Leveraging Our Energy Advantage

We've seen the polls. Not only is energy rapidly becoming the issue this fall, the voting public massively favors the right's policy prescription. Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less is great, but we should also be working to prepare for the inevitable moment when Pelosi and Reid refuse to even allow a vote on the issue in their respective chambers. We need to use their obstructionism to show why Democratic control of Congress is a disaster for this country.

Democrats in tight races can not be allowed to escape accountability by promising to vote for more energy exploration. That it not enough. Pelosi and Reid will not allow those votes to happen. But even in the minority, there is something GOPers can do to force a vote: they can file a discharge petition.

If a majority of members sign a discharge petition, the bill's sponsors can steal the gavel from Nancy,  and control the House ... all be it for a limited time. We need to communicate to the American people this is the ONLY way they will ever see a real debate on energy as long as Democrats are in charge.

There a number of Democratic House candidates in close races who have come out in support of offshore drilling. Betsy Markey (CO-04), Dina Titus (NV-03), Reps. Don Cazayoux (LA-06), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), and Paul Kanjorski (PA-11) are all touting their support for offshore drilling.

We need their constituents to understand, that that support is not enough. These candidates most be pressed to promise to sign a discharge petition allowing for a vote.