Waxman-Markey: Continuing Fallout and Analysis

The fallout over the Waxman-Markey vote in the House of Representatives last week is continuing, both politically and environmentally. Attack ads are already in the works which will be used against some of the vulnerable first- and second-term Democrats who voted in favor of the bill, with many more certain to come in the future. Politico also ran a good behind-the-scenes piece today on the steps taken by Speaker Pelosi and Democrat leadership to round up enough votes for passage - and the lengths that some members took to avoid having to talk to her on the House floor.

Along with that, the number of stories on the cost and impact of this bill (in its present form; it's almost guaranteed to be altered significantly by the Senate in the weeks and months ahead) continues to grow with each passing day. One of the more interesting ones I've read today is found on the Forbes.com DigitalRules blog and concerns how the requirements in this bill will dramatically affect the sectors which provide 90 percent of the nation's electricity. Here is a brief excerpt:

In the U.S., electricity is produced from these sources. If you are reading this on a handheld and can't read Wikipedia's wonderful pie chart, here is the breakdown:
48.9% -- Coal
20% -- Natural Gas
19.3% -- Nuclear
1.6% -- Petroleum
Got that?
A tick over 88% of U.S. electricity comes from three sources: coal, gas and nuclear. Petroleum brings the contribution of so-called "evil" energy--that is, energy that is carbon- or uranium-based--to almost 90% ...

The Waxman-Markey bill that passed the House on Friday by a 219-212 margin will punitively tax energy sources that contribute 90% of current U.S. electricity (or 71% if you want to leave out nuclear). The taxes will be used to subsidize the 10% renewable contributors (but really just 3% after you leave out hydro).

In other words, Waxman-Markey is betting the future of U.S. electricity production on sources that now contribute 3% or supply 10 million Americans with electricity. That's enough juice for the people in Waxman's Los Angeles County. Or, if you prefer, for Nancy Pelosi's metro San Francisco plus Markey's metro Boston.

I encourage you to read the entire piece, and to continue reading anything you can on this legislation. Continuing to educate yourself on this matter will be crucial as the Senate takes up this measure in the weeks and months ahead.

More on Waxman-Markey and a Classic Boehner Moment

Less than 24 hours after yesterday's vote on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, I'm still thinking a bit about what I watched transpire on the floor of the House of Representatives.

(Sidebar: Wait! Less than 24 hours? Huh - I've actually been thinking about this for just a few hours longer than members of Congress had to even read the bill! I'm so glad Speaker Pelosi promised she would make all bills available 24 hours in advance of a vote so that the American people could read them. Perhaps she meant that over the course of her entire speakership, she would collectively make all bills available a total of 24 hours in advance - 5 or 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there.)

First, I would be willing to put good money on the table that most of the 219 members who voted for the bill did so despite the wishes of their constituents - not because of them. As a result, I think that over the next several days you're going to see a lot of outrage and some potential backlash against these folks. Already, several groups to which I belong have started posting the telephone numbers and contact information for the eight Republicans who voted in favor of the bill. One of them, Mark Kirk of Illinois (a potential candidate for Senate in 2010), is apparently having a town hall meeting in his district today; I would love to be a fly on the wall for that one.

Next, I think John Boehner had one of his finest moments as Minority Leader when his turn came to speak on the House floor yesterday. As one of the privileges for being Minority Leader, the time that he is yielded in order to speak really isn't confined just to the one or two minutes he received; the Speaker, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader are able to speak a bit longer. Boehner started and immediately attacked the addition of a 300-page section into the Waxman-Markey bill at 3:00 yesterday morning and - saying that the American people have a right to know what their congressional representatives are voting on - practically started to go page-by-page through the entire addition. Roughtly 20 minutes in to his comments, Henry Waxman (Democrat Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and lead sponsor of the bill) made a parliamentary inquiry as to whether there was any maximum time that Boehner would be allowed to speak; much to his chagrin, he was told it was the tradition of the House that the chamber would listen to the Leader's remarks in their entirety. It was not the answer Waxman had wanted. And when he tried to object because of how much time Boehner was taking, Boehner responded with a classic Boehner line which you have to actually watch to fully appreciate.

