Things Change

Things Change

By John Hinderaker

They change especially fast in politics. John McCain thought he was running for Commander In Chief. Now it looks as though the economy--in particular the price of gasoline--will be the key issue in November.

The soaring price of gasoline represents a golden opportunity for the Republican Party. While most of them don't say it out loud, the Democrats have long wanted higher gas prices as part of their desire to remake America into a land of granola, mass transit and windmills. Most Americans, however, don't share the Democrats' indifference to economic decline and would turn out in droves to vote for a party that pledges to get the economy going again, and relieve the pain at the pump, by drilling for oil.

House Republicans are doing a great job of getting this message out. Today Congressman John Peterson offered an amendment in the Appropriations Committee to ease federal restrictions on exploration of the outer continental shelf, which contains enormous reserves of both oil and natural gas. The Democrats defeated the Peterson amendment on a 9-6 party line vote, demonstrating, as Minority Leader John Boehner said, "cold indifference toward the problems of typical families and businesses in their congressional districts and across the country." House Republicans intend to continue forcing votes on proposals to liberate our economy by developing our domestic oil and gas resources.

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http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/06/020736.php