It's really beyond the point of tolerance for Bush Dog Jim Costa, who represents the district with the worst well-being in America for its residents. As Republicans dishonestly try to bully Democrats with their meaningless "Drill Now" chant, despite the fact that offshore drilling wouldn't lower gas prices and would do nothing to secure the energy future of the nation, Costa has joined up with a bipartisan group seeking a "compromise" (read: giving in to Republican fantasies) on energy.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking to craft a compromise on energy legislation includes politically vulnerable members, according to a partial list of members obtained by The Hill.
Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and John Peterson (R-Pa.), who organized the group, have kept the list of participants under wraps since the recent announcement of its formal launch.
Abercrombie and Peterson previously indicated the complete list of members would be released last week but later reconsidered, saying certain members could be face political problems if their names were released.
Reps. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.), Nick Lampson (D-Texas), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) are part of the group, according to the list.
The group met on Wednesday [...]
The bill that is being crafted breaks significantly from Democratic leadership on the topic of offshore drilling.
Boren, Costa, Green, Lampson and Nunes twice voted no on the Democratic leadership's "use it or lose it" energy drilling bill.
It'd be one thing if Costa were actually a "vulnerable member," but his "opponent" this year, Jim Lopez, has no records with the FEC, hasn't updated his campaign website in a month and a half and hasn't had an event in the district since March. Costa is about as vulnerable as Iron Man. So one must conclude that he plans to sell out the Democratic Party on energy as a matter of principle.
It is completely absurd to open up the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling when there are over 60 million acres of leased public land lying fallow. The last people with any interest in lowering gas prices are oil execs; they want offshore leases so they can keep them in reserve and tell their stockholders how much cash they're sitting on. So Costa simply wants to enrich oil company bigwigs at the expense of the middle class, and ignore the serious risk to the planet in stalling on departing from the failed energy policy of the past. This man shouldn't dare even call himself a Democrat after the work he's done in the 110th Congress.
Today Americans United for Change, the progressive advocacy group that is visiting districts throughout the country on the "Bush Legacy Tour," hammered David Dreier for being a tool to Big Oil and special interests. From their release:
With gas prices above $4, Americans United for Change, the progressive issue-advocacy group that recently launched its national Bush Legacy Bus tour, blasted Rep. David Drier today for standing in the way of lower gas prices for California families by voting against meaningful legislation to release 70 million barrels of light, sweet crude oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the open market and replace it with heavy, sour oil that is tougher to refine - a move that has historically brought down gas prices and strengthened our national security.
The SPR has been tapped or suspended before by the current President Bush, President Clinton, and the first President Bush and each time oil has been released the impact on prices has been dramatic and immediate. For example, in 1991, oil prices immediately dropped by 33 percent. The 2000 exchange drove oil prices down by 19 percent. And the release by President Bush in 2005 resulted in a 9 percent drop.
"With gas prices hovering above $4 a gallon, Rep. Dreier was given a chance today bring real relief now to California families forced to make incredible sacrifices choosing between bills, gas, and food," said Caren Benjamin, for Americans United for Change. "But without apology or question, Congressman Dreier chose to put his loyalty to Bush and his addiction to big oil cash ahead of relief for struggling Californians."
I don't know if the "Free Our Oil" campaign and focusing on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the most effective message, but clearly somebody has to show some leadership on the energy front. Contrary to popular beliefs, Democrats are NOT being pushed out of this debate. In a recent poll by The Wilderness Society, the public is split on the question of drilling or protecting arctic lands and offshore areas, and they believe 76%-19% that the best way to secure our energy future is to invest in new technologies and renewable sources rather than continue to drill. In addition, by a 63%-31% score, those polled believe that the President's proposal to open up ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling "is more likely to enrich oil companies than to lower gas prices for American consumers." That's why it's so crucial for AUFC to note that David Dreier has taken $129,400 in contributions from oil company executives over the years.
There's starting to be some real pushback on this "drill now" blather. The Democrats put forward this SPR bill today and most Republicans took the bait of voting against it. Jimmy Hoffa Jr. of the Teamsters, in a real game-changer of a move, came out with a very strong statement rejecting "drilling our way out" of this crisis, and demanding long-term energy solutions. Democratic Congressional candidate John Boccieri from Ohio made this amusing Web video to mock his opponent's reliance on drilling:
And just to your left, CA-46's Debbie Cook has put together a comprehensive 10-point plan to realize Al Gore's vision of receiving 100% of our electricity from renewables by 2018.
There's work to be done - by candidates, policy wonks, advocacy groups, and regular people - but together we can beat back these shortsighted solutions and expose those who want to wed our energy needs to the failures of the past.
Obama wasn't even done shaking hands before the McCain surrogates were working the room. Bob Pacheco, California Statewide Latino Coalition Chair for Sen. McCain and Hector Barajas, Communications Director for the CA GOP were both circling, Todd and I talked with Mr. Barajas about a number of issues. Nothing particularly new or revolutionary in here, but it was interesting to see how quickly they were on it and how strictly the talking points were churned out.
