GOP Rejects Pelosi's Energy Proposal

By Rick Moran

Well that didn't take long.

After reporting yesterday on Nancy Pelosi's desire to develop a comprehensive energy bill instead of an up or down vote on lifting off shore drilling restrictions, the GOP immediately saw through her transparent attempt to make the bill so poisonous some in her own party could never vote for it and have rejected the idea outright:

Republicans lambasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) energy plan Saturday advising her to "get out of the way" if she was not going to accept GOP solutions to the energy crisis.

In her Saturday radio address Pelosi announced that Democrats would consider opening up parts of the outer continental shelf for drilling as a part of a broad new energy plan that will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

[snip]

Republicans soundly rejected Pelosi's proposal - indicating it was too little too late.

"Madame Speaker, we ask you to work with us to help Americans feeling pain at the pump by developing more American energy," said Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). "If you refuse, we simply ask you get out of the way and allow us to help the people that sent us here.They understand how flawed and out of touch your caucus is on energy issues, and so do we."

Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) added, ""There is no better, more qualified spokesperson for the Democratic Party's failed energy policies than Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

Will the public pick up on the nuance? They usually don't which means Pelosi will probably get away with her little fictions about giving the GOP a chance to vote on drilling. You can be sure that will be the way the press spins it anyway.

All the Republicans can do is continue their protest. But with prices at the pump easing slightly, the sense of urgency is diminishing. The GOP must find a way to ratchet up the pressure on Pelosi or there will be no energy bill at all in the fall.