The Republicans are refusing to accept attempts by Democrats to avoid even debating proposals for drilling in a tiny corner of the vast Alaskan wilderness, which could increase America's energy security, or other measures to ease the impact of worldwide shortages on hard-pressed American consumers. Democrats voted for a five week recess without having taken action on the issue and tried to shut down the debate. The Republicans just kept on talking, making a powerful point about the failure of the Democratic majority to show any initiative on this issue.
I had this e-mail from a friend who works in Washington:
"I was siting on the floor for this with a bunch of House members. was a revolutionary spirit. People were cheering, pizza being given out. And now they're inviting tourists down from the gallery onto the floor so they don't get kicked out!"
It's great to see such fight in Republican representatives. They have public opinion behind them and will get a lot of credit for this. Mark Hemingway, writing at The Corner, says:
"The atmosphere is positively electric in the House. It's a good thing for Democrats this isn't on C-SPAN because they'd look awful. Still, I get the sense Republicans in Congress aren't there to put on a show. They've seized on an issue they have conviction in and the American people agree with. They're fed up with Pelosi and Reid's incompetence and bad faith. For the first time in years, House Republicans look like they're in it to win it. It's too early to say if Congressional Republicans can carry this momentum forward, but this is the stuff turning points are made of."