Steve Milloy at his Green Hell blog posted a video clip of this classic moment, which had initially been posted by Boehner's office on YouTube. Here, for your enjoyment, is this great 90-second moment in congressional history:

So what next? Well, it's off to the Senate - more than likely, Barbara Boxer (chairman of the Environment and Public Works) will have first crack at it. The Senate is going to be a much more difficult place for the bill since the House - 100 much more independent minded folks, regardless of party affiliation. Timing is also up in the air; all Harry Reid has committed to is bringing it up for a vote later this year - which could be next month or at 11:59 on New Year's Eve. With that in mind, there's still a lot of work to be done - both in the Senate and by the general public.

What will you do in this time ahead? Will you leave it to the Senate and trust they will do the right thing, or will you educate yourself - about climate change, about the interests of your district and state, and about what your senator will be doing when it comes time to cast their vote?

Waxman-Markey Passes - See How Your Congressman Voted

The Waxman-Markey bill just passed the House on a 219-212 vote - much closer than I'm sure Pelosi was expecting. I'll be blogging more on this later, but wanted to post the vote tally here.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) Hawaii Democrat YEA
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) Alabama Republican NAY
Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) Missouri Republican NAY
Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat NAY
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat NAY
Rep. Steve Austria (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) Minnesota Republican NAY
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) Alabama Republican NAY
Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) Wisconsin Democrat YEA
Rep. J. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.) South Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat NAY
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) Maryland Republican NAY
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) Nevada Democrat YEA
Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) Arkansas Democrat NAY
Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) Utah Republican NAY
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat YEA
Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Tennessee Republican NAY
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) Oregon Democrat YEA
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) Missouri Republican NAY
Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) Alabama Republican NAY
Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) California Republican YEA
Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.) Arkansas Republican NAY
Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) Oklahoma Democrat NAY
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) Iowa Democrat YEA
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat YEA
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) Iowa Democrat YEA
Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) Alabama Democrat NAY
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) South Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) Indiana Republican NAY
Rep. G.K. Butterfield, Jr. (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) Indiana Republican NAY
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) West Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) Missouri Democrat YEA
Rep. Christopher Carney (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat NAY
Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) Indiana Democrat YEA
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) Delaware Republican YEA
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) Utah Republican NAY
Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) Kentucky Democrat YEA
Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) Mississippi Democrat NAY
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) Missouri Democrat YEA
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) Missouri Democrat YEA
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) South Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) North Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) Colorado Republican NAY
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) Tennessee Democrat YEA
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) Oklahoma Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat YEA
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) Tennessee Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) California Democrat NAY
Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat NAY
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Connecticut Democrat YEA
Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat NAY
Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) Alabama Democrat NAY
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) Kentucky Republican NAY
Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) Tennessee Democrat NAY
Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) Oregon Democrat NAY
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) Colorado Democrat YEA
Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) Connecticut Democrat YEA
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) Indiana Democrat NAY
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) Tennessee Republican NAY
Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) Texas Democrat NAY
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Minnesota Democrat YEA
Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) Indiana Democrat NAY
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) Missouri Republican NAY
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Mary Fallin (R-Okla.) Oklahoma Republican NAY
Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) Arizona Republican ABSENT
Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) Nebraska Republican NAY
Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat NAY
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) North Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) Arizona Republican NAY
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) New Jersey Republican NAY
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) New Jersey Republican NAY
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) Arizona Democrat YEA
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) Tennessee Democrat YEA
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) Missouri Republican NAY
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala.) Alabama Democrat NAY
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Arizona Democrat YEA
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) Kentucky Republican NAY
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) Mississippi Republican NAY
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat ABSENT
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) Washington Republican NAY
Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) New Mexico Democrat YEA
Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) Nevada Republican NAY
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) South Dakota Democrat NAY
Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) Indiana Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) Connecticut Democrat YEA
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) Hawaii Democrat YEA
Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) New Hampshire Democrat YEA
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat NAY
Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) South Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) Kansas Republican NAY
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat YEA
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) North Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) Wisconsin Democrat YEA
Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) Rhode Island Democrat YEA
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) Wisconsin Democrat YEA
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) New York Republican NAY
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) Iowa Republican NAY
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican YEA
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) Arizona Democrat NAY
Rep. Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat NAY
Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) Minnesota Republican NAY
