Republican Leader John Boehner | Boehner to Dem Leaders: Welcome Back … Now Give the American People their Energy Vote

GOP Leader Blog

Boehner to Dem Leaders: Welcome Back … Now Give the American People their Energy Vote

Posted by Nick on September 8th, 2008

House Republicans today welcomed their well-rested Democratic colleagues back to work after their five week break. Gathering on the steps of the Capitol, Leader Boehner and House Republicans continued to demand, as they did through the month of August, that Speaker Pelosi schedule a vote on the American Energy Act (H.R. 6566), an “all of the above” plan to lower gas prices by increasing American energy production, encouraging conservation, and promoting development of alternative fuels.

Photos from the event can be seen below or on Leader Boehner’s Flickr photostream. More information on the event here.

Permalink | 4 Comments »

WSJ to Pelosi: “A Carbon Eduction” [12:10]

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on August 26th, 2008

Under the title “A Carbon Education,” a Wall Street Journal editorial this morning discusses Speaker Pelosi’s claim on NBC’s Meet the Press last weekend that natural gas is not a fossil fuel:

“Ms. Pelosi appeared Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ where Tom Brokaw gently pointed out that the various Democratic alternative energy ambitions are ‘not going to happen overnight.’ Replied Ms. Pelosi: ‘You can have a transition with natural gas. That, that is cheap, abundant and clean compared to fossil fuels.’ Later, she again said that ‘I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels,’ and that wind, solar, biofuels and ‘a focus on natural gas, these are the real alternatives.’”

“Apparently Ms. Pelosi’s new script is still being reworked, but it’s a telling mistake. Not only is natural gas every bit as much a ‘fossil fuel’ as oil or coal. More to the point, these concentrated organic compounds found beneath the earth’s surface must be extracted by . . . drilling. And sometimes even drilling offshore, on the Outer Continental Shelf. But more drilling is what Ms. Pelosi had refused to allow just a few days ago.”

Permalink | 1 Comment »

“The Democrats’ Oil-Drilling Flimflam: Betting the Public Is Too Dumb to Catch On”

Posted by GOP Leader Policy Office on August 15th, 2008

FamilySecurityMatters.org has a noteworthy piece entitled “The Democrats’ Oil-Drilling Flimflam: Betting the Public Is Too Dumb to Catch On,” from Joel Himelfarb today. Excerpts are below:

“The mantra from Barack Obama and congressional Democrat leaders is that they represent ‘change’ - and when it comes to gas prices, they certainly have a point. The cost to heat and air-condition American homes is certainly ‘changing’ in very negative ways for the American consumer, as is the cost of getting to work or taking a trip with the family.” …

“House and Senate Republicans appear to have found their voice on the energy issue: contrasting their efforts to support offshore oil drilling and exploration in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) with the Democrat leadership’s efforts to block it at every turn. House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell have spent the past two months doing everything possible to show the link between the Democrat leadership’s intransigent opposition to drilling and the crushing burden of higher energy prices the American people. While discussing weighty matters like primates, soccer teams and the like, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and their allies have dedicated themselves to preventing Congress from voting on efforts to expand energy supplies.”

For the full piece, please click here.

Permalink | 1 Comment »

House Republican Uprising Live Blog [1:11]

Posted by Nick on August 4th, 2008

H.R. 6566- The American Energy Act: Text | Summary

To read an open letter from House Republicans to Speaker Pelosi please click here.
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL):

“You know, can you imagine my surprise getting these messages on my Blackberry while I’m sitting in my living room with my family. They say my colleagues are making a stand in the House chamber. My wife and I read them, and thought ‘I need to get there’. So we packed up the car, and drove in around 3AM. Don’t you sense something here, a tipping point? Can’t you imagine if the Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader, and the President got together and said “We are going to get this done.” Can you imagine a new era for American jobs? People can look back at today and say, ‘this is the day we got it together.’ This is the great issue of our day, and if we convince the Speaker not to run around saying ‘I’m not listening, I’m not listening!’ then we can convene a debate and make this happen!”

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX):

“Here’s a letter from the Gardner family in Texas. They can’t afford to both go on vacation and send their son to Boy Scout camp. They can’t afford it. If the Gardners can’t, then neither should Pelosi and the Congress!”

