Boehner doesn't want to be accused of defending big oil. But he's still doing it.
Yesterday, John Boehner told ABC News that he opposed tax subsidies for big oil companies, but less than 24 hours later, his spokesman had already walked Boehner's comments back.
The spokesman's explanation? Boehner "wasn’t going to take the bait and fall into the trap of defending 'Big Oil' companies." In other words, Boehner fibbed to avoid looking bad on national TV. Given that Boehner and every other Republican in the House voted against repealing the very same subsidies he claimed to oppose, I'll take Boehner's spokesman at his word: his boss lied.
Democrats, however, are seizing on Boehner's statement and mounting an effort to force him to live up to it. On the Senate side, Chuck Schumer is urging Boehner to follow-through on repealing the subsidies, and on the House side, so is Earl Blumenauer. Even President Obama is joining the fray, writing a letter to Boehner and other Congressional leaders urging swift action to repeal the subsidies:
I was heartened that Speaker Boehner yesterday expressed openness to eliminating these tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry. Our political system has for too long avoided and ignored this important step, and I hope we can come together in a bipartisan manner to get it done.
In addition, we need to get to work immediately on the longer term goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and our vulnerability to price fluctuations this dependence creates. Without a comprehensive energy strategy for the future we will stay stuck in the same old pattern of heated political rhetoric when prices rise and apathy and neglect when they fall again.
Call me cynical, but I don't think Boehner was serious. But that doesn't mean it's not worth pushing him to follow through on his word. He did say it, after all. And if he won't do what he said he would, it's fair game for political attack—and he should pay the price.
