Harry Reid kills cap and trade legislation

  It is being reported that today Harry Reid has pulled climate change legislation off the table because Democrats simply cannot get to 60 votes. Congress will move forward on a much smaller energy bill which does not include cap and trade, instead focusing on some issues that are more popular with the American people.

  If only Harry Reid and the Democrats had taken that same position once it was learned that the healthcare reform bill was unpopular with the American people perhaps the Democrats wouldn’t face the prospects of massacre in the fall election.

  Maybe the Democrats are finally learning that they must actually  listen to the American people if they want to hold onto their jobs– but I wouldn’t count on it. Here is a quote from Barbara Boxer:

rather than take us to a situation where we don’t have the votes, rather than do half-measures, let’s wait until we can get it done and get it right. So I think it’s a smart decision

  That statement does not rule out trying to pass cap and trade at a later date; in fact Barbara Bower states, “let’s wait until we can get it done.” That statement seems to mean that if Democrats hold onto their majorities they will be able to address cap and trade legislation after the election.

  So while this legislation may be DOA for right now, we cannot rest until the Democrat majority is defeated in November. If we get complacent now and Democrats hold onto the House and Senate we can rest assured that cap and trade will be put back on the table.

  Some Democrats– Sherrod Brown for one– are blaming Republicans for holding up this legislation:

the Republicans don’t want to cooperate on anything. On any of these major issues they vote no

  But she goes on to say:

we’ve got to get some Republican votes because we don’t have unanimity in our caucus

  So she is blaming Republicans for voting no, while admitting that she needs Republican votes because the Democrats can’t agree on cap and trade legislation. And because Democrats can’t agree on the legislation, it is the fault of Republicans that cap and trade will not be brought to the floor this year because they won’t provide the votes that Democrats can’t get from their own party. That is convoluted logic to say the least.

  But that is okay with me, if she wants to give Republicans the credit for killing a national energy tax they should be proud to stand up and admit to the American people that they are the ones responsible for keeping taxes lower on the middle and lower classes of Americans. They should wear this as a badge of honor.

  But there is one more angle to look at now that cap and trade legislation will not bog down the senate through the mid-term elections. This frees up more time for congress to focus on and possibly pass other legislation that is not popular with the American people. Amnesty for illegal immigrants comes to mind.

  Harry Reid and the Democrats may have taken a calculated risk here; by throwing away cap and trade while hoping to revisit it if they win re-election, they may have gained themselves more time to push an amnesty bill through congress.

  There is still time for one major push in congress before the election and we can expect both Barack Obama and Democrats in congress to prioritize their agenda and move forward to push through as much as they can before they have to face the voters.