Wu Wooed Underage Girl?

Let's jump in to the Wayback Machine for a minute and recall a Congressman from Oregon who was behaving so erratically during a re-election campaign that staff members quit and went home. That man was David Wu and now we may finally get some of the details of what was really going on back then...

From the Oregonian:

A distraught young woman called U.S. Rep. David Wu's Portland office this spring, accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter, according to multiple sources.

When confronted, the Oregon Democrat acknowledged a sexual encounter to his senior aides but insisted it was consensual, the sources said.

The woman is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. She apparently did not contact police at the time.
...
Sources who talked to The Oregonian agreed to speak only on condition they not be named. They offered information about the alleged incident independently, and each said they had direct knowledge of its details.

Two people with knowledge of the recording and the later conversation with Wu said the alleged incident took place over Thanksgiving weekend. Sources said they were told that the woman went outside and Wu left after her. The sexual encounter followed, they said.

Two sources said the woman believed there was not enough evidence to press charges. There were no witnesses, and it would be her word against a seven-term member of the U.S. Congress.

The alleged incident raises new questions about Wu's behavior during the 1st District congressman's re-election campaign last year. According to staff at the time and emails from the period, he behaved so erratically that staff avoided scheduling him for public appearances and ran a campaign that relied heavily on advertising. Shortly before the Nov. 2 election, senior staff quietly shut down the campaign office and sent other campaign workers home.

How will Democratic leadership handle this? Will they man the barricades as they did for Rep. Anthony Wiener? Or will they quickly distance themselves and call for investigations and resignation? Only Nancy Pelosi and her plastic surgeon know for sure...

Of course, all accused are innocent until proven guilty; but when there is this much smoke, there has to be a fire.

Hat tip: Don Surber

Is a Weiner Always a Weiner?

In the case of Anthony Weiner (DEMOCRAT, NY), member of the House of Representatives, the answer is....Maybe. Here is the latest:

Rep. Anthony Weiner, embroiled in a bizarre controversy over a lewd photo of a man’s crotch sent to a young woman from his Twitter account, said Wednesday it’s possible the photo is of him – though he insisted he didn’t send it. A day earlier, the New York Democrat and potential New York City mayoral candidate had sought to end the embarrassing episode by refusing to discuss it, at one point angrily calling one reporter a “jackass.’’

On Wednesday, he reversed course and spoke to NBC’s Luke Russert. He was expected to speak with CNN later in the day. The video is here.

“I was the victim of a prank,’’ Mr. Weiner told NBC, adding that he can’t say “with certitude’’ whether the photo shows his body.

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
OK, he can't say whether it is his genitalia or not? Come on now. OK, this tells me that this clown A) has taken pics of it B)has had someone else take pics with it or C) doesn't know if someone has taken pics of it. Gee, which is worse? Good lord, democrats are sick and twisted, and not just on their plans for the US economy.

7:36pm Update

Weiner hints he might have adult pictures....from RCP:

"I can tell you this, that there are -- I have photographs. I don't know what photographs are out there in the world of me. I don't know what have been manipulated and doctored and we're going to try to find out what happened. But the most important reason I want to find out what happened is to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Obviously somebody got access to my account. That's bad. They sent a picture that makes fun of the name Weiner. I get it. Touche."

Actually, when I think of Rep. Weiner I think of a word that is spelled like touche, only with a different beginning.....

Rangel: More Charges?

It would appear so. Can't we just get rid of this guy already? He is a disgrace to New York, the US House, and public servants in general. From the NY Post:

The Federal Election Commission is investigating a complaint that Rep. Charles Rangel improperly used his National Leadership PAC to fund his legal defense on ethics charges for which he was censured Thursday, The Post has learned.

The FEC is acting on a complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center filed after The Post reported last month that Rangel paid nearly $400,000 from his PAC.

Lawmakers are only allowed to use money in their individual campaign funds for legal fees, or they can set up legal defense funds for such costs.

Rangel appeared before the House Ethics Committee last month saying he could no longer afford legal counsel after already burning through $2 million.
The center expects to file a second complaint this week contending that Rangel's PAC money included at least $195,000 in donations from lobbyists with business before the House Ways & Means Committee, of which he is a member.

