Why Congress Is On Vacation

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, if he was capable of encapsulation, would say it in one word: fear:

August is here and it's a time each year when many American families go on vacation. But if you're like many Americans, you're crunching the numbers and realizing this year's vacation won't be like recent years past. The cost of gasoline and its spillover effect on the price of food -- and, well, everything else -- has left your family with less money to spend. That's why over half of Americans are reconsidering taking vacation this summer to save money.

Incredibly, despite so many Americans skipping vacation this summer because of the high cost of gas, Congress left for a 5-week paid vacation without doing anything to address the soaring cost of gas and diesel. This inaction is unacceptable to the American people, many of whom can't afford a vacation this year.

There's one way you can fight back and send a message to Washington:  Join more than 1.4 million Republicans, Democrats, and independents who have already signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition. This simple idea will allow us to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, lower our gas prices, and prevent our hard earned dollars from funding countries lead by radical dictators.  You can sign the petition by clicking here.

Since American Solutions started the petition drive two months ago, President Bush lifted an 18 year-old executive ban on offshore drilling. Congress will now be forced to decide whether they want to renew the ban against domestic drilling, which is set to expire on October 1. If we stand together, Congress won’t  be able to ignore the will of the American people.

Our new goal is to collect two million signatures to present to the Republican and Democratic Conventions at the end of August, which will force Congress to take action on this critical issue. Please join the millions of Americans united to demand action from Congress by signing the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition by clicking here.

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich
General Chairman
American Solution

Congressional Donks are scared.  They're scared of their environutter base; they're scared of facing an electorate angered at their callous indifference to the inflationary energy costs they have inflicted on it through their slavish obeisance to the aforementioned environutters; they're scared of being caught in the middle with no real way out other than what the Republicans stupidly allow them.

And right now it doesn't look like GOPers are going to oblige:

“Republicans will not rest until we have an honest, up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act,” Boehner wrote in the memo written by Republican leaders. “To that end, we request that you contact the Whip’s Office and indicate any time you may have available to come to Capitol in the coming weeks. We specifically request that you indicate your availability for any days during the next two weeks, August 11th through 22nd, as soon as possible.”

Republicans began their protest on Friday, as the House went into its August recess. Through a handful of members, Republicans have been able to continue rounds of speeches on the House floor ever since. 

The plan now seems to be to continue taking to the House floor every weekday until at least the start of the Democratic Convention, which kicks off on August 25.

On the Senate side, future Majority Leader Jim DeMint (R-SC) has thrown down the gauntlet and, along with Representative Jeb Hensarling, is counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds to Energy Freedom Day:

Follow the link.  Sign the petition.  Vote the environutter bitches out, and put the grown-ups back in.

Strike a blow against the REAL "culture of corruption":

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently called congressional Republicans who want up-or-down drilling votes “hand maidens of the oil companies.” Let’s call Pelosi what she is: House [whore] of the Big Wind [pimps].

Though she seemingly backtracked on labeling drilling a “hoax” this week, Pelosi refuses to consider GOP energy proposals that don’t include massive government subsidies for so-called eco-alternatives that have never panned out.

Which brings us to Madame Speaker’s 2007 financial disclosure form. Schedule III lists “Assets and ‘Unearned Income’” of between $100,001-$250,000 from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. — Public Common Stock. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) is a natural gas provider founded by T. Boone Pickens. Yep, that T. Boone Pickens — former oilman turned wind-power evangelist whose ads touting a national wind campaign are now as ubiquitous as Viagra promos.

Needless to say, wind is not a "source" of energy.  Nor is it "renewable," because until somebody invents weather control technology - which I'll wager will require a whole lot energy to operate - we cannot generate wind other than the metaphorical variety so emblematic on Capitol Hill.  Which means that when there's no wind, there's no energy, and in order to turn the windmill blades, energy has to be used that is generated from a dependable - which is to say, fossil fuel-based - source.  And that's not "clean," dontcha know.

Double-M hilariously explains why windmills are such an appropriate symbol of Donk anti-energy policy:

Fittingly, the environmental mascot of the Democratic National Convention — the showcase of their alternative energy approach — is an eastern Colorado wind turbine propped up with Democratic carbon-credit funds that has never produced any substantial energy because of its chronic equipment malfunctions.

So if wind "power" is the ultimate dry well, just how does ol' T-Bone possibly think he's going to turn a profit from this boondoggle?

Do you really have to ask?:

Naturally, the Pickens Big Wind plan is proudly endorsed by Do-Nothing Pelosi’s friends at the obstructionist Sierra Club. Through another company, Mesa Power, Pickens has committed upward of $12 billion in wind farms on the Texas panhandle. CLNE and Mesa Power are separate entities, but what benefits one piece of the Pickens puzzle benefits them all. The wind venture, as Pickens himself acknowledges, depends on permanent federal subsidies. [emphases added]

And guess who has a big, fat, personal financial stake in making sure he gets those permanent federal subsidies, which genuine energy freedom would render superfluous?  So much for "saving the planet" and malevolent classist crusading against "Big Oil"; Granny McBotox just wants to line her purse, like everybody else; but she doesn't want to do it honestly, via the free market, but by sucking it out of the back pockets of thee and me, like every other greedy Democrat.

As recently as two months ago, I would not have believed it, but Senator DeMint is right - the Democrats ARE overconfident.  Perhaps "vacation" is a concept that the vulnerable members of Speakerette Funbags' caucus had better be getting used to.