Posted on 08/03/2008 10:59:10 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Stephanopoulos to Pelosi: Why No Up or Down Vote on Drilling? By Noel Sheppard Created 2008-08-03 13:41
It seems that even ABC's George Stephanopoulos is getting fed up with Congressional Democrats blocking efforts by Republicans to expand offshore oil drilling in order to bring down gas prices.
On Sunday's "This Week," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) was asked repeatedly why she refuses to allow this issue to come to a vote.
The look of disgust on Stephanopoulos's face as Pelosi mumbled non sequitur after non sequitur was almost more telling of his sense of frustration than the number of times he asked virtually the same question: "Why won't you permit a straight up or down vote?"
Readers should prepare themselves for an alternate reality, for Madame Speaker was quizzed on Sunday like never before (video available here [1], rush transcript from closed captioning, photo courtesy ABC News):
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: You've been getting a lot of heat for not allowing a straight up or down vote expanding drilling off the coasts of the United States. Why won't you permit a straight up or down vote?
NANCY PELOSI, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: What we have presented are options that will really make a difference at the pump. Free our oil, Mr. President. We're sitting on 700 million barrels of oil. That would have an immediate effect in ten days. What our colleagues are talking about is something that won't have an effect for ten years and it will be 2 cents at the time. If they want to present something that's part of an energy package, we're talking about something. But to single shoot on something that won't work and mislead the American people as to thinking it's going to reduce the price at the pump, I'm just not going to be a part of it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Except it’s not just Republicans that are calling for this. Members of your own caucus say we must have a vote. Congressman Jason Altmire, let me show our viewers right now, says, “There is going to be a vote. September 30 will not come and go without a vote on the opening the Outer Continental Shelf. The message has been delivered. The issue can't be ignored any longer.” He says he speaks for a lot of Democrats. He's talked to the leadership and a vote must happen.
PELOSI: Maybe it will, as part of a larger energy package. Let's step back, call a halt and put this in perspective. What we have now is a failed energy policy by the Bush/Cheney, two oilmen in the White House. $4 a gallon gasoline at the pump. And what they're saying is let's have more of the same. Let's have more of big oil making, record profits, historic profits. You see the quarterly reports that just came out, who want to be subsidized who don't really want to compete. Let them use the subsidies to drill oil in protected areas. Instead we're saying, free the oil. Use it, don't lose it. There's 68 million acres in lower 48 and 20 million more acres in Alaska where they're permitted where they could drill anytime. This is a diversionary tactic from failed energy policies.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But if you feel you have the better arguments, why not give a straight up or down vote for drilling?
PELOSI: Because the misrepresentation is being made that this is going to reduce the price at the pump. This is again a decoy, it’s not a solution.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, if you’re right, why not let it be debated out and have the vote?
PELOSI: We have a debate every single day on this subject. What you saw in the Congress this week was the war dance of the hand maidens of the oil companies. That's what you saw on the Republican side of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans are not right there on party lines on this issue. There are regional concerns, as well as some people concerned about what this means back home for them. But we have a planet to save. We have an economy to grow. And we can do that if we keep our balance in all of this and not just say but for drilling in unprotected and these protected areas offshore, we would have lower gas prices.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So what exactly are you trying to say? You say you might allow a vote as part of a comprehensive package, but you won’t allow a vote on --
PELOSI: We have put on the floor. Free our oil. Strong bipartisan support for that. Use it, don't lose it. Strong bipartisan support for that. End undue speculation, strong bipartisan support for that. We've talked about these things. Invest in renewable energy resources so that we can increase the supply of energy for our country. Strong bipartisan support for that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yet you brought those measures to the floor in a way under the suspension of the rules so that it couldn't be amended with a drilling proposal.
PELOSI: Well, we built consensus and have a strong bipartisan. This is what’s going to make a difference to reduce the dependence on foreign oil, to stop our dependence on fossil fuels in our own country. To increase the supply of energy immediately to reduce the price at the pump to protect the consumer. So this is a policy matter. This is very serious policy matter. It's not to use a tactic of one -- one tactic in order to undermine a comprehensive energy package to reduce our dependence on foreign oil which is a national security issue. To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in our own country. Now, will we be talking about natural gas that's cheaper, better for the environment --
STEPHANOPOULOS: But why not allow votes on all that? When you came in as Speaker you promised in your commitment book "A New Direction for America," let me show our viewers, you said that “Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, fair debate consisting of full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives.” If they want to offer a drilling proposal, why can't they have a vote?
PELOSI: They'll have to use their imagination as to how they can get a vote and then they may get a vote. What I am trying to, we have serious policy issues in our country. The President of the United States has presented this but for this our economy would be booming. But for this, gas would be cheaper at the pump. It's simply not true. Even the President himself in his statement yesterday and before then has said, there is no quick fix for this by drilling.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And Senator Obama has agreed with you. He says, listen. This is not the answer. Drilling is not the answer. But he said over the weekend that he might be willing to sign onto drilling as part of a comprehensive proposal.
