieu (D-LA)

[colorcountry]

Oh, I missed her.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

"We can't drill our way to lower prices," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

How and why Illinois puts up with this fool is beyond me.

[Finalapproach29er]

G**, this pisses me off. The D’rats have been blocking drilling for all 7 of bushes years and the problem isn’t going to fix itself.

Republicans should be screaming in public every day!!

[TomGuy]

It is ironic that enough Pubbies voted Nay to cause it to fail.

If only 4 of them had changed their votes....

If only Inhoffe and McCain had been there to vote YEA and convince 2 others....

If only .....

[AuntB]

“Problem is, if this RINO get’s in the office, he’ll pad his staff with RINOs, he’ll favor RINO’s in congress and senate. RINOs will rise in the party. Post-McCain Presidency would see elite RINOs even more deeply entrenched as the GOP standard.

A McCain presidency could have significant ideological consiquences to the future of the GOP. It’d almost be better to suffer through a Pres Obama, see the party discard McCain and RINO’s, rediscover their conservative roots and push forward a real conservative in 2012.”

Agreed, WarToad!

[AuntB]

Strange that Inhofe missed the vote. He must have known how it would come down.

[rockthecasbah]

“We’re going to run the economy on magic pixie dust, don’t ya know?”

Al Gore has made a fortune selling that stuff - don’t knock it!

[SUSSA]

McCain would have voted NO. He already said he is against drilling ANWAR

[endangeredfaces]

They didn’t get it done while they were in the majority, why think there was a serious hope of this passing now? It was an attempt to score political points, like so many bills. McLame wasn’t smart enough to vote for it, so he shares in any blame.
If this had passed, do you really think it would have resulted in lower oil/gas prices, now or later? But I’ll bet it’s failure will be used as another excuse for prices to go up.
The vast majority on both sides of the aisle are driven by self-interest and preserving the status quo, party affiliation is just a mask.