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep, Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat NAY
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) Colorado Republican NAY
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) New Jersey Republican YEA
Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.) Rhode Island Democrat YEA
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) Connecticut Democrat YEA
Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) Iowa Republican NAY
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.) New York Republican NAY
Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat YEA
Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) New Jersey Republican YEA
Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) Iowa Democrat YEA
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) Oklahoma Republican NAY
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) Missouri Republican NAY
Rep. Ben Lujan (D-N.M.) New Mexico Democrat YEA
Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) Wyoming Republican NAY
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) Colorado Democrat YEA
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat NAY
Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat NAY
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) Utah Democrat NAY
Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) Minnesota Democrat YEA
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) North Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) New York Republican YEA
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat NAY
Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) Washington Republican NAY
Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) Lousiana Democrat NAY
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) Maine Democrat YEA
Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) Idaho Democrat NAY
Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) Arizona Democrat NAY
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) West Virginia Democrat NAY
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) Kansas Democrat YEA
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) Wisconsin Democrat YEA
Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) Kansas Republican NAY
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat YEA
Rep. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.) Connecticut Democrat YEA
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) North Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat NAY
Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) Minnesota Democrat YEA
Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) Wisconsin Democrat YEA
Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) Texas Democrat NAY
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) Arizona Democrat YEA
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) Minnesota Republican NAY
Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) Indiana Republican NAY
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) Colorado Democrat YEA
Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat YEA
Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) Minnesota Democrat YEA
Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) Wisconsin Republican NAY
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) Maine Democrat YEA
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) Colorado Democrat YEA
Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) North Dakota Democrat NAY
Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) West Virginia Democrat NAY
Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) Montana Republican NAY
Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) Washington Republican YEA
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) Texas Democrat YEA
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) Texas Democrat NAY
Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) Tennessee Republican NAY
Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) Kentucky Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) Alabama Republican NAY
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) Arkansas Democrat NAY
Rep. Steven Rothman (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) California Republican NAY
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) Wisconsin Republican NAY
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.) Colorado Democrat NAY
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) Lousiana Republican NAY
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) Illinois Democrat YEA
Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) Oregon Democrat YEA
Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) Virginia Democrat YEA
Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) Georgia Democrat YEA
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) Wisconsin Republican NAY
Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) Pennsylvania Democrat YEA
Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) Arizona Republican NAY
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) New Hampshire Democrat YEA
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) Illinois Republican NAY
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) Idaho Republican NAY
Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) New Jersey Democrat YEA
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) Missouri Democrat YEA
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) Washington Democrat YEA
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) Nebraska Republican NAY
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) New Jersey Republican YEA
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ariz.) Arkansas Democrat YEA
Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) Indiana Republican NAY
Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) South Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) California Democrat NAY
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) Michigan Democrat YEA
Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) Oklahoma Republican ABSENT
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat YEA
Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) Tennessee Democrat NAY
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) Mississippi Democrat NAY
Rep. Harry Teague (D-N.M.) New Mexico Democrat YEA
Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) Nebraska Republican NAY
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) Mississippi Democrat YEA
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) Pennsylvania Republican NAY
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) Texas Republican NAY
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) Kansas Republican NAY
Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) Nevada Democrat YEA
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) Massachusetts Democrat YEA
Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) Ohio Republican NAY
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) Michigan Republican NAY
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) Maryland Democrat YEA
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) Indiana Democrat NAY
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) Oregon Republican NAY
Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) Minnesota Democrat YEA
Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) Tennessee Republican NAY
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) North Carolina Democrat YEA
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) New York Democrat YEA
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Vermont Democrat YEA
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) Georgia Republican NAY
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) Florida Democrat YEA
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) Kentucky Republican NAY
Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-Ohio) Ohio Democrat NAY
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) South Carolina Republican NAY
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) Virginia Republican NAY
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) California Democrat YEA
Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) Oregon Democrat YEA
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) Kentucky Democrat YEA
Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) Florida Republican NAY
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) Alaska Republican NAY
Search Total(s): D - 256 R - 178 I - 0 Y - 219 N - 212