Yesterday, the Harlem pol said he's ready to put the incident behind him.

This guy didn't take his censure seriously. He took it with defiance. This guy needs to go. If the voters in his own district aren't smart enough to realize what a crook he is, then he needs kicked out. Frog marched, preferably.

New House Leadership Preview: Slicing and Dicing Appropriations Bills

Someone bemoans government gridlock. Gridlock means less spending. From Politico:

The plans include slicing and dicing appropriations bills into dozens of smaller, bite-size pieces — making it easier to kill or slash unpopular agencies. Other proposals include statutory spending caps, weekly votes on spending cuts and other reforms to ensure spending bills aren’t sneakily passed under special rules.

I love this. However, there are many in both parties that won't. To wit:

On some level, their plans may create a sense of organized chaos on the House floor — picture dozens of votes on dozens of federal program cuts and likely gridlock on spending bills. And don’t forget that a lot of these efforts will die with a Democratic-led Senate and a Democrat in the White House.

But the intent is to force debate as much as to actually legislate — and make Old Guard Republicans and Democrats uncomfortable with a new way of thinking about the size and scope of government.

And some clowns who should no longer be in office think this is a bad idea and that John Boehner doesn't understand how hard this will be:

“John should talk with the professional appropriators about the complexities, rather than talk off the top of his head. His plans would take a huge amount of the House’s time, but what would it accomplish?” said a dubious former House Republican member of the Appropriations Committee who spoke on condition of anonymity.

To this clown I say, SUCK IT! Better to have more chaos and more discussion than more bad laws and more debt.

From the "Couldn't Have Said it Better" File

We have this video from the floor of the House. Here is the text of the situation:

Monday, the presiding speaker was California's Democratic Rep. Laura Richardson.

When Indiana Republican Rep. Steve Buyer sought recognition to speak for....
...five minutes about some pending veterans legislation, she said no. He revised his request to one minute.

Looking confused and taking verbal directions from someone off-camera, Richardson again denied the request.

Buyer persisted, growing outraged that one sitting representative was highhandedly refusing to recognize another, even for one minute. "This is why," Buyer declared, "the American people have thrown you out of power."

1. COMPETENCE matters! You don't even know why you aren't letting the guy speak. Talk about a "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" moment. 2. Why not let him speak? I thought this was "the people's House.

DOCUMENT: House Democrats Health Care Bill

I wanted to get this document out there so that folks could start reading this bill for themselves...

House Dems Health Care Bill

UPDATE: For a long laundry list of the horrors that are contained in this thousand-page-plus stinker, read here.

Boehner on Biden's Ohio Visit While Congressional Dems Push for Energy Tax

Statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement today regarding Vice President Biden’s visit to the economically hard-hit Toledo during the same week in which congressional Democrats plan to bring a devastating national energy tax for a vote in the U.S. House that could destroy American manufacturing jobs:

“Vice President Biden’s trip to an area of Ohio that’s been devastated by job losses the same week that congressional Democrats plan to bring a national energy tax up for a vote proves that the Administration and Speaker Pelosi’s House are both sadly out of touch with the American people. The new energy tax is a massive job-killer that will hit Ohio during one of its worst times. With unemployment at a record-breaking 10.8 percent and the state hemorrhaging jobs, the Vice President should tell Ohioans how the Administration plans to stimulate the private sector to create jobs instead of making the federal government bigger and more intrusive.”

NOTE: Vice President Biden is traveling to Toledo for a meeting of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families. The theme of the meeting is “Promoting American Manufacturing in the 21st Century.” An analysis by the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) shows that Democrats’ new national energy tax will cost 2.5 million jobs and force consumers, small businesses and other employers to pay higher energy costs. An analysis by U.S. House Agriculture Committee Republicans indicates that ratepayers in the 92 rural electric co-ops in Ohio will pay $37 million more for electricity during the first year of Democrats’ national energy tax; ratepayers in the four rural electric co-ops in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District will pay $2.3 million more in that first year.

Democrat to Introduce "Paid Vacation Act" AKA "Let's Have the French Economy" Act

When I saw this hit Drudge's Twitter feed, I had to check it out... Apparently, the Democrats aren't done wrecking our economy and now want to force small businesses to give away free vacations.

