If 20,000 Jobs Is “Not That Many” for House Dems, How Many Will It Take for Them to Stop Holding Keystone XL Hostage?

January 26, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Kathy Castor (FL-11), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-16), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
If 20,000 Jobs Is “Not That Many” for Kissell, How Many Will It Take for Him to Stop Holding Keystone XL Hostage?
North Carolina Democrat’s House Colleague Illuminates Democrat Rationale for Rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline’s Shovel-Ready Jobs

Washington — Larry Kissell readily rejected the Keystone XL pipeline project and its thousands of jobs (Roll Call #923, 12/13/11), and now one of his Congressional colleagues defends their decision by saying “twenty thousand jobs is really not that many jobs.” If this is why Kissell failed to stand up for creating manufacturing jobs in America last week, then he clearly is out of touch with what middle-class families in North Carolina need.

“Americans clearly object to Larry Kissell and his fellow Democrats’ decision to hold the Keystone pipeline’s shovel-ready jobs hostage in order to reward anti-energy activists and donors,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “If Kissell and his fellow Washington Democrats believe that destroying a few thousand jobs here and there doesn’t matter to middle-class families in North Carolina, it would only further explain why they continue to cling to years of failed policies.”

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) defended the Democrats’ rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline by saying “20,000 jobs is really not that many jobs”:

“Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many jobs and investing in green technologies will produce that and more. But I’ll tell you what, you know it seems to me that the Republicans would rather have an issue than a pipeline.” (John Dempsey, “Dem. Congresswoman: 20K jobs from Keystone ‘not that many,'” WLS Radio, 1/25/12)

The Keystone pipeline decision is just another example of how the Washington Democrats’ job-destroying policies are out of touch with what Americans want:

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters at least somewhat favor the pipeline, with 36% who Strongly Favor it. Just 27% are opposed, including 12% who Strongly Oppose the project. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided.” (“56% Favor Building Keystone Pipeline, Think It’s Good for Economy,” Rasmussen Reports, 1/23/12)

Larry Kissell and his fellow Washington Democrats continue to push job-destroying policies and fail to understand the devastating consequences for working families and the American economy. Kissell will have to explain why he refused to stand up for American manufacturing jobs last week, and dismissing the jobs created as “not that many” will not be enough.

If 20K Jobs Is “Not That Many” for House Dems, How Many Will It Take to Stop Holding Keystone Hostage? http://ow.ly/8Hi1q #madeinwdc

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