Around the Hill (6/26): Personal Edition!

TGIF!  Here are some political stories that are worth your attention as we head into the weekend.

From the White House: Ah, the joys of being the leader of the free world.

From The Atlantic: The fallout from the curious case of Mark Sanford.

From Politico: One of many, but as usual one of the best, articles on the historic passage of cap-and-trade climate change legislation by the House of Representatives this evening.  Interestingly, the bill narrowly passed with many conservative Democrats defecting, alongside Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who opposed the bill from the Left.

From Me:  That’s right, folks.  For the first time in my blogging experience, my proximity (but not access) to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. has paid off.  I spent six hours of my afternoon gazing from the House gallery, watching the floor debate and political back-and-forth over this crucial legislation.  Some observations:

• Much of the vocal Republican opposition stemmed from continued skepticism over the existence of global warming.
• Policy arguments featured a variety of props – one representative brought up a giant yellow gift box, addressed to China from the United States, and inside was a  hat labeled “American jobs.”  Democratic congressmen repeatedly referred to the bill’s cost as being less than that of a stamp, illustrating with real stamps because, hey, I had no idea what a “stamp” was without seeing it (clarification for the wired generation – a “stamp” is like a fee for emailing).  It made me wonder how much more entertaining Lincoln-Douglas high school debate would be if debaters were free to use props; think about “and his ENTIRE CASE goes out the window!” or “slippery slope” as examples.
• Most of the debate was presided over by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), who resigned at the end of the day’s business to serve as President Obama’s Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.  She won applause from both sides of the aisle.
• Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) drew snickers from much of the gallery, as well as the Democratic side of the floor, by declaring that green technology investments are a clear form of tyranny.  She seemed to be drawing on the famous, revolution-era quotation, “Give me liberty or give me solar power.”

Michelle Bachman on Energy Bill

• No less than two dozen senators remarked that this vote was the most important of their careers, or even the most important of “the last 100 years.”  One went as far as to declare that this legislation, in terms of importance, was “the moon landing, the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and the Clean Air Act rolled into one.”
• Yet a good half hour of the proceedings was taken up by constant GOP interruptions, complaining about them not having a copy of the full text of the bill.  The bill, of course, is available right here for all the public to see, but Republicans presumably feel the same way about the Internet that they do about climate change.  If they can’t see it, then there’s no proof that it exists.  (Odd, of course, given how many of their beliefs derive from faith in an invisible creator.)

• Passions clearly ran high on both sides of this debate.  Democrats believed that this bill will create 1.7 million new jobs, create an entire new green industry in the United States, make us a leader in the green revolution, help save our environment, and save our nation billions of dollars in the long run.  Republicans believed that this bill will destroy millions of jobs, cost businesses, force manufacturing jobs overseas, destroy domestic agricultural production, and cost the average American family thousands of dollars in increased prices on everything from produce to utility bills.  Some floor speeches were more shouted than spoken.
• Congressman John Larson (D-CT) won the passion category, as his volume level kept raising as his microphone volume kept being lowered, to the point at which he was basically just shouting to the chamber about sending our money to Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.  I had no hesitation in applauding his speech when it was over.
• I missed the vote itself, because after 6 hours of debate, Minority Leader Boehner (whose name I shall pronounce the way it looks from now on) gave a tedious, hour-long speech detailing his complaints with the last 300+ pages of the bill, PAGE BY PAGE.  While being cheered on by his clearly sadistic (or masochistic…I think both apply in this case) Republican colleagues, Boehner pushed me past my tolerance limit, causing me to leave.  Chairman Waxman tried to interrupt him, but had no precedent for cutting off a party leader’s speech.

From DC Interns: An amazing blog, recording the behavioral failures of my peers as we try to survive a Washington internship.

From Jib-Jab: An awesome new video from the guys that brought you so many other classics.  For some reason, I giggle uncontrollably every time I see Obama stare at the camera, midway through this video, and say, “Pirates.”

For more round-ups like this, visit the appropriately-named “Round-Ups” category. If you have a link you think we’d be interested in, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Ben Theodor tried to tame the blogging beast within by murdering his former blog, Change We Voted For, in cold blood (his first attempt, Election Day Countdown, expired due to natural causes). However, like so many cheap horror movie villains, Ben's sarcasm simply couldn't be kept down, and has found a permanent home here at BOTO. Read more.