From the Politico piece:

Rep. Alan Grayson was standing in the middle of Disney World when it hit him: What Americans really need is a week of paid vacation.

So on Thursday, the Florida Democrat will introduce the Paid Vacation Act — legislation that would be the first to make paid vacation time a requirement under federal law.

The bill would require companies with more than 100 employees to offer a week of paid vacation for both full-time and part-time employees after they’ve put in a year on the job. Three years after the effective date of the law, those same companies would be required to provide two weeks of paid vacation, and companies with 50 or more employees would have to provide one week.

The laugher comes in what this guy thinks the legislation will do...

The idea: More vacation will stimulate the economy through fewer sick days, better productivity and happier employees.

“There’s a reason why Disney World is the happiest place on Earth: The people who go there are on vacation,” said Grayson, a freshman who counts Orlando as part of his home district. “Honestly, as much as I appreciate this job and as much as I enjoy it, the best days of my life are and always have been the days I’m on vacation.”

Puh-leeze... Yes...the ecomy will get stronger if we all just take a vacation......

And who is going to pay for all of this vacation time, you might ask? That's right...all this economy stimulating through taking time off will raise prices on just about everything. Inflation is FUN!

Just another unfunded mandate to kill jobs and our economy from the folks who want to turn us in to France: the Democrats.

Oh, the France bit...

One more if-you’re-reading-this-then-you’re-probably-not-on-vacation fact: The United States is dead last among 21 industrial countries when it comes to mandatory R&R.

France currently requires employers to provide 30 days of paid leave.

We all want to be like France...right? Uhh...no.

Luxury Trips: Hypocrisy, thy name is Congress

Congress is upset about luxury trips. They are ticked off. Well, maybe they should monitor their own trips (read: Pelosi, Nancy):

The U.S. Senate last month passed a measure limiting “luxury” spending for corporate travel by recipients of federal bailout funds. Two weeks later, about two dozen senators of both parties left town for political meetings on the Florida coast.

Hotel-industry leaders are seizing on those trips as ammunition in a campaign to get lawmakers and Obama administration to tone down the rhetoric against business travel, which they say is adding to their economic difficulties.

“It’s just the hypocrisy,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who is president of the Washington-based American Gaming Association, one of the groups urging politicians to moderate the criticism. “We’ve got to have Washington stop beating up on us.”

On March 11, hotel executives including Jonathan M. Tisch, chairman of New York-based Loews Corp., which operates a chain of 18 hotels in North America, Bill Marriott, chairman of Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott International Inc., the biggest U.S. lodging chain, and Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a unit of Burbank, California-based Walt Disney Co. that operates its theme parks, met with President Barack Obama and three Democratic senators to express their concern.

Cancellations

The executives said the political attacks are having a broad effect on their business, even though the restrictions are intended to apply only to recipients of federal bailout money, and cancellations have been increasing as the rhetoric heats up.

“We’ve seen companies cancel meetings last minute, leaving 100 percent on the table just to avoid criticism and ridicule,” said Frits van Paasschen, president and chief executive of White Plains, New York-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the third-largest U.S. lodging company, who attended the White House meeting.

“We’ve also seen meeting planners move meetings from resort locations to city locations, at a greater cost to their companies, again, for optics’ sake,” he said.

A preliminary survey by the U.S. Travel Association, a Washington trade group, suggests the hotel industry suffered about $1 billion in cancellations in January and February. Las Vegas has been hit especially hard, losing more than $131 million in non-gambling revenue in recent months.

On March 18, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that spending on travel and tourism fell 0.4 percent in 2008, the first yearly decline since 2001. Spending on accommodations fell 10.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Think about all the people who work in the industry who lost money, or their jobs, due to layoffs and cancellations. I thought Obama and the Dems cared about the little people. Remember Obama and Hillary spending all that time in Vegas during the primaries. Maybe Barry was learning bracketology instead of the needs of people in the hotel and travel industry. Typical liberal, talking one thing and doing another.