PELOSI: What Senator Obama said is what we want a President to say. Let's look at all of the options. Let's compare them. And let's see what really does increase our supply. Protect our environment, save our economy, protect the consumer, instead of a single shot thing that does none of the above. Why we give subsidies to big oil to drill instead of letting them --
STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to move on to other issues. Just to be clear, you are saying you will not allow a single up or down vote on drilling. But you will allow a vote on a package that includes drilling?
PELOSI: No, what I'm saying to you is, as far as I'm concerned, unless there is something that -- you never say never to anything. You know, people have their parliamentary options available to them. But from my standpoint, my flagship issue as Speaker of the House and 110th Congress has been to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reverse global warming. I'm not giving the gavel -- I'm not giving a gavel away to a tactic that will do neither of those things. That supports big oil at the cost and expense of the consumer.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re not going to permit a vote, you may get beat, but you're not going to permit a vote on your own?
PELOSI: Again, we take this one step at a time. But while we're spending all of this time on a parliamentary tactic when nothing less is at stake than the planet, the air we breathe, our children breathe.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that’s what I don’t understand. If you could get votes on everything else that you care about which you say there is strong bipartisan support, why not allow a vote on the drilling as well?
PELOSI: Because the President will not allow any of these other things to go forth. Why are we not saying to the President, why don't you release oil from the SPR in ten days to have the price at the pump go down? Why are you opposed to any undue speculation in the oil markets? Why do you not insist that people who have leases on our land with permits ready to go use those? The oil companies don't want competition. And what we would do by saying, go ahead, give them the subsidies. Allow them to drill in areas that are protected now, instead of where they're allowed to drill, is to diminish all of the opportunity that we have for an electricity standard for our country. Where we set out standards that makes the competition for renewable energy resources better. Which says to the private sector, invest here because there is a standard that they have to honor. If you just say it's drill, drill, drill, drill and we're going to subsidize it, what is the motivation for the private sector to come in and say we're going to support these renewable energies, wind, solar, biofuels. Plug-in cars. Natural gas and other alternatives.
Although Stephanopoulos never addressed the revolt that happened in the House on Friday when Pelosi adjourned the session for a five week vacation, he is to be commended for doing a fairly good grilling on Sunday.
As for Pelosi, Americans should be embarrassed by her disgraceful performance. If she represents the best House Democrats have to offer at this moment in history, we should all be fearful of the future.
Pelosi thinks you are all suckers. From the recent past:
AIR PELOSI
SPEAKER OPTS FOR WASTE AND ARROGANCE
By RICHARD MINITER
February 10, 2007
THURSDAY morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped out of her Georgetown home and into a government-owned black Chevy Tahoe SUV. That gas-guzzler truck took her directly to the Rayburn House Office Building - where she was the lead witness at a Science and Technology Committee hearing on global warming.
This, the day after word broke of Pelosi’s request for regular use of a U.S. Air Force C-32 - the same plane that flies the vice president and first lady.
She wants to travel in luxury. The Air Force jet is the same size and airframe as the Boeing 757-200, which carries about 300 passengers. The C-32 boasts 42 business-class seats - plus a wood-paneled state room, big-screen TV, full-size bed and crew of 16, including uniformed stewards who bring drinks and meals on request. Oh, and an open bar.
Cost to taxpayers? Some $15,000 an hour.
A round-trip to Rep. Pelosi’s home in San Francisco could easily run $300,000. Meanwhile, the same flight on a commercial jet can run less than $300.
Pelosi campaigned on the promise that she would clean up the GOP’s waste and abuse of taxpayer’s dollars. So why doesn’t she use the little commuter jet that the Air Force lent to Dennis Hastert, the previous speaker?
She said it was “not big enough” to accommodate her staff, supporters and other members of the California delegation. Also, it would have to stop to refuel. “There’s a certain amount of inefficiency and risk involved in stopping and having to refuel,” a Pelosi spokesman said.
Pelosi doesn’t understand why the vice president and first lady rate a bigger plane than she does, when she is two heartbeats away from the presidency.
Maybe she just doesn’t want to fly like the rest of us, enduring long lines and security hassles. On Pelosi’s “Air Force Three,” there’ll be no waiting, no metal detectors, no searches - and the plane leaves when she says it does.
If anything, the Democratic speaker has the Republicans beat on both wasteful spending and elitism. And that takes some doing.
Then there’s the speaker’s concerns about global warming. In flight, the C-32 pumps out 10,000-plus pounds an hour of CO2, the main pollutant that greens finger in global warming. A single round-trip to San Francisco would produce more than 50 tons of pollutants. How can she have her plane and complain about global warming too?
