A New Slogan

Floor Speech

A NEW SLOGAN -- (Senate - July 16, 2008)

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, our Democratic friends yesterday came up with a new slogan for gas prices. It was: ``Act more, talk less.'' They talked about to it the press, they talked about it in the Chamber, they even used a colorful floor chart to make a point.

Frankly, I could not agree more with their new slogan. I hope they take it seriously too. It is time to get about passing serious, balanced legislation that will actually make a difference.

Americans are hurting as a result of high gas prices, and they are looking to us for action. This is an issue that affects every single American. So it is of great importance to every Member of this body.

The vast majority of Americans are asking us to get at the root of the problem, instead of timidly dancing around the edges as some have tried to do. It is clear that the American people strongly support increased responsible domestic production. It is also clear, at this point, that a solid bipartisan majority in the Senate is ready and willing to move forward on limited environmentally sensitive exploration here at home, so we can reduce our dependance on Middle East imports.

Republicans welcome the new-found slogan from our friends on the other side of the aisle, but we hope it is more than a slogan. We should act more and talk less. In the days ahead, the American people will be able to judge who wants to boldly act and who wants to just talk. So it is important for us not to fail the American people at this critical point. I wish to congratulate the majority leader for turning to this subject. I think it is clearly and unambiguously the most important issue in the country. We look forward to having a real Senate-style debate over different approaches to this matter and, hopefully, coming together at the end of the time with a proposal that both sides can feel proud of, that the markets will respond favorably to, and that people will generally feel made a difference on the No. 1 issue confronting the American people.

I yield the floor.

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