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Mary Landrieu must be confused about her own record. Landrieu has flip-flopped and switched her votes more than 50 times on the Senate floor -- including voting NO, YES and NO again on the same issue, on the same day.
On The Web :: True Landrieu Story
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Charles Krauthammer has a great op-ed in the Washington Post this morning, slamming Democrats. This line sums it up:
"The Italian Communist Party could win this election. The American Democratic Party is trying its best to lose it.”
Here’s the opener:
Let's see: housing meltdown, credit crunch, oil shock not seen since the 1970s. The economy is slowing, unemployment growing and inflation increasing. It's the sixth year of a highly unpopular war, and the president's approval rating is at 30 percent.
The Italian Communist Party could win this election. The American Democratic Party is trying its best to lose it. Democrats have the advantage on just about every domestic issue from health care to education. However, Americans' greatest concern is the economy, and their greatest economic concern is energy (by a significant margin: 37 percent to 21 percent for inflation). Yet Democrats have gratuitously forfeited the issue of increased drilling for domestic oil and gas. By an overwhelming margin of 2 to 1, Americans want to lift the moratorium preventing drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, thus unlocking vast energy resources shut down for the past 27 years.
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Today's NRSC Wire is live.
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Cross-posted at TownHall.com.
As the price of gas continues to strain all Americans, Democrats in Congress chose to go on vacation -- something many Americans cannot do this year. Instead of staying in town to work out a solution, or at least debate and vote on multiple proposals, Democrats departed Washington faster then the price of gas has risen. Amazingly, while they are in the majority and setting the agenda, Democrats are obstructing any solutions on energy from consideration.
Before leaving town Democrats provided valuable insights as to why they are unwilling to act in any capacity on behalf of all Americans to address the current energy crisis. Case in point is Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
"But Pelosi, who has opposed offshore drilling throughout her two decades in Congress, insists opening new areas to drilling won't lower gas prices in the short term. She believes a vote would only help the GOP blame Democrats for high gas prices." ( San Francisco Chronicle, 8/1/08)
So the Speaker of the House believes that voting on any proposals to address the current energy crisis will only benefit Republicans and is therefore a nonstarter; meaning that once again, Democrats are putting politics before national interests -- to say nothing of family interests. Yet, addressing the energy crisis in a comprehensive manner is desired by a majority of Americans -- highlighted by the news of Pelosi's home state of California now favoring off-shore drilling for the first time in more than three decades.
Not to be left off the Democrats' "Leave Americans Behind" Agenda, Sen. Mary Landrieu is stuck explaining why she voted against increasing domestic oil production as a political favor to Sen. Ken Salazar. The same Senator who objected to increased oil exploration and production, even if the price of gas hit $10 a gallon. The same Senator who voted several times against Louisiana interests, but for some reason deserves special favors from Landrieu. Especially as Landrieu is making her seniority an issue in her reelection bid, but is accommodating junior members who oppose her alleged views on increasing domestic oil production.
Mary Landrieu isn't the only politician scrambling for cover.
Last week Boulder Liberal Mark Udall pledged during a debate that he would vote against adjournment of Congress until a vote was held on energy. Well the vote came and went and Udall broke his promise, in fact he didn't vote at all. He was at a fundraiser in Colorado and too busy to fulfill the duties of his taxpayer funded job. The adjournment motion passed by one vote and Democrats got their hard-earned vacation. But when backlash threatened to further imperil Udall's electoral chances, his liberal leadership came to his rescue and made sure Udall got a chance to voice his "opposition" to adjournment.
