If you needed some good news to brighten your Saturday evening, this could be it: ABC's George Stephanopoulos believes Democrats have abandoned their goal of enacting a carbon cap and trade program this year.
For those unfamiliar, this is a scheme backed by global warming alarmists such as Nobel Laureate Al Gore designed to place prohibitive taxes on emitters of that dastardly carbon dioxide.
Most rational economists not under Gore's influence believe such a plan would have a devastating effect on our economy, and would likely force companies to continue exporting manufacturing jobs to countries like China and India which don't have such business unfriendly practices.
Fortunately, according to Stephanopoulos, this idea has been scrapped for the time being (h/t Hot Air):
As the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have reported, House Democrats (backed by the White House) plan to write a budget resolution that allows health care to be passed by a simple majority (through the so-called "reconciliation" process) if a bipartisan compromise isn't reached by September.
Cap and trade will not get the same budget protection, and there are nowhere near 60 votes for it. Keeping it out of the reconciliation process recognizes reality: Congress can't pass it in the middle of a recession.
This is marvelous news for climate realists the world over, for the longer we go without cap and trade, the less interested Americans will be in supporting such given the cooling the planet has seen since 1998. And, as even the warmers agree that this trend is likely to go several more decades, the window of opportunity for the Gorebots is beginning to close.
I hope that makes YOUR Saturday better, for it sure did mine.
Also pleasing is Ed Morrissey's take on what this means for the Democrats' hopes for a universal healthcare program passing this year:
Stephanopolous notes that Democrats in the House made this choice, but it’s really all about the Senate. Obama thinks he can get a few moderate Republicans to go along on health care reform, probably more than just the Porkulus 3, if he steers a centrist course. Cap-and-trade has problems even among Democrats, especially in the Rust Belt and in coal-producing areas, and its impact on the economy makes it a non-starter in this session of Congress.
Even the health-care effort will get curtailed, likely as a result of the massive government spending already undertaken by Democrats this year. Instead of moving forward with a comprehensive plan to socialize the health sector, Obama wants to work around the edges this year. Obama has apparently learned that lesson from Hillary Clinton’s abortive attempt to nationalize the health sector in 1993-4.
That may put off the rest of his reforms until 2011, though. Obama will not want to impose a nationalized system in an election year, especially if he’s performing as badly then as he has in the last two months. Republicans are already licking their chops for the midterms, and a major socialist initiatitve will be exactly what they need to compete for control of the House. That probably pushes cap-and-trade to 2011, too.
Nice! Somebody pass the beer nuts!
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments Policy
This is strategy by the
March 21, 2009 - 18:28 ET by bigtimerThis is strategy by the dems....they know they are sinking in the polls, they have a little more than a year before the next election, they aren't going to do any of these major tax and spend projects for more socialism take-over now to be used against them before the 2010 election, there is already enough now, and more to come....and it's only been 2 months.
...going to be interesting what all goes on before the elections, but they know to pull in their claws at the moment.
In a way I'm sorry that cap
March 21, 2009 - 18:32 ET by eaglewingz08In a way I'm sorry that cap and trade won't be passed this year. If it were then it would take effect in all its noxiousness in 2010, just in time for the midterms. If it passes next year, it will be two years of death to the economy before the repubs could come back to reverse such poison policies.
Hi ew08... Oh don't think
March 21, 2009 - 19:00 ET by bigtimerHi ew08...
Oh don't think I'm not with you in the way you're thinking....I am...it's kind of like one of those danged if they do, danged if they don't situations.
I do wonder though...if they are going to go into the Amnesty Bill again, along with the Union Card Check bull...plus we can't forget all this other TARP One, Two and Three yet to come, along with another Strangulation Bill in whatever form they use.
On and on it goes...
Wow. One small capitalist field goal.
March 21, 2009 - 18:31 ET by gopcongressI'm not sure if it makes me "feel good." Right now, I'm in the numbed stage, as are all conservatives, as we see the result of the attempt to Sovietize the US, so I suppose a victory out of the blue can occur.
But keep in mind the next two counterfeiting runs will be coming our way with the single payer health care plan and the tax increases that will occur.