More from Iran - Early Look at Voting Returns

A story that has been posted within the past few hours on the Times of London website cites an early review of election returns in a handful of provinces in Iran. This review, conducted by a group of British academics, revealed some surprising facts, including:

• Liberal candidate Medhi Karoubi's home province of Lorestan gave him over 440,000 votes in the election four years ago; this time, he received just 44,000.
• In two provinces, the number of ballots cast exceeds the number of eligible voters.
• Some provinces had a voter turnout of 100 percent.

This is only a small sampling of what has been discovered to this point - and undoubtedly of what will be revealed (potentially) in the time ahead. The entire story can be read here.

America's Dollars and Middle Eastern Terrorism

In his book Hot, Flat, and Crowded, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman brings up a point which has stuck in my mind during the events of the past several days:

Finally, through out energy purchases we are funding both sides of the war on terror. That is not an exaggeration. To the extent that our energy purchases enrich conservative, Islamic governments in the Persian Gulf and to the extent that these governments share their windfalls with charities, mosques, religious schools, and individuals in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, and around the Muslim world, and to the extent that these charities, mosques, and individuals donate some of this wealth to anti-American terrorist groups, suicide bombers, and preachers, we are financing our enemies' armyies as well as our own. We are financing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps with our tax dollars, and we are indirectly financing, with our energy purchases, al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. (p. 80)

During the extensive commentary and analysis about the situation in Iran which I've watched over the past several days, one point that I've heard made numerous times is that a change in the political situation in that country could potentially destabilize such organizations as Hamas and Hezbollah. Additionally, there has been conjecture over a number of years that the Iranian government has been helping to fund and provide manpower for the ongoing insurgency in Iraq, so there is the potential that a shift in the political winds could potentially (but not necessarily) calm the situation in Baghdad and allow the new government there to get its feet underneath.

Assuming Friedman's assessment is correct - and there is no reason to believe it isn't, because his comments aren't the first time I've heard someone assert that it's our money that keeps things going (in a certain manner of speaking) in the Middle East - how much hope should we have that a regime change in Iran will really alter things in a significant way? Any move towards lessening the grip of these terrorist organizations would be an improvement, but it would be overly optimistic to think that it will change things in dramatic fashion. No, it seems to me that if the financial support network is really to take a hit, the United States really needs to rethink its relationship with other oil producing nations.

I have always been a supporter of the notion that we as a nation should look inward when it comes to potential sources of energy (excluding for purposes of this discussion renewable sources). It is a well-known fact that there are tremendous untapped areas of oil and natural gas in both continental and coastal regions of the United States, but numerous groups over many years have blocked repeated efforts to reduce our dependency on foreign resources and become more self-sufficient. However, we haven't done anything to reduce our reliance on other nations, despite repeated admonitions of American presidents, Republican and Democrat alike.

Where do we stand now? According to the website of T. Boone Pickens and his Pickens Plan, we as a country currently import 65% of all the oil we consume to the tune of $475 billion in 2008. Friedman cites a report from the Centre for Global Energy Studies predicting that in 2008, OPEC nations could expect to receive $600 billion (as it turned out, they earned $645 billion in the first half of 2008 alone). Of the 11 OPEC nations, two - Iraq and Libya - were at one time on the official list of state sponsors of terrorism - from them, in 2008 we imported roughly 266 million barrels of oil; two others that are rumored to provide terrorist assistance - Saudi Arabia and Syria - were the source of an additional 562 million barrels that same year.

