Susan and I had a great day in Lynchburg. I spoke to the 7th Annual Suzanne Curran Republican Women’s Retreat and then keynoted Lynchburg Republican Committee’s 2nd Annual Fundraising Dinner. Enjoyed the opportunity to see everyone!
White House Oil Epiphany
Jun 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Excellent analysis by the Wall Street Journal reinforcing the need to unleash our own energy resources. In order to reduce gasoline prices over the long-term, America must open up the vast oil fields in Alaska and lift the senseless moratorium on drilling in the Gulf. America has the most plentiful energy resources in the world. We should not be forced to rely on our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, while billions of barrels of American oil remain off-limits to production.
White House Oil Epiphany
Wall Street Journal
June 24, 2011
It wasn’t long ago that the Obama Administration was trying to drive up the price of fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions, promote “green jobs” and save the planet from global warming. Gasoline at $3.50 or $4 a gallon has ended that. And yesterday the White House went so far as to join a global effort to release 60 million barrels from oil stockpiles to further reduce prices.
The U.S. will release one million barrels a day for 30 days from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—the nation’s 727 million barrel oil stockpile located in salt domes in Texas and Louisiana. The spot price of oil dropped about $5 a barrel on the news, and if that decrease holds it could be the equivalent of a 10 cent a gallon reduction in gas prices.
The White House says it is taking this action because of “supply disruptions” in Libya and other countries which pose a threat to global economic recovery. But the Libyan conflict is now four months old, so Mr. Obama’s falling approval ratings no doubt also provided motivation.
Thank you key leaders for a great retreat!
Jun 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It was an invigorating pleasure to be with key leaders for our party and our Commonwealth at today’s retreat. Thank you for everything you do to help support, encourage and elect Republicans throughout the state.
Senate Democrats: Long live the ‘czars’
Jun 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This is yet another clear example of Washington Democrats ignoring “We The People.” After nearly three years of record setting trillion dollar deficits there is no reason to have these unconfirmed, unelected “czars” wasting our government resources. These unaccountable “czars” exercise far-reaching, unchecked powers that affect not just spending in Washington, but our very freedoms as Americans.
Senate Democrats: Long live the ‘czars’
Politico
By ROBIN BRAVENDER
June 23, 2011
Senate Democrats on Thursday knocked down the latest GOP effort to unseat the Obama administration’s policy “czars.”
The chamber voted 47-51 to defeat an amendment from Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to strip the salaries of czars currently working in the White House and would block the president from appointing more without Senate approval.
Two moderate Democrats — Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Ben Nelson of Nebraska — broke rank to endorse the measure. The GOP was unified in supporting the effort, which was offered as an amendment to legislation aimed at speeding up stalled presidential nominations.
Republicans and conservative media pundits have launched several legislative attempts to unseat the White House policy advisers, accusing the Obama administration of skirting congressional oversight and leaving key decisions in the hands of unelected bureaucrats.
White House energy and climate czar Carol Browner and health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle drew the ire of congressional Republicans for their roles in coordinating major legislative efforts, but they’ve since left those positions.
It’s Time to Unleash America’s Energy Resources
Jun 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Today’s decision to use our Strategic Petroleum Reserve underscores the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by unleashing our own energy resources. America has the most plentiful energy resources in the world, and it’s time we had a productive, positive energy plan. Removing federal government barriers to production, from Alaska to the Gulf to Virginia, would increase our energy security, lower our gasoline and diesel prices and keep our money in the United States.
Obama takes flak for using oil reserves as stimulus
Reuters
By Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner
June 23, 2011
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama took withering fire from the oil industry and Republicans for agreeing to release the nation’s emergency oil supplies, a decision that senior officials said was prompted by the need to prop up the ailing economy.
Critics blasted the release of 30 million barrels of oil — half of a global injection coordinated by the International Energy Agency — as an ill-timed misuse of reserves at a time when U.S. supplies are relatively high, despite the loss of Libya’s exports for the past three months.
Some OPEC officials went further, calling it a political ploy that ignored Saudi Arabia’s promise to step up production and the fact that oil prices had already fallen sharply.
A senior administration official said the decision came after careful analysis of global oil markets — including expectations that supplies will tighten this summer — and months of discussions with major oil producers and consumers.
But the move fueled questions about the timing and catalyst for releasing the stocks, which in the past have been used almost exclusively to address abrupt disruptions like natural disasters.
“The president has been deeply concerned about the impact the disruption of oil production and exports from Libya and other countries in the Middle East has had on energy supplies globally, the tightness that that’s created in the market, the effect that tightness has on global economic growth at home and abroad,” a senior administration official told reporters.
DRIVING SEASON LOOMS
The Obama administration was also concerned about tight markets ahead of peak demand in the summer, when many Americans take to the roads for vacations. The jump in gasoline prices earlier this year was hurting Obama’s support as the White House was gearing up for its re-election campaign.
“The cascade of bad economic news is poison for a president running for re-election,” said Larry Sabato, political science professor at University of Virginia.
“But politics is about smoke and mirrors. This now allows the Obama administration to claim credit for the fall in oil prices,” Sabato said.
Others said the move was a shot across the bow for the speculators that Obama has blamed for inflating prices, and for OPEC members who have resisted moves to pump more oil.