______________________
Moderate... Democrat... Liberal... Progressive... Socialist... Communist—The progression is clear as day.
Cap & Trade Will Cause Electricity Rates to Skyrocket
March 21, 2009 - 19:18 ET by PopularTechObama Admits Cap & Trade Will Cause Electricity Rates to Skyrocket (Video) (3min)
The only thing saving us from the socialist takeover of energy productoin and use is the dependence on coal in some states with Democrat representatives. This is not going away even if it is postponed. The message needs to get out on how this will affect the average American.
Cap-and-Trade Could Cost Average Family $10,800 in Lost Income (US Newswire)
Duke Energy CEO: Cap-and-Trade Plan Would Raise Electric Rates 40% (The Wall Street Journal)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is Not Pollution
Putting a Cap on "Cap and Trade"
March 21, 2009 - 19:03 ET by metaphorsbwithuThe Dems know they may not have the votes to pass cap and trade anyway, and will try to push universal health-care first. They are so in over their heads already, the idea of overseeing all these new programs, creating and running all these new bureaucracies and regulatory agencies is just too much to handle.
However, if they can do to the energy industry what they did to the mortage and financial sectors, demonize "Big Oil", and drive up the price of gasoline again, they may have their way, assuming the economy begins to turn around (on its own) and they are not driven out of office in the mid-term elections.
metaphorsbwithu
Skeptic
March 21, 2009 - 19:14 ET by slickwillie2001I'm not optimistic. Regarding the impact of CC&T on a failing economy, you can say the same thing about EFCA, and the idiotic blocking of 89 Mexican trucks which will lead to economic retaliation by Mexico. When an important democratic party special interest group is screaming for their payoff, logic need not apply.
At times I get the feeling Obammy knows he has two years and two years only to community-reorganize America into a socialist country. He knows that he can only succeed by doing things that cannot be undone. CC&T is primarily a tax-revenue increasing mechanism and he knows Congress's addiction to spending.
Don't break out the champagne yet.
March 21, 2009 - 19:17 ET by mizflame98If there's one thing I learned about the Clinton administration is they say one thing and do another behind closed doors. This is an old ruse being dug up by former Clintonistas/current Barackastanis. I'm not buying it. It's either hidden in that stimulus bill and hasn't been found yet or it will be hidden in an upcomming bill that will be rushed through congress.
"Not to be a republican at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Francois Guisot
Miz, the Liberal admin needs...
March 21, 2009 - 19:35 ET by Mother...Lie detectors, Tax auditors and DNA tests to keep 'em honest.
Even that won't work.
March 21, 2009 - 19:38 ET by mizflame98They'll just play the victim or racism card and weasel out of the accusation.
"Not to be a republican at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Francois Guisot
Hi mizflame... One way or
March 21, 2009 - 19:41 ET by bigtimerHi mizflame...
One way or the other, I fear the same as you do, they will get bits and pieces of what they want to accomplish in bills when to comes to what we are talking about here, in the bigger bills, in the dark of night, especially any conference committee changes...just like they have already, and we are only learning some of what all has been done to us bit by bit.
Very true, Miz...
March 21, 2009 - 19:48 ET by MotherWe are up against the 'race card' no matter what light we shed on the truth. *heavy sigh*
UGH
Mother
March 21, 2009 - 20:09 ET by jdlybrandDeep, heavy, throw my hands up in the air, sigh.
It doesn't mean you have to
March 21, 2009 - 21:46 ET by mizflame98It doesn't mean you have to take it. Once you start to explain or "clarify" your position they have you. Throw that race card back in their face and tell them you're not going to fall for that old gag.
"Not to be a republican at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Francois Guisot
Not to Worry
March 22, 2009 - 00:30 ET by pbthinkerIf Obama and company keep doing what they're doing, it won't make any difference if they play the race card people will vote their pocketbooks. If that happens, perhaps Newsweek will have a cover that says, "We're all racists now."
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
pb.... Perhaps...
March 22, 2009 - 00:35 ET by bigtimerpb....
