Graham withdraws support for climate legislation
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 25, 2010; A03
The effort to enact comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year suffered a critical blow Saturday when Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), the key Republican proponent of the bill, withdrew his support because of what he said was a “cynical political” decision by Democrats to advance immigration legislation first.
The move forced the other two authors of the climate and energy bill, Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), to cancel a much-anticipated news conference planned for Monday at which they were to unveil the plan they negotiated with Graham.
Graham, who spent weeks working with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on an immigration measure that will appeal to both parties, wrote in an open letter Saturday to leaders of the climate effort, “Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy.”
Late last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) raised the idea of bringing up immigration legislation before an energy bill, and President Obama on Friday criticized Arizona’s tough new immigration law and said Congress must act on immigration or risk leaving the door open to “irresponsibility by others.”
In an interview, Graham said he has become convinced that Democrats have decided to push for an immigration overhaul in an effort to mobilize Hispanic voters, a key political bloc, and that only a focused effort on a climate and energy bill could ensure its passage.
Democrats denied that election-related considerations were driving the focus on immigration, and the White House, Reid, and Kerry and Lieberman said they would continue to press ahead with the climate and energy effort.
Even so, Graham’s departure greatly undermines Democrats’ prospects of picking up the handful of Republican votes needed for passage. “If Senator Graham leaves the effort, a long shot becomes a no-shot,” said Joe Stanko, who heads up government relations for the law firm Hunton & Williams and represents several industries that would face new federal regulation under a climate bill.
more here at WaPo
==============
Joe Romm must be having a conniption fit about right now.
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Here’s the EPA language on the “Endangerment Finding”:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html
I just saw John Holdren’s GW speech in Chicago, the administration completely buys into the AGW scenario, quality of data be damned. Here’s his lecture slides, you’ll see that he preaches the standard IPCC lines:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/jph-chicago-04212010.pdf
It’s not a matter of “if,” just “when.” I think they will try to treat GHG substances (CO2, methane etc.) much like the EPA already regulates water pollutants like BOD5, suspended solids etc. They will raise revenues via fines instead of a market mechanism.
(08:18:25) :
As a Canadian I don’t quite understand what this really means. Does this kill it or is just a political move
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It’s a political move. Democrats are very unpopular in America now. Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Boxer, and Kerry are all Democrats. Reid is up for re-election in November. He is 17% behind his opponent in the polls (last I saw). Cap N Trade is a mainly Democrat proposal. I think Graham sees how unpopular big spending government has become with the voters. I think (IMO) he is distancing himself from a losing Party and a losing proposition. Or it really could be he was set for Cap N Trade now and and is put off by Washington focusing on illegal immigration instead.
President Obama has already said he doesn’t care if he gets re-elected.
He wants to accomplish certain things and it doesn’t matter to him if he isn’t re-elected as a result of accomplishing those things. So he is already using the EPA to put through his energy program. He isn’t waiting for the rest of Washington to move with him.
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1:19 video of Obama talking about it not mattering to him if he’s re-elected:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Politics/president-obama-good-term-president/story?id=9657337&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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The odd thing is is if he really was a good President he would win re-election to a second term. In saying it doesn’t matter to him if he is re-elected he is revealing that he himself knows the American people are not going to like what he will do.
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One thing he already doing through the EPA is stopping new coal mines from getting permits to operate.
“EPA Takes on the Coal Industry”
http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/09/epa-takes-on-the-coal-industry/
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He also wants to take away permits from those already in operation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=arb10nwMQmkQ
“The provision, never exercised until now, gives EPA the authority to “prohibit, deny or restrict” the use of any defined area….”
http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/10/shock-and-awe-epa-halts-largest-mountaintop-coal-mine/
“New federal rules to restrict mountaintop mining are likely to hurt coal production and endanger jobs in poor Appalachian communities.”
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH22689_2010-04-08_19-17-44_N05178807.htm
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His ultimate goal? For people’s energy bills to “necessarily skyrocket”. See it for yourself:
Smokey (11:21:53) :
You are right about the VAT. In almost every country it has been established [Canada being the lone exception], it has been subsequently raised…
What people don’t realize is that a VAT is a tax at every step of production, which will dramatically raise the price of everything>>
I’m against any new taxes because that is exactly what happens…rather than make the tough decisions and driving efficiency, it is easier to raise the tax “by just a little”. Canada’s VAT however (called the GST) does not raise tax at every step of production. Itz pretty complicated, but the system works by collecting tax at every level, and refunding at every level except the final use level. I think the model they built on was New Zealand’s. Not many people really understand it, but when you dig into the details it actually works. The GST replaced the previous Federal Tax which did exactly what you describe, increase costs at every level and causing each level to essentialy collect tax on already taxed goods, and worse, burdening any exports with the cummulative effects causing them to become uncompetitive as a result. The GST is much hated in Canada because it is a “visible” tax collected at point of purchase while the Federal Tax it replaced was “invisible” at the manufacturing level, and we all know what we can’t see can’t hurt us. Though visible and hated, the GST does not in fact increase taxes at every level and is a huge improvement over what was in place prior.
