After Health Care Debacle, Cap-And-Trade Too Risky For Democrats

Jillian Bandes | December 28, 2009 1:51 PM

After pushing for health care, it seems that Democrats aren't able to stomach more jobs-killing legislation, as evidenced today by moderate Democrats' push to drop the cap-and-trade issue until further notice.

On the heels of a failed Copenhagen summit, the excising of cap-and-trade from their agenda signals a significant retreat from a key Democratic issue that served as a capstone of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. But as Politico reports, moderate Democrats who voted for cap-and-trade before the summer recess were not well received by the tea party protesters back home.

...Republicans have vowed to make the issue a key line of attack during next year’s elections. Some Democrats would prefer to deny them that target.

Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin are just a few legislators who have broken line with Democratic leadership and tried to discourage pursuit of the cap-and-trade bill.