Throughout the energy debate, Democrats have called the Republicans’ plan to Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less some derogatory names. Sen. Obama called it a scheme. Speaker Pelosi called it a hoax in this article. Here’s how Speaker Pelosi tried justifying Democrats’ refusal to allow a vote on drilling in ANWR and on the OCS:
That hoax is unworthy of the serious debate we must have to relieve the pain of consumers at the pump and to promote energy independence.
Proof that the Republicans’ persistence is paying off came last night when Larry King interviewed Speaker Pelosi. Here’s what she told Larry:
“They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas,†Pelosi said. “We can do that. We can have a vote on that.â€
She indicated such a vote would have to be part of a larger package that included other policies, like releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which she said could bring down prices in a matter of days.
“But it has to be part of something that says we want to bring immediate relief to the public and is not just a hoax on them,†Pelosi continued.
Friends, that’s what election year fear sounds like. The Democratic leadership has ridiculed drilling from the minute the debate began. The Democratic leadership has said drilling won’t bring down prices until a decade down the road. The Democratic leadership has said that the Republicans’ protest is proof that Republicans are owned by Big Oil. (Nevermind the fact that Democrats are owned by the Environutters.)
There’s a bigger issue involved in this debate. Haven’t Democrats, especially Pelosi’s leadership, shown a greater loyalty to K Street lobbyists than to Main Street citizens? Isn’t it fairly easy to make a pretty strong case that Democrats place a higher priority on pleasing K Street to keep the campaign contributions flowing than it is to help blue collar workers?
When Politico.com reported that Speaker Pelosi told vulnerables to do whatever they needed to get re-elected, Republican Leader Boehner jumped on the opportunity, challenging Democrats to prove their sincerity by signing a discharge petition mandating a vote on the American Energy Act.
We should be doing the same thing now. Republicans should challenge Democrats to sign the discharge petition for the AEA to prove that they put a higher priority on Main Street than on K Street. The message should be that there are no free lunches on this issue. If Democrats want credit for supporting drilling, it’s gotta be more than talk. If Democrats want voters to believe that they support drilling, then Democrats must actually support drilling by voting for it.
Putting pressure on Democrats is changing the dynamics of this election. Sen. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, changed his position on drilling 3 times in one week. Now the Democrats’ pit bull Nancy Pelosi is changing her tone.
If Ms. Pelosi wants to prove her sincerity about drilling, she should return to Washington and start laying the groundwork for voting on the AEA. We’ll know that the Democratic leadership isn’t serious if they keep doing what they’ve been doing, which is nothing.
Talk is cheap. Now it’s time for Democrats to prove that they’re sincere. If they refuse, then voters should remember that Democrats’ allegiance is to Nancy Pelosi and their K Street friends, not to the people that make America great.
Technorati: K Street, Main Street, Nancy Pelosi, Democrats, Discharge Petition, Drilling, American Energy Act, Republicans, Election 2008
Cross-posted at California Conservative
