House Dems turn out the lights, but GOP keeps talking

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Grandstanding and theatrics is all this is. It's funny, though.

There's been a lot of crying and whining from the GOP lately. :shk:

Nothing new about this. The Dems did the same thing:

"A GOP staffer just informed me that post-adjournment protests by the minority party are not unprecedented. The Democrats did it back in 1995, when the Republicans were in control. Democrats placed a big photo in the speaker's chair of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) wearing a diaper. Republicans note they are being more respectful this time." (read this on another forum and didn't catch the source).

Well, do you think the Dems are crying? I'm willing to bet that Pelosi and Reid flew back to their home states and the US taxes payers picked up the tab (heck, I bet the all did!). I just wonder if Pelosi whined and cried about wanting to use USAF airlift?

This might have been far more compelling theater had there been more than just 20 Republican guys sticking around.

Last count there were 202 Republican seats in the House. Why does anyone in this thread think the acts of just fewer than 10% of them meaningful????

Only about a half-dozen Republicans were on the floor when this began, but the crowd has grown to about 20, according to Patrick O'Connor.

Where do you think the other 90% of Republicans went????



[edit on 1-8-2008 by loam]

Originally posted by loam

Where do you think the other 90% of Republicans went????

Damn, I don't know.

Disneyland??

Originally posted by nyk537
Couldn't agree with you more.

I hope more people take a look at this and see who is really trying to help here. Democrats are perfectly content with starting their vacations and leaving things as they are.

For God's sake! Pelosi won't even allow a vote on this!

I said before and I say it again. The democrats are perfectly happy with skyrocketing gas prices. It goes hand in hand with their insane global warming and anti carbon based fuels agenda. These bastards are behind it all!

Originally posted by jerico65
Disneyland??

Nah, to many of those darned liberals out west. Disneyworld on the other hand... That's the one down in Jeb country!

reply to post by loam


Very good point. While some want to view this as republicans taking a "political stand", it's more like "just a few guys having a bit of fun to kick off their vacation".

I love this," Shadegg told reporters up in the press gallery afterward. "Congress can be so boring. ... This is a kick."

"Rep Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said "I am a Democrat and here is my energy plan" and he held up a picture of an old VW Bug with a sail attached to it. He paraded around he house floor with the sign while the crowd cheered."

"Republicans can thank Shadegg for turning on the microphones the first time. Apparently, the fiesty Arizona conservative started typing random codes into the chamber's public address system and accidentally typed the correct code"

Gotta love Shadegg just typing random codes into the system and actually hitting one!

Originally posted by LiquidMirage
I said before and I say it again. The democrats are perfectly happy with skyrocketing gas prices. It goes hand in hand with their insane global warming and anti carbon based fuels agenda. These bastards are behind it all!

Did you forget that the Iraq war's destabilizing effect was what drove prices through the roof to begin with? I recall Bush saying that the war would secure us lower oil prices. Meanwhile his Big Oil buddies are raking in record profits.

You're sooo right! Bush and that darn formerly Republican controlled Congress... those crazy Dems tricked us into thinking they were Republicans!

[edit on 8/1/08 by redmage]

Originally posted by redmage
Very good point. While some want to view this as republicans taking a "political stand", it's more like "just a few guys having a bit of fun to kick off their vacation".

And for a really cynical position...

How many of the 90% do you think will either fail to mention their absence, or worse lie about it, when later they mention this great political act done on behalf of all Americans who care about the nation's future?

Would anyone even care?

Just look at this thread. The lemmings jump so quickly, they're pushing each other out of the way.



[edit on 2-8-2008 by loam]

Originally posted by burdman30ott6
I think it is fantastic and I think that every American should be informed of how Nancy Pelosi and her merry band of idiots did not just turn out the lights and walk out on Republicans in Congress, but also on the avergae American taxpayer who's asking for help to get gas prices under control. This woman is the biggest sham in Washington and the fact that she is speaker of anything more prestigious than her local PTA or soccer mom club is an affront to the nation.

granted i agree with you 100%.....however i will bet you any amount of money,,, she will get re-elected with no opposition

that is my biggest gripe,,,,we just re-elect these idiots over an over and wonder why nothing changes and"we the people" constantly get screwed over

Originally posted by Grafilthy
reply to post by nyk537

 

I applaud the Republicans for finally making a stand against the Democrats in power.

Only the didn't feel the need to "take a stand" the last 40 years or so the WERE in power. I don't believe they showed any urgency in the run-up to this.....

So why now?

The republican controlled congress backed drilling in Alaska, and else where 10+ years ago. We could have 90 billion barrels of oil being pumped out of Alaska right now, as it would just now be coming on line now for consumption. Bill Clinton was the deciding factor, and he along with all democrats chose not to, since to them "it would take to long" therefore it wasn't an immediate impact. Judging by todays soaring energy prices, I cant help but think how beneficial that would have been if the republicans would have gotten their way, then, today.

America needs to drill, while simultaneously spending more on R&D to develop a alternative source for transportation.

In Americas oil shales in both Utah and SD, there is said to be some 400 + billion barrels of oil. The US could be the "New" Saudi Arabia in terms of oil production if drilling were permitted elsewhere. Democrats are the ones who, for the most part, seem to being playing politics with this issue.

reply to post by West Coast

Yes we could have drilled. We could have drilled more and maybe we could have reduced our foreign dependency a few percentage points. The fact is we hold less than five percent of the worlds petroleum reserves, so how does drilling help?

Here is a clue. It doesn't.

You know I hope the republicans depend on nothing but oil to live on, because that means they have a short life span. The rest of us who have longer term goals, want to rely on renewable energy. Otherwise countries like Brazil, who already have a head start, will be the new global superpower, while we are scraping for oil.

One positive thing from this outcome is that at least we will be rid of the republicans.





[edit on 8/2/2008 by Hal9000]

Originally posted by Hal9000
reply to post by West Coast

 

The fact is we hold less than five percent of the worlds petroleum reserves, so how does drilling help?

The US actually holds more oil then the entire middle east. South Dakota oil shale alone is estimated to be nearly 400 billion barrels. Utah Oil shale is estimated to be nearly the same. The US is full of abundant natural resources.

reply to post by nyk537


vacation you don't no vacation when your on our they need to get their butts back to work and fix all the stuff they been screwing up. they want a vacation they need bother coming back like a permanent vacation your fired.

Originally posted by West Coast
The US actually holds more oil then the entire middle east. South Dakota oil shale alone is estimated to be nearly 400 billion barrels. Utah Oil shale is estimated to be nearly the same. The US is full of abundant natural resources.

If that is true, then why have we ignored this abundant resource? Why has big oil felt that it was more important to invade other countries to insure our supply?

Originally posted by Fathom
i think this is grandstanding "hey look at us, we are for the people.." blah blah blah, you should have tought of that when you guys were in charge OF THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT! and failed to do anything worth a damm!

It wasn't the Conservative core of the Republican party that was failing to to get things done. It was the obstructionist liberals from the democrat party that was preventing the peoples business from getting done. Liberal Republicans were in on it too but it was by far the fault of democrats and what is going on today is just more proof!

Kinda off topic but

From what I understand shale oil cost more to produce and takes longer to produce it. But here is the real issue, we can't cut oil dependancy in 2 to 3 years. Unless the government starts giving out hybrid cars, which would cost millions if not billions and not be manufactured to the specs of what a consumer car would be. Would they be electric? Hydrogen?

Electric cars create a carbon foot print as well when your using power taken from a coal power plant. So then the energy prices go up, granted its nothing like oil but it will go up. We aren't ready yet for hydrogen althought they've made wonderful progress in new fuel cell technology. But where are you going to recharge or fill up at? That is limited to where you can fill up as well. The point is we are still going to be on oil for awhile, because lets face it. How many people got the money to drop on a new electric car or hydrogen car. Not many especially with the unemployment going up and housing crunch going on. I don't love oil, and I'd love to stop burning the stuff too. But nothing is going to swoop down and fix that unless its some miracle technology that can covert every car into a car that runs on something else. Its just a cold hard fact. As for the prices going up and down, unless you have a law that fines you for preemptive speculation might slow it down. But then again it sjust my 2 cents

-Aza

[edit on 2-8-2008 by Azathoth]

Originally posted by loam


Just look at this thread. The lemmings jump so quickly, they're pushing each other out of the way.

