Senate GOP blocks vote on energy bill

December 7, 2007

The House passed an energy bill yesterday, which is a solid piece of legislation. It wasn’t perfect — it should have gone further — but it included the first increase in federal fuel efficiency standards in three decades, encourages the use of renewable energy sources, and rolls back $13.5 billion in tax breaks for the five largest U.S. oil companies, redirecting the money into conservation and development of renewable fuels.

The bill went to the Senate today, where a majority of the chamber supported the legislation. So, what happened? What always happens — Senate Republicans refused to allow the bill to come up for a vote.

Senate Democratic leaders failed to get the votes needed Friday to proceed with quick consideration of a House-passed energy bill and began searching for a compromise that could overcome a Republican filibuster.

Senators by a 53-42 vote fell short of moving ahead with the legislation passed by the House on Thursday. Sixty votes were needed to overcome GOP objections.

“I would hope this sends a signal,” said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. after the vote.

Oh, the signal is loud and clear. When it comes to meaningful energy legislation that moves the country in the right direction, Republicans can always be counted on to do the wrong thing.

The next step, apparently, will be to strip a provision that requires electric utilities to get some of its power from renewable energy, which might tempt the Senate minority to let lawmakers vote on the bill.

Senate Democrats failed to muster enough votes this morning to close debate on the energy bill passed by the House yesterday, setting the scene for a vote Tuesday on a new version of the bill that would strip it of a requirement for electric utilities to use renewable energy for 15 percent of their generation. […]

Anticipating the Senate vote during an interview earlier this morning, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) conceded that the final deal would have to drop the renewable electricity generation quotas, but he said a stripped-down version of the House legislation “is still a good bill.” Senate aides said the new version could be brought to a vote Tuesday and could also include some modification of the tax package.

Which is to say, make things slightly easier on the oil companies.

As for the Senate trend, today was the 58th instance of Senate Republicans blocking an up-or-down vote on a piece of legislation. The all-time record, set over two full years, is 61 — and today’s obstructionist minority has almost broken that record in half the time.

They’re not called Road-Block Republicans for nothing.

How did we get that sixty vote rule and isn’t it time to try to change it? There has got to be some way to make this bill happen.

  • They wouldn’t pull this crap if the jackasses we elected didn’t let them.

    It’s getting to the point where the D’s need to start taking blame for not being able to handle their business. Pathetic, no wonder people have reservations about D’s being able to run anything, they can’t even get a Bill, no make that 58 Bills to vote.

  • I completely agree. EVERY bill that comes before the Senate now needs 60 votes. I didn’t learn this in my civics class. Why can’t the press just say what it is: obstruction. And why can’t the majority make the minority ACTUALLY filibuster? It’s now becoming common philosophy that to get a bill passed in the Senate there needs to be 60 votes. That’s just wrong!

  • We all got pretty mad a while back when Republicans talked about changing the 60-vote rule. Of course Democrats never abused it to the extent that Republicans have — nor has anyone else in the entire history of the country. But still, the Senate is structured to try and protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority to some extent. That’s the main reason why we have a bicameral legislature in the first place. Better I think to make Republicans wear their obstructionism in public to try and get more Democrats in the next congress.

    Problem is, Democrats have had only very limited success with that up to now because they basically suck at PR. For example, Democrats tend to get bored with a message and decide it’s not working long before they’ve repeated it enough times, in enough places to even get reporters attention, let alone penetrate the public consciousness. Republicans however, have gotten quite good at PR. I believe they actually have classes for their people in Congress to teach them about message discipline and stuff like that.

  • Kind of like going after Roger Maris’s homerun record. They’ll get it, without ever having to go through a real filibuster, which is like an inside the park homer, I guess. Nope, the spineless Dems will just continue to serve up gopher balls that get blasted over the fence.

    Sorry for that tedious metaphor. Couldn’t resist.

    So they go back to work, make their concessions to the Republicans, but it’s probably still not satisfactory to Bush, who will veto it directly or indirectly through a signing statement.

    Maybe best to just let this go until 2009. A strong bill is really critical, both for global warming, peak oil, and national security.

    Of course, who says the Dems will win? Well, they won’t win by their own deeds, but only take office because the public is so disgusted with Republican policies. Maybe.

    In the end, real men win, losers make excuses. The Republicans are beating the living crap out of the Democrats. These guys are absolutely pathetic. They are disgusting wimps and losers.

  • This must be that policy agenda that I keep hearing Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel talk so much about that impeachment hearings would get in the way of.

    (I know, this bill is in the Senate. I’m just trying to illustrate a point)

    Honestly I don’t care about the pros and cons of this energy bill and that the ReThugs are the bad guys, etc. I wouldn’t care if the bill provided free ice cream and cute puppies for everyone and guaranteed everyone a job with full health care benefits for life.

    Sure, renewable energy and energy independence are important issues today, but right now my mind is occupied with how we can reaffirm the integrity of our Constitutional Republic. Without that, I could care less about any policy initiatives.

    An ignorant, apathetic American Public has given rise to a fascist dictatorship today in America. Take a close look at noted feminist Naomi Wolf’s book ,The End of America, and her 10 identifiable steps to closing down an open, democratic society and imposing fascism.

    We’re on step 8 or 9.

