From Michelle Malkin, “Several Republican members of Congress are asking constituents to send in their gas receipts” to be presented to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The leader of this campaign is notorious global-warming denier, oil-industry apologist, and false populist Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who has received over one million dollars in lifetime contributions from the oil and gas industry:
Please mail me your gas receipts and a short note about what your family has had to sacrifice because of out-of-control prices at the pump. I’ll bundle together all the receipts and stories I receive and send them to Senator Reid. Together, we will send a message to Washington and show Harry Reid that high gas prices are hurting Oklahomans.
Please mail your gas receipts by August 21 to:
Jim Inhofe
PO Box 13300
Oklahoma City, OK 73113
Several right-wing congressmen are jumping into the game: Geoff Davis (R-KY), Lee Terry (R-NE), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Bill Sali (R-ID), and Randy Kuhl (R-NY).
In June, Steve Chabot (R-OH) performed the stunt, confronting Speaker Pelosi on June 26 with a “few dozen” receipts. Pelosi’s spokesman said that Chabot should support honest solutions, including the “Use It or Lose It” legislation to force oil companies to explore existing leases. Jon Porter (R-NV) performed the stunt in July.
In fact, every single one of these seven congressmen voted against the Use It or Lose It legislation (H.R. 6251), and have a record of taking Big Oil’s money to do their bidding:
| Gas Receipts Stuntmen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Lifetime Oil Money |
00-07 Oil Money Ranking |
Voted For Big Oil |
| Jim Inhofe (R-OK) | $1,076,573 | 91.8 | 100% |
| Jon Porter (R-NV) | $229,061 | 95.4 | 82% |
| Geoff Davis (R-KY) | $142,235 | 93.7 | 91% |
| Lee Terry (R-NE) | $129,620 | 80.8 | 90% |
| Steve Chabot (R-OH) | $111,850 | 69.9 | 91% |
| Mike McCaul (R-TX) | $107,934 | 92.4 | 82% |
| Bill Sali (R-ID) | $43,000 | 85.2 | 100% |
| Randy Kuhl (R-NY) | $33,100 | 76.0 | 82% |
| Sources: Oil Change International, Center for Responsive Politics. Compiled by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. | |||
Pelosi and Reid should accept the gas receipts — and collect hundreds of thousands more to match up to the millions in industry contributions these stuntmen have received. Then they should march to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and deliver them to the one man most responsible for today’s energy crisis: President George W. Bush.
