Thursday, April 01, 2010

"Left afraid that energy plan is following healthcare strategy to gain support"

The Hill:
President Barack Obama is trying to neutralize the oil industry to advance energy reform, according to Democrats who see him taking a page from his healthcare playbook.

But his decision to support offshore drilling could come at a cost. Liberals are concerned he might jettison their chief goal — limits on carbon emissions — in the final hours to pass the legislation, similar to the way the public option was sacrificed to pass healthcare reform.
(snip)
Some House Democrats fear meaningful restraints on carbon emissions, which scientists believe to be the driving force behind global warming, could drop out of legislation, just as a government-run insurance program was sacrificed in the final push to pass healthcare reform.

“Having a legally binding restraint on carbon is not the public option of energy; it’s the universal coverage of energy,” said Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), a member of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) select commit on global warming.

“If the carbon restraint is jettisoned, we’re not going to have a bill,” Inslee said.
Howie P.S.: "Sam Stein On Obama's Energy Plans: Once Again, The President Is Negotiating Against His Own Party" with video from The ED Show (05:33).

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