Senate Democrats Plot 'Impenetrable' Path to Victory for Unwritten Climate Bill

[kpete]

Source: New York Times

Senate Democrats Plot 'Impenetrable' Path to Victory for Unwritten Climate Bill

By JOSH VOORHEES AND ROBIN BRAVENDER of ClimateWire
Published: June 25, 2010

Democrats admitted yesterday that they have yet to rally around any of the legislative proposals currently on the table but now believe they know how to use the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to secure the necessary Republican votes once they do.

According to a staff-written summary of yesterday's closed-door caucus meeting obtained by E&E, senators discussed a legislative strategy "more akin to the financial regulatory legislation than of health care, with Democrats bringing to the floor an impenetrable package that Republicans could not roadblock."

Democratic senators declined to discuss the exact details of their strategy after emerging from the hourlong talks. But its basic thrust appears to be a plan to anchor the climate and energy effort to widely popular legislation that would overhaul offshore drilling regulations in the wake of the Gulf spill, and then dare Republicans to vote against it.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/06/25/25climatewire-senate-democrats-plot-impenetrable-path-to-v-66658.html

[felinetta]

1. Sounds good, but I don't trust ANY Repig and I don't trust Dems to not kiss ass Repigs.

[tritsofme]

2. I'd have to call bullshit on this "strategy"

If they have no problem blocking unemployment benefits for families in need, do you really think they wouldn't block oil regulations without even a blush?

[profile this]

4. No to mention

they kept Barton on the Energy committee. They could care less.

[The Hitman]

3. man...

We sure have NO confidence in our party's political acumen. Perhaps for good reason.

[SkyDaddy7]

5. By all means criticize our party BUT...

The Republicans have a monopoly on the media! They have their own cable news channel, they own talk radio and the MSM which is not only corporate driven but scared to death of being accused of being biased toward the left. Plus, as we all got to see with the Rolling Stone's Reporting early this week the MSM was more interested in why a reporter would actually tell the entire truth and risk not having access in the future than they were in reporting the the facts of the interview!

Plus, Republicans know they have 45% of the public already on their side simply because of religious reasons...Then the GOP can easily secure another 5-10% by just saying words like "Freedom" or "Free Markets"...And they know all they have to do is use short sound bites while the Dems know they will have to explain these issues to try & get folks to understand the FACTS!

This is just about impossible for our party to do when it comes to almost any issue!

The public was all for government stepping in to fix health care in this country prior to Obama taking office...Then once the Republicans started with the Communist, Socialist, Nazi government takeover of health care public opinion changed fast! The Republicans never had to sell a alt plan, or explain to the media why Obama was Communist, Socialist, Nazi who wanted to kill Granny, or say anything productive all they had to do was be as childish as possible and a majority of the public bought it! The same applies for every other issue!


So, my point is the Dems have to deal with a public who is extremely religious and prone to believe stupid shit without proof as long as it comes from an authoritative figure or group they already follow...A public that is not very smart when it comes to complex issues and a public that has been brain washed for 30yrs to be scared of the godless, un-American, LIBERAL Democratic Party!

It will take the Democratic Party years of baby steps to the left for the public to start to realize the Dems are not going to turn America into a Communist, Socialist, Nazi country! I think that may be impossible!

I think Obama is doing all he can to take baby steps but even that is showing to be impossible!

[The Hitman]

6. Yeah... But

We still could close rank better. We could have better leadership to make sure the Ben Nelson's of the world arent the deciding votes on legislation which harms the American people.

And we could have more outspoken legislators which call out the Republicans for what they are. See Grayson, Alan or Wiener, Anthony.

[Iowa]

9. Nah, those are just weak excuses...

If done correctly, the country would rally behind progressive ideals. All you have to do is look at Alan Grayson, a progressive kicking ass in a repuke district. It can be done but it takes honor, integrity, passion, and a little courage. In 2008 we were on the cusp of getting it right, and the country was in the mood to embrace it. But at the critical moment-of-truth, Obama did an about face and went with a milquetoast, watered-down, quasi-conservative, weak, half-hearted agenda. Suddenly it was all about bipartisanship, splitting the difference, shitting on the base, and caving on the things that matter most. By taking this tack, he strongly reinforced what the public already believed about the Democratic party, and that has set us back for a generation.

[The Hitman]

10. Maybe not yet...

I wouldn't go that far, about us being set back a generation. Truth be told I think the vast majority of the opposition to obama comes from the over 65 crowd (for a million reasons I'm sure). For example, take healthcare: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/waterloo-health-care-reform-opposition-sinking.php?ref=dcblt. Their days are, biologically speaking, limited. I think Gen Xers and Gen Ys really can't stand republicans after going through the Clinton impeachment and Bush years. Republicans cannot keep pushing further right and get any kind of long-term success. 2010, maybe. But I doubt 2012 (when there is a presidency on the line) and forward.

You're right though about the missed opportunity. Obama was given the kind of opportunity Bush had on Sept. 12, 2001. The huge difference was that Bush was a huge success for his base and so far with Obama, the jury is still out. We dicked around with healthcare for too long when we should have hit the ground running. We've been waffling on immigration, employee fair rights act, and other progressive agenda.

I really hope Grayson runs for Senate or president someday.

[MisterP]

7. viz, they'll jettison everything significant until it's voted in: the successful vote is what's

hailed as a "victory," not anything IN the actual bill

[laylah]

8. Sorry, I have heard this for too

long. I am a born and bred liberal; however, by this time in my life, 59 next Thursday, I have NO confidence that "Senate Democrats Plot 'Impenetrable' Path to Victory..." on anything.

People are on the streets, starving, without healthcare, no jobs, I'm well on my way...my confidence is gone.

There is $ for war, fucking corporations/banks that steal us blind...Enron assholes get a "get out of jail free" card from the USSC (one of many of their anti-American people rulings!), oil companies that destroy OUR Mother Earth, and on, and on, and on, and on! :cry:

jenn

[w4rma]

11. Good. As long as all the DLCers are kept away from the bill's authors. (nt)

[Lasher]

12. Yeah right.

Prolly use a Vulcan mind probe or something.

[ronnie624]

13. "energy independence"

What the hell is that supposed to mean, anyway? We already know we can't meet our own demand in terms of crude production. The only way to become "energy independent" is to stop relying on crude oil as a primary source of energy. If there is no discussion of massive investment in cleaner sources of energy such as wind and solar power, then I'll know there is no serious consideration being given to "energy reform".

[amandabeech]

14. Wind and solar power only help replace oil when they can be linked to transportion.

The link between solar and wind and cutting petroleum usage is either by plug-in hybrids or using the electricity to convert another hydrocarbon to one that can be put in a tank easily.

Unless this bill really focuses on cutting our use of petroleum, as you point out, it won't do anything about the problems inherent in deep water drilling.

Cap and trade simply doesn't have anything to do with oil, but I think that the coal state dems and the repukes are right that cap and trade may very well increase electric bills at the time when that's the last thing we need.

Moreover, cap and trade will come with some sort of market that sharks we bailed, like Goldmine Sachs, Shitty Bank, etc., will make a killing on in the "trade" end of cap and trade.

The fact that the banksters look to make some money on this is the reason that bill will have any life at all. They're not letting a good crisis go to waste!

Meanwhile, jobs and the economy continue to s**k, and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. That means you, Mr. Vice President.