But wait, there is more:

The political rhetoric “has a terrible sense of McCarthyism about it,” said Laurence Geller, president and chief executive of Chicago-based Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc., which owns 19 properties, including the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Geller didn’t attend the Washington meetings.

Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who heads the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, sponsored the amendment to the $787 billion stimulus package that requires companies receiving funds from the Troubled Assets Recovery Plan to curb “excessive or luxury expenditures,” including spending on events and private jets.
Over the weekend of Feb. 27, two weeks after the Senate passed the measure, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party fundraising arms for Senate candidates, each held their annual winter meetings in Florida.

Naples Fundraiser

About a dozen Democrats, including Dodd, 64, gathered at the Marriott-operated Ritz-Carlton resort in Naples, Florida. Donors who gave at least $15,000 were invited and offered a “coastal view” room at the group rate of $469, according to the Democrats’ invitation.

Yes, Chris Dodd again, the Countrywide scam man.....This idiot should be frog marched to Leavenworth for all he has put America through. He is a scumbag and a disgrace to his state and his country.

Seriously, to both parties, I know we have all but thrown the Bible and God out of our governance, but there is this amazing verse which talks about worrying about the plank in your own eye before you judge the mote in your neighbor's eye.....you might want to check it out...it also has instruction on how to be a good steward of others' money....it might be useful...really....

Latta on H. Res. 5

Release:

WASHINGTON- On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed H.Res. 5, a rules package for the 111th Congress which limits the amount of debate legislation will receive. Specifically, H.Res. 5 eliminates the ability to highlight key policy differences during floor debate. After voting against H.Res. 5, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) made the following statement:

“It is disheartening on the first day of session in this new Congress that the Democrat majority has already enacted a rule to make the legislative process more partisan and less transparent. This rule will impact spending bills that Congress will consider by eliminating the opportunity to provide policy alternatives, as the Democrat majority is silencing the will of the minority to allow opposing opinion and debate. With government spending at an all-time high and a deficit approaching $1.2 trillion, spirited debate should be fostered to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely.”

States Bailout

I first heard this crazy idea referring to California, but now I'm seeing that other states may try this trick too. That's right, sports fans, now the states want Bailouts. And those wacky House Democrats are planning to give them $500 Billion...

At least two Republican governors -- Rick Perry of Texas and Mark Sanford of South Carolina -- are opposed.

You can put me down in the AGAINST IT column...

It is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure that the states balance their budgets. I see that absolutely NOWHERE in the Constitution of the United States.

Don't get me wrong, I love infrastructure (sooner or later, it matters!) [That was an IBMer joke...], but that's not supposed to be provided for by federal tax dollars. And I have no beef with Medicaid either...I just don't think it is something that the federal government ought to bailout either.

I'm going to pick on our old friend George Voinovich for a second... He is fond of rattling off the numbers on the national debt, but here we are -- once again -- throwing good money after bad and running up the credit card bill of our children's children and nobody is willing to draw the line.

Governors Perry and Sanford lay out the case against it far better than I have, but suffice it to say: I strongly oppose yet another Bailout to yet another FAILED enterprise. Big Government does NOT need a Bailout.

Boehner on Card Check

I have two items to pass along on this topic...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today highlighted the irony of House Democrats’ use of a secret ballot process to select the Chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee for the 111th Congress – a right they support taking away from workers during union elections in the workplace. Earlier this week, the powerful chair of the House Rules Committee, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), expressed relief to Congressional Quarterly that today’s caucus-wide Energy & Commerce Committee vote would be determined by secret ballot, noting, “It’s a secret ballot… Thank the Lord.”

Boehner issued the following statement:

“President-elect Obama and Democratic leaders have expressed a desire to govern from the center, and if they do we will work with them on behalf of the American people. However, an overwhelming majority of Americans strongly oppose their plan to end secret ballot rights for our nation’s workers, and rightly so. Killing secret ballot rights in the workplace may be a priority for the special interests that have placed Democrats in charge of Washington, but it is not in the best interest of workers – or our democratic system.

“Earlier in this Congress, 228 House Democrats voted to expose workers’ votes in union organizing elections to everyone – their employers, their co-workers, and union bosses. Today, those very same Members are enjoying secret ballot rights that Americans have come to take for granted in a hotly contested race for a powerful Committee chairmanship. What message does this send to workers across our country?