Using the 562 million number for Syria and Saudi Arabia, at the current price of $70/barrel, you're looking at roughly $39 billion handed over to nations with alleged links to terrorism. Operating off of Friedman's statement I cited at the beginning of this post, how much of a dent do you think we would make in the operations of terrorist organizations if we quit buying oil overseas and started buying American instead? How quickly would these nations rethink their support if one of their biggest customers started shopping elsewhere? If it was a choice between keeping the Western-type lifestyle they have adapted with the flood of oil revenue or keeping ties to terrorist organizations, which do you think these governments would choose?

Optimistically, I would like to say they would choose the former rather than the latter. Realistically, it's difficult to say...

History in the Making in the Streets of Iran

I have a vague recollection of the time 30 years ago when the regime of the Shah of Iran was overthrown, the Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to take charge of that nation, and employees of the United States embassy in Tehran were taken hostage and held for over a year. I can also remember - and I don't know whether it is a legitimate memory or whether it stems from having seen similar footage over the years - the news broadcasts night after night showing tens of thousands of Iranians out in the streets celebrating the new supreme leader and cursing the United States.

Now, three decades letter, history is once again being made in Iran - except this time the tens of thousands of people marching in the streets are protesting their current supreme leader, their president, and the results of what can only be assumed at this point to have been a sham, fixed presidential election. Equally as significant, the Iranian people are now reaching out to the very same Western nations that were being cursed in the late 1970s. Could we be watching the birth of a new democracy, or will the protests which seem to be growing larger each end - God forbid - in the same manner as the protests in Tiananmen Square 20 years ago?

The entire situation is fascinating to me for a variety of reasons. First, the sheer number of reports found on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook is absolutely amazing; just in the past few days, I have started following some very interesting folks on Twitter that are providing near-constant news bursts, video clips and photographs of many of the major events that global news networks have been prevented from covering. I think that citizen reporting provides a much more direct impact and sense of what's going on than any news network here in the U.S. could give us. Second, this is the first time I can recall that a potential revolutionary change is taking place in front of the world; with the 2003 Rose Revolution in the former Soviet republic of Georgia and the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, I don't remember there being nearly this much coverage of the events as they unfolded.

Look at just a small sample of some of the Twitter comments that I'm seeing pop up at a very fast pace:

- FB report: shouts of Allah o Akbar in holy city of Mashhad "explosive" -- loudest it has ever been.

- WHOLE city is shaking with very loud screams from rooftops. Their loud voices calling only for God is filled with fear, hatred, and hope.

- Change has already started. Only part of this change is about winning the elections. The other part will continue.

- Guards tried to stop people by using fire truck & high pressure water, then used tear gas, started to attack and beat people.

Of course, what we're seeing in Iran right now could end up impacting the entire Middle East. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer just ran through a list of points demonstrating how a regime change in Iran could undermine Hamas and Hezbollah and cut off a major supply network for terrorist organizations and activities throughout the region. A new democratic government could change the entire dynamic in the area, the same way the new government in Iraq is giving freer forms of citizen rule a foothold.

No one knows at this point where this will all end. For the time being, we can only watch and wait - and as much as I would like our government to say more about this than the very bland "The world is watching" remark from the President, there is nothing else we can do; even I have to admit that I agree with Obama's comment that anything we do will give other Middle Eastern governments cause to accuse us of meddling in their affairs. That, of course, doesn't matter to many folks here in this country - as I write this, a pro-Iran protest is forming in front of the White House (and Obama is home, so I assume he sees it), and apparently similar protests are forming across the country.

I only wish my daughters were old enough so that they could see this for themselves and learn a bit about how what is happening now could easily change the world in which they are growing up.

Following the Trail of Carbon Footprints

Carbon footprint.

Carbon offsets.

