Mar
09
2012Yesterday the Senate rejected a transportation bill amendment that would have enabled construction of the northern section of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Eleven Democrats joined all Republicans in voting 56 to 42 in favor of removing Obama’s authority to block construction. However, 60 votes were needed.
To no one’s surprise, sources on Capitol Hill confirmed that President Obama personally called Democratic senators urging them to vote “no” on this amendment that would have advanced national energy security and lowered gasoline prices long term. At a time when Oklahomans are paying $3.50 for a gallon of gasoline, it’s hard to think of a less appropriate time for President Obama and Senate Democrats to put the agenda of their radical, left wing environmentalist base ahead of the interests of the American people.
Approving construction of this privately-funded pipeline to move less expensive Canadian oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries would have resulted in near term job creation, including jobs in Oklahoma. This president and his administration have once again made it clear that they have no interest in prioritizing national security and the needs of families and business owners who have struggled through the worst economic down turn since the Carter administration.
Like Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama has consistently pursued failed liberal policies that have delayed economic recovery, inhibiting energy security, housing construction and jobs growth. Like Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama is a failed, incompetent president who needs to be voted out of office at the end of his first term.