Under the current draft of the Democrat health care legislation, members of Congress are curiously exempt from the government-run health care option, keeping their existing health plans and services on Capitol Hill. If Members of Congress believe so strongly that government-run health care is the best solution for hard working American families, I think it only fitting that Americans see them lead the way. Public servants should always be accountable and responsible for what they are advocating, and I challenge the American people to demand this from their representatives.

You really didn’t think that they were going to play by the rules they assert on you, did you?

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement in response to an article in today’s Politico that suggests Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has secretly signaled to rank-and-file House Democratic lawmakers that they should feel free to portray themselves publicly as pro-drilling if it helps them politically:
“My message to Democratic lawmakers is this: if you’re really for increased American energy production, then prove it by putting it in writing. Sign the discharge petitions House Republicans are circulating that will force votes on energy legislation Speaker Pelosi refuses to bring to the floor. And sign onto the American Energy Act, our ‘all of the above’ plan to increase conservation, innovation, and American energy production, instead of doing the Speaker’s bidding by voting against bringing it to a vote. If you aren’t willing to put it in writing, you’re fooling no one. You’re siding with the Speaker of the Drill-Nothing Congress and radical special interests that favor higher gas prices, at the expense of energy-strapped American families.”
“This cynical strategy is disgustingly dishonest. Without any real solutions to help Americans who are struggling with record-high gas prices, it appears the Democratic leadership has hit on a new plan: deceive. Deceive the press, deceive its members, and deceive the American people. Democratic members have a ‘pass’ from their leaders to talk about drilling at home, while the liberal Democratic leadership – which is beholden to special interests that want higher gas prices – plays ‘rope-a-dope’ back in Washington, ensuring there is no vote to help the American people before November. It’s cynical, dishonest, and wrong – and it won’t work.”

Allahpundit in HotAir responds swiftly:

I honestly don’t see what Pelosi has to lose by letting a vote come to the floor — or rather, I don’t see how she loses more by letting the vote happen now than by suppressing all attempts and letting the GOP bludgeon the Democrats with this issue all the way to November. If they agree to expand drilling, they can always undo it (at least in part) next year by sneaking the rollback into a more comprehensive energy package. The GOP will scream but the election will be long over and Obama, assuming he wins, will be enjoying a honeymoon period which the Dems can use to blunt Republican criticism. Making a stand now, when this is really the only weapon conservatives have to wield against them, seems stupid, unless the Dems expect the price of oil will drop sufficiently by next year that public pressure for drilling will dissipate and they won’t have to act at all. I’ll leave it to economists to determine whether that’s a reasonable expectation or not, but there are extraordinary yet plausible reasons to believe the price might actually skyrocket. In which case, I guess Pelosi figures they’ll jump off that bridge when they come to i

But crises are only of political value when something can be made from them, when they deliver a product to someone. In an election year, the beneficiaries of crises are easy to detect: those who hope to gain or maintain office through manipulation of real or imagined crises. I realize that the previous statement is a bit circular. Let me provide an example.

Speaker Pelosi has stated that her goal is to save the planet from destruction due to our dependence on oil. She has to date given no specific solutions for this crisis, which is shocking, seeing as the planet may be destroyed without a solution. Reasonable thought indicates that her refusal (and the refusal of her Senatorial cohort, Sen. Reid) to allow any debate or vote on off-shore drilling is really a sandbag tactic. Her hope is that the 111th Congress will coincide with a Democrat in the White House. The end goal is the power to push her agenda. The means to this end is perpetuating the oil crunch until November (and shifting all blame onto Republicans).

It seems quite clear to me as I sit and write, yet I feel a sort of fatigue. The constant roll of crisis on top of crisis can be overwhelming. However it is, in the end, somewhat more mental than actual (so I shan’t whine!). We would do well for ourselves to examine these “crises”, to look for their simple causes, to seek out reasonable short term solutions, and to plan ahead for the long term. But we must also look for those who would manipulate “crises” – indeed, manufacture them – for personal gain. Speaker Pelosi is the poster girl for the self-perpetuated and self-serving crisis.

Rock on for American families, Bob. Continue to say no to the Environmentalsit Left that funds Reid and Pelosi’s campaigns