Green houses.

Green jobs.

Energy efficiency.

Global health.

If you haven’t had at least one of these phrases thrown at you – by television commentators, op-ed and editorial writers, or by someone with whom you’ve been having a conversation – during the past week, then you are one of the fortunate ones who must be isolated from the rest of civilization. (Side bar: If you are, please let me know how to get there so that my family and I can escape the insanity that resides inside the Beltway.) The cap-and-trade side of things has certainly been a big issue for my place of employment, and I can tell you that after having read all 900-plus pages of the Waxman-Markey bill (H.R. 2454 for all of you policy wonks out there), there’s some scary stuff on the horizon – and I hope folks take the time to educate themselves before it’s too late.

I finally caved and took some time today to use one of the multiple on-line tools to determine the level of environmental destruction that my family is thrusting upon the earth (or at least our little portion of Northern Virginia). The first one (www.carbonfootprint.com) calculated, after I answered a series of questions on energy usage and recycling and shopping habits, that we are responsible for 6.44 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Based on the cool little “footprint” graph on the results page, that’s less than half of the national average and more than twice the world target.

Moving on, I tried a second calculator developed by the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) and after answering very similar questions was told that we are responsible for 55 tons of emissions per year.

Say what? Well, which is it? My habits didn’t change between the first and second calculator (unless my wife burned down the George Washington National Forest during those four minutes), and yet the Conservancy holds us accountable for 49 more tons of emissions each year. This itself presents the first problem: how, if the government is going to try and restrict (sorry; “cap” – there you go, Chairman Waxman), will they calculate who is responsible for what? I can honestly say I don’t have much confidence at all in the scientific data that will be used o the methodology for gathering this information – particularly if an organization like the Nature Conservancy is going to blame me for nearly 400 percent more emissions than your average group.

Next, I was given the option of offsetting the natural disaster that my wife and kids and I have unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Yes, long before industry will be required to do so through auction, I can purchase my very own offset credits. Here are samples of what I can spend (just for my 6.44 tons; I didn’t bother looking for the 55 tons):

Certified Emission Reduction - fully verified by Kyoto/United Nations standards and used to support Clean Development Mechanism projects. Cost: $174.39

Clean Energy Portfolio – supports clean energy generation projects around the world. Cost: $90.20

Americas Portfolio – supports reforestation projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. Cost: $95.67

Reforestation in Kenya – supports “the planting of broad leaved trees in the Great Rift Valley” (sounds glamorous). Cost: $89.15 (for seven trees)

UK Tree Planting – does just what it says, although you get to pick the region of the UK that you’d like to reforest. Cost: $145.61 (for seven trees)

This brings up question two: who’s administering this money, and what guarantee is it that in our effort to mitigate our personal environmental destruction this money will actually even go to whom and what they claim it will? Here’s an interesting quote from Steve Milloy in Green Hell:

The CO2 offset marketplace is pretty shady. According to an August 2008 report by the General Accounting Office, carbon offsets have no uniform quality assurance mechanisms or standards of verification and monitoring. “Participants in the offset market face challenges ensuring credibility of offsets,” the GAO concluded. In other words, buyers have little idea whether the offsets they buy actually reduce CO2 emissions.

Milloy continues, “Former Clinton administration official Joseph Romm bluntly summed up the situation, writing that ‘the vast majority of offsets are, at some level, just rip-offsets.’”

So to review: we need to adjust our carbon footprint, but no one can accurately calculate our footprint; we need to buy personal offsets to mitigate our footprint, but no one can assure us the money is going to where it is intended – or how much of it is actually going anywhere other than the pockets of those administering the program.

Are the sorts of changes we would need to make even feasible? Milloy says, “Based on my carbon footprint profile, to meet this goal I’d have to driving, flying, using electricity, and heating and cooling my home.” All cases may not be as extreme, but how much will you have to scale back your life and habits to compensate?

Moreover, are you willing to do it?