Republicans stall climate change bill to punish Reid

Thursday, June 5, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Washington — When Sen. Harry Reid rose to become the majority leader in 2007, many believed he had met his match in the Republicans’ new Senate leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Shrewd parliamentarians both, they brought the prospect of each trying to outsmart the other on the Senate floor, promising good viewing.

Those skills were on display Wednesday when McConnell brought the Senate to a standstill.

Just as the chamber was about to begin a feisty debate on the most sweeping effort yet to address climate change, McConnell shut down the Senate by forcing full reading of the 491-page bill.

Rather than hearing a spirited battle over carbon emissions, gas prices and new fees for polluters, one lonely clerk after another read page after page of minutia to a nearly empty chamber.

Republican leaders say their stall tactic had little to do with climate change — they want to debate the global warming bill so they can knock it down. Instead, this was payback. They were protesting Reid’s failure to win Senate approval of three of Bush’s judicial nominees before Memorial Day.

Reid and McConnell had reached an agreement to move forward on the judges in a timely manner, and McConnell claims Reid isn’t keeping up his end of the deal.

McConnell said the daylong reading provides an opportunity “to give the majority time to contemplate and consider the importance of keeping your word in this body.”

It was a classic minority move — asserting parliamentary protocol to muck up the majority agenda.

And it must have looked a little like fall 2003, during a debate over judicial nominees, when Reid as minority leader seized the floor for nine hours to read from his book “Searchlight” in protest.

The public cannot be pleased.

Polls show Americans are overwhelmingly concerned about climate change and are increasingly frustrated with Washington. Congressional approval ratings have slipped lower than those of President Bush.

Republicans risk being seen as obstructing action on an issue important to voters, though Sen. John Ensign, who heads party reelection efforts, sided with his party and was unworried about voter backlash.

Reid’s office countered that the Memorial Day deal on judges was brokered in good faith, but Republicans in committee failed to do their part to expedite the nominations. It added that the Senate approved more of Bush’s nominees last year than Republicans did in the previous three years they controlled the Senate.

“Devoid of ideas for addressing global warming ... Republicans have now resorted to changing the subject,” Reid’s spokesman said.

In his own statement, Reid said: “Republicans are yet again doing everything in their power to slow, stop and stall. These petty, partisan tactics waste the American people’s time, and ignoring the crisis of global warming endangers all of us.”

And so the day went on.

At various points, the bill’s lead author, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, asked to halt the reading “in order to debate global warming and get us to lower gas prices” or, later, to “save the planet.”

Each time, a Republican senator rose to object.

By early evening, with a few remaining tourists in the gallery watching the nearly empty floor, Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chamber’s leading global warming skeptic, sat in waiting, prepared to object should Democrats ask for the hours-long reading to end.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By ezbdave

6/5/08 at 5:31 a.m.

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Another prime example of why we American citizens should wake up and see the REAL CULPRITS
in our government----CONGRESS--BOTH SIDES!!!!
The stall by the Repubs isn"t as upsetting as it is blatantly clear that this congess CANNOT do anything positive for the citizens on a bi-partisan stance. They have proved over and over that they can"t get along--no-- that they WON'T GET ALONG with each other and do the jobs they were elected for! All they have on their agendas are staunch PARTY POLITICS!! When we have IDIOTS like the leadership of the House and Senate who work against any type of working together with people of different views, this is what we get----NOTHING!!!!! AND WE PAY THEM FOR IT!!
WAKE UP AMERICA!!! IF WE WANT CHANGE, WE NEED TO VOTE THIS CONGRESS OUT!!!! EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!
By jfnance32

6/5/08 at 8:27 a.m.

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Stupid article.......it is a bunch of rubbish.

Both sides do this type of thing every session for the last 200+ years. And they will continue to do for next 200 years.

It is not news one bit. It is more partisan hype by the Sun with a ghost writer. No name is attached to this article. I guess the writer is ashamed of it.

There are two reasons why McConnell did what he did. Reid scheduled only 3 days of debate for this bill. They usually debate bills of this size for at least 2 weeks. I do not see that in the article.