President Obama wants to bankrupt coal mining and coal powered electricity plants with or without the rest of Washington with him, and with or without the American people with him:
dkkraft (07:53:01) :
“A miracle just happened.”
Don’t place your faith in RINOs.
Since everyone is putting up Cap And Trade videos, I’ll put up mine as well.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0cn2kQ9sQM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]
“Michael (11:13:28) :
I just thank God for the complete and total economic collapse that is coming. It’s the only thing that will make the bad people stop doing what they are doing to us.”
Sigh. Those who engineer such collapses end up richer than before, it is the bottom 90% who get killed. This will never end.
Those people in power in Washington are Globalists, including most Republicans. Their mission is to lower living standards for the average American, key word, average, thus transferring wealth to developing countries, in return getting unfettered access to global markets. The AGW fraud and climate bills are all part of the globalists scheme to enforce reduced living standards on the developed world via regulation, under the guise of saving the planet, and this may in turn evolve into a secular religion that will replace or be synthesized with other religions .
It was recognized by the end of the 60’s that America had only 5% of the population and that the real money was to be made globally. At this time the Trilateral Commission was formed to engineer the gradual collapse of the US productive economy (consumer manufacturing), in effect the deindustrialization of America.
This type of economy (non-industrial) relies on fictitous capital created by debt. Each dollar in debt by an individual or government is a dollar created, and inflates GDP, thus disguising the reality as to the state of our economy (CPI is massaged to make inflation seem insignificant). It is a great money making ponzi scheme, but requires booms and busts so that those making the loans can profit by foreclosure (or in case of foreign markets unfettered access to markets and resources).
Carbon credits and carbon trading will be a similar ponzi making scheme where carbon credits are no different than dollar credits, just another currecy, call it a carbon dollar.
Eventually, the carbon dollar will replace the USD as the worlds reserve currency, leaving the US w/o the ability to finance it’s trade deficists except via loans from the IMF or similar agency that will be sit up as a global central bank that issues carbon credits.
Ultimately, nationalism and sovereignty will be a thing of the past, and elites from the US, Europe and Asia will have in place a regulatory structure for global governance, where rights are replaced by permissions, and freedoms are granted if convenient, and can be withdrawn at any time, and those with the power are not accountable to the people. The EU is a working model to be applied on a global scale.
Meanwhile, living standards throughout much of the world, especially in Asia and Eastern Europe are improving, while declining in the US and Western Europe. Thank you for your sacrifice, more is to come.
There is hope. The banks seem prepared to see reform and know very well the consumers will pay for it. Obama even mentioned it gets passed to consumers.
Cap and trade bill is shovel ready. Now they are eating off their own arm. Goldman sachs was drooling at the chance to lead a carbon credit trading boom and make billions selling short on the way down. Now they are making their Wall Street champion shovel ready.
The hope I see is people getting their eyes opened and facing taxes, rationaing and more unemployment.
Here’s a good write-up that touches upon the important political aspects of Reid’s decision to forego the energy bill, and Graham’s response:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Why-Graham-balked-can-Dems-win-by-losing-on-climate-AND-immigration-92056569.html
Rhoda R (14:45:25) :
dkkraft (07:53:01) :
“A miracle just happened.”
Don’t place your faith in RINOs.
Fair enough…. I am just happy that Cap and Trade has stumbled over another hurdle, giving civilization more time to come to its senses. So I am relieved
for today anyway.
Thus my allusion to a particular comment by a certain RC over at Climate Audit back on Nov 17, 2009 at 5:24 AM. That comment will be familiar to some of the readers at WUWT I think.
davidmhoffer (08:57:57) :
…. All we ask in return for taking these extraodrinary measures to help the Americans out is that you get Hillary to stop p***ing on our foreign minister every time she comes to visit. Small favour in context of the big picture.
