Democrats hard at work ensuring Third World status for U.S.

The House of Representatives is poised to vote today on one of the most sweeping environmental bills in U.S. history — an expansive measure that aims to cut industry’s reliance on the carbon-emitting fuels liberals blame for the questionable science of global warming.

The Wall Street Journal runs an excellent piece citing the growing number of skeptics, including more than 700 scientists, who are expressing concern over the reliability of the United Nations-based climate change hysteria. “Far from shrinking, the number is swelling,” the WSJ writes.

The collapse of the “consensus” has been driven by reality. The inconvenient truth is that the earth’s temperatures have flat-lined since 2001, despite growing concentrations of C02. And, many previously inclined members of the world’s scientific community have altered their views.

None of this dissuades Democrats, who have been working to ensure there are at least 218 votes in the 435-seat House to pass the legislation that is a high priority for President Obama, Reuters reports.

Like the “stimulus” program was sold as an economic boost to create jobs — which turned out to mainly be in the government sector — we are now being told by Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett, “It’s a job creator. It’s going to help save millions of dollars, billions of dollars, for our economy…”

But not all Democrats are taking the bait. U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, a Democrat who is considering running for governor of Alabama, says he will vote against the measure.

“The bill has been improved, but this is the wrong time,” he said, noting the hard economic times and the lack of commitment from heavy-polluting countries like China and India to significantly reduce their emissions.

Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to the package, warning it would hit recession-weary consumers in their pocketbooks with higher prices for energy and other necessary consumer goods.

UPDATE:

The historic 219-212 vote which imposes the nation’s first mandatory reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to the questionable science of global warming, divided Democrats much more sharply than the vote on President Obama’s stimulus plan.

There were some heroes. 44 Democrats broke with their party’s ’yes bloc,’ voting against the climate change legislation. But the eight Republicans who broke from their party leadership to support it — although the vast majority of all Republicans from their states opposed the bill — are deserving of scorn.

 The final vote total is here.

Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin lists the eight turncoat Republicans and calls out the two Republicans who weren’t available to vote: Arizona’s own Jeff Flake, whose daughter was in a beauty contest — although the pageant finals were not scheduled until the weekend — and John Sullivan of Okalahoma, who is undergoing alcohol rehab. Dem. Rep. Patrick Kennedy was pulled out of rehab to cast his vote.