A Simple Question About Joe Barton and Charlie Bass

by: Dean Barker

Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 09:07:37 AM EDT

* Charlie Bass has said that "GOP leaders have promised him his seniority and his old seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee if he makes it back to Washington."

* Joe Barton is the ranking member of the House Energy Committee.  He will be the chairman of that committee if the Republicans retake control of the House.

* GOP House Minority Leaders John Boehner made it clear that, despite his infamous public apology to BP, and despite calls from fellow GOP congressmen for him to lose his rank, Joe Barton will retain his position on the Energy committee.  Which means the bullet point above remains true.

* Charlie Bass has not called on Joe Barton to lose his ranking position on the House Energy Committee.

* Joe Barton's PAC has contributed a significant amount of money to Charlie Bass over the years, including $2000 for this election cycle so far.

* Joe Barton recently came to New Hampshire to speak to NH Republican candidates, but especially singled out Charlie Bass for praise, and offered a full endorsement (Bass' has a 3-way contested GOP primary in the second district).

Was either Joe Barton or John Boehner one of the "GOP leaders" who promised Charlie Bass his old position on the House Energy Committee?

Republicans Intervene In Traffic Accident, Call Settlement "Shakedown"

by: fake consultant

Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 07:37:27 AM EDT

The intervening attorneys claim the settlement reached between the two parties to the accident is a "shakedown" because the plaintiff had not yet exhausted all possible legal remedies when the agreement was finalized, and because the agreement was executed in the presence of the plaintiff's brother, a well-known local attorney.

They hope Judge Bryan will decline to approve the settlement in today's hearing, and that he will order the parties to move forward to trial.

"What we have is government transferring property from one party, an admittedly unattractive one, to others, not based on preexisting laws but on decisions by one man, a car czar", said Crush Mimbaugh, attorney for the RSG, "and we are here today to protect all Americans from this legally sanctioned rape of an innocent driver."

NH-02: "Groveling Season"

by: Dean Barker

Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 07:58:22 AM EDT

"Get in line there Roger, turn in your money, turn in your money," Bass joked, later acknowledging that such occasions inevitably are a time to "grovel for friends."

"This is the groveling season, that's for sure," he said.

Asked by Lud Flower, past chairman of the Grafton County Republican Committee, for his position on energy and British Petroleum, Bass said his life has been in alternative energy and called the Gulf spill "sickening."

But to be serious for a minute. Pay particular attention to this:

Bass, who spent 12 years in Congress, said GOP leaders have promised him his seniority and his old seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee if he makes it back to Washington.

And while Bass was quick to distance himself from Barton's epic honesty, he did not, as other current GOP House members have, call on Barton to lose his rank on the committee.

So. What "GOP leader" promised Bass his old spot on the energy Committee?  And will Bass ask Barton to resign his rank on the committee?  And are these related questions?  

Bass on Barton: "A Man of Energy, of Integrity"

by: Dean Barker

Fri Jun 18, 2010 at 06:04:12 AM EDT

Making matters worse for Barton is the identity of the top contributor to his election campaigns. Since 1989, it has been the company Anadarko Petroleum, from which he's received $56,500 in PAC donations and another $90,000 in individual contributions.

...Anadarko has been making a lot of news lately, and none of it is good: they're a 25 percent partner in the Macondo Prospect, which was the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that is causing oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. Anadarko has also been sent a bill by BP and asked to pay its share of the cleanup costs.

Bass & Barton Fought to Decrease Oversight for U.S. Refineries

According to Environment and Energy Daily, "lead sponsor Bass and fellow Republicans called the bill a way to streamline the siting process for new refineries, noting that U.S. refining capacity is not meeting consumer demand for gasoline and other fuels. Bass and Barton told reporters the lack of an efficient permitting process is among the reasons why there is not more domestic refinery capacity today. 'The uncertainty as to how long it will take -- six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years -- makes it difficult,' Bass told reporters."  Environment and Energy Daily, May 4, 2006, "ENERGY POLICY: Defeated refinery bill could return to floor next week"

· Bass Criticized for Helping Burton to Protect MTBE-makers

According to Roll Call, "Bass was a key negotiator with Joe Barton on an MTBE deal and voted against a motion by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) that would have stripped MTBE liability protections from the House bill. Though the protections were removed in conference anyway, critics derided Bass for supporting Barton's efforts . . . "  Roll Call, February 21, 2006, "Environment May Resonate as an Issue In Some 2006 Races."

· Bass Described as "Doing the Bidding" of Delay and Barton

"Democrats are licking their proverbial chops over" Bass' MtBE legislation fell through in July 2005.  The article stated that even Bass backers did not understand why he was involved in the legislation, as it put him in a position of "doing the bidding of the oil industry and oil-rich Texas congressmen Tom DeLay and Joe Barton by proposing liability protection for the industry and a cleanup trust fund partly funded by taxpayers" especially when he knew that the Senate would not go along with the plan.  The editorial claimed that his backers could "see no upside for Bass" in the ordeal, but said it wouldn't hurt Bass in the long-run. A DCCC spokesperson countered that the matter proved Bass "vulnerable and ineffective." The Union Leader (Manchester NH) July 28, 2005 Thursday STATE EDITION

"Over his six terms in Congress, Charlie Bass voted repeatedly to expand offshore oil drilling, he called for eliminating the entire U.S. Department of Energy, he attacked the Sierra Club a so-called 'extremist'" organization, and he did everything he could to help the big oil and power companies that gave him tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.  It should not come as a surprise that the man he called a 'great member of Congress and a good friend' just last week is now catching heat for apologizing to the CEO of BP," said Kuster.

Sununu Sr. Sure Knows How to Pick 'Em

by: Dean Barker

Thu Jun 17, 2010 at 21:09:29 PM EDT

This June it was Joe Barton, BP Apologist-in-Chief.

Whom will he get for next June, Tony Hayward himself?

Of course, Sununu's choices make perfect sense given the critical role he played keeping America away from a clean energy future.