Some heavy lifting and arm twisting was done by President Obama and former Vice President Gore to get this passed in the House.
Reflecting the tenseness of the legislative debate, the White House and Democratic leadership have ratcheted up their efforts to ensure party unity. Among those making calls to lawmakers on the fence include Al Gore and President Barack Obama. According to a senior Hill aide, who asked to remain anonymous, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis -- both recent recruits from the House -- have been calling former colleagues as well.
The key argument being conveyed is that this bill is the last big bite at the environmental policy apple.
"If it goes down, climate change is stymied," said one Democratic aide.
Well, it was not stymied and the bill is now on its way to the senate.
In a triumph for President Barack Obama on Friday, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed sweeping legislation calling for the nation's first-ever limits on pollution linked to global warming.
The bill also aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, yet more costly energy.
The vote was 219-212, capping months of negotiations and days of intense bargaining among Democrats. Republicans were overwhelmingly against the measure, saying it would cost jobs in the midst of a recession.
Republicans had sought to delay the inevitable. Moments before the final vote, House Republican John Boehner of Ohio plunged into a lengthy speech, methodically raising questions about numerous changes that he said Democrats had made public after 3 a.m. Friday.
He called the bill "the most profound piece of legislation to come to this floor in 100 years," but one that would create "a bureaucratic nightmare" without solving the nation's energy problems. read more here....
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