You get a star just for this comment. It is so true, rather than face the harsh reality that the whole system is corrupted and broken down, people prefer to be on the "right side" and blame everything on the "wrong side". People are acting like this is a major development, it's just more of the same. Politicians using the media to inject absurd propaganda into easily swayed morons. I just love the "experts" on here educated the rest of us peons on economics, the inner workings of government, and the correct path for the entire country to take. Spare me please, take your bias and go back to throwing darts at a picture of your favorite Democrat. If you are still on the "party X is better than party Y" level, you have alot to learn. You're missing the bigger picture entirely.

Originally posted by West Coast
The republican controlled congress backed drilling in Alaska, and else where 10+ years ago. We could have 90 billion barrels of oil being pumped out of Alaska right now, as it would just now be coming on line now for consumption.

If you really want to get technical, don't blame the Democrats or the Republicans; blame the oil companies.

The fact of the matter is that they, our domestic oil companies, already hold the leases to vast amounts of usable deposits, more than they have the spare equipment, manpower, or desire to drill. They simply want control of all known deposits so that they can drill at their leisure, and have almost complete control over the price index.

If you really want a quick fix at the pumps... the ball is in Bush's court. He can open up the SPR (which is virtually obsolete with our recently found shale deposits) and sell to domestic companies at a discount under the conditions that they fast track the tech for drilling/processing our inland shale, and that they deposit a certain percentage back to the SPR at a later date. He'd love it. He'd get to be a hero at the pumps, and give some more kickbacks to his big oil buddies.

Nah, that'd be too easy. It's much better to keep the public preoccupied with the BS left/right blame game.

[edit on 8/2/08 by redmage]

Originally posted by burdman30ott6
I think it is fantastic and I think that every American should be informed of how Nancy Pelosi and her merry band of idiots did not just turn out the lights and walk out on Republicans in Congress, but also on the avergae American taxpayer who's asking for help to get gas prices under control. This woman is the biggest sham in Washington and the fact that she is speaker of anything more prestigious than her local PTA or soccer mom club is an affront to the nation.

Didn't you read that they made a motion to adjourn and it passed?

Sounds to me like democracy in congress. What's the problem? Don't like voting?


I agree that this is fantastic political theater. However to blame Pelosi, when it was a democratic process that decided the matter doesn't make much sense to me.

I mean we put them there. Or at least I did. They are representing this tax payer just fine. Now if it was just one person, unilaterally making a decision and not putting it to a vote, well then I would have serious misgivings about it.

But a democratic process with a vote by all the elected members of congress is always a good thing

reply to post by Animal


talking about the future supply of a product is one of the driving forces in economics its called speculation and it has a direct effect on the market and even if it would be 10 years to get any new oil into the market (which is crap more like 2-4) the fact remains that if the decision was made in favor of eploiting our natural resources price would undoubtedly go down due to loss of interest in people investing in any type of long term portfolio with oil in it which in turn has a cascading effect the lower price invites even less short term investors etc etc

anyways this does look pretty bad on the dems wether or not the republicans are grandstanding.... i hope someone asks obama if he approves of what the dems have done here

reply to post by redmage


WRONG!!

The truth is, they have the rights to EXPLORE for oil.

In my current thread on Obama's sudden reversal on the drilling, his stance is that the PROCESS to dig explored areas would prevent an immediate impact!
I'm too tired to google, but there are many ignored threads on the fact that Shell took over 25 years to get DENIED the right to drill in an area they currently have "leased".

Even more land will not solve the issue, it's the ENVIRONAZI'S who prevent the drilling. The oil companies want the new leases to force the permit process into the public, and lower the speculators. Eliminate the process I say!

Oh, and people like you who do not do their research...(really look before you rebut my argument..) really make your side look bad.

[edit on 2-8-2008 by jasonjnelson]

reply to post by nyk537

Who is going to hear them? When no one is listening?
Hmmm