Kerry vows to push ahead with effort for broader energy bill

[ProSense]

Kerry vows to push ahead with effort for broader energy bill

By Michael O'Brien - 07/22/10 02:51 PM ET

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) vowed to push forward with his effort to pass a comprehensive energy bill, despite Democrats' focus on the meanwhile on a scaled-back version.

Kerry said that he and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) had been given the green light by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to continue to push for 60 votes on a comprehensive bill.

"We've always know from day one that to pass comprehensive energy reform, you've got to have 60 votes," Kerry said alongside Reid and White House Energy Czar Carol Browner at the announcement of a smaller energy bill.

Reid laid out the bill's four components, which he said he expected to garner Republican support and move before senators break for the August recess. Democrats made the official determination during a caucus meeting this afternoon.

Kerry said that President Obama called him before that caucus meeting to pledge more personal involvement in the effort to get 60 votes, which means holding together the Senate's 59 Democrats while picking up at least one Republican vote in order to avoid a filibuster.

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[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Senator=2%

[MBS]

2. good for him

glad to see some Dem senators who are interested in moving us forward.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Congressperson=0.6%

[flpoljunkie]

4. Senator Kerry needs our help if he's to get the 60 votes to get a comprehensive energy bill.

With President Obama's help, perhaps this can get done after the mid-terms in the lame duck session of Congress. This is our best chance for a long while.

[MBS]

5. YES!

We need to support his efforts, and tell our senators we want them to support the comprehensive bill.. . for those Dem senators scared of actually accomplishing something, we can help by letting them know their constituents want a comprehensive bill.

[zipplewrath]

6. What will that GOP senator demand?

I wonder what the GOP, not to mention several conservative senators will demand to get their support?

[ProSense]

7. Where do you suggest they obtain the additional vote? n/t

[zipplewrath]

10. I'm less concerned about "where" than about "how"

The WH seems to prefer "big but watered down". I think one can make a case for "smaller but less contaminated".

[ProSense]

11. Yes, because we know

Republicans are reasonable?

[zipplewrath]

13. No, nor the conservative dems leveraging them

That's my concern. Unreasonable compromises are needed in order to get these "big" bills through, mostly with the GOP but also with the conservadems. So when I see big bills getting "pushed" through, my first thought is what deal got cut with Nelson, or Baccus, or god knows who.

[blm]

12. i think we'd only need 1 and that may change after Nov when lame duckers usually vote their

conscience over their political needs.

[vaberella]

9. Agreed. n/t

[vaberella]

8. yay!! I so want this to go through. I can't get past 400,000 jobs. n/t