Richard Gephardt is the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and his is one of the strongest voices against Bush's newly unveiled energy policy. It was crafted behind closed doors with a lot of input from energy executives, in a highly secretive way that doesn't serve the public interest. It focuses on drilling and production at the expense of our environment and conservation. It does nothing to help people who need relief right now. Small businesses are going bankrupt.
Families have no way of paying their energy bills.
Rolling black-outs are a matter of life and death for people on respirators. Democrats hope to exploit the growing dissatisfaction with skyrocketing prices for gasoline and electricity and turn it against President Bush, pointing at the record profits of oil companies. Bush and the Democrats will be fighting a public opinion war about energy in the coming months. Because Americans seem to view cheap and plentiful energy as essential birthrights, there is a lot at stake for their politicians. Visit the Hot Spots Forum .