Good news, for now, on Lieberman-Warner
posted at 7:51 am on June 6, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Earlier this week, we spoke to Senator James Inhofe from the Senate floor, where he led the opposition in debate on the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade bill. He seemed confident that the bill would not pass in the Senate, and told us that the overwhelming vote to open debate had nothing to do with support for the bill, but the opportunity to argue against massive regulation of energy production in the US. Inhofe apparently had it more right than he knew, as it appears that the debate will end much more quickly than anyone guessed — and that the bill is dead for this session (via Michelle):
High-profile global warming legislation is expected Friday to be shelved for the year.
Both parties had said they welcomed a wide-ranging debate on the measure (
S3036 ), but it never materialized, in part because the Senate’s ongoing clash over judicial nominations ate up precious floor time and drained the patience of senators.After a week of partisan squabbling and parliamentary maneuvering, the chamber will vote Friday morning on a motion to invoke cloture and limit debate on a substitute amendment by Barbara Boxer , D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. If, as expected, the motion does not get the required 60 votes, the bill is unlikely to come up on the floor again this Congress.
“We really didn’t expect to have such a truncated debate,” said Boxer. “We are working colleague to colleague to see how many votes we have to stop the filibuster.”
Supporters of the bill had hoped the Senate would begin to lay the political groundwork for action under the next presidential administration. But the unrelated fight over judges halted floor discussion on the legislation only two days after it began.
Harry Reid says he will schedule a return of the bill to the floor if they lose the cloture vote this morning, but his whip, Dick Durbin, rejected that idea. As it turns out, the Democrats from both coal-producing and industrial states want this off the table before the election:
Although parliamentary maneuvers could still extend the debate into next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) faced the prospect of failure in a bid to end debate on amendments to the climate bill this morning. In that event, he was expected to seek withdrawal of the entire measure, to the relief of some Democrats from coal-producing or heavy industrial states. …
Some Democrats were worried yesterday that the GOP might try to block withdrawal of the legislation to prolong a debate that many Democrats think no longer works to their political benefit. Republicans have pounced on the high price of gasoline and have stressed that the climate legislation, by introducing a price on carbon dioxide emissions, would further raise the price of gas along with that of all other fossil fuels.
Democrats have big problems in states that rely on coal for jobs and cheaper energy for heavy industry. Lieberman-Warner will drive those industrial jobs out of the country, and coal mining will slow or cease as well. With Barack Obama already facing an uphill fight in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and so on, they can ill afford to have the party associated with efforts to push the Rust Belt and the Midwest into a painful, years-long recession.
Republicans might think to keep the bill alive for at least a few more days, just to drive home that connection with voters in this region. Democrats, led by the coastal Left such as Barbara Boxer, see no problem in kneecapping major American industries in order to adopt a system that has already failed in Europe. Obama himself would have no problem expanding the federal government to all but nationalize the energy industry. Maxine Waters, another coastal Left politician, has explicitly said she wants to “socialize” the energy industry.
Of course, by keeping it alive, the GOP risks its passage. Bush will veto it, but it would provide a certain level of legitimacy to the notion of Lieberman-Warner for the next session of Congress to approve it. Maybe it’s better to have it die at the hands of the Democrats instead.
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For a moment I thought you were talking about health care.
MarkTheGreat on June 6, 2008 at 8:02 AM
Inhofe is one of the few bright lights left in the Senate.
whitetop on June 6, 2008 at 8:11 AM
An estimate just came out - 45 TRILLION to cut CO2 emissions in half worldwide.
On top of the Lieberman-Warner bill. Another 6 trillion, just for the US.
And every dime of it wasted on a non-problem.
If only we had a real candidate who could see how this would be a winning topic for the Republicans…
TexasJew on June 6, 2008 at 8:13 AM
The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over while expecting different results. The democrats are insane, this idea is insane.
doriangrey on June 6, 2008 at 8:13 AM
Neither can McCain. Doesn’t he favor it?
Dems do better by having this delayed til next year when the political climate improves markedly for them– no matter who wins.