“We would suggest that today’s action represents the first genuine, offensive use of the OECD’s ‘defensive oil weapon’ to send an unforgettable message to OPEC and also to noncommercial players in the crude markets,” said Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners in Washington.
“I’M NOT SURE WE NEED MORE OIL”
The U.S. oil release is designed to help fill a gap in supply caused when political upheaval in Libya and Yemen choked off supplies of light, sweet crude, which initially sent oil prices higher.
But the IEA’s 60 million-barrel release comes as U.S. oil prices have been on the decline since late April, falling nearly 20 percent since their U.S. peak at $113 a barrel. Thursday’s announcement drove oil prices down almost 5 percent to below $91 per barrel.
ICYMI – My appearance on Fox Business’ “Follow the Money with Eric Bolling”
Jun 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
ICYMI – My appearance on Fox Business’ “Follow the Money with Eric Bolling.” We had a great discussion about my Blueprint for America’s Comeback and how to restore American prosperity.
Democrats call for more spending in debt deal
Jun 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It is remarkable that just weeks before a vote on whether to raise the national debt ceiling, Democrats are calling for more spending increases. It is precisely the reckless spending and unchecked growth of government that have put our economy on a downward spiral. This is just more evidence that the liberals in Washington are out-of-touch with the concerns of the American people, and don’t understand the fiscal crisis our nation face.
Democrats push for jobs package in debt deal
Reuters
By Richard Cowan and Andy Sullivan
June 22, 2011
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) – Democratic leaders called on Wednesday for new spending and tax cuts to boost the sluggish U.S. economy, setting up a fresh hurdle for bipartisan efforts to head off a government debt default this summer.
At the same time, a new report warned that the country could face a European-style debt crisis unless Washington cuts spending or raises taxes.
The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office adds urgency to the work of negotiators, led by Vice President Joe Biden, who are trying to find trillions of dollars in savings as part of a deal that would allow Congress to sign off on new government borrowing before the U.S. runs out of money to pay its bills.
As the group faces competing demands for stimulus and austerity, some have suggested that it may not be able to get a deal done in time to head off a debt default in early August.
Senate Democrats want the deal to include a payroll tax cut, more money for highway construction and clean-energy subsidies to bring down the 9.1 percent unemployment rate.
“Get the recovery right before you get in this deficit-cutting mode,” Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin told reporters. “Get people back to work.”
Republicans said that idea is not likely to go far in the Biden-led talks, which have largely focused on spending cuts.
“They’re not talking about spending money in there,” said Ryan Patmintra, spokesman for Senator Jon Kyl, one of two Republicans participating in the talks. Many Republicans view President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus package as an $830 billion failure and say spending cuts would help the recovery.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke questioned that approach. “I don’t think that sharp, immediate cuts in the deficit would create more jobs,” he told reporters. “In the short run … fiscal tightening is at best neutral and probably somewhat negative for job creation,” he added.
As the United States struggles to emerge from the deepest recession since the 1930s, rising health costs and an aging population pose a longer term threat.
The CBO report found that public debt will exceed the size of the economy by 2021 unless lawmakers raise taxes or scale back benefits.
President Barack Obama is due to meet with Biden and top Democrats from the House of Representatives on Thursday morning to discuss the talks, the White House said.
The Biden group, which includes six Republican and Democratic lawmakers, is racing to complete a deal by next week but negotiators are at odds over the big-ticket items.
Republicans say they will not consider tax increases, while Democrats have said they won’t back cuts to expensive health care benefit programs.
Newsmax: George Allen: It’s Time for America’s Comeback
Jun 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
George Allen: It’s Time for America’s Comeback
Newsmax.com
By Matthew Belvedere and Kathleen Walter
June 19, 2011
It’s “time for an American comeback” to rescue the nation from the precipice of dangerously high debt levels, says former Virginia Gov. George Allen.
The rebound needs to be “based upon the principles of freedom and opportunity and personal responsibility, rather than dictates, mandates, and redistribution or dependency on government,” Allen said during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV.
Allen also talked about his candidacy to regain his old U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, a vital contest for the GOP nationally in 2012. Republicans would like to make this blue seat one of the four red net gains needed to win the Senate majority.
Story continues below video.
Democrat Jim Webb, who beat Allen in 2006, has announced that he won’t seek re-election. Allen’s likely challenger is Tim Kaine, who also is a former Virginia governor and formerly was President Barack Obama’s handpicked chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The latest polls show that Allen and Kaine are deadlocked.
“Our country needs to take back control of our own destiny because we’re vulnerable to others because of our high taxes on job creating businesses and our dangerous debt and our counter-productive energy policies,” contends Allen, who says he has just the solution.
On Tuesday, he announced his “Blueprint for America’s Comeback” at an event in Virginia’s capital city of Richmond. “There are three key points in our blueprint, my blueprint action plan for jobs, opportunity, and competitiveness,” Allen explained to Newsmax.TV.
“Number one, we need to reduce the taxes on job-creating businesses” to 20-percent — a move he says will create 500,000 private-sector jobs a year.
G. Gordon Liddy Show
Jun 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I’ll be talking with good friend G. Gordon Liddy at 10:30 AM about my Blueprint for America’s Comeback. G. Gordon LiddyShow
