There's a lot of absurdity circling around congressional Republicans' ongoing, pro-drilling stunt on Capitol Hill.
Yesterday, I noted that numerous GOP members from Illinois had joined the effort to bring Democrats back from August recess to vote on legislation to expand off-shore drilling. At his new blog Prairie State 2.0, Curt Mercadante responded by accusing the Democratic leadership of squelching "open government":
What the PI post avoids, of course, is the issue of open government and debate. [...]
It’s about the fact that they [the Democrats] tried to shut down debate in the U.S. House of Representatives.They turned off the microphones, shut off the lights, darkened the House video feed (and, thus, C-SPAN) … all to prevent the GOP debate from being heard.
It’s about open government. It’s about transparency.
When a chamber of Congress adjourns, as the House did on August 1, the microphones, lights, and cameras are turned off. It happened when Republicans were in power. It happens now that Democrats are in power.
This effort to cast the adjournment as some sort of devious, anti-democratic maneuver is a clever election year ploy -- and nothing more.
In fact, folks like Mercadante seem to have forgetten that in the months before Congress departed for their August recess, the Republicans repeatedly attempted to force the House to adjourn, as the Washington Post's Dana Milbank recently noted:
Eighteen times over the past 90 days, the minority tried, unsuccessfully, to force the House to adjourn. Now the House has finally adjourned -- for a five-week recess, no less -- and Republicans are demanding that the chamber be called back into session.
Of course, if those earlier demands for adjournment had been met, guess what would have happened? The lights and mics would have been turned off and the C-SPAN coverage would have ceased. Would Mercadante have raised a ruckus then?
His characterization of the pro-drilling efforts as a "grassroots movement" also deserves some attention:
So, kudos to Rep. Biggert - and the rest of our Illinois Congressional delegation who have spent time in DC to participate in the #dontgo movement.
In addition to demonstrating to the GOP base that its party still has some fight left in it … it really is demonstrating the power of social media to build grassroots movements.
Let's be clear. This is a "movement" that originated at the highest level of powers in Washington. It's a movement that, if successful, would benefit large oil companies and their rich executives far more than the average American consumer. It's a movement with protests populated by paid staffers from industry-funded organizations. In short, there is nothing "grassroots" about it.
Anonymous on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 18:23
-This is a "movement" that originated at the highest level of powers in Washington.-
You obviously have no clue whatsoever about the movement you're writing about do you?
I'm going to point out the indisputable flaw in your post, and in doing so, I also want to point out the extremely poor job you did when "researching" for your little story.
My name is Eric Odom. I, along with good friend Allen Fuller, started the #dontgo Movement. Let me list some facts for you.
1) I'm a registered Libertarian here in Illinois.
How many times have the "powers in Washington" gone through a Libertarian who voted for Ron Paul and will be supporting Bob Barr to do their work for them?
*chirp, chirp*
2) I was never contacted by ANYONE in Washington about #dontgo
Yeah, that's right. Unlike you, who receives funding from big Government supporting unions to spout your nonsense, I don't accept money from anyone for my blogs or websites. Unless, of course, someone wants to buy an ad on a non-political site of mine, but that is rarely.
3) Big Oil bypassed me when writing the checks
Man, did I miss out or what??? Allen and I launched dontgo.us and dontgomovement.com on our own time and on our own dime, and now we find out that Big Oil and politicians are fueling the movement that we enabled? How did I miss that memo and where the hell is my cut?
4) You never contacted me about your accusation
Usually, when you accuse someone of something, you need to have some facts. If you don;t have facts, which you don't, then you need to have the accused individual's side of the story.
Even though dontgomovement.com has a nice and shiny button right up on top that says "CONTACT", you couldn't be bothered to actually contact me.
And if you had just used a nifty web tool called Google, you would have found a CNN, Redstate, TNR, Washington Examiner, and MANY other sources that plainly state the site is mine.
You could follow that up by using that cool web tool called Google and it would lead you to my blog. The blog on which I have a button right up top that tells you how to... get ready for it... CONTACT ME.
But instead, yuo spouted off an accusation that contains no truth and makes you look foolish.
Pat yourself on the back for this, "Progress Illinois"... you give Americans a website to be proud of.
Not.
Anonymous on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 18:24
No place to type in my name...