Lieberman-Warner=Lieberman-McCain
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 8:16 AM
I’m not one to defend Maxine Waters, but this is inaccurate. Waters did not say she wants to nationalize the energy industry. She threatened to nationalize the energy industry–which is bad enough that there is no reason to distort what she said.
thuja on June 6, 2008 at 8:20 AM
Anyone here for Inhofe 2012 or 2016? The guy has the nerve to take on things that are culturally unpopular (fighting something that supposedly fights global warming) to do what is right (kneecapping this stupid bill). By 2012 or especially 2016, real climate scientists will have been proven undeniably right by the continued drop in global temperatures, and the guy will look like a genius.
flutejpl on June 6, 2008 at 8:33 AM
About 95% of the “greenhouse effect” (without which all the oceans would freeze) is due to water vapor, and most of the CO2 is due to natural causes. Human CO2 emission amount to about 0.12% of the “greenhouse effect”, which results in temperatures about 18 degrees C higher than a “blackbody” Earth at the same distance from the Sun (which could not support life).
So, if we totally stopped emitting CO2, the Earth would be about 0.021 degrees C cooler, and a partial reduction would have an even smaller effect. Do we want to cripple our economy and waste trillions of dollars for a cooling that most thermometers can’t even measure?
Compared to Lieberman-Warner, the Bridge to Nowhere or Enron stock in 2001 were good investments.
Steve Z on June 6, 2008 at 8:45 AM
The truth will set us free; of this bill and all other future forms of this bill.
The MSM will fill the airwaves with lies, distortions, and junk science; the new media will hopefully fill the airwaves with hard facts about just how damaging a bill of this nature would be on “all” Americans. China & India will not strangle themselves with such restrictions and regulations; therefore, American industries would have no possibility of competing with these two growing & developing nations, and would likely be forced to re-locate off American soil.
What are these politicians doing to our country? Why don’t we demand accountability from the likes of Barbara Boxer. It’s obvious this “global climate change” is a hoax and a power grab simply because they can’t sell it without the hard facts to back it up. This Congress if stuffed full of people who do not have the best interests of the people at heart. This Congress has got to be the most dangerous group of people ever assembled!
Keemo on June 6, 2008 at 8:45 AM
They will break it into pieces and try to slip it through in the dead of night, like the Mcshamnesty bill
abinitioadinfinitum on June 6, 2008 at 8:52 AM
Wonderful news! Senator Inhofe was a terrific guest. Anyone not watching is missing out on a great show!
Dawnsblood on June 6, 2008 at 8:53 AM
That’s a distinction without much difference. Here’s a link to just what she said.
Whether she wants to socialize the oil industry, or would do so while crying tears of regret (crocodile ones, I’m sure), what it says about the leftward drift of the Democratic Party, its cynical pandering to populism, and its ignorance of basic economics is the same.
irishspy on June 6, 2008 at 8:56 AM
I THINK THAT OUR CONGRESS HAS GONE CERTIFIABLY CRAZY!! How DARE they even ATTEMPT to pass such HORRIFIC legislation that would cripple our economy. And yes, I’M SCREAMING!!!
pullingmyhairout on June 6, 2008 at 8:59 AM
In ‘09 they will not have to. There will be a rose garden signing.
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 8:59 AM
The founding fathers, rather extraordinarily, seem to have planned for every contingency, including this one…
Now it’s not time for rebellion yet, of course, but the mechanism/duty/right/necessity is well established.
Buckle-up, it’s gonna be one helluva ride.
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Wrong.
Johan Klaus on June 6, 2008 at 9:22 AM
Note to Dickhead McCain:
Don’t you get it? Even if we ever had such a harebrained cap and trade plan as this in our country, the people will NEVER stand for it being managed by the government. We will not allow so much of our economy to fall under government control, even if cap and trade were necessary–which it isn’t.
McCain– there are those here who argue that between amnesty and cap and trade, you will destroy America and capitalism. Add socialized medicine and the remaining private economy is too small for people to bother with. How are you going to answer your critics?
Do you even know the fire you’re playing with?
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 9:22 AM
Buckle-up, it’s gonna be one helluva ride.
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Amen brother!
BTW: Did Drudge get bought out by Soros, or has he simply been drinking the DC koolaid? Drudge has been highlighting Liberal talking points for weeks now; all Obama, all of the time.
Keemo on June 6, 2008 at 9:30 AM
had to remove him from my homepage. Couldn’t take it anymore. I know a guy at one of the big talk radio shows. He says the ability to stay on message, and hold the candidate’s feet to the fire, is difficult when everyday the campaign calls promising extreme access to the candidate (and the WH) if the host will play ball.
Human nature is human nature. Drudge, for whatever reason, wants Obama to be President. He’s basically a two-man show, so his personal feelings have gotten in the way of his profession– and it’s glaringly obvious. Too bad, but not that surprising I guess.
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 9:37 AM
Earth’s climate has been evolving and CHANGING for a few weeks more than 4 billion years. It has been colder many times in the past, and it has been much WARMER many times in the past.
