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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 | 6:09 p.m.
Dean Heller
Nevada Democrats are labeling U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., a hypocrite for blaming oil speculators for fueling gas price spikes after he voted against Democratic-sponsored legislation to curb such speculation.
Prompted by a question at a campaign stop in Las Vegas on Friday, Heller decried the ability of Wall Street investors to profit from trading oil futures without paying for the transactions.
“If anybody here in this room wanted to trade a million barrels of oil, it would cost you,” he said. “Now, why should we be allowed to make that transaction on Wall Street and not cost a penny? And I believe that manipulation of the market is what’s causing the spikes — moving up and down — of oil prices here in this country.”
But Democrats say Heller has no room to complain about oil speculators after voting in 2008 against legislation designed to curb it.
“This is just the latest example of Sen. Dean Heller trying to paper over his true, anti-middle class beliefs in the hopes that Nevada voters will forget his long pro-Wall Street record when they go into the polling booth,” said Democratic spokesman Zac Petkanas. “The idea that he’s suddenly concerned with middle-class Nevada families now that it’s an election year doesn’t pass the laugh test.”
In 2008, Heller twice voted against legislation sponsored by Democrats that would have required more stringent federal regulations on such energy market speculation.
The legislation, which was also opposed by the White House, imposed regulations on other commodities trading as well, which could have harmed Nevada’s mining industry, Heller’s spokeswoman said.
“Dean Heller has a long history of independence on the issue of gas prices and price-gouging,” his spokesman Chandler Smith said. “In fact, he was one of only 50 Republicans to vote for an anti-price gouging bill while in the minority in 2008.”
Heller, whose campaigns have been heavily funded by Wall Street investors, often positions himself as a politician willing to stand up to Wall Street, citing his vote against the 2009 bank bailout as an example.
Heller has raised $103,000 from the securities and investment industry so far this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Wall Street hasn't ignored his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley. So far this cycle, she has raised $112,500 from the industry. Wall Street is ranked in the top 10 industries for both Berkley and Heller.
Just another example of a hypocrite rich greed repugnican.
They just lie to get people to vote for them.
And people are stupid enough to believe these lies and vote for them.
Wow! The Sun bashing a conservative, that's news!! Are there people really stupid enough to believe that government, or more regulation, is the answer to anything. Maybe simple enforcement of existing laws especially against the liberal media and the crooked politicians it supports.
Dean Heller is not anti middle America, if anything he is doing what he can to keep it intact. If anyone is hurting the middle class its Shelly Berkeley and Harry Reid. These two have made millions off the very legislation they have passed, Reid, renewable energy, and Berkeley healthcare reform. If anything someone should look into how much these two career politicians have over the years. Oil is price based not on speculators but on world demand. Oil is up because countries like China and India has driven the price because of their thirst for oil. The US has failed in its energy quest. We have basically stop all oil exploration since the gulf spill, we have not built a new refinery in decades but have closed many and Washington has not look at other alternatives, such
as getting rid of mid grade unleaded, subsides for ethanol and allow the Keystone pipeline to be built. Heller is not the problem, Obama is.
Of course speculators are responsible for the wild swings in oil prices. There's nothing else on Earth that could make them jump around the way it does. Drive to work in the morning and by the time you drive home, gas has jumped .20 or.25 cents a gallon. It is the same gas that was in the storage tank in the AM so why the change in just a few hours?