Recently, Pelosi requested a military plane to fly her to a Democratic Party retreat in Williamsburg, Va. - just a two-hour drive from the nation’s capitol. The Defense Department said no. (No word if she took her taxpayer-subsidized SUV instead.)
But it may prove politically risky for the Bush administration to keep saying no. Pelosi ally Jack Murtha chairs the subcommittee that controls the Pentagon’s money. The Washington Times reports that Murtha has telephoned Bush officials, demanding that they give her the plane.
Worse, one source tells me, is what Democrats are reporting of that conversation - the implied threat that Murtha made: You want money for the Iraq war? You better give the speaker her plane.
-end snip-
Yes.
It was good to see him nail her on this.
That would look VERY, VERY bad for the "one" to have to flip flop on his position to align with the dem party when he is the nominee and supposed "leader".
Bottom line is Pelosi and Reid have been waiting for the "one" to change his position on drilling to give them the freedom to move on a vote.
Now that he has "flipped flopped" right after the Congress recesses, that gave him five weeks to hammer out his "nuanced" drilling position probably real similar to McCain and he will be the hero to the American people (moonbats) when Congress reconvenes and passes his plan.
This all a well thought out strategy by the dems to take away the issue of drilling from the pubbies and lock in the election
The only real cost to the dem party is having Pelosi and Reid sporting inanities like "I'm saving the planet"to make the plan work. Since they say inanities on a daily basic, it's no big deal
“They’ll have to use their imagination as to how they can get a vote.....”
Moderating my own comment....
Just curious, where do you keep coming up with this 9% approval rating? I have repeatedly gone to RCP and the national averages have all ranged from 14% to the current 19%, but never have I seen 9%.
Don’t get me wrong, they are truly bad and dislike Pelosi and the Democrats as much as the rest, but let’s be more honest and forthright in how we express reality. It makes us all look bad to be so incredibly ignorant about simple statistics. Lurkers tuning in for the first time will see this as extremist demagoguery and we don’t need that right now.
Can Shanklin channel Bela Pelosi?? "Just my imagination, once again... Running away with meeee..."
I was furious watching Madam this morning. Her snarky little remark about the war dance of the handmaidens of the oil industry just about made me throw something through the tv screen.
I have news for Madam, it’s not just conservatives or Republicans who are getting hurt by the gas and oil increases. The Democrat party has truly lost their collective minds.
You know, I don’t think most Americans understand how Congress works. They are probably scratching there heads wondering how they have representation if their representatives are not allowed to to vote.
Republicans need to nationalize the Congressional campaign, saying that a vote for any Democrat is a vote for Nancy Pelosi to remain in power, and therefore a vote against drilling and lowering gas prices.
Here is my quick version:
(cue music)
Imagine there’s no gasoline
It’s easy if you try
No gas to fill our cars with
above us only pie
Imagine all the people
being left to only die
Imagine there’s no America
It isn’t hard to do
With Pelosi running Congress
there’ll be nothing that we can do
Imagine all the people
Living on the streets
AHHHAAAAA....
This from a woman that is narcissitic enough to IMAGINE that she can ‘save the planet’....lol
That’s two songs that would be good fodder....LOL
Anymore we can use?
He-he-he-he!
I liked it! :)
“Imagine all the people
Living on the streets”
I feel like that is where I am headed. They’re on recess for what? 5 weeks? I’ll have a lot of dough poured down the gas tank during that time. And if a hurricane hits during those 5 weeks, then what? (I just deleted the rest of my comments, using self censorship...)
That was one isolated poll done several weeks ago. The averages is what really matters. Of the 10 most regular national polls, the average as of this week was 19%.
We cannot really keep on saying that because they hit 9% in one Conservative leaning poll a month ago for only a day or so, that they will forever keep a 9% approval rating.
At the same time, (at the time of the poll) the averages said that Americans favored electing Democrats to Congress by a margin of 15% in favor of the Democrats.
Just something to ponder.
Well, let’s hope the voters bring the guillotine to the voting booth in November and cut the heads off the Dems. But of course they won’t—Nancy’s district is full of flaming libs, and I’m sure the idiot Wexler who doesn’t even live in his district will be re-elected too.
Sad, really! Work to oust or repel all liberals—from President to dogcatcher. Our Republic is in danger!!
Wow - While I did not see the program, the transcript shows that Stephy was RELENTLESS in trying to get her to answer. Good job on his part (for once).
All the Representatives are up for re-election this year, as they are every 2 years. A third of the Senators are. This President lifted his father’s ban on drilling with an Executive Order. He has placed all their behinds on the line. Stephanopoulos knows that and is not sufficiently arrogant as to believe, as Nancy does, that the American people are too dumb to notice. The Dem. wins this Nov. won’t be as tremendous/devastating as the Pundits are making out. Steponallofus was trying to save his party.
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