Obama makes 11th hour push for energy bill
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/12/25/art.oil.gi.jpg caption="President Obama expects a climate change bill to face an extremely close vote in the House of Representatives."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama acknowledged Thursday that a climate change bill strongly backed by the White House will face an extremely close vote in the House of Representatives as early as the end of the week.
He made an urgent plea for congressional approval in what could be an early make-or-break test of his young administration.
"Now is the time for us to lead," Obama said during an appearance in the White House Rose Garden. "We cannot be afraid of the future. We cannot be prisoners to the past."
The president said the bill will spark a "clean energy transformation" of the U.S. economy and "make possible the creation of millions of new jobs."
"Make no mistake," he emphasized. "This is a jobs bill."
The climate-change bill currently being debated by the House would reduce nationwide greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 through a so-called "cap-and-trade" program.
The bill's future also remains unclear in the Senate, where leaders are holding off on advancing their own version of the legislation until it clears the House.
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This bill will also raise the price of gas .
Call your congressmen to vote no.
Let's use some common sense.
No Way!! Does any one read between the lines? This is a big tax project that is not needed at the current state of the economy. Wake up Senators – Hands Down on this one. Cost of a postage stamp per day? What about small business? Another shove out the door.
Meanwhile.., Gas prices: Americans struggle to cope
The recent spike in gasoline prices comes at a time when many Americans are still reeling from the economic downturn. Not that Obama notices from Air Force One..
It is also a bill aimed at carbon taxing us for trillions of dollars. This is a sinister bill, make no mistake. It will be no help to the middle class at all.
And if we do not pass this right now- the world will be in the worst catastrophic state ever, polar ice caps melting, flooding unseen since the days of Noah, dogs and cats living together, total chaos.
If we do not pass this bill right now-ABC will have to run another "Prime Time" government info-mercial.
@ RealityKing, who said "The higher energy bills due to Cap and trade will punish the poorest among us most of all. ie.., minorities."
Please refer to the letter sent to Beohner from the MIT research team that studied and projected the additional cost to American families, in which they reprimand him for his gross misrepresentations of the results. Fact: they found that cap and trade would, on average, only cost American families approximately $340 more per year. Boehner and the GOP were running around quoting it as thousands. Sorry bub...but your credibility on the issue is already obliterated since we know whose blather you're regurgitating.
It is pretty simple – vote for this garbage and find a new job next fall.
Fifty thousand energy turnoffs in Baltimore starting now, no electric no more. People can't afford energy costs which are escalating. Jobs turning off power to peoples houses, YES JOBS TURNING OFF POWER TO FAMILIES. STOP THIS POLITICAL SHOW, IT IS BOGUS.
Instead of Cap-and-trade they need to put money into research to make renewable sources more effecient. Wind is a great renewable source of energy, but it is not effecient enough to sustain us. Batteries used in hybrids are not nearly where they need be to get the economic value from them we should be getting. This bill will drive our energy costs through the roof.
We need to be looking at better research and development, not more taxes. Raising taxes was one of the things that sent this nation into the great depression, the crash of the stockmarket.
Obama's buddy that runs the "Chicago Climate Exchange" will profit off of this bill the most.
Nothing like a Wall Street system running "environmental issues"
Vote against this bill!
For once, the majority of you liberals are seeing Obama and his cap-and-trade plan for what it is – THE HIGHEST TAX INCREASE IN HISTORY!! This man has to be stopped – call your congressman, and everyone else you can think of – this cannot be allowed to pass!!
Two statement:
1st Picture of Sarah Palin and her children- If Lord BO's children were attacked the way hers has been the liberals would be calling for the execution of the person responsible.
2nd statment energy bill- DRILL BABY DRILL DOWN WITH BHO'S ENERGY PLAN!!!!!!!
What I find funny is our leaders are modeling this cap and trade like the one done in Spain.
