Newt Joins the GOP Energy Protest

Newt Gingrich, who was the architect of the 1994 GOP congressional sweep, will join the dissident GOP members who continue to debate the energy crisis during the Congressional recess:

House Democrats are not just hearing about offshore drilling from Republicans who have taken over the House floor for a recess revolt; the conservative advocacy group Freedom’s Watch is going up with radio and TV advertisements against Democratic candidates in a dozen races around the country.

The ads, scheduled to be aired beginning Wednesday against incumbents seeking re-election and Democrats vying for open seats, echo the theme Republicans are sounding on the floor: Democrats left town for August without allowing a vote on lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling.

“No to offshore drilling. Yes to a vacation for Congress,” said the script for a television commercial set to run in the district of Representative Nancy Boyda, a freshman Democrat from Kansas. The ads are mainly radio spots and the group would not reveal the amount it was spending on them. Besides Kansas, another television ad will run in Houston while radio commercials will be heard in districts in Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Missouri, Ohio, Idaho, New Mexico and New York. ...

The Republicans, who have been demonstrating on the House floor even though the House is in recess, plan to keep it up at least through the week. On Wednesday, they are set to be joined by former Speaker Newt Gingrich, a man who knows something about using a nearly empty chamber to make a point. Mr. Gingrich was famous, of course, for haranguing Democrats in late night C-Span speeches as he steered Republicans into the majority.

I hope somebody gets a recording of that. Newt has been running the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" online petition. Should make for some interesting speeches.