“The secret ballot election is a cornerstone of our American democracy. If it is good enough for House Democrats to rely on during today’s high-stakes vote, shouldn’t it be good enough for millions of American workers across America who value their workplace privacy? House Republicans will stand firmly against the decidedly undemocratic card check – and strongly for democracy in the workplace.”

NOTE: Union elections have been monitored for decades by the National Labor Relations Board and decided by a secret ballot vote. At the beginning of the 110th Congress, however, House Democrats passed the cleverly-titled Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800), which would establish a “card check” process through which union organizers and bosses gather authorization cards purportedly signed by workers expressing their desire for a union to represent them.

Card checks notoriously leave workers vulnerable to coercion, pressure, and outright intimidation and threats – from either the management or the union side of the election. President-elect Obama and House Democratic leaders supported the bill during House and Senate votes last year, in spite of the fact that nearly 90 percent of Americans oppose it. More information on today’s ironic vote can be found on the Education & Labor Committee Republicans’ website.

Washington Times: "Boehner: GOP firmly against 'card check'"

House Republican Leader John A. Boehner said Democrats' use of secret ballots to chose its leadership was ironic because the party wants to nix workers' rights to a secret voting in deciding whether to unionize.

"The secret ballot election is a cornerstone of our American democracy," Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Thursday. "If it is good enough for House Democrats to rely on during today's high-stakes vote, shouldn't it be good enough for millions of American workers across America who value their workplace privacy?"

He vowed Republicans would stand firmly against the Democrat's "card-check" legislation - dubbed the Employee Free Choice Act or EFCA. It would allow organizers to unionize a workplace by gathering enough singed cards rather than the current process of employees deciding by secret ballots.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, says a card check would not take away workers' right to a secret ballot. Instead, it would guarantee that when a majority of workers want a union, they get a union.

"Both majority sign up 'card check' and secret ballot elections already exist under current law," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said. "But in current law employers can decide whether or not workers can use the card check process. EFCA would transfer that choice to the workers, so if they prefer the majority sign-up they can have one, and their employer wouldn't get to veto that option."

Enacting the card-check law is a top priority for organized labor and the unions are confident it will be passed by the Democrat-led Congress and signed by President-elect Barack Obama, a top AFL-CIO lobbyist told The Washington Times this week.

"I have no doubt it will pass and will be singed," AFL-CIO government-affairs director William Samuel said in an exclusive interview.

Mr. Obama and House Democratic leaders supported the bill during House and Senate votes last year.

Critics of the card check process say it leaves workers vulnerable to coercion and intimidation from either the management or the union organizers.

Mr. Boehner highlighted House Democrats' use of a secret ballot Wednesday in deciding a bitter showdown between two Democratic titans - Rep. Henry A. Waxman of California and Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan - over control of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

House Democratic Caucus voted 137 to 122 to install the fiercely liberal Mr. Waxman and outs Mr. Dingell, whose close ties to U.S. automakers and the utility industry had put him as odds with the environmental agenda of Democratic leaders, including Mrs. Pelosi.

Mr. Boehner noted that Rep. Louise Slaughter, New York Democrat, earlier in the week expressed relief her vote in the Dingell-Waxman conflict would not be public. "It's a secret ballot, thank the Lord," she told Congressional Quarterly.

"Killing secret ballot rights in the workplace may be a priority for the special interests that have placed Democrats in charge of Washington, but it is not in the best interest of workers or our democratic system," Mr. Boehner said.

Culture of Corruption Update

A federal court of appeals upheld the charges against Rep. William "Cold Cash" Jefferson (D-LA) yesterday which clears the way for a trial of this corrupt official to begin.

Coverage from the AP, Reuters, CQ Politics and The Hill.

I'd have to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure that the Ted Stevens (R-AK) thing came up AFTER the Jefferson story broke... I suspect that this Democrat is dragging this thing out as long as possible. Interesting to also note that while many Republicans -- including members of leadership -- have called for Stevens' resignation, there has been a resounding silence on the part of Democrats on this issue. (Granted, the Stevens trial is over and now on to appeal...but I recall GOPers calling for Stevens' head long before the trial was over)

VIDEO: "Taking Your Money"

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) released "Taking Your Money," an ad contrasting Democrats' plans for a $300 billion "stimulus" and Boehner's rapid economic recovery plan that provides tax relief to families to help with high costs of living and to small businesses to help them create more jobs. For more information on Boehner's plan, visit freedomproject.org.

