Bush rejects far-right lawmakers’ request for a special session

August 4, 2008

How do you know for sure when House Republicans have gone completely over the edge? When the Bush White House looks responsible and mature by comparison.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) sent the president a letter on Friday, asking Bush to use his authority to convene a special session of Congress. “Since Speaker Pelosi has decided not to keep the House in session to allow this vote to take place, we urge you to use the power vested in you by the Constitution to convene an immediate energy special session of Congress,” the letter said.

Today, the White House responded.

The White House has rejected calls from House Republicans that it convene a special session of Congress on energy, saying it wouldn’t make a difference.

“We don’t have plans to call Congress into session — it won’t make a difference if Democratic leaders are unwilling to bring up a bill for an up-down vote,” said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

I think Fratto meant to say, “It won’t make a difference if coastal drilling won’t lower the price of gas.” He must have been confused.

In any event, House Republicans are nevertheless spending the day trying to make the House of Representatives look even more ridiculous than usual.

The protests continued Monday, with several House Republicans speaking on energy from the House floor, despite the fact that the House has adjourned and C-SPAN is not televising the proceedings. Cameras are not allowed in the House without the Speaker’s permission. […]

About 20 House Republicans re-launched their floor action after a short press conference where no questions were taken. The speeches to visitors and staff in the House gallery began at about 10 a.m. Monday.

In an attempt to build momentum and steer more listeners into the chamber, GOP leadership staff sent e-mails to colleagues encouraging them to bring their tours to view the protest. […]

Members said they planned to continue their floor action through this week and possibly through the month, depending on member participation.

Some especially unhinged lawmakers have taken to comparing their protests to the Boston Tea Party. Seriously.

One of the enduring questions of modern politics is whether conservative Republicans actually believe their own nonsense. They are, especially in a case like this one, either hopelessly confused or shamelessly dishonest. Or possibly just plain crazy.

I’m just not sure which is right here. I’m open to competing arguments here, but my guess is House Republicans look at drilling as a life-preserver. They don’t actually believe any of their own rhetoric here; they’re just latching on in the hopes that they’ll have something compelling to lie to voters about before Election Day. It looks like a Democratic year, especially in the House, and if drilling can keep this cycle competitive, Republicans will milk it for all its worth.

The alternative, of course, is that they’re foolish enough to buy into their own b.s. That seems considerably scarier.

“Consider a congreeman, then consider an idiot. Ah, but I repeat myself.”
Mark Twain, 1874

Some things never change. Always good to be reminded that my great-grand-uncle who worked for Harry Truman was right: “The only ‘good Republicans’ are pushing up daisies.”

  • Are they handing out Obama tire gauges?

    How long before they’re just thrown out?

  • I think Fratto meant to say, “It won’t make a difference if coastal drilling won’t lower the price of gas.” He must have been confused.

    I think he meant — didn’t mean to say, of course, but still — is that when the Democrats get equal time on the issue, it’s a political loser for the Republicans, the Party of Big Oil.

  • From the Think Progress link:

    Today, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) brought to the floor a “large garish photo” of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) with the words, “I am trying to save the planet” written beneath it.

    Yes! Once again Steve King moves back into contention for the nuttiest congressman. See, CB, I knew it wouldn’t take long for him to outdo Bachmann!

  • I think foot-stomping on the Congress floor (a la British Parliament) should make a comeback. I’m not suggesting fist-fights, because I’ve a feeling Nancy Pelosi can knock-out any given Republican rep in under five seconds. Wouldn’t be fair.

  • I think they actually believe their own nonsense. Remember how many people posting to this blog have reached similar conclusions about Republican ideology – that it’s a faith-based rather than a reasoned view of problems.

  • The just don’t want to have to go home and maybe get a substantive question from their constituents.

  • Some especially unhinged lawmakers have taken to comparing their protests to the Boston Tea Party. Seriously.

    I don’t remember hearing anywhere that the “Sons of Liberty” who threw British tea into Boston Harbor were getting money from the company bringing in the tea.

  • SteveT, good comeback ^5.

    I could have told them there was no way in hell W would call Congress back for an emergency session. He’s got the opening ceromony of the Olympics to get to, he’s got to do some “Presidentin’ there. And then the most vacationingest of vacationing Presidents needs his month plus in Crawford, there’s bruuuush to be cleared.

  • Dee Loralei is right, the biggest slacker ever isn’t about to cancel a vacation.

    Bush: “Sorry, pals, you’re going to have to be pointless without me.”

  • What I don’t get is this republican obsession with energy self sufficiency. If that’s code for more oil produced in the US, then that’s crap – the US of A is not an island alone afloat on some great ocean.

    Any oil that’s drilled in the US is going to be sold on the world market – at world market prices. So what if off shore drilling nominally/theoretically will reduce US dependency on foreign oil to 0 (zero) percent? Doesn’t matter, or at the very least only matters a tiny bit.

    The oil will be sold on the world market, at world market prices. US consumers will by same oil at world market prices.

    The only way more local US production could in any significant way stave off the impact of rising prices … tadaaaaa!!! … would be if the US Government chooses to nationalize all US oil. Now that sounds awfully like some Chavez’y socialistic thing to me, but basically that’s what the republicans (subconsciously) are proposing: Nationalizing US oil. It’s the only way their message makes any sense what so ever.

    Energy self sufficiency makes a lot of sense if we’re talking renewable sources, like wind, wave or whatever. But oil? No sense at all. If it’s about oil, you might as well push for more drilling in Siberia. Of course, that’s probably not going to do a lot of good to Exxon et. al. …

    Why isn’t any1 hitting them hard with this?

  • Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) sent the president a letter on Friday, asking Bush to use his authority to convene a special session of Congress. — CB

    As if it weren’t bad enough that, while Congress is taking a break, Bush can’t do the same (and clear him some brush at Crawford), because he’s gotta be stumping for Ted Stevens in Alaska before flying to Beijing for some lessons in governmental spying on its own citizens… Here they come, wanting him to *work*, in DC, in *August*, for Pete’s sake… Morons.

  • The Republicans want the Democrats to stay stuck in DC and not campaign back home and raise money.

  • Bush knows better than to call a special session. Doing so would open the Constitutional “Pandora’s Box” of having the President and the two chambers of Congress disagree on the timing of being in session, with the only Constitutional result being for Bush to “unilaterally adjourn the Congress.”

    If he adjourns them now, they can “sit pat” until January—and effectively put the blame for there being no Congress in session squarely in the laps of Bush and the GOP.

    No Congress means no extension funding for Mr. Bush’s war, or Mr. Bush’s faith-based programs, or Mr. Bush’s profit-mongering agenda. He can’t fund them himself; he still needs that “rubber stamp.”

  • It’s pretty simple calculus: The Democratic congresspeople need to get back home during the recess to start up their reelection campaigns. The House GOPers, on the other hand, knows that there’s no way in hell they’re retaining their jobs… so why bother running?

  • Ole said:
    Why isn’t any1 hitting them hard with this?

    The American people are desperate. They have bought houses ‘way out in the far suburbs because they were told it was a safe investment. They bought huge SUVs because they believed the needed to keep their children protected. And now they can’t afford their adjusted-rate mortgage payment, their job may disappear, their employer is making them pay more for their health coverage and gas is $4.00 per gallon.

    People are looking to grab onto any hope. Those who believe more drilling will help with gas prices are like the people with cancer who took laetrile in the 70s. They have to believe it will work because that’s the only hope they have left.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetrile

    And as usual, the Republicans are cynically exploiting the portion of America that’s least able to help itself.

  • Hey! I want one of those tire gauges. Where can we get those? As long as the Republicans are buying them and handing them out for free. I don’t care whether I check the air in my tires with a Republican phallic symbol, as long as it’s costing them money.

    Let’s all request one… because we believe in their honest representations.

    They’re too dumb to realize that by handing out tire gauges, they’re actually endorsing Obama’s suggestion. If they wanted to make a point; they should have handed out mini oil platforms to support McCain – making sure it’s greasy and leaky, and stains your shirt.

    LOL

  • Jack McCafferty on CNN called the Rs out on this this afternoon, paraphrasing: The Republicans were in charge of the House from 2000 until 2006, and on energy policy they did nothing. Now they’re all up for re-election, along with a third of the Senate and they’re getting angry letters from their constituents. So they resort to this political stunt.

    I love Jack… 🙂

  • Bush wasn’t going to call congress back and miss out on a vacation. The oil crisis is no where near on the same level as the importance of cutting short his vacation to fly back to Washington to sign a bill to Teri Shiavo.

    That was soooo much more important.

  • Bruno: “They’re too dumb to realize that by handing out tire gauges, they’re actually endorsing Obama’s suggestion.”

    Touche, Bruno and Obama should use this in his speeches – John McCain and his campaign apparently agree with me that we should use tire gauges to keep our tires properly inflated…

  • Is Boehner bawling his eyes out yet…”When are we gonna take ’em on …the drills.”

    I’ll be so glad when we get rid of these obstructionist spectacles. “I tawt I taw a tewowist”. Just pathetic.

  • This is the scariest website i have ever visited. Good luck to all of you that read this. Your gonna need it.

  • Best quote from today:

    “Tell your congressman- we don’t want you back home. We want you in Washington. This could be America’s greatest hour. Insist that we come back to vote.” [Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL)”

    Yes, “America’s greatest hour”.

    All those other events in the 200-plus year history of our nation would really pale in comparison.

    They really are this fucking stupid, aren’t they?

  • This could be America’s greatest hour

    I think that the day after 9/11/01 was the opportunity for “America’s greatest hour”

    Unfortunately we had the WRONG president in office to take advantage of it, and squandered it instead. What a lost opportunity. The entire world was on our side, INCLUDING Iran, and some other nasty regimes.

  • we are preaching to the choir here! The Republicans do have an issue with the offshore drilling. I know it won’t matter and most thinking americans know it won’t help, but most americans don’t think and they don’t read blogs!
    Also! I watch the network news every evening. McCain is getting a free ride. They are going out of thier way to look fair. Obama is coming up short.
    The network news suck!
    It is going to be close in November.

  • i think they ectually belive there, think foot-stomping on the Congress floor (a la British Parliament) should make a comeback.

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