Republicans Protest Over Offshore Drilling Via Twitter
Partisan pranks kept Republican Representatives at the House in protest of the Democrats’ vote to leave for summer vacation without calling a vote on offshore drilling, Politico reports. Democrats voted to adjourn at noon but Republicans refused to leave, staying even after the lights and microphones were turned off.
There was no shortage of dramatics as Republicans entertained reporters and tourists in the gallery and online supporters using Twitter. C-Span cameras were turned off but Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.) kept his twitter stream updated from his Blackberry. Culberson tweeted: “Here is a powerful use of social media – when they turn off the mike we can still communicate.” He and his fellow conservatives left tweets bashing Pelosi and demanding a vote on drilling. Colberson even shot and posted video interviews via Qik videos in the congressional hallways.
Rep. Devin Nunes paraded around with a picture of a VW Bug with a sail attached to it calling it the Democrats’ answer to high gas prices, says Politico. We’re still waiting for the e-mail forward of that one but check out our rendering in the meantime.
Democrats were silent throughout the antics. Only later did Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami say Democrats have “offered real solutions to bring down energy costs, promote renewable fuels and energy efficiency and promote oil production right here in America.”
Like a bunch of Internet commenters raging against a blog post, the Republicans might have generated lots of digital noise, but they didn’t wind up getting their vote.
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I never thought I’d use the tags ‘twitter’; ‘offshore domestic drilling’; and ‘Pelosi is a fuggin moron’ all on the same post
You can call it partisan pranks if you like. What was clearly demonstrated is the Democratic preference that there be no solution to the supply and demand problem concerning oil. They prefer high gas prices, the higher the better. Pelosi’s actions underscore her self serving disdain for America and the American public. Had there been a vote for some stupid law to strip more personal rights from individuals at stake, she’d have been all over it. The most partisan aspect of the issue was the purely PARTISAN efforts of the Democrats to maintain the status quo. Despicable.
Let’s hope for the sake of the Republicans who stayed after the lights got turned off that Exxon pays time and a half for working on vacation.
The simple minded Democratic spin is that Replublicans represent oil companies. This works for those on the left side of the IQ bell curve, however anyone with half a brain knows that oil companies are businesses with self interests, like ALL businesses. The sweet spot is where your interests and the interests of such a business meet and our interests intersect oil company interests on this issue. Yes they stand to profit, but if our energy prices drop the nation stands to benefit. Pelosi and her gang of thieves will never allow this to happen though. They prefer the economy be sluggish. They prefer that low income families struggle to make ends meet. The worse off you are, the happier they are.
Even the Messiah seems to get it. Reality is a platitude crushing beeyatch.
From WSJ:
Obama Would Back Offshore Drilling
As Part of Bipartisan Energy Package
By AMY CHOZICK
August 2, 2008 2:10 p.m.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Barack Obama said on Saturday he would support an expansion of offshore drilling as part of a broader bipartisan energy bill, a more flexible approach than the Democratic presidential contender has previously demonstrated.
Where can I get one of those modified bugs? Oh, right, Burning Man.
Wow, I’m impressed that so many rush limbaugh fans read this site. Reminds me of people who go to church, not because they really believe, but just in case there is a god they want to have a foot in both camps. Be good and Gore will let you live on the high ground when the waters start rising.
Drilling more oil wells and saying f— you to the environment is so 20th century. Go ahead republicans, continue living in the glorified past, revel in those good ole’ Reagan years. The poor guy has been dead for years, but you still keep digging him up for the parade.
Labatt = NIMBY.
Trouble is, voters are connecting Pelosi and Obama with higher fuel prices. By the time November comes around the connection will be plastered on all the gas pumps across the US. Is that really how they want to be remembered?
The U.S. only has 2% of the world’s remaining oil reserves. Yet demand is increasing by far more than this every year. Is tapping into the tiny reserve we have left really going to lower gas prices? How much of the offshore oil will stay in the U.S. anyway, and how much will just be shipped overseas? I personally think it’s time we started seriously investing in alternatives instead of fighting about opening up the last of our protected lands for commercial use.