SCRIPT FOR “TAKING YOUR MONEY” AD:

“Don’t the Democrats think anyone is paying attention?

“First, their leaders said there was NO problem at Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

“Then, when the bottom fell out, they just pointed fingers.

“Now, these same Democratic leaders want to redistribute your money.

“$300 billion dollars in new spending.

“Why would we ever do that?

“Republicans have a real economic plan. And, it won’t cost you $300 billion dollars.

“It’s time for real leadership.

“The Freedom Project is responsible for the content of this advertising.”

Boehner: Dems' $150 Billion "Stimulus" Scheme "Irresponsible," Outlines Alternative

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today dismissed a plan by Democratic leaders that would spend $150 billion in taxpayers’ money in the name of economic “stimulus,” and instead proposed an alternative approach that would encourage economic growth and job creation through tax relief, increased energy production, and other reforms.

Boehner called the Democrats’ spending plans “more of the same: an irresponsible, business-as-usual approach that has earned this Congress the lowest approval ratings ever recorded in the history of modern polling.”

“Our constituents are not looking at the mess in Washington or Wall Street and asking the federal government to take care of other governments. They are not asking for a one-term accounting fix to Medicaid, or pork-barrel spending masquerading as ‘stimulus,’” Boehner said. “They’re asking for reforms that create good jobs, lower energy costs, and allow our employers to compete. They are asking for a real economic growth package that lets them keep more of their own paychecks – and creates new American jobs at the same time.”

Instead of passing the Democrats’ $150 billion spending scheme, Boehner said, Congress should take immediate steps to help America “turn the corner toward real economic growth” through action on a series of GOP-backed reforms, including enactment of a comprehensive, job-creating “all of the above” energy plan; tax relief and reforms to bring American jobs back home and encourage home purchases; suspension of the capital gains tax to encourage investment; lift the current $250,000 cap on FDIC insurance and insure 100 percent of checking and savings deposits (all transaction accounts); suspending minimum withdrawal rules to spare investors from being forced to sell their stocks at just the time when the market is hurting the most; and other reforms.

Here is the letter:

10-13-08 Boehner Letter to Pelosi - Upload a Document to Scribd

VIDEO: "What Just Happened?"

An Incomplete List of Things More Important to House Democrats Than Energy

Here are a few items that the United States House of Representatives did today...

H. Res. 1383: recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria

H. Res. 1307: commemorating the Kingdom of Bhutan's participation in the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

H.R. 5683: to make certain reforms with respect to the Government Accountability Office, and for other purposes

H.R. 6168: to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 112 South 5th Street in Saint Charles, Missouri

H.R. 6169: to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15455 Manchester Road in Ballwin, Missouri

Yep...the Do-Nothing Congress is back in session renaming post offices and commemorating other countries while doing absolutely NOTHING about American energy...

Pelosi Playing Games With Energy Debate

This comes as no surprise to regular readers of these pages, but Speaker of State Nancy Pelosi is playing politics with the energy issue. She is deliberately making it so that Democrats who are feeling the heat can look "independent" by denouncing her and the majority's refusal to address the situation that has Americans in a bind.

What does this Politico story really mean? It means that Republicans are actually winning the war of ideas on this issue and House Democrats know it.

Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- had this response to the news that Democrat leadership was playing politics: “My message to Democratic lawmakers is this: if you’re really for increased American energy production, then prove it by putting it in writing. Sign the discharge petitions House Republicans are circulating that will force votes on energy legislation Speaker Pelosi refuses to bring to the floor. And sign onto the American Energy Act, our ‘all of the above’ plan to increase conservation, innovation, and American energy production, instead of doing the Speaker’s bidding by voting against bringing it to a vote. If you aren’t willing to put it in writing, you’re fooling no one. You’re siding with the Speaker of the Drill-Nothing Congress and radical special interests that favor higher gas prices, at the expense of energy-strapped American families.”

