Waxman Forced To Delay Action On Climate Bill
We noted earlier that MoveOn.org is raising money to fund an ad campaign targeting conservative House Democrats who might stand athwart the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, still in its infancy.
Well they may want to ramp things up a bit. The bill was scheduled to be marked up this week, but Waxman just delayed further action until next week, citing "productive discussions between members". According to the Wall Street Journal, "[t]he delay indicates that the House Democratic leadership is having difficulty rounding up votes to move the bill forward, amid disagreements over which industries and regions of the country should bear the burden for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions."
Democrats from industrial and coal-dependent states have expressed concerns that the climate bill would sharply raise energy costs and hurt the economy in their states.
If you thought the stimulus was a slog, and think health reform will be harder still, just wait for the climate change wars.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Well, if it uses fuel that has been locked in the earth more than a million years, then it should be regulated equally. That means power plants, cars, and concrete especially. This isn't a political issue--this is something that must be done. Every f'n one of use is going to be bearing the burden.
April 27, 2009 6:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
No worries here. The climate-change issue is different from those other two. The EPA has regulatory authority to achieve much of the progressive agenda without legislation.
It's probably not ripe yet for swinging the big EPA stick. Let 'em haggle for a while and see where it goes. If things get stuck, then it's time for a little bit of crowbar action.
BTW, that's why the silver reconciliation bullet is better spent on health care than on climate change.
April 27, 2009 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
True, though I doubt (or hope?) it doesn't come to that. Reconciliation seems to me to be the opposite of the term--If you are the GOP it's a warning that if you don't work together with the Democrats and come up with something, then you loose any chance of having an influence on the policy. It's incentive.
Of course, by refusing to work with the Democrats at all during the stimulus negotiation, they lost much of their voice there too.
April 27, 2009 8:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
the one thing that always puts a smile on my face is 538's 2010 senate predictions.
April 27, 2009 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the link to which musgrove refers:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/04/senate-rankings-april-2009-edition.html
Loved this:
25. Alaska (R-Murkowski)
Sarah Palin and Lisa Murkowski are now BFF, probably ending the Democrats' slim chances of picking up this seat via some sort of mutually assured destruction.
In my dreams they could (at least) include Bachmann in their MAD, ideally decided in The Ultimate Ballot: Murkowski-Palin-Bachmann To-The-Death Cage Match — with ALL of their immediate family participating. It'd surely be my first Pay-For-View. But that's just me.
(Note: In the chart the blue up-triangle means "Change," the red down-triangle "No Change." Poor color choices as it has nothing to do with party; I would've used green for change. Then again, I would've used circles instead of triangles as it implies motion/direction.) I know, "Picky, picky."
April 27, 2009 9:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a link to contribute to ActBlue's fund for Bachmann's 2010 Dem opponent in MN-06, whoever s/he may be:
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/21748
April 27, 2009 11:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think (hack, cough) this climate bill (gag, cough, hack) will cause my taxes (sneeze, cough, ptooie) to go up (cough, cough, cough) and lose jobs (wheeze, cough).
April 28, 2009 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink