Since he's trying to exploit the anger Americans are feeling at the pump by basing his entire domestic platform on an "all of the above" energy policy, don't you think John McCain would be wise to actually show up and vote on crucial renewable energy legislation? Well, according to Tom Friedman, John McCain is a big fat hypocrite after missing eight important Senate votes.
NYT:
John McCain recently tried to underscore his seriousness about pushing through a new energy policy, with a strong focus on more drilling for oil, by telling a motorcycle convention that Congress needed to come back from vacation immediately and do something about America’s energy crisis. “Tell them to come back and get to work!” McCain bellowed.
Sorry, but I can’t let that one go by. McCain knows why.
It was only five days earlier, on July 30, that the Senate was voting for the eighth time in the past year on a broad, vitally important bill — S. 3335 — that would have extended the investment tax credits for installing solar energy and the production tax credits for building wind turbines and other energy-efficiency systems.
Both the wind and solar industries depend on these credits — which expire in December — to scale their businesses and become competitive with coal, oil and natural gas. Unlike offshore drilling, these credits could have an immediate impact on America’s energy profile.
Senator McCain did not show up for the crucial vote on July 30, and the renewable energy bill was defeated for the eighth time. In fact, John McCain has a perfect record on this renewable energy legislation. He has missed all eight votes over the last year — which effectively counts as a no vote each time. Once, he was even in the Senate and wouldn’t leave his office to vote.
This is precisely the reason we are so addicted to fossil fuels. Renewable energy will never become financially competitive with oil and gas until the feds invest in it and incentivize its progression. I hope every Obama energy ad from now til November notes that while he may be talking a good game about supporting alternative energy, Senator McCain 0-for-8 when it really counted.
