Believe it or not, Nancy Pelosi doesn’t just see herself as a history-making person by becoming the first female Speaker of the House. She’s also given to the belief that it’s her role to save the entire planet:

With fewer than 20 legislative days before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, the entire appropriations process has largely ground to a halt because of the ham-handed fighting that followed Republican attempts to lift the moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration. And after promising fairness and open debate, Pelosi has resorted to hard-nosed parliamentary devices that effectively bar any chance for Republicans to offer policy alternatives.

“I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,” she says impatiently when questioned. “I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse for their failed policy.”

“I respect the office that I hold,” she says. “And when you win the election, you win the majority, and what is the power of the speaker? To set the agenda, the power of recognition, and I am not giving the gavel away to anyone.”

What Ms. Pelosi is saying when she says that she won’t give the gavel away to anyone, what she’s really saying is that she won’t let the representatives vote on drilling in ANWR and on the OCS, something that the vast majority of the people of the United States of America want. In other words, Nancy Pelosi is telling America’s voters that she’ll stand with K Street environmental lobbyists instead of with those that make Main Street work.

That isn’t the only message she’s sending. As usual, Captain Ed captures it perfectly here:

If they can’t even go as far as Reid went in reaching a compromise, the Republicans will have a field day in November.

Though she doesn’t know it, Ms. Pelosi is doing to vulnerable freshmen in swing districts what the DFL did this spring in forcing freshmen legislators from rural district to vote for tax increases that won’t sell in their districts. That message is simple:

We’re throwing you under the bus because ideology (and our lunatic donors) demands it.

If Ms. Pelosi persists in staying the course with this policy position on energy, she’ll either force a revolt amongst rank-and-file House members or she’ll doom them to certain defeat this fall. I said before that I didn’t think that she was “in danger of losing her speakership…yet.” If Ms. Pelosi persists with her obstructionist ways, I don’t think it’ll take long for the people to turn on her and the Democrats either running for re-election or who are challenging GOP incumbents.

Let’s also examine the role money will play in those congressional elections. We’ve heard that the DCCC’s fundraising prowess is widening the playing field and giving them opportunities for additional pickups. I’m not buying that. I recall two elections in Oklahoma in 1992 and 1994 where the Democrat outspent his GOP opponent by a wide margin, something in the neighborhood of 7:1 or 8:1. While the Democrat incumbent won in 1992, it was only by a 52-48 like margin. The Democrat lost in 1994 even though he outspent his GOP challenger in a remath by an even wider margin.

In other words, there are exceptions to the rule that the one with more money wins. It’s my belief that this year’s elections will be decided by who’s on the right side of the energy issue, not who has the bigger bankroll.

In fact, I don’t think it’ll help this fall being linked to someone who’s “trying to save the planet.”

Technorati: Gas Crisis, Nancy Pelosi, Savior, Environutter, Drilling, K Street, Main Street, Election 2008

Cross-posted at California Conservative