Dems continue to scramble for energy tax votes

Politico:

Democratic leaders are working furiously to corral votes for a controversial climate change measure, hoping to build a big enough margin so that vulnerable Democrats can be freed to vote against it.

At the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama declared: “Now is the time to act.” Former Vice President Al Gore, who had planned to rally Democrats en masse in Washington, stayed home in Tennessee so he could press members one by one via telephone.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plied undecided members with chocolate-covered Dove bars in a series of small group meetings. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel worked the phones, and administration officials were expected to whip members at a White House luau Thursday night.

By late Thursday, aides and lawmakers said Democrats were within a dozen of the 218 votes needed to pass the legislation. Democratic sources said their leaders aimed to lock in 230 yes votes — and leaning on key Blue Dogs such as Reps. Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota and South Dakota’s Stephanie Herseth Sandlin so that more vulnerable members such as Reps. Eric Massa of New York and Maryland’s Frank Kratovil can vote no.

Asked if she was confident of prevailing, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), the chief deputy whip, said: “I’m not confident about anything. But I will say we are closing in on the numbers. We feel good about the way things are going today.”

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There are many reasons to oppose this legislation:

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• The CBO's analyses of the bill greatly underestimate the potential cost. When the flaws in the analyses are corrected, the studies indicate the cost could be more than $278 a month per average American household.
• A recent study by CRA International for the National Black Chamber of Commerce estimates the bill could cause a net loss of more than two million jobs a year.
• The bill is not "balanced." Waxman-Markey provides only two percent of free emission allowances to refiners, but holds them responsible for 44 percent of all carbon emissions. This inequitable system of allocations will have a disproportionately adverse impact on consumers as well as producers of gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, crude oil and natural gas.

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You need to let Congress know that this is an issue that is harmful to the US economy and to tax payers. This is an anti energy bill that will lower everyone's standard of living and not lower temperatures by a degree even after 50 years.