Rock the House: What should Republicans do now? It’s on…Culberson: Every day on the House floor this week

By Michelle Malkin  •  August 3, 2008 07:43 AM

Scroll down for updates…10:00am Eastern Monday 8/4…GOP Rep. John Culberson is Qikking the Revolt, Pt II now…go here…Mike Pence right now: “What you are about to witness is the beginning of a sustained effort to demand that Speaker Pelosi bring Congress back to Washington DC and give us an up and down vote on an energy bill that includes more access to American oil”…Culberson: “House conservatives will be on the floor every day this week”…Boehner live blog here….

Pelosi digs in: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday maintained a hard-line stance against offshore drilling and said GOP efforts on the floor to push her toward a vote was [a] “war dance of the hand maidens of the oil companies.”

***

“Hit hard, hit fast, hit often.”

That was the advice Marine hero Chesty Puller gave his men.

That’s the advice congressional Republicans should follow.

On Friday, GOP members led a revolt on the floor that rocked the House, energized the conservative base, humiliated the feckless Democrat majority, and brought visiting tourists to their feet cheering in the gallery. (Oh, and not coincidentally on Friday afternoon, Barack Obama followed John McCain and flip-flopped on offshore drilling. If you lead, conservatives, the flip-floppers will follow.)

While Do-Nothing Nancy Pelosi jetted off on her pathetically-performing “Know Your Power” book tour and Democrats adjourned for a five-week recess, scores of Republican congressional representatives stayed on Capitol Hill–or rushed back in shorts with suitcases still in hand — to press for votes on energy independence and drilling. Though Pelosi turned the lights out on the House floor, Republicans got their message out–via Twitter, Qik, the blogosphere, talk radio, and grumbly MSM types who derided the upstart effort as “bizarre.”

Leave it to Beltway snob journalists to call House Republicans who refuse to take vacations while the public’s business goes unfinished “bizarre.”

One of my favorite moments from Friday’s revolt:

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) just pretended to be a Democrat. He stood on the other side of the chamber and listed all of the GOP bills that the Dems killed.

He then said, “I am a Democrat, and here is my energy plan” and he held up a picture of an old VW Bug (correction: readers are telling me it’s an Isetta) with a sail attached to it. He paraded around the House floor with the sign while the crowd cheered.

The sign via Jim Hoft:

Dead on.

So, now what?

House Republicans hit hard and hit fast on Friday. Come Monday, they need to hit again and hit often during the Democrats’ vacation.

Mark Tapscott at the Examiner thinks Friday was a missed opportunity.

But the fight has only just begun.

The House GOP’s 8/1 revolt wasn’t merely good political theater. It was good politics. Politics on offense. Politics the grass-roots can get behind. Energized politics on energy that will galvanize public opinion in the otherwise lazy, dog days of August.

Seems to me House Republicans should be holding a public event every day in Washington from now until the end of the Democrats’ vacation to call attention to Nancy’s anti-drilling intransigence and her refusal to hold votes on the issue. Work in shifts. Whatever it takes. But every House Republican should clock in at some point during the Democrats’ vacation and take a stand for energy independence now, not later.

Can’t speak on the House floor? Hold a sit-in on the Capitol steps. Or at a local gas station. Bring those kerosene lamps or Bic lighters. Pass out postcards with Rep. Devin Nunes’ satirical sign.

Bring some tire pumps, while you’re at it, and mock the Obama tire-inflation-as-planet saving energy plan:

And make sure to videotape it all.

House GOP members should also be spreading the word to their local newspapers and local talk show hosts in their congressional districts to assail Nancy’s gag order and hammer the “Drill now” theme home.

And where’s the RNC? How about sending someone in a chicken costume to trail Nancy Pelosi during her hiatus? As the House Republicans asked repeatedly on Friday: What’s she so afraid of?

On 8/1, the House GOP brought it on.

Keep it going, turn it up, and make sure the American public sees you at work on proactive energy proposals to bring down the Pelosi Premium during the Democrats’ vacation.

***

Speaking of the absent Speaker of the House, here’s her book tour schedule during the Democrats’ vacation. The “Impeach Bush” crowd is dogging her on the book publicity trail. Wouldn’t it be good to see protesters at these events pressing her on issues people really care about?

Like Nan says: Know your power. Hit hard, hit fast, hit often.

8/4/2008 John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Columbia Point
Columbia Point
Boston, MA 02125
617-514-1645 5:30 pm

8/5/2008 Free Library of Philadelphia (Central Library)
Montgomery Auditorium 1901 Vine St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-567-4341 7 pm

8/6/2008 Temple Judea
5500 Granada Blvd.
Miami, FL 33146
305-442-4408 7:30 pm

8/7/2008 Borders Books
612 East Liberty St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-668-7652 7 pm

8/11/2008 American Jewish University
Gindi Auditorium 15600 Mulholland Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90077
310-659-3110 7 pm

8/12/2008 Dominican University
Angelico Hall 50 Acacia Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-927-0960 7 pm

8/13/2008 Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
Oracle Corporation 500 Oracle Pkwy.
Redwood City, CA 94065
415-382-6022 7 pm

8/14/2008 Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center, Pier 2
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-643-3400×11 7 pm

8/20/2008 Tattered Cover Bookstore
1628 16th Street
Denver, CO 80202
303-436-1070 5:30 pm

***

If you’ve got specific suggestions for what House Republicans should do the next five weeks during the Democrats’ vacation, leave them in comments or e-mail.

***

Afternoon update: It’s on! More than a dozen GOP lawmakers committed to carrying the ball tomorrow in D.C. Excellent.

Posted in: GOP, Nancy Pelosi

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Comments


  1. #395419
    On August 5th, 2008 at 2:27 am, Straight_Talk_Luigi said:

    LGM

    Analysis:

    Refute him with ridicule, not facts (like purple bandaids at the last Republican convention).

    Deliberately distort what Obama said. The point he was making was that tuneups and proper pressure save as much gas as offshore drilling would produce — not very much. He did not say it would bring gas prices down.

    Both your interpretation and Barack Obama’s about offshore oil drilling are absolutely incorrect. I studied alternative energy in graduate school, LGM and you both are wrong.

    Then again, most of the time liberal are.

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