This is only one skirmish in a long battle. Sometimes when you know you can’t win a skirmish, your goal is to inflict as much pain on your opponent as you can.
This bill was going to pass, whether or not 8 Republicans voted for it or not. Pelosi would have gotten the number of Democrats she needed-Democrats are team players. But what the Republicans did was to give 8 Democrats the luxury of voting NO who perilously might have had to vote YES if they absolutely had to. There were probably even more Democrats who would have preferred to vote NO, but Pelosi needed their votes, so they had to sacrifice. That’s where the damage was inflicted.
Dozens of Democrats are going to have this vote hung around their necks in 2010. All for Madame Pelosi to prove to Obama she could deliver the goods.
House Republicans knew no matter how the vote turned out, this bill was not going to pass in the Senate. In fact, Democrats knew that as well. But Pelosi made everyone go on record for or against. It was way, way closer than she wanted, despite her gloating. She also has had to give away the farm to way too many of her colleagues.
Below is my reply to my congressman’s vote:
I am absolutely infuriated with your vote on the clean energy bill. At a time when most Americans are already struggling to make ends meet that you would vote for this legislation that will put all of us into a deeper hole is just incomprehensible to me. I promise that my support for you has just evaporated and I will do all in my power to work toward your defeat in the next election and to work toward the defeat of anyone else who voted for this bill. When are you going to represent the people who elect you and listen to what we want?