Perhaps...
pardon me while I don't buy it yet
March 21, 2009 - 19:39 ET by katainkentIf health care stalls and sputters like Hillary's I will start to feel slightly better but he says "this year" THIS YEAR. A stalled health care bill might still lead them back to cap'n trade. There is still time - 3 yrs and 10 months - yet to bully the spineless ones and bribe the greedy ones. This year... lol... Look at the damage done in two months. Nope... no warm fuzzy yet. (edited for grammar and spelling :P)
That photoshopped pic of Al Gore...
March 21, 2009 - 19:32 ET by Mother...is freaking HILARIOUS! The only thing I could have added would have been a cute, baby penguin sitting in his hands.
I prefer
March 21, 2009 - 19:53 ET by mizflame98to see a polar bear holding Gore in a headlock.
"Not to be a republican at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Francois Guisot
Noel, I'm not sure I'd crack that beer just yet
March 21, 2009 - 20:13 ET by R D HelmFirst of all, its Stephanopoulos, who, if his name was Pinocchio, would currently be riding around in a specially modified, extra-long stretch limo.
Secondly, this is the Obama administration we are talking about.
Thirdly, we currently have an out-of-control, rogue congress that has already demonstrated it will vote for just about anything, and not even read it.
Whose to say that they won't tuck something way in the back of one of those bills that is just "too important to debate," and absolutely, positively has to be passed overnight, else the planet will implode kind of things.
After all, they managed to get the beginnings of a full-blown government takeover into the Porkulus bill, which sailed through congress like you-know-what through a goose.
I neither trust nor believe these people.
At all.
Period.
-Dave
This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.
Dave... I am most
March 21, 2009 - 20:14 ET by Clear thinkerDave...
I am most definately with you on this. There is not one thing that comes out of anyone even remotely connected to Obama that I believe or trust. They have proven, at least to me, that they should never be trusted. They are the enemy, expect them to lie!
OPEN THREAD - SURVIVAL EDITION
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
Ct,
March 21, 2009 - 21:01 ET by R D HelmWhatever this administration says it is going to do, you can be pretty sure they will wind up doing the opposite.
Hell, just this week, while everybody had their rods in a knot and were foaming at the mouth over the AIG BS, they passed yet another $1 trillion + spendapalooza bill which was noticed by almost nobody. According to something I read, they have now so depleted the treasury they are going to have to print the cash to cover it.
We're broke, and probably headed for some serious inflation in the not too distant future..
What I find so maddening is that so many still are operating under the impression that the Organizer's handlers are actually trying to "fix" our economy.
No, they are intentionally wrecking what is left of our free market economy, and Cap-and-Trade is meant to make sure that it stays wrecked.
They have also said they do not intend to nationalize the banks, which is why I believe that is exactly what they intend to do.
The feds have been snatching up banks all over Georgia of late, under the guise of "stabilizing" the financial system.
I fully expect that by 2010, when we walk into our local bank, we are going to find ourselves face-to-face with an employee of the federal government.
Oh, and have you seen this?
http://www.nytimes.c...
-Dave
This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.
Believe it
March 21, 2009 - 20:19 ET by jdlybrand"According to Stephanopolous, this idea has been scrapped for the time being".
Well hell yeah; he should know. he gets daily briefings from Rahm 'Fingers" Emmanuel, the guy who can only 'shoot one bird' at a time.
Steam Coming Out Of James Hansen's Ears
March 21, 2009 - 21:06 ET by dboEvery American owes a big thanks to Sen. Inhofe for leading the charge and for being the voice of reason in this Cap and Tax garbage. This not only would have been the largest tax increase ever in American history but would lead to shortages of power as well. In addition, it would not have made one iota difference in temperatures that slightly warmed the Northern Hemisphere between 1977 and 1998. The fight is not over but it appears the tide is turning. Here is Sen. Inhofe's speech on the Senate floor last Wednesday.
man-made global warming is unproven science,
March 21, 2009 - 22:07 ET by puredmashiebut the economic plight of outsourced manufacturing jobs is irrefutable. just ask anyone who lives in ohio, indiana, michigan or wisconsin. here in new york, it's the same thing. i work at an auto supplier manufacturing plant that announced this week that it will close, after failing to reach an agreement with the unionized work force to continue operating with reduced wages. regardless of your opinions regarding whether the union did the right thing, the turmoil caused to the workers' families is a trauma i wish on no one.
