How Low Can You Go?

According to Rasmussen Reports, Congressional approval rates hit yet another all time low....a whopping 9% (HT Ed Morrissey).

The percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history. This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category.

This all time low is (in large part) fueled by Congressional inaction on the rising cost of fuel and goods. As the pocketbooks of average Americans are stretched thinner still, all Congress can do is blow hot air.

Democrats in Congress promised to make energy policy a high priority when they returned after the Independence Day break. Instead, they have quietly scrubbed the schedule of any votes on their energy bill, afraid Republicans will make them vote on increased domestic oil production and force them to choose between popular sentiment for drilling and their environmentalist allies. Their strategy? Well, the Hill chooses a good quote:

“Right now, our strategy on gas prices is ‘Drive small cars and wait for the wind,’ ” said a Democratic aide.

This lead one cartoonist to inspiration.

Into this atmosphere, Senatorial candidate Al Franken introduced his energy policy (as reported by Gary Gross).

In the short term, Franken would look to a windfall profits tax on Big Oil, with the money going to alternative energy research and in tax breaks to low-income and middle-income families struggling with energy bills, probably by adding more money to the Low-Income Heat and Energy Assistance Program.

He’d also end government subsidies to oil companies. And he wants to study the effect of speculation on oil futures trading, which some say are driving prices up.

Now Democrats keep talking about getting rid of the speculators, but they always completely miss the one sure fire way to end speculation....INCREASE SUPPLY! If the supply of crude oil is increased, the speculators would sell because the product that they are holding is no longer in short supply. That is the very nature of speculative trading.

I mentioned last week that this is the standard energy line, up and down the ticket. No deviation in talking points are allowed by the Masters of the DNC. Meanwhile, Republican candidates all up and down the ticket are talking about different ideas. Some are advocating an all emcompassing multi-pronged plan with increased domestic production of oil and increased nuclear, clean coal and alternative energy development (John McCain) and others are focusing on the drilling alone (Congressman Lynn Westmoreland for examply) and that is what is going to make the difference in this election.

Congressional Democrats are fiddling while Rome burns around them. If the American people are smart, it will be another "out with the incumbents" year and since this year the Democrats have more incumbents, their odds of losing more seats - and thus maybe the majority - are much bigger than they were even two short months ago. Good work guys!