Robert Byrd not a fan of Cap and Trade

Byrd’s statement:

“I cannot support the House bill in its present form,” Byrd said in a statement. “I continue to believe that clean coal can be a ‘green’ energy. Those of us who understand coal’s great potential in our quest for energy independence must continue to work diligently in shaping a climate bill that will ensure access to affordable energy for West Virginians. I remain bullish about the future of coal, and am so very proud of the miners who labor and toil in the coalfields of West Virginia.”

Byrd grew up in the coalfields of Stotesbury, W.Va., in Raleigh County. Jesse Jacobs, spokesman for Byrd, said the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will begin marking up the “cap and trade” bill later this month, with floor debate scheduled for September or October.

“So it is our hope that yes, Sen. Byrd will be here to vote on the legislation,” Jacobs continued. “His return will be determined by his doctors and family members.”

Jay Rockefeller is still doing the dance, however.

Jessica Tice, Rockefeller’s state press secretary, said the senator “followed the process in the House on the climate change legislation very closely” and “continues to have serious concerns about the House bill.” Tice also said Rockefeller will “continue working with his colleagues to make sure West Virginia’s interests are represented.”

House Majority Leader scoffs at suggestion that Democrats should bother to read health care bill

Steny Hoyer thinks that actually, you know, reading a trillion(+) dollar health care bill is a real laugh riot.  And making it available to the public for 72 hours prior to a vote?  Another knee slapper.

In a stunning remark, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) mocked the suggestion that Democratic lawmakers should actually read their massive health care bill and make it available to the public online for 72 hours before a vote. According to CNSNews.com:

“House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that the health-care reform bill now pending in Congress would garner very few votes if lawmakers actually had to read the entire bill before voting on it. …

“Hoyer was responding to a question from CNSNews.com on whether he supported a pledge that asks members of the Congress to read the entire bill before voting on it and also make the full text of the bill available to the public for 72 hours before a vote.

“In fact, Hoyer found the idea of the pledge humorous, laughing as he responded to the question. ‘I’m laughing because a) I don’t know how long this bill is going to be, but it’s going to be a very long bill,’ he said.”

They didn’t read the stimulus bill or the cap and trade bill so why start now?  Perhaps John Boehner should read it line by line from the House floor.  I’d love to see Queen Nancy’s reaction.

Democrats are all over the map when it comes to second stimulus

Ask a handful of Democrats on Capitol Hill about a second stimulus and you’ll get a handful of answers.

Some fear backlash of another stimulus while others fear implications of not going for the double dip.

President Barack Obama says there’s “nothing” he “would have done differently” about his economic stimulus plan, but one of his top outside economic advisers says the plan was “a bit too small.”

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri says the idea of a second stimulus is a “non-starter,” but Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island says it “should be on the table.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says there’s “no showing that a second stimulus is needed,” but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says Congress needs to be “open to whether we need additional action.”

“Right now, every headline across the board is the stimulus isn’t enough, states are in bankruptcy, states aren’t paying their bills,” says Wendy Schiller, a Brown University political scientist. “This is really deadly for the Democratic Party, because what it suggests is the Democratic Party cannot run the country.”

At the same time, however, polls show that voters have little appetite for a second stimulus, and Democrats fear that any attempt to pass one will provide Republicans too much ammunition to argue that Democrats are profligate spenders who can’t reverse the job-loss trend.

It looks like the first of many overreaches are coming back to haunt Democrats.