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2008 Campaign
Family Security Matters does not stand behind or endorse any candidate for president (or any other public office). However, as the President is also Commander-in-Chief and is responsible for setting national security policy, we will be publishing a variety of articles on both the Republican and Democrat candidates for President during this election year. As always, the opinions of our Contributing Editors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Family Security Matters.
- IN THIS SECTION
August 16, 2008
The Debate the Pelosi-Reid Democrats Don't Want You to Hear
When House Speaker Pelosi abruptly and literally turned off the lights in Congress on August 1st and sent the members on a five-week vacation, she thought she was doing something clever.
C-SPAN can only broadcast Congress while Congress is in session. If there was no session, there would be no cameras to cover the debate over providing relief to American families from historically high gas prices.
If there were no C-SPAN, Americans would never get to see the Speaker and the anti-energy left's stubborn refusal to lift the ban on offshore drilling, refusal to lift the ban on drilling in ANWR, and refusal to lift the ban on oil shale development.
If there were no C-SPAN, thought the Speaker, there would be no debate.
But last week, C-SPAN - with the help of some pro-energy Representatives - made sure they were still America's eyes and ears to the debate.
The House Energy Revolt and the Revenge of C-SPAN
As I told you last week, a determined group of pro-energy leaders are defying Speaker Pelosi's gag order and staying in Washington. They are staging a revolt on the floor of the House of Representatives - away from the cameras - demanding that Congress return to Washington to provide energy price relief to the American people by allowing the development of more American energy now. (You can see Newt.org's coverage here)
On Wednesday, I met with these leaders to deliver a message of encouragement from the nearly one and a half million Americans who have signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition.
Afterward I held a press conference with pro-energy Representatives. And even though it's banned from covering the speeches on the floor of the House during recess, C-SPAN brought its cameras to a press conference in the Capitol.
Telling the story that the mainstream media has studiously tried to ignore, C-SPAN captured the depth and breadth of support among Americans for developing more American sources of energy - and the outrageous, and ultimately futile, attempt by no-energy liberals to stifle the debate.
Are the Democrats Too Far Left For George McGovern?
The refusal of the House leadership to provide energy relief to working Americans is just one example of being out of touch with the vast majority of Americans on a critical issue.
Last Friday, liberal Democrat and former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern provided another.
In a remarkable op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, McGovern made clear that his party has gone too far to the left with the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA) - legislation that would strip union workers of the right to a secret ballot. McGovern argued that the bill, which has the strong support of the Democratic leadership and is supported by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, is a betrayal of Democratic ideals in an attempt to appease big labor.
"To my friends supporting EFCA I say this," wrote McGovern. "We cannot be a party that strips working Americans of the right to a secret-ballot election."
As I argue in my report on the progress of the Platform of the American People below, this is just one more example of elite politicians being out of step with the vast majority of the American people. Now, about those so-called superdelegates. George? Oh well.
American Energy Yes, Taxes No
But even as some members of the House stand heroically for energy price relief, for reasons beyond my understanding, a group of Republicans in the Senate has signed on to an $85 billion tax increase disguised as an energy bill.
Last week a "Gang of 10" from the Senate - including Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson - announced a "sweeping" energy bill that raises taxes but does little to develop more American energy.
The fact is, if we aggressively pursue new sources of energy, we do not need a tax increase of any kind.
The combination of the following would provide significant new revenues to the federal budget without raising taxes a penny:
- New revenue from licensing exploration
- New royalties from new discoveries (worth billions to federal and state governments over the next 20 years)
- The additional tax revenue from American jobs and American corporate profits from keeping some of the $700 billion a year we currently send overseas here at home
- The additional tax revenue from increased profits as lower energy costs enable American companies to be more profitable
- The savings to the U.S. government as the largest purchaser of energy from bringing down energy prices through more available domestic energy
Tell your senators to oppose the Gang of Ten tax increase. And if your senator is one of the co-sponsors, ask them to take their name off the bill.
The government has already done enough to raise gas prices. The last thing we need is to pay more taxes.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Newt Gingrich is the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and author of "Winning the Future." Feedback: editorialdirector@familysecuritymatters.org.
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