August 5, 2008
Petition to 'Call Back Congress'
Eric Cantor (R-VA) is sponsoring a website where you can sign a petition to urge Speaker Pelosi to call Congress back in session in order to vote on an energy package to include offshore drilling:
Simple, and straight to the point.
We, the undersigned, believe that gas prices are too high. Speaker Pelosi has closed Congress for a five-week paid vacation, without taking any action to lower gas prices. We, the undersigned, have a simple demand: Call Congress Back, Madam Speaker!
Nice video on the site of what House Republicans did on Friday after the Democrats went on vacation and GOP congressmen railed against them going out of town without voting for gas price releif.
It won't do any good, of course - not with President Bush playing it safe and refusing to cooperate by calling Congress back into session. In fact, perhaps Cantor should have included the president as a target of this petition since he has also become an obstacle to getting anything done.
BTW - this is a very smart political play by Cantor to get out ahead of this issue with the base - especially since he is apparently on McCain's short list for running mate.