BTW, the one in Spain has actually increased unemployment by 110,000 jobs over the past five years and has actually increased carbon emissions, according to recent studies done in Spain. Spain's conclusion was that the nation was best served with the government not getting involved in energy.
Just remember when your AC bill doubles in costs because the electric company has to pay higher taxes to the government, don't complain.
Just remember when Congress doesn't read the 1,500 page bill that is still being altered right now, don't complain.
This is the best America has to offer folks.
Funny how the little things get overlooked....
I owned a Fiat Punto at one point; a zippy little number. I drove it from Lausanne to Aix-en-Provence and I always paid about USD6 for a liter and a half of gas. That was okay because my trusty little Punto was a petrol sipper!
It's amazing how only recently; some people are upset that they have to pay $4.50 for a gallon of gas to fill up their massive 8 person Escalade.
At what price Obamatopia? Energy, health care, autos, banks, more czars than Russia had. Today's Dems are throwing around TRILLIONS of dollars like the Repubs threw around BILLIONS. More government regulation, more government control, more government in our lives all in the name of making the country better. Yep, all that government involvement is going real well in Iran and Communist China. At what price Obamatopia?
@Jason – your numbers are grossly incorrect. 670 scientists cannot be wrong when they declare there is NO GLOBAL warming. In fact, there is a turn-around going on now in many areas. Gore is making a mint off of this and just take the time to check out where he lives (personal home) and how much he conserves – NOT!
Well look at all these Fox news Loving people on this blog twisting and Lying about the Presidents climate bill, President Obama is right now is the time to lead into green energry and create the Jobs it will bring its time to get out of the Past and into the Future go President Obama Most of the country stands with you!
We will continue to follow the Bush policy – of just saying no
Lets follow the rest of the world and build nuclear power plants
Did Obama come up with these 1 million new jobs the same way he came up with 3.5 million new jobs to be creatred by his stimulus bill?
So far even by Obama's claims the stiumulus has only created or saved 150,000 jobs. That is a long long way from 3.5 million. And a new report just out says a new 627,000 jobs were lost. The stimulus was supposed to keep unemployment for going beyond 8% but it is already 9.4% and going up. So is Obama's methods for comming up with these promised 1 million new jobs created by the energy bill any more acurate than his failed stimulus jobs numbers?
Time for everyone to admit that Obama is just making stuff up. He has no clue what he is doing. Just borrowing and spending tax payers money like crazy on totaly wasteful policies that do not live up to his promises.
Get ready to stand in the bread line if this passes, increase cost of electricity, increased gas prices oh by the way those jobs will be created OVERSEAS, since that is where all manfuacturing will go. How naive some of you people are!
Barrack...when will you stop being the captive of Sierra Club?
Vote no and send Nancy P. packing.
This is just stupid. He expects us to buy into this being a jobs bill when the jobs are being created at the destruction of other jobs. If you replace energy of one source with energy of another, you are also replacing the jobs necessary to maintain that original energy source. In Spain, which Obama loves to pont to as an example, they have had a large net job loss from their push to green technology.
His statement also stated that "...we've seen that other countries realize a critical truth, that the nation that leads in the creation of a clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy." So who are these countries? Spain? France? Germany? The European Union? Not exactly up and coming economic powerhouses there Barack. Heck all of the EU nations went sharply right in this spring's elections exactly because they weren't leading economically.
Now, I understand our need to clean up our act some. But don't try to bald face lie to me about how this is going to benefit the economy any time soon.
Leading the American lemmings over the green clift of taxation.
It's time to ditch big oil and their senseless greed.
Why is it the Republicans want to spend money to help Iran
But they say NO TO;
HEALTHCARE
JOBS
CLEAN ENERGRY
EDUCATION
ETC
Any Money to spend here in America to help AMERICANS Republicans say NO Cant do it But is willing to drop Millons if not Billons helping Iran I DONT GET THE GOP DO THEY REALL HATE AMERICA?