Senate GOP wary of shutdown

The Hill ^ | 09/11/08 | Manu Raju

[Delacon]

Senate Republicans are resisting calls to shut down the government if Democrats try to keep a longstanding offshore drilling ban intact.

Despite the party’s election-year rallying cry that expanding offshore drilling would lower high gas prices and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, several GOP senators said holding up a must-pass continuing resolution (CR), which may include an extension of the drilling ban, is not yet in the calculus.

“Obviously, there will be an interest for getting a vote on drilling in the CR, but it’s not going to lead to any dramatic event,” said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), an adviser to the GOP leadership.

Republicans have bad memories of the 1995 government shutdown that resulted from a bitter fight between a GOP-led Congress and President Bill Clinton over the federal budget. And several GOP lawmakers worry that a shutdown would further damage their prospects in congressional races or drag down their presidential candidate, John McCain, just weeks before the November elections.

“Those politics are pretty well-known,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.). “No one in our caucus that I know of is seriously even uttering the word ‘shutdown.’ ”

House Republicans, who spent the August recess pounding Democrats for keeping the offshore drilling ban in place, have threatened to hold up the CR, which both Congress and President Bush must approve to keep the government operating past Oct. 1.

The growing political pressure from the GOP and conservative Democrats seems to be paying off.

House Democratic leaders reversed course Wednesday and unveiled a compromise bill that gives states the authority to allow oil and gas drilling 50 miles off their coasts. The bill is likely to pass the House next week, but its prospects for winning Senate approval and Bush’s support are grim.

House Democrats have signaled they will not include a drilling ban in the CR, either. But their leaders are leaving themselves room to put that language in a final version.

Senate Democrats have not settled on a strategy for the CR yet, according to leadership aides.

First they are setting their sights on a series of energy votes scheduled for next week, including a measure supported by 20 senators that would allow four Southeastern states to authorize new offshore drilling off their coasts and open up new lands in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for oil exploration.

Prospects seem slim for approval of any of those measures.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Thursday that Democrats’ suggestion of allowing only three energy votes would not pass muster with the GOP.

“Is this just an opportunity for members to have a cover vote — to vote for something knowing it never becomes law?” he said.

Kyl said the GOP has not yet considered holding up the CR if Democrats don’t allow additional Republican energy proposals to advance.

Forty Senate Republicans have signed on to a letter by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), saying they would “actively oppose” any attempts to extend the offshore drilling ban.

But a number of the signatories say signing the letter does not mean they would vote to block a CR and shut down the government to win the energy fight.

“It does not mean that there is a desire to necessarily shut down government, but just a desire to show we want [the ban] lifted,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).

DeMint sees it differently. He said Democrats would suffer the repercussions of a government shutdown because, he said, the public is on the GOP’s side in the fight over gas prices.

“Any Republican would be foolish to vote for a ban on energy after this issue has been so front and center,” DeMint said.

[Paladin2]

Shut it down. W will be blamed anyway.

[Beagle8U]

I'm stuck with Karl “Marx” Levin and Debby Stabyanow.

They have never even answered any letter of mine on anything.

[econjack]

Aw, gees...just when I thought the GOP finally had found a pair of stones, this comes along...

[devere]

“The problem with a shutdown is that the MSM ALWAYS sides with the Dems and will hammer Republicans daily for pulling the plug on government services”

Whoever listens to the MSM is already voting for the Rats. Should we govern the country to please the MSM?

[Roklok]

If the ban on offshore drilling is extended, Bush needs to grow a pair and veto it. If he can’t grow a pair maybe he can borrow some from Hillary.

[Delacon]

This actually would be the best way for this to play out. Bush should announce that he will veto any CR that extends the drilling ban. Dems don’t want this battle during election season with the real possibility that the republicans could retake the house. Pelosi and Reid are already trying to find cover for those whose seats are in jeapardy. A veto thread would force all those dems to come out and state where the really stand on the ban. Just threatening to do it will keep the ban extension out of the continuing resolution. But the Prez won’t do it unless republican senators and congressmen put up a good fight.

[Roklok]

Bush needs to put the country first on this. It is a national security issue. What does he have to lose. He is not going to be running for any public office again.

