I'm sure most of you have seen the Republican Party's latest stunt on energy. If you haven't, here's a brief overview.
On Friday, after the House adjourned for its August recess, some House Republicans stayed after school to hold a pretend session of Congress. Some, like Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), stayed on Friday to speak to an empty room and a handful of press - grandstanding that their partisan legislation on drilling was ignored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Others, like Lee Terry, Jr. (R-Neb.), used the opportunity to go back to their district for the weekend and place the blame for their lack of action on everyone else. Six years in the majority with a Republican President, and House Republicans were unable to come up with a solution to our energy crisis. Now, since they have impeded progress in the actual House of Representatives, Congressmen like Lee Terry are playing "make-believe Congress" instead of focusing on the concerns of their constituents.
From a Terry press release:
Congressman Terry (R-NE) will return to Washington, D.C. on Thursday, August 7th to continue to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconvene the House and allow a vote on a comprehensive energy plan Nebraskans and all of America deserves.
"I along with dozens of other members of Congress have used every possible avenue to get an energy plan to the floor, unfortunately it hasn’t happened. I am extremely concerned about our country’s dependence on foreign sources of oil that is strangling family budgets as we continue to pay close to $4 a gallon for gas. I will continue to stand up for all Nebraskans in demanding real energy solutions for America," said Congressman Terry.
Here's what Lee Terry said in June of 2000, in an op-ed in the Omaha World-Herald:
The problems we face today are a direct result of our country's lack of a national energy policy.
That was over eight years ago. In the years since, Terry has blamed everyone but himself for his failure to address our energy crisis. He recognized a problem, he placed the blame on a Democratic President, and then for the next eight years, he did nothing about it!
This is a crisis of leadership. For too long, partisans have sought to place blame rather than seek solutions. If an idea does not belong to their party, then they refuse to engage it. Nowhere is this more apparent than the House Republicans speaking to a room of no one but their staff and loyal supporters about a bill with no bipartisan support.
Jim Esch believes that these partisan games are what is preventing our nation from reaching its potential. For ten years, Nebraska's Second District has had a do-nothing Congressman. The story is the same all across this country, where Republicans like Lee Terry, Jr. are more interested in playing "make-believe" than getting things done.
UPDATE: Lee Terry's statement from the floor of make-believe Congress:
Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) echoed Burton’s sentiments, also calling out proposed solutions from the Democrats as "hot air". "We could probably make ourselves energy independent right there," he said. "If we use the hot air from the Democrats to heat our homes."
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