    Even if Dick & Bush end their hostile occupation of the People’s Executive Branch on January 20, 2009, the precedent set by the Bush Disaster will further entrench a fascist outcome in America and spell the end of the American Way of Life.

    Speaking of Senate bills, regard Senate Bill 1959, “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007” with the kind of vague language that George Orwell would be proud of.

    Without the American Way of Life, the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights and the integrity of our Constitutional Republic which enthrones the Liberty and Freedom of the people above all other interests, what do I care about the poor gas mileage of my car?

    The Democratic leadership in Congress has abdicated their oaths of office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Impeachment hearings on the capital crimes and treason comitted by Dick & Bush are the only remedy to reaffirm the integrity of our Constitutional Republic today.

    Today, for their inaction or unstated quid pro quo, I hold the Democratic leadership as equally responsible for the destruction of our Constitutional Republic as do I hold the Bush Laden Cabal.

  • It’s a pity that the Democrats don’t have the guts to increase gas taxes and use the money to reduce payroll taxes.

    It would do more to save energy and reduce green house gases than any CAFE increase possibly could.

  • What excuse is the Democratic Senate leadership giving for allowing these “soft filibusters” to continue? Someone must have asked them. But I would be fascinated to hear why they think they should just keep rolling over for the Republicans.

    Dems are LETTING this happen. If a bill has 51 votes for it, then they should pass it and let the President veto it. It doesn’t matter if it won’t survive a veto. It’s more important to get things done and let the President be the one blocking progress.

    Seriously, this needs to stop. I can’t think of anything that makes me angrier with Senate Democrats right now…

  • I am very, very hesitant to see the Democrats reach for the “nuclear option.” The cloture rule has served the country pretty well for nigh on 220 years; CalD is right that the Democrats need to find levers to move the recalcitrant Republicans and start winning some of these PR fights. And if they can’t do it with gas over $3 per gallon, when will they?

  • It’s a pity that the Democrats don’t have the guts to increase gas taxes and use the money to reduce payroll taxes.

    The only thing that would be pitiful about that is that families who now pay almost no payroll taxes would get screwed over at the pump.

    I realize the right loves giving rich folks tax cuts while implementing regressive taxes that hose the poor, but your plan is a bit too transparent. Keep working on it, though, and I’m sure you can find something less obvious.

  • I am very, very hesitant to see the Democrats reach for the “nuclear option.” The cloture rule has served the country pretty well for nigh on 220 years; CalD is right that the Democrats need to find levers to move the recalcitrant Republicans and start winning some of these PR fights. And if they can’t do it with gas over $3 per gallon, when will they?

    With all due respect, no.

    We don’t need the nuclear option, and we don’t need to convince additional Republicans.

    We need to vote on bills we have 51 votes for, and if the Republicans don’t want that vote to happen, then they need to stand on the floor of the Senate for three days reading from the phone book. If they are threatening to filibuster, then by all means, make them filibuster.

    The point is that if they want to obstruct, then make them obstruct. Don’t let their continuing THREAT of obstruction take the place of the real thing…

  • MAKE THEM STAND UP LIKE JIMMY FUCKING STEWART AND FILIBUSTER, GODDDAMMIT!!!!

    Don’t just bend over and take this up the ass!

    Come on…. how hard is this? Make the Repugs shut down the Senate. Do it by surprise, don’t give them time to prepare for it. Just call for the vote, and if they don’t actually filibuster, TAKE THE ROLL CALL AND VOTE ON IT! Call their damned bluff!

    If they do actually filibuster, let them make fucking circus clowns out of themselves.

    Sheesh..

  • Goat,

    It’s not so much that they need to make them filibuster — but if they did, they did, they need to make them filibuster and filibuster and filibuster and filibuster and filibuster and filibuster until they started to get people’s attention. It would actually be just as effective though if every Democrat in Congress just started jumping in front of every microphone they saw and repeating Republican obstructionism, Republican obstructionism, Republican obstructionism, Republican obstructionism, as many times per paragraph as they possibly could until the press finally woke up one morning and realized someone had just dropped a shiny new narrative at their feet.

    Once you reach critical mass with something like that, the press is pretty good at taking it from there (ad nauseum). But that’s the thing Democrats just don’t get and Republicans do — that the three R’s of educating the media (and through them, the non-political-junkie public) are Repetition, Repetition and Repetition. Take the “Democrat Party” thing; they’ve even got Democrats saying it now. I’ve actually heard Dennis Kucinich say it.

  • It’s ridiculous. Make the bastards filibuster. Let them try and defend their shit. It’ll be hilarious. Thank you Harry “The Other Mormon” Reid.

  • They’ve kept the Senate in session day and night anyhow, through holidays and weekends, just so Bush wouldn’t appoint anyone extra.

    I don’t know what ‘making them filibuster’ will change. It’s the majority that has to stay in session, not the minority, anymore.

    Can we get 49 Senators to stay up all night? Sure. 51?

    There aren’t 51 Democrats in the Senate.

  • Leave the alternative energy initiatives in the bill. We must free ourselves from overseas oil and high energy costs. Until we can bring up this 15 billion gallons to the surface that lies in the Gulf Coast Shelf and Colorado, Montana, Nevada, & Utah basins, it would be to our own energy independence to push alternative energies.

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