___________________________________________________________________________________
David you have our permission to introduce Hillary to one of those cute cuddly polar bear Mamas up close and personal like. How about having Canadian Maurice Strong do the introductions?
When setting immigration policy, Graham and many others in Washington fail to discuss the Constitution and how it may already apply to “undocumented immigrants”. Article IV, Section 4, describes the duty of the federal government to protect the States from invasion. This has not been followed, so some States are bound to take enforcement actions. There are many millions of invaders who now drain taxpayers and destroy budgets through undue and illegal federal and State largesse. It has to be fixed, and amnesty is not an option.
(As an aside, do you think all the States have retained a republican form of government, also guaranteed in Section 4? Hint: republican means self-governing.)
There are no amendments needed, the laws are clear, all we need to do is follow them.
When the American people and the States speak to enforcing clear provisions of the Constitution, we are labeled as “irresponsible” by the Administration. They set the Constitution aside at their own peril. We are getting angrier and angrier every time they disparage us for standing tall.
Cap and tax is contrary to our law as well, federal power is not meant to extend into controlling all smokestack industry while crippling the American economy. This is the exact opposite of what the spirit of our Constitution is meant to promote, and cannot stand.
“Joe Romm must be having a conniption fit about right now”
Romm said since Graham was a republican this bill was both bi partisan and popular. Romm is blind. He is unable so see that cap and tax is a tax bill, jobs killer and incredibly low in popularity as issues are concerned.
Monday april 26, 2010 will have several setbacks for the leftist assualt on energy.
As far as I am concerned, any legal immigrant in the US should be calling for the Arizona Governor to run for Pres. I know I would vote for her. If you are from Zanga on the continent of Swazie or from Zwipa on the continent of Seiby, you should be a champion of legal immigration.
Bottom line, if you are here illegally, hightail it back over that border. If fellow redheads from Ireland decided to sneak in, I would be first in line to tar and feather their white behind outa town. Mexican-AMERICANS should be willing to do the same to their kin, friends, and foes.
I don’t care what color you are or who you love, if you are an American, glad to have ya. If not, get the hellouta Dodge.
HawkWatcher (18:49:31) :
When setting immigration policy, Graham and many others in Washington fail to discuss the Constitution ….
(As an aside, do you think all the States have retained a republican form of government, also guaranteed in Section 4? Hint: republican means self-governing.)
There are no amendments needed, the laws are clear, all we need to do is follow them….
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Many of the states are already sending warnings to the out of control megalomaniacs in DC. in the form of Tenth Amendment Resolutions. Also there is a revival of state nullification of Federal laws. Real ID got killed by nullification after it was passed at the federal level. NAIS (Animal ID) also has been the subject of nullification laws passed by the states. There are already people organizing to kill the health Care bill in the same way. We may see a reshuffling of people as those who love freedom band together in certain states and leave Lenin’s Useful Idiots to tax themselves out of existence as California is doing.
You might want to check out the Tenth Amendment Center. Severe threats make strange bed fellows and hopefully those on the right, the left and in the center will realize it is the very wealth against the rest of us despite their “lets you and he fight” strategy
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/about/
“appeal to both parties” ? who wrote this drivel ? Uh. WaPo. ’nuff said.
and to think, all this time I’ve had a sense of 2000 election deja vu, only bigger and badder.
an ill wind is blowing and the leaves are rustling.
but Steve (11:37:00) , careful what you wish for.
Gail Combs
David you have our permission to introduce Hillary to one of those cute cuddly polar bear Mamas up close and personal like. How about having Canadian Maurice Strong do the introductions?>>
I thought about it Gail, but decided I just couldn’t do it to the polar bears, itz not fair to them. I did call Mr. Strong to see what he thought but when he found out the bears had no money to invest he hung up on me. Besides, I got a call from our foreign minister who said I shouldn’t be interfering. He’s going to start a club of p**d on foreign ministers. He’s got Britain, France, Honduras, India, most of Eastern Europe, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE ready to join.
It’s not about capping, and hardly about trading. It’s not about global warming or even regulating CO2. It’s not about immigration, either,
It’s all about rasing taxes.
The US Gummit is broke and living off funny money. The deficit is skyrocketing. The dollar is ready to collapse in an inflationary spiral. The only fix is to raise taxes – double the rates on everybody – tax air – tax babies – tax dogs – you name it, tax, tax, tax is the name of the game.
But the taxpayers are not happy. They are having TEA parties, and reviving a time-honored American tradition of tax revolt. The politicians are between a rock and a revolution. I doubt that the TEA partiers are going to win, however.
