Did Dems Secretly Punt on Light Bulb Ban? Maybe Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats would just as soon that Congress put off the de facto ban on cheap, familiar incandescent bulbs until after the election. If the ban can drive the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker into the Tea Party, who knows how many other voters it will annnoy. This would explain the strange lack of strong Dem opposition to a GOP rider that defunds the incandescent ban until Sept. 30. Politico reports:
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), chairman of the Interior and environment appropriations subcommittee, said Senate opposition to the light bulb provisions had up to this point been minimal.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” he said. “They objected to all the other EPA riders and stuff. That was the instructions from the White House. But apparently the light bulb ones didn’t bother them too much.”
Of course it’s also important to Obama that he not be seen by his environmentalist supporters as actively trying to postpone the ban. The postponement just sort of happens. The magic of Washington! …
P.S.: They’re going to let it take effect on Sept. 30? I am skeptical.