I submit this in support of your post CG!!!
WINNING THE FUTURE by Newt Gingrich
A 21st Century Contract with America
AUGUST 5, 2008 | Vol. 3, No. 32
THE LEFT IS ON THE RUN
We have the left rattled and on the run. For proof, consider
three developments from late last week.
But first, I want to make a special announcement.
Many of you are probably following the story of how House
Republicans are staging a protest in the House Chamber,
demanding that Nancy Pelosi call the House back into session in
order to vote on The American Energy Act, an "all of the above"
energy strategy that includes more drilling, funding for
scientific breakthroughs, as well as common-sense conservation
efforts. (More info on that story below.)
Tomorrow at 10am, I will meet with those Representatives still
in Washington, working to pass an energy bill that will lower
gas prices, to deliver a message of encouragement on behalf of
the 1.4 million Americans who have signed the "Drill Here, Drill
Now, Pay Less" petition at American Solutions.
After the meeting, I will hold a press avail with Leader Boehner
and other pro-energy Representatives to discuss why 1.4 million
Americans have signed the petition, paint a vision of a better
energy tomorrow, and explain why I believe we are winning the
argument on energy.
Which brings me back to those developments from last week.
Three signs we are winning the argument on energy
First, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her anti-energy allies in the
House skipped town without even scheduling a vote on The
American Energy Act - the kind of common sense, "all of the
above" energy strategy Americans favor.
Then MoveOn.org sent a desperate email to their supporters
asking for money to air an ad to slow the momentum of the
movement for America to develop more American energy now.
And Senator Obama, who until late last week opposed offshore
drilling, said he would now favor offshore drilling as part of a
comprehensive energy strategy for America.
But we all know that after a retreat, the opposition will try to
regroup. It's time to double our efforts to prevent that from
happening.
To block a vote on energy, Nancy Pelosi tried cutting the power
in the House
Pro-energy House Republicans are doing just that this week,
refusing to let Nancy Pelosi and her anti-energy allies get away
with ducking the energy issue.
On Friday morning, Nancy Pelosi suddenly and without warning,
adjourned the House of Representatives. She knew how badly the
anti-energy left was losing the argument over energy and knew
she couldn't allow a full day of discussion about the American
Energy Act to take place in front of the C-Span cameras and
press. So she called the vote to adjourn, and when House
Republicans refused to leave, Nancy Pelosi ordered the
microphones and lights in the House be turned off.
Think about this: In order to block a vote on energy for
America, Nancy Pelosi tried to cut off power to the House of
Representatives.
But Boehner and pro-energy representatives remembered where
power really comes from
However, Rep. John Boehner and many other pro-energy
have refused to allow Nancy Pelosi to duck the energy issue.
They know that Congress derives its power from the American
people. Speaker Pelosi can't order that power supply shut off.
They're still in Washington this week, making speeches on the
House floor to visitors and press, and live-blogging their
efforts, which you can view here.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
Here's a flavor of the House Republicans historic uprising:
"We are the light of the world, we are the leaders of the free
world. But when we depend on foreign energy we cannot be as
strong of a leader as we should and can be." - Rep. Duncan
Hunter (R-CA)
"You need to let your congressman know that he or she works for
you, not the Speaker of the House." - Rep. Mark Steven Kirk
(R-IL)
"Here's a letter from the Gardner family in Texas. They can't
afford to both go on vacation and send their son to Boy Scout
camp. They can't afford it. If the Gardners can't, then neither
should Pelosi and the Congress!" - Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
"Common sense is not very common in Washington, D.C... Why
aren't we using all the resources that we Americans can bring to
the table?... We need to use our American ingenuity to solve
these problems...We will get it done if there's a vote on this
floor." - Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA):
And perhaps most importantly, House Minority Leader John Boehner
yesterday promised to keep up this pressure throughout the month
of August:
"The only way we're ever going to bring her to heel and allow a
vote is for us to continue to put pressure on her. And so it's
25 Members we had in Congress today, led by Tom Price and Mike
Pence. It's Members all over the country doing their townhall
meetings, doing their rotary clubs, they're all talking about
it. And we're going to keep talking about it until we get our
vote." - John Boehner, OH
You can read their open letter to Nancy Pelosi, here.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
Also, check out the comments on the GOP Leader blog to see how
this historic uprising is energizing conservatives around the
country.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
Finally, and most importantly, write your representative to let
them know you want them back in session to pass an energy bill
and to applaud Boehner's leadership. Call talk radio as well.
Nancy Pelosi may have turned off the lights in the House, but
that doesn't mean we can't turn on the heat in response.
MoveOn.org Admits the Obvious: The Pro Energy Coalition is
Winning the Argument
Nancy Pelosi is not the only member of the anti-energy left
looking desperate.
In an urgent email sent to their members last week, the far Left
activist group wrote about the national debate over how to best
lower gas and energy prices, "Here's the truth: Right now,
progressives are losing this argument."
They're right. We are winning and the Left is losing the
argument over our country's energy future because Americans know
that thirty years of their policies has led to the current mess.
