LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.Best Political Blog Winner, 2007 Webby Awards, People's Voice and Jury.   Holiday Scheer! Exclusive Truthdig Gifts for the Holidays
 
December 1, 2008
Log in / Register

 Choose a size
Text Size

Most Read

Afghanistan in Crisis

Report: WMD Terror Attack Likely

Confronting the Terrorist Within

Bush’s 11th-Hour Bid for Secrecy

They’re Here, They’re Queer, and They’re … Well-Organized

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture

Digs
Financial Meltdown 101
Vetting Sarah Palin

Truthdig Bazaar more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Republicans Go Web 2.0 for House Protest

Email this item Email    Print this item Print   
Posted on Aug 4, 2008
twitter.com

House Republicans are camping out in the Capitol, trying to pressure an up-or-down vote on offshore drilling. The lights and the C-SPAN cameras are off, but a number of lawmakers have turned to new media sites such as YouTube and even Twitter to microblog their dissent.

L.A. Times / Countdown to Crawford:

It is Day Two of the GOP revolt over energy, and the debate is taking place in a darkened House floor with no microphones, no lights and no C-SPAN cameras (on orders of the Democratic speaker). So Republican congressmen pushing for an up-or-down vote on offshore oil drilling have taken to twittering (notifying an army of folks, in 40-word bytes), posting Qik and YouTube videos and corralling unsuspecting tourists to plead their case to the public.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned the House Friday over Republican objections, saying that offshore oil drilling is a false hope and that rushing back from vacation to vote on it would “mislead the American people as to thinking it’s going to reduce the price at the pump.” At the White House, spokesman Tony Fratto said the president would not call Congress back from vacation because Pelosi might then just gavel them back into recess again. Sort of a physical manifestation of the policy gridlock that already consumes Washington.

Read more

Email Newsletter

Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.

Previous item: McCain Camp Gets Big Checks From Big Oil Execs

Next item: Russia and Cuba, Together Again

Jump to Comments

Advertisement


Elsewhere: .

Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.

By Hulk2008, August 5 at 7:20 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The Republicans held the majority in Congress from 1994 thru 2006 and never made the slightest attempt to change automakers’ habits or those of oil companies or even “oil terrorists” like Chavez of Venezuela or the OPEC nations (OPEC still produces about the same amount of oil as they did 30 years ago).  Now they are playing “political theatre” in the last 6 months of the Bush administration hoping they can upstage any kind of program to change the status quo.  Note that of the 68 million un-drilled acres for which Big Oil already has licenses, 30 million are considered “off shore”.  McCain’s speech yesterday in South Dakota implied that it would be feasible to even drill in the Black Hills. 
It’s just desperation and the hope once more to dupe the electorate.  Unfortunately, their bogus tactics seem to work on “we (boneheads)the people”.
We will probably get nothing done no matter who is elected - or so little that our “Ship of State” will slowly sink beneath the waves of global corporate greed.  “Rollerball” was SO right on - so prescient of our future.

Report this

By Arby, August 5 at 6:37 am #

The Republicans are so lame as are we the people…
The U.S. had an effective energy policy back in the late 70s after the oil embargo until Reagan/Bush made deals with OPEC and reversed most of the policies… The Republicans are the ones that created this mess!!!

Carter speech from 1977: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/filmmore/ps_energy.html

Report this

By cyrena, August 4 at 7:20 pm #

Absolutely fucking amazing!!!

Report this

By diamond, August 4 at 2:08 pm #

I’m glad you can still laugh Thomas Billis. Reminds me of the Brits laughing their way through the blitzkrieg during World War II. The difference is you’re being bombed by your own government.

Report this

By Thomas Billis, August 4 at 12:57 pm #

You got to give them credit.Down to the last gasp they will do the will of their"Corporate Masters”.John Boehner tearfully asked in his"Cross Of Oil” speech” would Jesus not want the oil companies to make record profits.”

Report this

Add Your Comment

Posts by unregistered readers are moderated. Posts by members
are published immediately. Why wait? Register today!






Notify you when others comment on this article?


Are you a human?
Retype the word you see here.


Please read and abide by our comment policy.
By submitting this comment, you agree to this site's terms and conditions.

Newsletter

Get Truthdig in your inbox

Privacy Policy

 
Click here to advertise with Truthdig
 

 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
Copyright © 2008 Truthdig, L.L.C. All rights reserved.