Daschle says he will vote for energy bill

[Karmadillo]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-11-19-daschle-energy-bill_x.htm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is ready to support the broad energy bill and will oppose attempts to scuttle it by a filibuster, one of the senator's aides said Wednesday.

The decision casts doubt on whether opponents can succeed in blocking the bill through a filibuster over a dispute involving the gasoline additive MTBE, which has been found to contaminate drinking water supplies.

A spokesman for Daschle, Dan Pfeiffer, said the South Dakota senator will vote for ending debate on the bill, overcoming a filibuster, as long as senators are given time to adequately debate the legislation.

Republicans hope to finish the bill and send it to President Bush before the end of the week. The House passed the energy legislation by a wide margin on Tuesday.

more...

[Rose Siding]

1. MAN is HE undependable or what???!!

I just can't figure him out.

They can "debate" all they like. No amount of amendments can clean this dog up.

[Cocoa]

2. damn

I like defending Daschle, but this makes it hard.

There seems to be a glimmer of hope for a filibuster despite him, but this really sucks.

[salin]

10. my sentiments, exactly

I try to support him - and recognize his often quiet strength - and the difficulty of dealing with the GOP dominated House and WH. But this? Ettu, Tom? You really think that making your state subject to california style energy gouging will make you a popular guy? You really think that the GOP is going to ease up on you in the election because you support this (and thus the ethanol bribe/er provisions)? They are going to slam you one way or the other.

Long term this bill will have as serious reprecussions as the 1996 telecommunication acts (in terms of breadth of profound changes that will likely result.) Bah!

[JaySherman]

3. Tom Daschle =

The epitome of what's wrong with the Democratic Party today. Dems are never going anywhere with people like him calling the shots. No wonder so many people accuse Dems of being indecisive and spineless. In a wholesale housecleaning, he'd be first out to the trash on the curb.

:mad:

[notadmblnd]

32. I think people like him are really republicans

that have infiltrated the democratic party and work to undermine anything positive the democrats try to do.

[La_Serpiente]

4. FIRE THE MO' FO'

I say put either Feingold or Schumer in that spot!!!! Get the corporate DLC pigs out of there NOW!!!

[Lorien]

9. I second that

Call your reps in the morning-and call Daschel's office! :grr:

[Cocoa]

16. Daschle is not in the DLC

and if you think Schumer is not corporate, you are at some point going to be disappointed.

[mth44sc]

5. Senator Ethanol Subsidy

sold out for corn...

[papau]

11. correct on corn - but "debate" on this slows down Medicare

vote counting - if less than 41 for energy bill talk down - a cloture that is forced is a bit of a disaster.

[PurityOfEssence]

13. Yep. Grain alcohol and rainwater, Mandrake.

What price re-election?

Perhaps he can buy enough lack-of-ill-will in his state to survive, but if there's any ascendency to the Democratic Party, he richly deserves a permanent back bench.

To think that this is the state that gave us George McGovern. To think that the Democratic Party in South Dakota was literally created by George McGovern's own hard work and tireless legwork.

Sad.

Ya know what, though? This is Clinton thinking. I'm beginning to think that Clinton's damage to the party was even greater than I thought: by dragging the party to the center, he didn't lessen the hatred from the monarchists, he just whetted their appetite. The reward for dragging the party to the right is that the right goes even farther to the right and continues to try to drag the rest of the country with it.

Arrrrrgh!

[Endangered Specie]

6. Typical of him

Spineless. He reminds me of the tiny dog in cartoons, always looking from guidance and trying to please the big one (Republicans). "Yeah boss, yeah yeah yeah, ok boss, your the boss, I'll do what you say boss, yeah yeah boss, whatever you say boss"

[La_Serpiente]

7. Haven't we heard this statement lately?

Daschle says:

Earlier in the day, Daschle made known his support of the bill in an interview with a Yankton, S.D., radio station, WNAX, in which he said that while the legislation wasn't perfect, it was good news for ethanol and other renewable fuels.

Sounds like AARP talking points. Daschle and Landrieu, you have both sold us out. Shame on YOU!!! Finally, we get an opportunity to have Republicans on our side and there you go making deals with the devil. Even Durbing knows he couldn't support it.

Durbing. Kennedy. And all the other Republicans. YOU CANNOT SUPPORT THIS BILL!!!

This is my top priority right now. Medicare is number two for me.

[Khephra]

8. Cockroach!

.

[burrowowl]

Cockroaches

are smarter than that, they want us around for snack food.
Jeeze, with legislative types like Dash, who needs enemas?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

39. lovely

and constructive too. :eyes:

[Dover]

12. Actually, Daschle has been very consistent......

He votes with the Republicans every time. In fact many leading Dems do. Why are people still responding as though they are surprised? It couldn't be more clear if you're willing to see...

[meisje]

19. people here like to be outraged

some people even post the same reply to a lot of posts

[Leilani]

14. Energy Bill

I can't believe he did this; I counted at least 6 Reps who are voting against this including: McCain, Kyl, Gregg, Sununu, Snowe & Collins. Also, Chafee is probably a NO.

PS MY FIRST POST!!!!

[salin]

18. I agree with you - very disappointed - esp with the repubs ready to

support a fillibuster. Bah!

Btw, welcome to DU :hi:

[Leilani]

29. Thanks for the Welcome!

Needed to share my frustrations with Bush & Co. with others!

[Military Brat]

26. Welcome to DU Leilani!

eom

[Leilani]

28. Thanks !

Glad to be here!

[frank frankly]

15. he has to go

he has to go

he has to go

he has to go

[frank frankly]

17. i mean, this POS is our LEADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????

he can go fuck himself
:wtf:

[leesa]

20. Oh Gee, what a surprise. Daschle (R) votes against the US.

[CTLawGuy]

21. stop White Flag Dems

Vote Howard Dean '04. He'll make us proud to be Dems again.

[Karmadillo]

22. Earlier Daschle said he had "very grave concerns". What changed?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/58012/1/.html

<edit>

Looking ahead to Wednesday's Senate debate, Minority Leader Tom Daschle said he too had "very grave concerns" about the bill.

"It does almost nothing to increase energy security, energy independence. I'm troubled that it doesn't provide for the protection for consumers that we all felt we wanted. I think it weakens environmental protections," Daschle said.

end

[Gloria]

23. Well, I have to add "Call Daschle" to my list tomorrow...I was planning to

call Pelosi to praise her for setting the defeat of the Medicare bill as Dem policy..

Now, I'll have to call Daschle and give him hell...


TOLL FREE

1-800-648-3516

[wabeewoman]

24. Where have all the democrats gone??

I can't believe this. Next he or some other democrat(besides Miller) will be supporting the drug bill and medicare privatization. Between this and the dems who stood up with bush for the war, its no wonder we have no opposition party. Its time for Daschle to step down.

[Rose Siding]

34. Many are fighting the good fight

only to be sold out by "leadership"

[Military Brat]

25. Sometimes I wonder if they've got naked pics of Daschle

Probably taken while he was on the operating table when the GOP docs were removing his spine. I'm sitting here thinking, "WTF???"

[mbperrin]

27. Could not agree more!

The damage this bill will do to the water is virtually irreparable!

[dusty64]

30. OK, its REALLY

time for some new "leadership" here. We all know the bill contains plenty of pork for his state, but at the cost of killing our citizens and Planet. I know they all have a price, but come on. This corporate welfare plan was created in secret and our regime is willing to go down before they will EVER release documents re: the closed door energy meetings. Many of us have speculated as to what went on in those meetings and consensus agrees this plan, the Iraqi war, and 9/11 are all linked with what happened there. A coalition of repubs and Democrats are lining up to stop this nasty plan and our "leader" is side by side with cheney to shove it through.

Enough is enough, with the exception of stopping a handful of extremist "judges" what has been accomplished by Daschle? I hope he wins reelection to his Senate seat, but he needs to step down from his leadership role. If only the truth were known of this giveaway I'm sure it would be considered a plus to kill this. I guess some can be bought cheaper than others. Sad, pathetic, and disgusting.

[CheshireCat]

31. Daschle has to go!

WE do not need the spineless Dems who can be bought off or care more about their own relection than the needs of the American people.

I have overlooked the harm Daschle has done in the past, but this is the final straw. He needs to go!

[ramapo]

33. Another nail in the coffin

So that's another lousy major bill that the Dems have caved on. Prescription drugs is right behind it.

The corporate payoffs can't be delayed. There's enough in there for everyone.

What was it that Nader said about there being no difference between the parties?

[w4rma]

35. *REPUGS* were breaking ranks! Daschle you idiot. (n/t)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

36. Is drilling ANWR in this bill?

I generally support Tom (unlike most here), but what are the really bad things in this bill?

[Rose Siding]

37. No

He must be going for the shortsighted carrot of ethanol. The other SD dem was already on board. It will be interesting to see how Harken comes down. I can't believe that they've actually got anything worked out in this bill for the small corn farmers, though.

Ethanol's ok- don't get me wrong- but only as part of a bigger pkg that doesn't favor big energy so outrageously.

[dusty64]

40. Here is just one reason

the plan stinks. No Arctic Refuge drilling is not in this bill.




Energy Bill Could Upend Suits Filed Over a Gas Additive


By CARL HULSE

Published: November 16, 2003


ASHINGTON, Nov. 15 — The Authors of sweeping energy legislation made public on Saturday said they believed they had assembled a balanced measure that would win Congressional approval, even as the proposal faced new criticism over its benefits to oil companies.

In a decision that surprised advocacy groups following the measure, a provision protecting producers of a gasoline additive blamed for groundwater contamination was made retroactive to Sept. 5, potentially disrupting a number of actions to recoup cleanup costs that have been filed since then in New York, California, New Hampshire and elsewhere.

Robert Gordon, a Manhattan lawyer who has filed some of the cases involving the additive, MTBE, said the bill neutralized the kind of product-defect claim that has been the most successful argument used against the producers. He said he and others were stunned by the Sept. 5 date, saying it would throw into question lawsuits he has filed since then on behalf of 100 local governments and water companies seeking cleanup money.

"It hurts us tremendously and really threatens the ability of any town and village to clean up the mess," Mr. Gordon said.

The provisions for MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, were promoted by Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, and Republican Representatives Billy Tauzin of Louisiana and Joe L. Barton ofTexas. Both states are home to MTBE producers. The MTBE deal was tied to a plan to replace that substance as an additive to make cleaner burning gasoline with corn-based ethanol, which would see its use rise to 5 billion gallons annually by 2012. That ethanol initiative was a top priority of Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the Senate Democratic leader, and Midwestern lawmakers of each party.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/politics/16ENER.html?th

[BuckeFushe]

38. Self-serving vote pandering

I am disgusted. It's time to replace Daschle as Minority leader. This bill is nothing more than a huge "thank you" to the oil cartel. Daschle should be ashamed to put his personal interests before the interest of the country. He is nothing more than a Zell Miller clone.