For decades, anti-energy, left-wing politicians have advocated
higher prices and less energy. They were going to save the
environment by punishing Americans into driving less and driving
smaller cars. They favor a policy of no oil and gas exploration,
no use of coal, and no development of nuclear power.
The result has been that over the last three decades, America
has relied more and more on foreign oil rather than American
oil, and our nation's power grid has been stretched thin because
litigation and regulation has made it so difficult to build new
sources of electricity.
The American people can see this, so they're rejecting the
Left's philosophy of less energy and inconvenience in favor of a
pro-investment, pro-creativity, pro-production, and
pro-conservation energy coalition.
MoveOn.org Fails Einstein's Test of Insanity
You'd think this much would be obvious to the Left, but the
email they sent to their supporters and the advertisement they
want to run is filled with the same discredited arguments about
American energy production that the American people have
rejected over this summer.
It claims not only that more American energy, including opening
up additional areas to oil and natural gas development, would
have no immediate effect on gas prices, but that even in the
long term, more American oil and gas on the market is only a
"gimmick."
Someone should remind MoveOn.org that Einstein's definition of
insanity was "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a
different result."
Not only does MoveOn.org still think that the Left's same,
misguided energy scarcity policies are good for America, despite
the obvious; they also think that the American people are going
to continue to buy their arguments.
That's just crazy, and you don't have to be a Nobel Prize
winning physicist to know it.
That's why we can be confident in our solutions and our answers
to their faulty arguments. Check out our Facts Sheet at American
Solutions for rebuttals to the anti-energy left's most common
arguments.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
Oh, and just for fun, check out Jay Leno's take on why the
Left's phony "it will take 10 years" argument holds no water.
Watch here.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
This summer, as you talk with your friends and neighbors about
high gas prices, don't let the anti-energy left get away with
using the same discredited arguments, and don't let them shirk
the responsibility they bear for putting us in the energy crisis
today.
The Obama Opportunity: the President Should Call Congress Back
Into Session
Finally, in another sign that we are winning the argument over America's energy future,
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has indicated he
would support offshore drilling as part of a larger energy
strategy.
This is amazing progress considering it was just a few months
ago that Senator Obama was not only opposed to more American oil
production, he repeatedly voted to keep America ignorant of our
own offshore energy resources. (Check out this excellent article
at PowerlineBlog.com for more.)
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
This is real progress. It's also a real opportunity.
President Bush has the power to call the Congress back into
session, but so far he's said he has no plans to do so. It's up
to us to change his mind. There should be no confusion as to
where Nancy Pelosi and her anti-energy allies on the left stand
when it comes to a common sense energy strategy the American
people want. You can call the White House at 202-456-1111 to
encourage the President.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
In addition, we should call our Congressmen and ask them to call
on the President to bring them back into session. And if your
Congressman isn't one of those staying in Washington to protest
Nancy Pelosi adjourning without passing an energy bill, make
sure if you see him or her in your district to ask why they are
on vacation instead of working to lower gas prices.
Second, Senator McCain should challenge Senator Obama to work
with him to create and pass an energy bill in the Senate before
the election that includes opening up more areas to oil and
natural gas development (including offshore and in the Alaskan
National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)) as part of a larger,
comprehensive energy policy that also includes conservation
efforts, nuclear power (Obama has indicated he would support
building more plants under the right conditions), and incentives
for new technologies.
Then, the question for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid will then be simple: with their party's
nominee for President supporting more American oil production
and the American people overwhelmingly supporting it as well,
will they still oppose a common-sense energy policy that uses
all of our American energy resources?
Another Question for Nancy Pelosi, This Time on Immigration
Finally, the news that the suspect of a brutal murder in San
Francisco is a known illegal immigrant begs the question whether
or not Nancy Pelosi will pass Einstein's insanity test with
regard to her support of sanctuary city policies.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
Edwin Ramos had twice been convicted on felony charges as a
juvenile, and his status as an illegal immigrant was known. Yet
he was released from jail nearly three months before these
recent slayings, protected from the country's immigration
policies because of San Francisco's sanctuary policy.
As I wrote last year when a known illegal immigrant shot four
students, killing three, it is simply beyond belief that cities
would knowingly shield felons and suspected felons from the
country's immigration laws. Now, in San Francisco - Nancy
Pelosi's district - the tragic results speak for themselves.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
This horrible story comes at the same time that the Center for
Immigration Studies announced that increased enforcement on the
US/Mexico border has decreased the number of illegal immigrants
in the country by 1.3 million. Furthermore, their study
concludes that the decline of the illegal population was at
least seven times larger than the number of actual people
removed by the government in the last ten months. This means
that most of the decline is due to people here illegally leaving
voluntarily as a result of the enforcement.
http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:3:105635923:CC081E4725ED04948AAB8BE4F5521BB0
The evidence is clear: enforcement works; sanctuary policies
don't.
Will Nancy Pelosi (not to mention the rest of the Left) finally
back the enforcement of our country's laws or will they continue
to cling to policies that don't work and expect a different
result?
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich