Of euphemisms and (pork) sausage making

So, how much did it cost to get cap and trade passed? At least, $3.5 billion… and that was just for one formerly undecided vote.

When House Democratic leaders were rounding up votes Friday for the massive climate-change bill, they paid special attention to their colleagues from Ohio who remained stubbornly undecided.

They finally secured the vote of one Ohioan, veteran Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, the old-fashioned way. They gave her what she wanted - a new federal power authority, similar to Washington state's Bonneville Power Administration, stocked with up to $3.5 billion in taxpayer money available for lending to renewable energy and economic development projects in Ohio and other Midwestern states.

(us: There’s a certain charm to “stubbornly undecided”, no? In the right light and with the proper verbal massaging, it nearly rhymes with “show me the money”).

From Kaptur’s (pictured) website:

The Great Lakes states would benefit from creation of a new regional power marketing authority thanks to a key amendment that Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur succeeded in placing in the climate change legislation that the House of Representative passed on Friday evening.

(italics, ours)

“succeeded in placing” is also an interesting choice of words unless you would consider it synonymous with “holding out for a big fat sweetener”.

Although the program would benefit his home state, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, also of Ohio, criticized the provision during a more-than-hourlong speech Friday evening. He said an Ohio-based power authority was unneeded because electricity already flows well through Ohio without a new federal power authority.

"We do it today," he said. "We are doing it already."

So, in essence, by Kaptur being “stubbornly undecided” she effectively created a new, unnecessary federal bureaucracy and effectively secured Porkulus: the Sequel for her region to the tune of $3.5 billion.

Not a bad haul for 11 P.M. on a Friday night.