The AGW scare started as an Enron-style financial scam. Algore copied Enron by setting up phony carbon markets. That was bad enough, but then the Gummit wanted in on the scam. The Dems need a way to pay for the New American Welfare State, and carbon was (is) just the ticket.
Cap and Trade may be dead, but Tax To The Max is not. We will pony up, one way or another, Graham or no Graham, AGW or no AGW, immigration or no immigration. Taxes are the holy grail. We will fill that cup with our blood, sweat, and tears, one way or another.
Henry chance (18:19:40) :
The hope I see is people getting their eyes opened and facing taxes, rationaing and more unemployment.
Mmmm ya, that’s the American dream!
Dave Wendt (12:36:02) : Wrote
Michael (11:13:28) :
I just thank God for the complete and total economic collapse that is coming. It’s the only thing that will make the bad people stop doing what they are doing to us.
“I have to admire your optimism. I can’t see even total economic collapse putting a damper on these folks, I suspect it would only lead them to redouble their efforts.”
“At this point even if the political will could be generated to oust every last one of our current crop of kleptocrats from office, a highly unlikely prospect, the huge spinning flywheel of bureaucracies and entitlements, which are now our real government, would remain. Even if every member of elected government in the country could be magically replaced with a strict Constitutionalist it would be a daunting task to turn us away from our decline into a socialist dystopia. Still, given what has been sacrificed by so many to give us our opportunity to live in freedom, we owe our posterity our own last full measure to try.”
Let me thank you Dave for this amazing response.
It gives me hope when I see there are good True Americans out there who really get how our Constitutional system of government is supposed to work. Our country could be great again if we just followed the Constitution.
Sorry Gang, Senator Grahamnesty is reversing course….Politico is reporting that the Climate Hacks Regrouping http://is.gd/bHW2N This is not good.
There is a significant US government nuclear industrial and fuel facility in South Carolina that is vunerable to threats (from Obama’s Energy Dept and Obama’s Defense Dept and the EPA), plus general state funding from Obama for other SC govt projects.
By caving in to Obama’s pressure and the media’s constant ten-year pro-AGW-hyped propaganda …
AND by listening to and becoming mesmerized by the seemingly positive sound of vacuum-filled sound-bites from Obama about (A) future nuclear power production, (B) offshore drilling off of South Carolina, and (C) increased “green energy” production that might come to his state – NONE of which are anything more than sounds bites !!! …
This ignoble senator has convinced himself that “HE” is promoting South Carolina jobs by becoming the ONE republican who will push cap-and-tax legislation.
He is a d**m fool for believing the future promises of state money and jobs, and he is NOT listening to anybody but the funding managers under Obama who are promising him (his state) money …. But he (Graham) is NOT listening to reason and science.
Wow, now this is quite the improvement from last year’s record late planting. There are other related articles at this site… a good looking trend. Barring a big volcano eruption(s) happening soon, *crosses fingers* this could be a really excellent year for crops.
http://www.agriculture.com/ag/category.jhtml?categoryid=/templatedata/ag/category/data/agnewscategory-crops.xml
By next week, half of the nation’s corn crop could be planted, estimates Purdue University agricultural economist Chis Hurt, and that could lead the USDA to nudge its first price projection for 2010 down slightly in its May 11 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate. If prospects for the crop stay strong, it also may mean that growers will want to take another look at signing up for the ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) program by the June 1 deadline, he said… 4/21/2010, 4:09 PM CDT
The dust is flying: Farmers make record corn planting progress, USDA says…
Now I am especially not a fan of elitist liberals who brag how much more intelligent they are, when its actually the exact opposite. I almost always vote for independents (though intl. bankers run the show)because the more people vote for independents the more campaign money they’ll receive, and the two parties of power have evolved too extremist, to the point that these disastrous jokes of the last several decades are just way too depressing to even find the least bit interesting to me any more.
But it also looks to me like the majority of the whole economy is poised to improve as well.
Holy Foreclosure, Batman, this has to be a ‘complete disaster’ for the neo-conservatives. Rush Limbaugh better get straight off his behind, errr… that boiled buttress that kept him out of military service… and try to do something about this !!! And quick, Hannity – Beck, time to pull the womens’ [snip]ies off and get to wark !!!
“How am I going to get myself out of this mess” ?
No. I think it’s “Dear Lord. Did I leave the iron on?”
And, what’s with all the red ties at the moment?