As public support for the Waxman-Markey climate change bill craters harder than the Chicxulub meteor, Democrats have decided to forget using reason and argument and has gone to outright intimidation. Conn Carroll found two stories of Democratic intimidation that show just how desperate the left has become to pass their "cap and trade" legislation. The first of the two stories is the one that deserves more attention because Republicans have begun to push back hard.
Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) apparently sent a letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff asking him to investigate MidAmerican Energy Holding Co. on the same day the company's CEO testified before Markey's subcommittee that his bill would be both incredibly expensive and ineffective. Republicans have demanded a closed-door meeting with both Markey and Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) so they can fully air their complaint and have threatened to force a vote on the House floor to call for a full ethics investigation.
Markey has apologized after a sort, but Republicans aren't buying his story and area ready to follow through on their threat. Unfortunately, Congress has been inviting less, not more, investigation when its members are accused of wrongdoing. It's not certain at all whether Markey's actions will ever get to an ethics hearing.
However, the ethics committee is not the only place Republicans can try Markey. There is always the court of public opinion where Markey isn't as likely to find a friendly audience. Voters are increasingly unhappy with the heavy-handed methods Democrats have been using to push their agenda and I can't imagine that many people will find Markey's letter a happy coincidence.
Regardless of what happens, opponents of the "cap and trade" bill have reason to believe that they can kill it. The more America gets to see just what the left's faith-based environmentalism is going to cost them, the less eager they are to worship at the altar of global warming.