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN):

“What did the Democrats do while the Pelosi Premium went up? They declared National Passport Month, but wouldn’t have a vote on energy. In May we voted on ‘National Train Day’ but not energy! [Holds a gas can] This is a gas can. An empty gas can, as empty as the Democratic Party’s ideas on energy, on filling this can! They don’t know how to fill it. Their only idea is $5 gas. [Holds up a new helical light bulb] The Democrat energy plan is to outlaw incandescent light bulbs, but not vote on a comprehensive energy policy!”

Tep. Tim Walberg (R-MI):

“Madame Speaker, let my people vote!”

Permalink | 13 Comments »

House Republican Uprising Live Blog [12:47]

Posted by Nick on August 4th, 2008

For those of you using Facebook, show your support by joining the “Let’s Rock the House! I Support the Guerrilla Congress” group.

You can also follow the Twitter #dontgo hash tag at http://dontgo.us/

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA):

“Common sense is not very common in Washington, D.C… Why aren’t we using all the resources that we Americans can bring to the table?”

“We need to use our American ingenuity to solve these problems…We will get it done if there’s a vote on this floor.”

Permalink | 7 Comments »

House Republican Uprising Live Blog [12:27]

Posted by Nick on August 4th, 2008

House Republican Uprising Live Blog [11:37]

Posted by Nick on August 4th, 2008

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH):

“most politicians don’t see the light, they feel the heat.”

House Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter weighs in over at RedState.com:

“And so it will continue…House Republicans will be rearranging schedules, flying thousands of miles, and refusing to take a paid vacation. Instead, the GOP will take to the House floor every day to ensure the voice of Americans’ is heard; there is a vote to make our country energy secure and independent; and keep America the greatest nation on Earth!”

Rep. John Kline (R-MN):

“There’s a saying that everything has been said but not everyone has said it, now it’s my turn. The question is what has Congress has done about the price of gasoline. The answer: Congress has done nothing.”

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN):

“The American people won’t get a vacation from high gasoline prices, so why should Congress take a five week vacation?”

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX)

“Speaker Pelosi stated that she would run the most open Congress ever - that has not happened”

Permalink | 2 Comments »

House Republican Uprising Live Blog [11:08]

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on August 4th, 2008

Rep. Don Manzullo just finished his remarks to thunderous applause:

“Tell your congressman- we don’t want you back home. We want you in Washington. This could be America’s greatest hour. Insist that we come back to vote.”

Also from Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA):

“We deserve better. We deserve a debate! We deserve a vote on the House floor!”

The Republican Cloakroom has a running list of all the members that are participating today.

Other coverage of today’s historic events:

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-still-speaking-on-floor-despite-recess-2008-08-04.html

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0808/House_Republicans_resume_gas_protest.html?showall

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27857

Permalink | 2 Comments »

House Republican Uprising Live Blog

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on August 4th, 2008

Today House Republicans continue their history-making crusade to force Speaker Pelosi to reconvene Congress for a vote on the American Energy Act.

As there are no cameras on while the House is not in session (or microphones for that matter) we will be live-blogging updates throughout the day.

You can also follow events on member Twitter accounts such as @johnculberson and @gopleader. Twitter users following the action are using the hashcode #dontgo to identify their tweets. Summize is a very useful service for tracking the #dontgo tag in real-time.

First to speak this morning:

Congressmen Mike Pence (R-IN):

“We come today on behalf of all Americans that believe Congress should come back in session for a vote on real energyRe

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA):

“Without your help we won’t be able to do anything…like the founders of this country we’re going directly to the American people.”

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK):

“The oil might not flow for a year or two, but the jobs will start immediately…Right now, this House is an obstacle, not a platform.”

Permalink | 399 Comments »

8-1 House Republican Uprising

Posted by Nick on August 1st, 2008

As a part of their history-making efforts to continue the fight to lower gas prices, House Republicans held a press conference just a few moments ago to demand that Speaker Pelosi allow a vote on the American Energy Act.

Images from the press conference can be seen below and on Leader Boehner’s Flickr photo stream.