Reid and Democrats did break their promise.....woooeeee big surpise there.

The Republicans, like McMcain, often get beaten up badly by the agressive Democrats. It is nice we have McConnell that is not afraid to hit back.

This bill will:

1) Place new taxes on energy
2) Suppress the supply and development of coal, natural gas, nuclear and oil
3) Push on us the expensive energy of solar and wind

This bill will greatly increase our utility bills and the cost of gas.

If you like $4 gas then you love Reid, Democrats and this bill.
By texex

6/5/08 at 8:28 a.m.

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Boss Reid's terrible term as SML will be over if we elect Obama. And we have the chance to cleanse Nevada of him for good in 2010.
By rlandram

6/5/08 at 9:05 a.m.

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Now that is what I call unbiased reporting. The writer leads you to believe that this (stupid) bill will save the planet and McConnell is the evil villain for standing in the way.

Why in the world would I want another bill that will raise my gas prices and limit our ability to get away from OPEC?

Maybe we need to make John Ensign the new Senior Senator from Nevada instead
By GlennSugameli

6/5/08 at 10:47 a.m.

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RE: Republicans stall climate change bill to punish Reid [i.e., Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing, Obstructs Senate Debate on Global Warming]

You aptly state: "The public cannot be pleased. Polls show Americans are overwhelmingly concerned about climate change"

Today’s statement on yesterday’s debate in the U.S. Senate on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007 is from Trip Van Noppen, President of Earthjustice:

“Yesterday, Senate opponents derailed Floor debate on bi-partisan climate change legislation. Beyond forcing an eight-hour reading of the bill, they attempted to mask their cynical strategy of filibustering on behalf of the coal and oil industry by fabricating false claims that a deal to confirm three judges had been broken.

“In fact, after one judge was confirmed, scheduled votes on two 6th Circuit nominees were delayed by Republican Senators. Before this dispute erupted, the votes had already been re-scheduled for June 12th.

“Senators should reject this unjustifiable effort to obstruct the most serious debate Congress has ever had on global warming -- the greatest challenge the United States and the world have ever faced.”

For more information please visit www.earthjustice.org and www.judgingtheenvironment.org

Both 6th Circuit seats (and one just filled) are "judicial emergencies" unlike two of the three Sen. McConnell is pushing.

President Bush has failed to nominate anyone to 16 vacancies, including several that have been declared judicial emergencies. The Senate approved more than 300 Bush lifetime judges, but cannot confirm lifetime judges who have not been nominated.

-Glenn Sugameli
Senior Legislative Counsel
Earthjustice
Washington, DC
By jfnance32

6/5/08 at 11:48 a.m.

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Earthjustice is an off branch of Sierra club....the same folks that delayed by lawsuites the widening of US 95 in Las Vegas for years and caused millions of dollars of taxpayer money and tons of gallons of gas consumed in cars waiting in jammed lanes.

With friends like that who needs enemies.

Earthjustice would be just fine if everybody was paying $20 for a gallon of gas.
By NVMakz

6/5/08 at 1:16 p.m.

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"Earthjustice" pimps the most bogus, cynical attack on every "right" we have by backing so-called man-responsible global warming. Global socialism and shared misery their only goal, the name is environMENTAList.

The earth's biosphere moves such volume weather-wise that it is only the arrogance of the liberal that they can affect anything in this regard.

As the science becomes clearer and computer modeling gets better, the GW propaganda is falling apart.

Congressional Lib-Dems obstructed with glee when the (Rs) had control of Congress. Now, they whine and cry when (Rs) obstruct them. That, of course, as the Lib-D Congressional leadership is doing nothing about the major issues of the day. Hypocrites....
By rusty57

6/6/08 at 12:06 p.m.

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Is there a PeopleJustice?
By uddeboda

6/10/08 at 10:12 a.m.

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Even More claptrap by mostly sceptics. You sceptics still wont believe in MMGW, even when the oceans have risen enough to paralyse N York, L A and Miami "floating" way out at sea. Continue on your merry way consuming even more fossil fuels, continue polluting the atmosphere, the USA has always done just as she wants, so why should she listen to the rest of the world.