The present temperature regime (essentially flat for the last ten years) will possibly, with a high probability, tip over into a cooling trend over the next few decades.
Real thinkers will realize that this global cooling may not be such a good thing. Lower food production and higher heating oil consumption in the face of rising oil prices will, all of a sudden, become the new goblin for Congress to fight as global warming is replaced by global cooling.
I don’t think these politicians can change gears that fast.
Yoop on June 6, 2008 at 9:45 AM
This good news reinforces the necessity of voting in strong fiscal conservatives down-ticket come November. The lunacy will rear its ugly ahead again. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, as we are reminded.
BTW Why don’t we send Boxer off somewhere in a quiet place to embroider that nightmare of an organizational chart that entrenches more octopus tentacles of bureaucracy into our already too-big government? At least by focusing on enhancing her seamstress abilities, she might have at least one marketable skill.
onlineanalyst on June 6, 2008 at 9:46 AM
You do know that this is the Lieberman-Warner bill, right? Lieberman, the guy the right is in love with, and Warner the GOP Senator? And that a previous verion of this same bill was called the Lieberman-McCain bill? This bill is bipartisan nonsense. It often seems that any measure with bipartisan support is a gigantic boondoggle.
flenser on June 6, 2008 at 9:50 AM
False. Direct quote in statement to President of Shell Oil:
This liberal would be about socializing, uh uh, basically taking over and the government running all of your companies.
Buy Danish on June 6, 2008 at 9:53 AM
It’s going to be tough for Republicans to make campaign fodder out of this bill, when our own presidential candidate supports it.
flenser on June 6, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Our own government seems on the verge of embracing this idiocy, and what a nightmare it is.
petefrt on June 6, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Poor Harry, another day, another failure.
GarandFan on June 6, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Thank God. this bill would have destroyed the American Economy. Now can we get to the new drilling bills, the new nuclear bills, the new power generation bills, the new refinery bills, the new ethanol bills, Can we get to electric cars tax incentives, can we pass incetives for electric power compnaies to upgrade their lines and transmission projects. Can we promote growth at home and export the new technolgies around the world? Or will we continue to be hamstrung by the green lobby?
Idiots in Washington need to face reality. Reality is that Amercians like to be moblie, like cheap energy, and expect our leaders to encourge that. reality also states you can not have a robust economy propped up by 2/3 consumer spending when energy is hitting all time highs.
unseen on June 6, 2008 at 11:25 AM
McCain sent a letter saying he would have voted for it.
And if you don’t vote for him, it’ll be YOUR FAULT!
misterpeasea on June 6, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I IMPLORE all Hot Air readers to download Mark Levin’s podcast from June 2 and listen to the best monologue I have ever heard on this topic, including an interview with Sen. Inhofe.
RushBaby on June 6, 2008 at 1:14 PM
LOL.
Stopping the filibuster IS truncating debate.
The whole point is that the Democratic Socialists don’t want a debate. They want their bill passed without debate. When the Republicans filibustered, the Demoncrats should have been happy…this would be the time for them to openly debate AGW. But they don’t want debate. The debate is over, remember? They have the almighty CONSENSUS, remember?
(Just like there is CONSENSUS about Darwinian Evolution! There is no debate allowed there…except that the debate on HotAir led to the most commented HotAir thread of all time.)
The socialists are afraid, very afraid, of open and honest scientific inquiry and debate about either of their “consensuses”: AGW and Darwinian Evolution.
If they can’t pass their bill quickly, they don’t want debate…they want to shelve it, protect McCain, and wait for the next Congress and President, who they hope will pass it.
Red Pill on June 6, 2008 at 2:36 PM
President Huckabee will veto such a bill if the Socialists manage to pass it in the next Congress.
Red Pill on June 6, 2008 at 2:39 PM
misterpeasea: tks. well worth repeating
If you are worried or concerned about the pending or future global warming legislation, please contact:
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN– it’s his baby.
JiangxiDad on June 6, 2008 at 2:39 PM
Why do free societies always seem to have the social equivalent of “auto-immune” disorders?
WTF is it about having choices that these people resent so much?
Or are they really that bone-shatteringly stupid? It’s almost more comforting to believe that they’re evil.
Merovign on June 6, 2008 at 3:54 PM
The cultural ‘juveniles’ now outnumber the adults in this country, and this Congress is the result of it.
As the comparative ‘adults’ in this nation, we have given up on controlling these kids. They will burn the house down unless we take their matches.
leftnomore on June 6, 2008 at 6:46 PM