He termed universal health care to be "radical" and wants to know how Obama plans to pay for it (of course this hasn't been an issue for GOP leadership who just pays on credit for everything) and pumped up the market-based healthcare solutions for small businesses. Tried to hammer Obama for voting to increase taxes on "people who make as low as $32,000." A nice talking point, and a popular one lately, but entirely false of course:
* The resolution Obama voted for would not have increased taxes on any single taxpayer making less than $41,500 per year in total income, or any couple making less than $83,000. The $32,000 figure is approximately the taxable income of a single person making $41,500 per year, after all deductions and exclusions.
* Obama's vote (for a non-binding budget bill) does not change the fact that his own tax plan would provide a tax cut of $502 for a non-married taxpayer earning $35,000.
Tied things back to California issues and politics, trotting out Villaraigosa, Karen Bass, Fabian Nunez, and Gil Cedillo as examples of inefficient Democratic leadership that spend and spend but get no results, particularly in education. He specifically cited the dropout rate of LA Unified as his proof, and mentioned that more than half the state budget goes to education without noting how desperately state GOP legislators want to make cuts. Sticks carefully to the percentages to avoid any talk of the declining raw amounts of money and the hopes to keep it in decline by the CRP. I can't even begin to go into all the angles here, except that certainly Republicans are closing ranks on behalf of Dems if any help was needed. Top Clinton supporters being brought out as Obama boogeymen is certainly interesting.
Then the really fun stuff. John McCain is apparently MORE serious than ever about competing and winning in California. 7 offices are opened, 6 more opening this week with at least 3 more to follow (which would be 16 total. Obama currently has at least 18 statewide offices). 14 California staffers will likely be expanding to 21 in the near future. Why will this work so well? Apparently it's because John McCain has unpopular proposals but the guts to talk about them. As an example, Barajas notes, McCain is willing to push more offshore drilling even though people object...apparently to the obstruction of their ocean views. "But what good is an ocean view if you can't afford to drive to it?" On the pulse of the state.
Will CDP or Obama or both have people available tomorrow when McCain's done? Hopefully. I'm kinda surprised nobody's here today unless it's just not even worth the effort for a foregone state.
[Update] It's particularly interesting that the spin focused so heavily on Los Angeles. The struggles of LA Unified were pinned on a number of LA-based Latino Democrats which presumably wouldn't have much of a national profile- such as Nunez and Cedillo. Pretty naked attempt to specifically undermine Latino Dem leadership, but the scorched earth style- that Latino leadership period is failing the greater Latino community seems like it's on the edge of being really insulting. It isn't like these folks got elected by...not Latinos. So the spin boils down to "Latinos elected Latinos who screwed over Latinos so don't listen to the bad public servants that you elected to represent and serve you." I guess in the absence of an effective strategy, anything will do...
[Update] Todd has his recap up now which reminded me of another gem: That McCain will play well in California because he's a Western Senator. I can't for the life of me imagining a single person that I know in California thinking "You know who really gets me and my needs? Arizonans." It's just...not something that rings likely.
(Some strategy McCain has to win over California... - promoted by Lucas O'Connor)
Sen. John McCain will be appearing tomorrow morning with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at an "environmental roundtable" in Santa Barbara. Yes, that would be the same Santa Barbara where a 1969 ecological disaster shocked the nation, leading to the birth of the environmental movement.
That's right. Sen. McCain is either so tone-deaf or just astonishingly arrogant that he thinks he can come to the scene of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, demand an end to the federal moratorium on offshore drilling, and simultaneously paint himself as a champion of the environment.
Of course, all he'll really succeed in doing is painting himself into a corner. You see, McCain has to try to defend a position that creates virtually no relief from escalating gas prices (up 273% during the Bush Administration), lines the pockets of oil companies and speculators, and subjects the nation's coastlines to incredible environmental peril. And, to top things off, he has to explain why he's suddenly in favor of ending the drilling moratorium despite his long-held position in favor of the drilling moratorium.
Tickets to this feat of derring-do are apparently still available at McCain's website (one per email address), should you be in the area and wish to bear witness to McCain's pandering. Please see the end of the post for details of planned protests.
When I first heard the reports of John McCain's flip-flop on offshore oil exploration and consequent back-up from the President, I knew there was one person to call for comment: Debbie Cook. In addition to being the Mayor of Huntington Beach, Cook sits on the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) and is an expert on energy issues. She just sent me this statement (on the flip):
(Pombo was not pleased when Arnold announced his opposition to this bill, even going so far as to say that arnold didn't read the bill and questioning the Governator's intelligence. Pot: "Kettle, you're black" - promoted by SFBrianCL)
Renewable energy expert, Jerry McNerney, has called on the US Senate to defeat any bill that would repeal the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling.
McNerney is the Democratic challenger in CA-11, where the infamous Republican Richard Pombo currently rules the district. Pombo spearheaded the House bill that will open our coasts to drilling. When moderate Republican Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) tried to add higher fuel efficiency to the bill, Pombo helped defeat the measure. Pombo is not interested in a sustainable and responsible energy plan -- he is interested in serving his favorite industry, Big Oil.
