WHO WOULD SUPPORT GASOLINE PRICE GOUGING? WANT TO GUESS-- CONGRESS JUST VOTED ON IT

This evening the House passed, with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, H R 6346, the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. The intent of the bill-- which was supported by every Democrat except Blue Dog extremist Collin Peterson (MN) and by 51 Republicans-- is to investigate and punish anyone who artificially inflates the price of gasoline and diesel fuel. The bill sets criminal penalties for price gouging, and permits states to bring lawsuits against wholesalers or retailers who engage in such practices. 

You can see the names of all 145 Republicans who decided to defend price gougers and oppose this bill. I just want to point out a few who are vulnerable in November and who I want you to keep in mind every time you fill up your tank. (The highlighted ones are races that Blue America is involved with and the link will bring you to an ActBlue page where you can donate to the opponent of this particular loon.)



Michelle Bachmann (R-MN)
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Mario Diaz-Balart and his brother Lincoln (R-FL)
Thelma Drake (R-VA)
David Dreier (R-CA)
Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
John Kline (R-MN)
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Jon Porter (R-NV)
John Shadegg (R-AZ)
Tim Walberg (R-MI)
Don Young (R-AK)

I was able to reach a couple of the Blue America-endorsed candidates this evening after the vote. I was especially eager to get to Gary Peters because his opponent is both a major recipient of donations from Big Oil (over $65,000) and because tomorrow Knollenberg is on the host committee welcoming Bush to a $1,000/plate fundraising dinner in Livonia, Michigan. Knollenberg is an unswerving rubber stamp for Bush and Cheney and all their disastrous energy policies. As you can see above, he refuses to even hold price gougers accountable. Last weekend at his first live blog session at Firedoglake, Gary told us what a giant concern the price of gas is in his middle and working class district in the northwestern suburbs of Detroit. I asked him what the voters could expect from him that would be different from what they're getting from Knollenberg.

"Congressman Knollenberg has once again chose to side with the big oil companies, and not with the ordinary people in Oakland County who are paying outrageous prices at the pump. Here in Southeast Michigan, high gas prices are hurting families, driving up food prices, and crippling our auto industry, and we need leaders in Congress who will represent us, and not the oil companies.

"Unlike my opponent, I refuse to take campaign contributions from oil companies, and tomorrow, I will be announcing my plan to lower gas prices, seriously invest in alternative energy, and end our dependence on foreign oil. Michigan is poised to take the lead in new energy technologies and build the next generation of renewable fuel vehicles, and when I get to Washington, I will take action to get the job done."

Dennis Shulman (D-NJ) is running against an even crazier loon than Knollenberg: Scott Garrett, the last far right extremist in the Northeast. Knollenberg is a doctrinaire fanatic who equates trying to protect consumers with communisim. Dennis is polite in his response to Garrett's bizarre vote against price gauging today. "I am running for Congress because Northern New Jersey deserves a member of Congress who is in touch with economic reality. How can someone look at the record profits of oil companies like Exxon-Mobil, companies that benefit from tax breaks that Garrett supports and I oppose, and decide to stand with Big Oil instead of New Jersey's hardworking families? I am confident Northern New Jersey doesn't think the bottom-line of Big Oil's profits is the only thing in the world that requires conservation."

A little closer to home, just up the road apiece, Russ Warner is running in an L.A. suburban district against right-wing hack and non-resident David Dreier. This is commuter country and when you ask people what they want to see change once we get rid of Bush, the first thing anyone says is "the price of gas"-- and they don't mean they want to see it continue to get more expensive. Russ said he was "very disappointed with David Dreier’s vote to defend gasoline price gougers by opposing this bill, and I would have voted differently. This vote illustrates how out of touch David Dreier is with the needs of his constituents, the working families of the 26th district. It’s time Dreier takes the rising economic pressure on middle class American families seriously."


UPDATE: TIM WALBERG HOSTING BUSH IN MICHIGAN TODAY TOO

Walberg is on the same host committee as Knollenberg for Bush's $1000 a plate fundraiser for Republicans in Michigan. And they both gave Bush a little present last night: 2 votes against a bill that seeks to stop price gauging. Recall that when Bush became president people in Jackson, Adrian, Waverly and Battle Creek were paying $1.52/gallon for gas. Mark Schauer is trying to bring rational representation back to south-central Michigan. This morning he reminds us that "Tim Walberg has spent a lot of time recently telling everyone how 'concerned' he is about gas prices, but when given an opportunity to stop price gouging, he sided with the big oil companies. The simple truth is that Walberg and McCain have been pushing a false choice on energy-– they know more drilling won't lower gas prices in the short-term. McCain even admitted so yesterday, when he said this would only have a 'psychological benefit.' Helping consumers feel better about oil isn't going to help them fill up their tanks. For Walberg, it's clear that the little guy is always the last thing on his mind."