there is no way we would be able to operate in a cap and trade marketplace. our products are transaxles and transfer cases with gears and shafts that are made from carburized steel. the furnaces, all 22 of them, run on natural gas and heat the steel to 1400-1600 F. the natural gas is more than just a fuel, it's a source of carbon to harden the steel, and even at 1600 F it takes eight hours for that carbon to diffuse into the metal enough to make the parts as strong as they need to be. as you can imagine, we use an enormous amount of natural gas and we would be hig harder than most businesses by cap and trade. and that is only the short story. those gears and shafts are forgings. forged steel doesn't get hot on its own.
swing hard in case you hit it.
The Real Reason for Outsourcing - Government and Unions
March 22, 2009 - 00:28 ET by PopularTechGovernment regulations, taxes and Unionized labor have effectively destroyed our manufacturing capabilities. In your case the unions destroyed your job. Reduced wages are the only way to continue employment with a reduction of profits. Unions actually create unemployment as you have found out. This angers me because people believe that unions help the worker when they actually do the opposite and cause unemployment by demanding above market wages. Companies only have so much money for labor and the higher the individual salaries the less people are employed. Unions effectively force companies to go out of business as you have unfortunately found out.
Free to Choose (8/10) - Who Protects the Worker (Video) (58min)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is Not Pollution
PT, thanks for the links
March 22, 2009 - 11:31 ET by jdhawkPT, thanks for the links that you provided. I viewed with great interest the Milton Friedman series. A great fan of Walter Williams, I found his comments some of the most interesting.
These folks are the intellectual giants of conservatism. They should be more widely read than they are.
Steam?
March 22, 2009 - 01:40 ET by CKA in Red State USAI'm guessing it's the smoke from his wires and motherboards burning. ..
We the people should initiate some action to have him removed from the public dole.
Perhaps eco-religionist high-priest Algore will then hire Hansen F/T.
Might as well: Hansen's Gore's chief scientist.
Don't believe this tripe
March 25, 2009 - 23:29 ET by NL207Don't believe this tripe from Stephanopolous for one second. Cap-and-trade is right up there with nationalized healthcare on the Obama/Statist priority list. They will sneak this through one way or another.
Thats right NL
March 26, 2009 - 00:05 ET by general companyCap and Trade will be the tool they use to justify taking over companies that can not pay their FINES
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
I suspect Stephanopoulos is
March 21, 2009 - 22:28 ET by chicagotraumaI suspect Stephanopoulos is doing a head fake and Barry will bring on the Cap and Trade full steam.
I wonder why McCain is dumb enough to go along with this cap and trade
crap? Anybody know what other repubs believe in AGW or support the
Gore-tax?
Because McCain "The Maverick"...
March 22, 2009 - 07:38 ET by JohnMcGrew...is not a conservative.
Obama's lying and will push for this, this year.
March 22, 2009 - 01:49 ET by CKA in Red State USADoesn't matter that at least eight Dem senators and about 20 Repubs are speaking out.
And he's lied about the costs? Of course, that should not surprise anyone.
But at a late Feb. briefing at the White House, one of his aides told Ds and Rs alike that the costs were understated, and could be three to four times higher.
So $646 billion really means almost $2 trillion, if not $2.6 trillion.
That'll not be enough.
And our electricity rates, through the "light-switch tax," will increse by several hundred dollars monthly.
Yessir, that $400 tax cut for individuals or $800 per family is really going to help.
The fascist liar is a dangerous man. And he and his administration seem hellbent on destroying America.
Silly me, how could I leave out the Demockacrats of that cabal that wishes to destroy America.
Maybe we can all declare ourselves as illegal immigrants and get free health care, now, as well as other special privileges?
A bad idea is a bad idea in bad times or good
March 22, 2009 - 15:03 ET by Chris Norman"Most rational economists not under Gore's influence believe such a plan would have a devastating effect on our economy..."
So, it's okay with the Democrats to devastate the economy - but only when times are good?
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Truly good news indeed.
March 22, 2009 - 19:12 ET by JWFStephanopoulos ought to know. We works for the White House after all.