Posted on 07/30/2008 5:02:38 AM PDT by DallasBiff
'Today' co-host Meredith Vieira doesn't press House Speaker about blocking vote on offshore oil drilling.
By Jeff Poor Business & Media Institute 7/28/2008 2:52:16 PM
When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) took the role of Speaker of the House on January 4, 2007, the national average price of gas was $2.33 a gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. Now the average price is hovering around $4 a gallon.
But Pelosi deserves no part of the blame, she told NBC “Today” co-anchor Meredith Vieira during an interview that aired July 28.
“But the very idea that the Republicans would say, but for offshore drilling our economy would be great – it’s really, it’s a hoax,” Pelosi said. “It’s really a hoax on the American people.”
“First of all, it will not bring down the price of the pump for 10 years and only two cents at that,” Pelosi said. “Second of all, the jobs numbers, the fragility of our financial institutions, the downturn in the capital markets – all of these things, the energy prices to reiterate. All of these things contributing to that and these are the policies, the economic policies of the Bush administration which have failed and we have to take the country in a new direction.”
Vieira didn’t ask Pelosi about the procedural tactics she has employed to prevent a vote on drilling. Roll Call newspaper reported on July 14 that Pelosi was preventing an up-or-down vote on offshore drilling. She placed the vote on the suspension calendar – a method used to block “popular-sounding bills.”
“The suspension calendar has become the Democratic leaders’ favorite weapon for jamming Republicans who either must capitulate or be blamed for blocking popular-sounding bills,” Steven T. Dennis wrote for Roll Call. “And for Democrats, it’s all done without having to deal with difficult votes on pesky amendments such as oil drilling or gun control.”
“Using the tactic on energy legislation helps Pelosi sidestep amendments on opening up land to offshore drilling — amendments that could pass as gas prices soar and public opinions polls show overwhelming support for the idea,” Dennis’s article said.
When Pelosi was asked what, if any role Congress played in the economic downturn she placed the brunt of the blame on President George W. Bush.
“Well, let’s say this – there are cycles to economies, but the fact is the president of the United States – it’s on his watch that this economy is going in this direction,” Pelosi said. “We’ve had bad fiscal policy where the president has taken us deeply into debt in terms of our budget. We have had a focus on giving tax cuts to the wealthiest people in the country instead of investing more in new technologies and the rest to grow our economy.”
Pelosi’s offshore drilling stance is the exact opposite of public sentiment. A June Zogby poll indicated 74 percent of Americans support offshore drilling in U.S. coastal waters.
Polls also recently showed that a large majority of the public is unhappy with Congress. A July Rasmussen Reports poll found a nine percent approval rating for Congress, the first time in the poll’s history that Congressional approval had fallen to single digits
And when there is not a downturn does Pelosi credit Mr. Bush?
Keep thinking along those lines dear Speaker and you’ll be bounced out of office by your constituents who are fed up with high gas prices, high taxes, and little congressional progress. Remember dear Speaker YOUR approval rating is something like 9%. What a moron!
My gosh this woman is an idiot.
“First of all, it will not bring down the price of the pump for 10 years and only two cents at that,” Pelosi said.
___________________
BS!
None of those quotes make any sense.
Sheer gobbledygook.
Just talking about doing it has reduced gasoline prices by about $0.40 per gallon in less than a month, Mizz Nine Percent Nancy.
What a buffoon she is.
Ha! My question as well.
She’s going to ave the planet!! Stop picking on her!!
She’s trying to save the planet....that’s not your job fancy nanz; your job is to do as the people wish. We wish for drilling, nuclear power, coal gasification, coal power plants, and to quit sending our energy money to our enemies. I despise that woman!
Strawman alert!
For Speaker of the House Pelosi to claim that Republicans have said, but for offshore drilling our economy would be great, is a hoax . . . by Nine Percent Nancy. Nobody has claimed that OCS drilling would fix the current slow economy. Nobody.
Pelosi and Reid..prime examples of corrupt tyranny denying representaion for the People.
If you like $4/gal, Thank No Drill Nancy.
Pray for W and Our Troops
What a ditz. The only thing more stupid than Pelosi is a dem voter. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups...like the House and Senate for example
Pelosi and Reid are perverting Congress and denying the Peoples representaives from carrying out the dities of their constituents.
Pelosi and Reid, are singlehandedly usurping all the Constitutional authority and power of the elected Congressional Branch of the United States Government
for their own wills.
To see how far we have fallen look at our LEADERS.
This is a desperate gamble with an election only a few months away. There must be a LOT of money at stake for her to stonewall this issue.
Pelosi’s seat is 100% safe, but there have to be more than just a few Democrats in Congress who are facing incredible heat from their constituents on this issue. When they face enough heat to be concerned about getting reelected, they’ll start transferring the heat to Pelosi. (Actually, it would be grosse schadenfreude to see Pelosi with her dilated eyes and fake smile handing the gavel over to a Republican, but as much as I’d enjoy seeing that, I’d enjoy more knowing the right thing was being done for our energy future ASAP.)
My GOP congresscritter is on board with offshore and ANWR drilling, but if you have a Democrat congresscritter, be sure to call his/her office EVERY day and gripe-mention Pelosi and Reid’s stonewalling. Get your friends and relatives to call, too.
Just like the shamnesty bill, a huge public outcry will get the Democrats to cave.
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