Posted on 06/24/2009 7:24:01 PM PDT by neverdem
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is moving forward with a floor vote on climate change legislation this week even though many Democrats are undecided on the controversial bill.
Pelosi’s gamble to schedule a Friday vote is one of the riskiest moves she has made as Speaker. There are at least eight Democrats who are firm “no” votes, while many others are on the fence (see chart page 14).
In an indication that Democrats lack the necessary votes to pass it on their side of the aisle, Pelosi and other party leaders have met with centrist Republicans seeking their support.
Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) — in coordination with the White House — decided on Monday night to file the bill with the Rules Committee. That surprise move has set up a vote-counting showdown by the end of the week.
Democratic aides said leaders had been building up to this decision as they monitored negotiations between Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) over the weekend.
At press time, Waxman and Peterson emerged from a meeting with the Blue Dog Coalition and announced that they reached an agreement.
“We have something that I think works for agriculture,” Peterson said.
The crux of the deal is a concession from Waxman to allow the Department of Agriculture — not the Environmental Protection Agency — to develop and monitor offset and land use provisions the legislation creates.
Waxman said he would not only retain the votes of the environmentalists, but also gain votes from those who represent the agriculture community.
“I think we will have the majority necessary to pass the bill,” Waxman said.
The Energy and Commerce Committee chairman said he would still be speaking to members of the Democratic Caucus to convince wary Democrats to vote yes.
“I’m going to continue to talk to members who’ve heard negative things about this bill from groups who are now going to support the bill,” he said.
Hoyer on Tuesday morning said, “If we didn’t have agreement and we didn’t have the votes, then we probably wouldn’t go forward.”
On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is taking steps to avoid friction from senators from farm states on climate change (see related story).
The climate change battle in the House is unique because Pelosi usually has to lean on liberals or centrist Democrats to get the votes she needs on hard-to-pass legislation. But the cap-and-trade measure has attracted skepticism from both factions.
Reps. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), who are members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), say they are not yet sold on the bill.
A vote-counter for the CBC, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) explains that his colleagues are “reluctant to give a firm commitment until they can be satisfied that it will not disproportionately affect minority families.”
“It’s hard … in these economic times for us to say, ‘Bite the bullet’ and have higher utility bills in the winter and the summer,” Clay told The Hill.
Butterfield is calling on President Obama to become move involved.
“Now it’s time for the president to become more vocal, because he has a tremendous gift of communication and he needs to communicate with the American people,” Butterfield said.
Expected “no” votes from Democrats include Reps. Jason Altmire (Pa.), John Barrow (Ga.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Artur Davis (Ala.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Charlie Melancon (La.), Mike Ross (Ark.) and Gene Taylor (Miss.).
Democrats who are undecided or on the fence include Reps. Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Travis Childers (Miss.), Walt Minnick (Idaho) and Tom Perriello (Va.).
Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.), who is running for the Senate, backs the House bill while Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), who is being targeted by Republicans, also supports it.
Republicans are anxious for the battle on the floor. The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out a fundraising letter on Tuesday stating, “Cap-and-trade is nothing more than a tax which starts accruing the moment you flip on your light switch. This ‘light switch tax’ will raise energy costs by hundreds of dollars for the average family and between 1.8 and 7 million American jobs could be lost.”
Most Republicans will reject the climate bill. Rep. Mary Bono Mack (Calif.) was the only GOP member on the Energy and Commerce Committee to back it.
Reps. Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) are undecided on the measure.
The League of Conservation Voters, an environmental group that is an active player in political campaigns, stated on Tuesday that it would not endorse any member of the House who opposed the climate bill.
Michael M. Gleeson and Jim Snyder contributed to this article.
another hissy-fit moment for madame speaker. Can’t wait for her implosion.
If I may, I’m glad to see Walter Minnick on that list. Democrat, yes but a man with a good deal of common sense. He also voted against porkulus.
Any republican that votes for this monstrosity should be thrown out of office and waterboarded for 10 days.
You are aware that Nanzi had a closed meeting to set this so she could bring it to a vote on Friday...
TAKE ACTION!
Here are numbers to call ASAP.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Tole free capital switchboard number are below.
800-828-0498
877-762-8762
List of all congressmen here and their individual phone numbers
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html
When are we going to stop putting up with the Dems antics? Everytime something important comes up; they stick something in like the Sanford deal; when they feel like they are losing ground. We are not yo yos.
The State (SC liberal fishwrap) had Sanford’s emails to his “querida” last December. They were holding this one in reserve, no doubt.
Dang socialists.
As if a socialist Department of Agriculture will be somehow more realistic than a socialist Environmental Protection Agency...
I venture there are at least 30 dims who won't vote for this without GOP cover...just a couple of GOP votes could sway them to vote for this "non-partisan compromise".
You have to give the Dems credit. When they decide it is time for an update to our vocabulary to delete Global Warming and add Climate Change it happens in the wink of an eye. Global Warming is dead. Long live Climate Change. They are very, very good at manipulating our language. Of course if I owned 99% of newspapers and 99% of the TV stations plus Hollywood I could probably do the same thing.
Deal sends global warming bill to House floor
Global warming on Free Republic
Any Republican who votes Yes w/ Paloser is a fool and deserves to be defeated. The Mid-Term Elections are in only 16 months. Voters DO remember that long!
Thanks for the numbers & link!
Tried emailing these people and found that several have new websites designed by the House of Reps. You can’t email to any representative. Only to your own. Wasn’t that way recently when I was able to email almost any without problem & without seeing this new screen.
thanks neverdem.
Sun spot cycle impacting global warming and cooling
examiner.com | June 21, 2009 | Kirk Melhuish
Posted on 06/24/2009 5:22:12 PM PDT by neverdem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2278797/posts
White House (Obama’s) War On Science [Council on Bioethics firings]
IBD Editorials | June 24, 2009 | Investor’s Business Daily
Posted on 06/24/2009 5:16:34 PM PDT by WhiteCastle
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2278793/posts
Anyone who votes for this is committing sedition.
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