Signed,
-Eric Odom
Josh Kalven on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 08:51
Eric,
Two responses.
First, since you brought up our union sponsorship, perhaps you can inform our readers where you work.
Second, you've created a movement that has had success in getting certain members of Congress to do exactly what their energy industry donors have been lobbying them to do. Do think those GOP lawmakers would pay any attention to your Twitter army if it wasn't for that fact?
markg8 on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 23:26
I'm just gonna post the whole thing from TPM election central. Seems Repubs are believeingtheir own press clippings and ginned up polls. Please Mr. Odom keep up the good work!
GOPer Ousted After Aggressively Championing Offshore Drilling
By Greg Sargent - August 8, 2008, 3:31PM
While you were watching that Jew-baiting House candidate go down in flames, another potentially far more significant contest played out last night: A GOP primary challenger ousted GOPer David Davis from his seat in Tennessee's first district, prevailing by less than 500 votes.
Davis' loss was a big deal, for two reasons: First, he's the first incumbent knocked off in this state since 1956. More important, he went down largely because his foe, in an unusual move for a fellow Republican, aggressively yoked him to "Big Oil."
This could have broader national significance, because it shows that championing offshore drilling, as Davis did with extreme enthusiasm, can't always be counted on as the sure winner the GOP thinks it is -- after all, he lost on the issue even among GOP primary voters.
Indeed, Davis was more than just your typical pro-oil industry GOPer. He aggressively championed political attacks on Dems over offshore drilling, and was a leading member of that "Republican Uprising" that has been vowing to tie Congress up in knots until it lifts the drilling ban.
Indeed, Davis was so sure that the issue was a political winner for him and the GOP that he issued a triumphant press release Wednesday about his heroic role in the initial "revolt" several days earlier, and even bragged that he'd be returning to Washington to keep pushing the issue. And indeed, according to a Dem leadership aide, Davis was on the floor yesterday pushing the drilling stuff -- on election day.
In other words, this hapless GOPer basically made drilling a big focus of his campaign. And he lost.
The Dems have a ton of political work to do on drilling and on gas prices in general. But, in a sign that the issue is less and less the slam dunk the GOP thinks it is, in one deep-red district, the politics of it played in favor of the Dem position.
Late Update: DCCC spokesperson Doug Thornell sends over the following quote on the outcome:
Clearly, being in the back pocket of Big Oil will hurt Republicans in November.
Elizabeth Crum (E!!) (not verified) on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 11:10
I guess you guys aren't content to give credit where credit is due and let Eric Odom & Friends have their #dontgo Happy Ending...?
When I read your claim that this #dontgo / Twitter “movement...originated at the highest level of powers in Washington" I burst out laughing.
Anyone who knows Eric “the Libertarian” Odom knows he is as anti-establishment as it gets. He isn’t In with the Insiders in D.C. in any way, shape or form. I’ll grant that Eric’s day job is a paid consultant for Sam Adams Alliance, but Eric blogs and Twitters on the side (and only WISHES he got paid to do it).
Eric and Allen are two very enterprising individuals who threw up the Twitter tag, purchased the two #dontgo-affilliated domain names and built the dontgomovement.com website on their own dime and on their own time. They were not paid by Big Oil fat cats, mythical “industry-funded organizations,” or Newt Gingrich.
The huge influx of Twitterers and bloggers happened because a lot of good citizens are angry about the lack of Congressional action on energy and were/are interested in what was/is happening on on the House floor…and the Twitter feed was/is the best way to follow the play-by-play. The Congressmen who used Twitter to call the action were using New Media technology to spread the word, since Madame Pelosi shut off the mics, lights, and cameras when she left.
Anyway, I find it very telling that you guys just cannot FATHOM the concept of a committed activist who isn’t getting paid and/or receiving some personal benefit for championing a cause. One wonders how many staffers at Open Left, Progress Illinois, or MoveOn.org would spend their OWN time and money trying to get something worthwhile done. Not too many, I’m guessing.
So, anyhoo, just know that you guys got the story Wrong.
To borrow your oh-so-sophisticated Slam-fest sum-up which simultaenously insists #dontgo is (1) backed by “the highest levels of power in Washington” and (2) “insignificant”: WHATEVER! If Dontgomovement.com is so insignificant, why is the national media all over it - and why are you guys still writing about it?
LOL
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