[DouglasKC]

Bush should just veto the bill. Then address the nation saying that the Democrats have sent a spending bill to his desk that extends the moratorium on offshore drilling. Explain that he had to veot it is dangerous for the American economy and National Security.

Yep, he can shoulder all the blame himself since he's not up for re-election. He can provide cover for the Republicans in the house and Senate and he can stick it to the dems at the same time.

[shove_it]

“Those politics are pretty well-known,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.). “No one in our caucus that I know of is seriously even uttering the word ‘shutdown.’ ”

That's my fearless Senator ~ NOT!

FLORIDA PING!

[USS Alaska]

Bush should just veto the bill. Then address the nation saying that the Democrats have sent a spending bill to his desk that extends the moratorium on offshore drilling. Explain that he had to veto it because it is dangerous for the American economy and National Security.

Amen, Kansas Woman.

On another topic, I took a red marker and made myself a "S {red lips} RAH" tee shirt and just wore it to a local bar. Most of the patrons are demonRATs, but the women loved it and the men were awe struck to see how the women reacted.

SARAH is a real season changer, kinda like the Pats losing Brady {but in reverse}.

[KriegerGeist]

"I'm stuck with Karl “Marx” Levin and Debby Stabyanow."

I feel your pain. I transplanted from Michigan to Virginia in 1973. Now we have Jim Webb of Lies He Weaves and the retiring RINO John Warner.

The candidates: Jim Gilmore (R) is for drilling and Mark Warner (D) is against. Although, Mark Warner is still favored to win due to the "blue-ing" of Virginia and Jim Gilmore is not all that popular.

We hope and we pray that this whole drilling, gasoline, diesel prices, heating oil prices and Mark Warner's going along with Obama's higher taxes will turn the race around in favor of Jim Gilmore.

[ridesthemiles]

IMO, it isn’t just the removal of our dependence on other countries for crude oil- those who like us and those who do not.

It is the fact that the MONEY we send all over the world to buy crude that we can produce here is the issue.
That money will life our own economy, provide new jobs in all phases of the oil/gasoline petrochemical business.
The cost of gasoline should come back down dramatically, and that helps every household in the USA.

That is an array of jobs from the dirt drilling operation to the white collar office and sales jobs.
What don’t the Liberals and Environazis get in the country?

We have a perfectly good product that we can use, right here, and it eliminates the problems of long distance ship transport and the changes in leadership in countries that can blackmail us.

[LibLieSlayer]

martinez is behind in his polling bigtime. He will usher in another dim no matter what he does. Senator Amnesty jerk-face, loser!

LLS

[FlingWingFlyer]

You’ve said it all. I’m with you.

[neverdem]

Well what the senate needs are some more calls...from us. The ban on offshore oil drilling is set to expire October 1st as it always has. It gets renewed yearly though by democrats attaching it to an appropriations bill that if blocked would shut down the government. I say shut it down.

I disagree. These calls should not be to all Senators. We need a tangible campaign issue. The economy is being hamstrung by the high cost of energy, thanks to the dems. Tie the high cost of energy to the donkeys on Nov 4. Isn't the GOP defending at least 22 seats in the Senate?

[GOP-PeekaBoo]

Use this as a campaign issue this fall - Vote Republician

[Delacon]

“We need a tangible campaign issue.”

ND, we’re talking shutting down the government. As campaign issues go, you can’t get more tangible than that.

[neverdem]

ND, we’re talking shutting down the government. As campaign issues go, you can’t get more tangible than that.

What happened the last time the GOP shut down the government? Clinton was re-elected.

Americans blame GOP for budget mess

Overall, Americans blame the Republican leaders in Congress more for the recent shutdown of the federal government, not President Clinton.

[singfreedom]

We need a SERIOUS energy policy that allows us to maintain our energy supply even when hurricanes threaten Texas and Louisiana!! The sooner Nazi Nan gets that through her empty head the better. This is absurd. Every time a hurricane, earthquake, or any other disaster, natural or terrorist made (God forbid!), threatens one source of energy, prices sky rocket nationwide. It just is not sound national security policy!

AMEN to your suggestion! I am looking up my Senators’ phone numbers as I type. If it means a “shutdown”, a “shutdown” it is!!

[singfreedom]

You beat me to it! I posted “almost” the same thing a bit further down the thread. LOL! You know what they say about great minds........

Perhaps the more we say it the faster they will get the message!