Nancy Pelosi, Tyrant

Nancy Pelosi must be so proud! She managed to browbeat, bully, bludgeon, and bribe just enough of her underlings to win by just one (213-212) the vote to adjourn the House of Representatives for five weeks. Thus, she achieved her goal of making sure the House had no debate, had no vote, and took no action on anything that might help alleviate the current energy crisis.

This time the Republicans aren't taking it lying down. Even though Pelosi's minions shut off the lights and microphones, and ejected reporters from the areas where they normally interviewed Congressmen,

"This is the people's House," said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.). "This is not Pelosi's politiburo."

Democratic aides were furious at the GOP stunt, and reporters were kicked out of the Speaker's Lobby, the space next to the House floor where they normally interview lawmakers.

"You're not covering this, are you?" complained one senior Democratic aide. Another called the Republicans "morons" for staying on the floor.

Update: The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can't watch the Republicans anymore. But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is now in the gallery talking to reporters, so the cops have held off for a minute. Clearly, Democrats don't want Republicans getting any press for this episode.

This is what the future may look like.

Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the dimly lit chamber is a "vision of the future by the Democrat Party: The lights are out, there's no power, and the air conditioning is gonna go off soon."

If Pelosi et al. have their way, this is the future of the country.

Sixty years ago, President Harry Truman ran against the "do-nothing Republican Congress" — and won. But that do-nothing Congress was positively activist compared with this Congress. This Congress, for what I've read is the first time ever, has reached this point in the year without either house having passed even one appropriations bill. If appropriations bills are not passed, there will be no money for government operations and the government will have to shut down.

And why is that? Apparently, because Pelosi and her Senate partner Harry Reid are so dead set on preventing any discussion of or vote on any proposal to end the Congressional ban on domestic energy development (refinery construction, offshore drilling, oil shale, nuclear energy, etc.) that they are willing to have their underlings shut down the appropriations process if that's what it takes to prevent any debate and vote on these issues. (That's why the appropriations committees have been shut down for weeks.) San Fran Nan's excuse?

“I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,” she says impatiently when questioned. “I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse for their failed policy.”

A free translation: Pelosi is so convinced she is right and everybody else is wrong that she is willing to shut down the government rather than allow a debate and vote she knows she will lose. Also that Pelosi and her friends want energy prices (especially gasoline prices) to go up — a lot — as a means of inducing conservation. And the economy — and the country — be damned.