Republicans: Our Energy Proposal Creates “Real Jobs”

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

“Innovation, conservation and production,” were the key messages coming from the Republican Study Committee and the Western Caucus as Congressional Republicans unveiled their alternative energy proposal today.

Congressman Tom Price (R-Ga.) said, “Republican are wholly committed to finding positive solution to the challenges we face. Like with the stimulus, like with the budget and now in contrast to the Democrats national energy tax we are here to offer our vision.”

The American Energy and Innovation Act, as the proposal will be labeled, will create jobs and reduce debt according to Republicans. The main aims outlined in this bill are to, “encourage innovation” by creating renewable fuel options and environmental jobs. “Promote conservation” by “providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment” and “increase production” by making use of all available technology and resources.

Congressman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said there were now “two roads” Americans could chose to tackle energy needs. “The Democrat road is saying it can’t work we are not even going to it, our road is saying we have the ideas now is the time to do it, said Bishop.

Adding that “The Democrats have already given us an option on energy issues that will cost individuals up to $3000...the Republican road we want to go down is one that actually grows our energy supply so that no-one is harmed and in fact we have the chance to reduce the cost of energy.”

Bishop compared the two strategies to the movie ‘Back to the Future’ saying, “Remember those sequels to ‘Back to the Future’ where there were the two worlds? Our world is the one where the McFly family is happy, the Democrat version is the one where Biff runs everything.”

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the bill would be a “common sense act that is going to use our natural resources and our advanced technology to meet our energy needs and most importantly help our economy grow.”

In closing, Congressman John Fleming (R-La.) added, our vision “creates a vision for jobs, more jobs, not the so called paper mache jobs the green jobs, but real jobs created by industry.”

Super Tuesday Colorado Coverage-- a few photos

Welcome to the Centennial State and our earliest caucus ever!


Supplies for the Caucus


A Mama for Obama!


The Boulder County Democratic Headquarters

Hillary's Plan B Problem

So as we’ve explained the Democratic caucus is an interesting affair where viability or having 15 percent of the caucus goers in support of a candidate. Without that 15 percent supporters are forced to either recruit other caucus goers or abandon their candidate and support another one. There’s a very slim chance here in Iowa that any of the second tier Democratic candidates will be overwhelmingly viable. Dennis Kucinich has already said that his supporters should caucus for Barack Obama if he proves not to be viable at their caucus. Now imagine if Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden all said that. Now, they haven’t but if the mentality of second tier candidate supporters is anti-Hillary, they might support Edwards or Obama should their candidate not prove viable. No one can foresee how much of a difference this will make, but depending on the pockets of Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich, and Biden supporters it could be large enough to land Hillary Clinton second or third overall in the state.

The effect of a spoiler third candidate in the general election can sometimes be enough to sway the race, imagine if there were three or four of them. Strategy, possible coming out of the second tier camps, will be the name of the game tonight

The Ron Paul Approach

Sure, he's a second tier candidate. No, his scrambling around today won't get him more votes of people who are teetering on the Republican side. Instead of shaking hands and kissing babies and running all over Iowa, Ron Paul is addressing a lecture hall of medical students at Des Moines University. Speaking as a doctor and a politician, Ron Paul is focusing on inflation and blames government policies for the rising cost of healthcare.

Ever a libertarian, for a reduced government Paul says, "Healthcare isn't a right. Housing isn't a right...You have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and hopefully someday you will have the right to keep what you earn." He's appealing to young people who are looking forward to the highest national debt in decades. He's appealing to older people who need expensive procedures like heart surgery or pricey prescription medications.

Paul's solution is closing down U.S. military bases abroad. The savings from running those, he proposes, will be enough to reduce the national debt. His tag line is "freedom." Free of choice, freedom of the market. He says that the Founding Fathers were right, we should stay out of foreign entanglements.

This is just another example of Paul, cool as a cucumber, staying out of the melee and doing something unexpected. Giving a lecture for students, some of whom are voting today, some who are not instead of scrambling around Iowa, vote shopping.

More photos from Iowa

Check out more Iowa photos on Flickr!