My guess is that these Democrats will continue to stick their necks out for Speaker Pelosi. And it just might actually be their undoing...

By the way, former Speaker Newt Gingrich will be joining the House Republicans tomorrow. This is one of the few issues in which Newt has been right in quite some time. There has been lots of reaction to that news:

“In the House chamber and across the nation this week, House Republicans are standing united with the American people in protest of Speaker Pelosi’s decision to send Congress home for five weeks without a vote on increased American energy,” said Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH). “More than 1.4 million Americans have signed a petition demanding that Congress pass legislation to lower gas prices and increase production of American-made energy. Tomorrow, former Speaker Newt Gingrich will join House Republicans in the Capitol to present a message on behalf of these Americans and their families as our nationwide protest continues, joining [Reps.] Mike Pence of Indiana, Tom Price of Georgia, and others who have courageously led this GOP uprising on the House floor. Newt’s presence and support will further energize this unprecedented nationwide effort as we continue to call for Congress to give the American people a vote on increased American energy.”

“Millions of Americans have been forced to permanently suspend their vacation plans this summer thanks to the prohibitive cost of fuel. All we’re asking is that Democrats temporarily suspend theirs so we can finally have the debate on energy the American people expect and are frankly shocked we haven’t had,” said Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO). “Having former Speaker Gingrich lend his time and support to this campaign represents a tremendous boon to that effort. It also provides a stark contrast to the ‘lock-it-away’ position on American energy the current Speaker of the House continues to advocate – even as our dependence on Middle East oil grows more dangerous and severe by the day.”

“American families are crying out for relief at the pump, and Democrats have adjourned the House for a five-week recess,” Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-FL) said. “Tomorrow we will welcome Speaker Gingrich to help continue this unprecedented, coast-to-coast effort to shine a spotlight on the Democratic Congress’s failure to hold an up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act. This legislation does it all, and to solve America’s energy crisis, that’s exactly what we need to be doing. The American people support House Republicans’ ‘all-of-the-above’ energy solutions in overwhelming numbers. Speaker Pelosi needs to call Congress back from its five-week recess and hold the up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act and let the will of the House prevail.”

“It is fitting the leader of the first Republican Revolution now returns to support this Republican Revolution for American energy security and independence,” said Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI).

“This fight will not go away until Speaker Pelosi allows an up-or-down vote on energy legislation that relieves the back-breaking burden on our citizens,” said Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX). “It is ridiculous to walk away from our critical work at a time like this for five weeks of vacation. The chairs where Democrats should be seated are now filled with everyday Americans who have come to the House Floor to listen and respond to the Republican call for greater supplies of American-made energy. This is a vote that must occur. I am proud that tomorrow former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be joining this effort here in Washington, and I also salute the Republican congressmen and women scattered across the country working tirelessly to force a vote from Speaker Pelosi.”

“We are in the midst of a genuine energy crisis, and we need an all of the above energy policy to get out of it,” said Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Rules Committee Ranking Republican. “That means energy alternatives like wind and solar, as well as more domestic energy exploration. The American people want us to take action, and Speaker Pelosi is standing in the way. I applaud my colleagues and former Speaker Gingrich for keeping up the fight for more American-made energy.”

VIDEO: "Son of a Beach"

Freedom's Watch let's 'er rip in this one:

RELEASE: Space Deciding Vote to Adjourn for August

This just in...

Space Chooses to Leave Washington without Passing Meaningful Energy Policy

Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) today voted with his liberal leadership for a five-week vacation instead of staying in Washington to pass legislation that will help lower soaring gas prices. Liberal Democrats barely won the vote on a resolution to adjourn (H.Con.Res 398) with a final vote of 213-212; 17 Democrats joined with House Republicans to continue working on behalf of the America people.

Dailey for Congress Campaign Manager Sean Bartley issued the following statement:

"Zack Space today showed his true colors by voting with his liberal leadership instead of in the best interests of the 18th Congressional District. In voting to leave town for five weeks, Space has made clear that he is more beholden to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barack Obama than committed to lowering our rising energy costs here at home. The 18th Congressional District deserves a representative who will put them first."