"Reid Testy with Reporters & Polls" - Today in Washington D. C. - July 25, 2008

The Senate reconvened this morning and voted on a cloture motion on the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268) [The bill that Sen. Reid would allow no amendments on drillin]. The motion failed 50-43. Senators then began a vote on cloture on the housing bill (motion to concur with House amendment to H.R. 3221).

The rest of the day will be set aside for debate, in 30 minutes blocks alternating between Democrats and Republicans. The Senate will be in session tomorrow, beginning at 9 AM. Following 2 hours of debate, the Senate will vote on the motion to concur with the House amendment to the housing bill. If the motion is agreed to, the bill will be sent to the president.

After the housing vote, a vote on the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) bill (S. 3186) is expected.

From News and Senate Sources: The Washington Post asks this morning, “Why not have a vote on offshore drilling?” The Post criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “simply decree[ing] that she will not allow a drilling vote to take place on the House floor.” Of course, the Senate has a similar problem, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refusing to allow the chamber to have a full and open debate on energy issues. Reid has blocked Republicans from offering amendments to the Democrats’ narrow energy speculation bill and tried to cut off debate on the bill this morning.

Sen. Mitch McConnell described the situation: “The Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, my good friend from New Mexico, put it this way: He said that in his 37 years of service in the Senate, he has never seen a bigger problem met with a smaller solution. I’d put it this way: Americans are saying the house is on fire, and the Democrat Leadership is showing up at the scene with squirt guns.”

Indeed, energy continues to be the number one concern of Americans, as a new Wall Street Journal and NBC News polls shows today. The Journal notes, “By margins of 22 to 31 percentage points, voters in each of the [swing] states -- Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- said they support offshore oil drilling, according to the polls . . .” A Denver Post article backs up the data: “With the price of gasoline their highest-ranked financial worry, a majority of Colorado voters now support drilling in [Alaska and off America’s coasts], according to Thursday’s [Quinnipiac] poll . . . .”

Republicans are pressing hard on energy. Roll Call writes, “In an effort to take their message on high gasoline prices straight to the voters, Senate Republicans took to the radio airwaves on Thursday. Several GOP lawmakers locked themselves away in a quiet basement room in the Capitol on Thursday to explain their intention to reduce prices at the pump to local and regional radio stations.”

The pressure is clearly getting to Democrats. Fox News reported that Harry Reid got testy with reporters yesterday as they questioned him over his obstruction on energy debates. Reid has claimed he’s offered Republicans votes a number of amendments, but Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl reminded the press that he has offered only two. According to Fox, “Reporters tried to pin Reid down Thursday on the amendment issue. In the exchange, Reid told one reporter she should ‘watch the [Senate] floor more often. ... You might learn something.’ “Another reporter explained she had watched the Senate proceedings and said it was not clear he was ... offering separate amendments, to which Reid asked the reporter if she ‘spoke English.’ ‘Turn up your Miracle Ear,’ Reid added.”

Reid isn’t the only one under pressure. The Washington Post notes, “Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) called off committee consideration of spending bills on which Republicans were threatening to offer drilling amendments. The result threatens to be the first time since at least 1950 that lawmakers will go home for the August recess without either chamber having passed a single appropriations bill.”

Americans are telling Congress every day that they want real action on energy and gas prices, with polls repeatedly showing it as the most important domestic issue. So why does the Democrat leadership in Congress refuse to allow full debate and votes on all kinds of solutions? As The Washington Post writes, “If drilling opponents really have the better of this argument, why are they so worried about letting it come to a vote?”

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