Despite that cat blog posting you see below this one, Kevin is on vacation. At least, he’s suposed to be on vacation. Expect him back with non-cat blogs on Tuesday. I’m subbing until then.
Okay, I know that Michael Jackson died, but there’s a bill heading to a vote in the House this afternoon that’s billed by President Barack Obama as a “historic first step” toward dealing with the threat of climate change. As I type, it looks like a nail-biter.
At the daily White House press briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked what Obama was doing today to help pass this legislation. Gibbs said that the president had made “a few” calls to House members. A few? Does that sound like a big push? We weren’t given many more details. But it certainly didn’t seem as if Obama is pulling an all-out LBJ. Was the White House trying not to attach Obama’s prestige to a cap and trade bill that might crash and burn? Hard to know what’s going on behind the scenes. But I certainly wouldn’t mind being a fly on the wall in Rahm Emanuel’s office—unless, of course, Obama is there. (Smack!)
I wonder if Obama and his team have made efficient use of Obama Nation—that is, those millions of people who supported his campaign. Yesterday Organizing for America—the offshoot of the Obama presidentical campaign, which is housed within the Democratic National Committee—sent out an email to its list (of presumably millions), asking followers to visit a website page that shows how to call your representatives and what to say in support of the energy bill. It’s a pretty spiffy and sophisticated web operation. Was it kicked into gear too late? Obama’s millions were not fully mobilized prior to this late stage.
But you can’t call this an error until the votes are counted. If the bill passes, the White House played it right. If not….
Meanwhile, Al Gore stayed away from the House today—there was some talk in Washington that he would parachute in—and posted a blog item explaining his support of the bill:
There is no back-up plan. There is not a stronger bill waiting to pass the House of Representatives. It’s time to get started on a plan that will create jobs, increase our national security, and build the clean energy economy that will Repower America.
Please contact your Member of Congress today.
Gore has not been a major presence in the debate on this bill. Democratic strategists must assume that he doesn’t help much with those Ds or Rs on the fence. That’s probably an accurate assessment. But if the bill flops, media commentators will be consumed with second-guessing how the White House and Speaker Pelosi handled it—if they’re not busy pondering the Michael Jackson autopsy results.
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