The Twinkie lobby 0

I've been pondering writing something about this story in Politico, in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's fine with any energy bill that doesn't "raise taxes," which is Republicanese for revoking some of the billions in tax breaks and subsidies U.S. taxpayers provide oil companies. McConnell is well aware that this completely ties Dem hands, since the leadership in all its wisdom decided Dems need to live by PAYGO rules that hold it to a standard of fiscal rectitude never dreamed of in the Republican Congress of 2000-2006. If they want to provide any ongoing support to clean energy, they have to take money from elsewhere in the budget, and money ain't easy to come by these days. This is tantamount to McConnell saying the R's won't support renewables, "all of the above" notwithstanding.

As happens with disturbing frequency these days, all I could think of is "YEEEEAAAAAARGH!" which doesn't make for a very good blog post.

Instead, let's pass the mic to Politico commenter MichIndependent, who summarizes the energy debate thusly:

A survey of elementary school children found that 70% favored Twinkies and HoHo snack cakes for lunch. One student said, "This is the answer to decreasing snack cake prices and improving student's performance in these troubling times." Pelosi didn't seem to care about what the children wanted, holding firm her belief that more vegetables, fruit, and exercise should be included in any lunchtime legislation. Republicans refused to sign on to such a hefty bill -- one that included subsidies for vegetables -- and with Congress deadlocked, Pelosi decided to go ahead with vacation plans. Republicans, meanwhile, wanted a simple up-down vote on Twinkies, and staged a sit-in in Congress. In a recent interview with Larry King, Pelosi stated that she would consider provisions for snack cakes at lunch, as long as the republicans would sign on to a bill that included vegetables and fruit. The republicans said, "we're glad she's finally coming around to the demands of the children."

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