But Democrats are not only obstructing solutions, they are pandering on the campaign trail. For example, the "Queen of Pandering," Jeanne Shaheen, is now in favor of domestic drilling. In a July 31st fundraising email, Shaheen brazenly claimed:
"The fact is Jeanne Shaheen supports more domestic drilling." (Shaheen fundraising email, 7/31/08)
Yet, only weeks before Shaheen stated the exact opposite in a press release:
"More drilling is the answer the oil companies are looking for, not the answer New Hampshire families are looking for." (Shaheen press release, 5/13/08)
Further codifying her position is a section from a Concord Monitor article on gas prices:
"Shaheen, a Democrat, opposes drilling in the Alaskan refuge and the gas tax holiday, saying that both proposals would do little and carry heavy negative consequences." ( Concord Monitor, 5/23/08)
These drilling positions are similar to those she claimed during her failed 2002 campaign. Now in a rematch with Sen. Sununu, Shaheen, shackled by her party's utter failure to address gas prices, has changed her tune and is hoping no one notices.
The solution to our energy problem is not simply drilling for more oil. There needs to be a comprehensive proposal that explores all solutions and taps Americans' amazing ingenuity. But Democrats oppose any attempts to debate common sense solutions. From leadership down to candidates, Democrats are doing a lot of talking, but little of anything else.
Democrats in power are doing everything in their power to thwart an open debate on solving our energy crisis, while Democrat candidates are attempting to convince voters they will have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to their liberal leadership. While all this is happening, Americans' wallets are squeezed as prices on just about everything rise.
This Fall when you go to the polls, the choice is clear; the choice is Republican.
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Al Franken has a history of breaking the rules, in New York, in California, and in over a dozen other states.
Well now you can add Minnesota to the list. And while not as egregious as neglecting your workers, having your company designated as forfeited or not paying your taxes; the latest flap does continue a pattern of disregard on Franken"s part to the rules he expects everyone to obey.
Recently at the Olmstead County Fair, Franken ignored the rules and was campaigning in off-limit areas. According to the Post-Bulletin:
"The campaigning part, if true, put Franken in violation of a fair board rule forbidding political candidates from campaigning anywhere on Olmsted County Fairgrounds except their assigned area -- in this case, the DFL Party booth."
But when appraised of his error did Franken quickly comply to remedy the situation? Of course not, the rules don't apply to Franken.
"Redalen said the offending behavior persisted. So he asked two Olmsted sheriff deputies at the fair to intervene and enforce the rule."
At least these authorities could find Franken to enforce the rules he was breaking.
But perhaps it is this pattern, in addition to his pornography and despicable humor that has lead to a challenge to Franken's from his own party.
To learn more go to www.franklyfranken.com.
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Today's NRSC Wire is live.
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After voting twice to adjourn for a five week recess, Tom Allen (running for Senate in Maine) is now asking Sen. Collins -- his opponent who voted against adjournment -- to ask President Bush for special session to address the energy problems facing this country (see below). Allen has trailed by double digits in all credible polling and this week has given voters yet another glimpse of why he has no place in the U.S. Senate.
From yesterday's PolitickerME.com:
This morning, WGAN radio reported that at a news conference yesterday, "Congressman Tom Allen says (Susan) Collins should lobby President Bush for a special session." Congressman Allen's statement came after reporters questioned why he cast the deciding vote in the House to adjourn for an August recess, instead of staying in session to deal with the high cost of oil and gas. The final vote was 213-212.
Allen's Vote for Adjournment:
Vote to Adjourn #1 - RCV #537
Vote to Adjourn #2 - RCV #566
Tom Allen may have passed the buck, but he certainly does not pass muster.
On The Web :: MoveOn Tom Allen
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The blockbuster broken promise of the year. In a debate last week, Mark Udall promised he'd vote to keep Congress in session to address the energy crisis, but two days later he broke that promise -- in fact, he didn't even show up for the vote. Mark Udall goes on a five week vacation while the rest of Colorado pays.
On The Web :: Boulder Liberal Mark Udall
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Today's NRSC Wire is live.
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Check out NRSC Chairman John Ensign's latest op-ed about the Democrats so-called solutions to our energy problems.
Fantasy Land: Democrats' 'Solutions' To Our Energy Crisis
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