waxman-markey bill similar to the eu s emission trading system narrowly passed the house last year by 219-212. what do you say to the 212 that voted against it? the bill was this 1,000 page monstrosity of deals and special arrangements for all kinds of interest groups that will create a lot of regulation, a lot of work for lawyers. it won t do much to make us a wealth they are or greener society. sean: the bill is currently sitting in the senate. the president: i look forward to continue this work with the senate so congress can send me a bill i can sign into law. politicians are more interested in gaining power than they are in improving our economy. either that or they are just plain stupid. they really don t care about the whether the science is right or wrong. all they care about is this is an opportunity to expand government. since all of humanity requires
pass the senate. republicans were scratching their heads. democrats are scratching their heads about the president s effort to pitch climate change legislation. he didn t talk about carbon or greenhouse gases, global warming or cap-and-trade in the speech. not specific. he did embrace the left, more left, waxman-markey bill that the house passed instead of the senate bill. he said he s open to ideas. what about this? back with the panel. erin, it seemed like there was confusion on capitol hill what exactly the white house is pitching? i think the president tried to keep it vague, because as we know members of congress don t like to get too much direction. of course, they criticize the president when they don t get enough direction, but that s probably for another panel. there was confusion. we saw democratic leaders embracing with the president said. nancy pelosi made cap-and-trade the legacy project and she is excited about this, but the house bill isn t going anywhere.
the bill is passed. [ applause ] waxman-markey bill squeaked through the house a year ago. of course, that is the cap-and-trade bill that passed the house, which can t pass the senate. senator lieberman is cosponsoring a different bill with senator john kerry which he says is more moderate than the house bill. it has broader community support and broad environmental community support. so we think it has a better chance of passage overall. reporter: the president didn t mention that bill, though it s bet orn a key issue he raised last night. there are costs associated with the transition. some believe we can t afford the costs right now. that s why mr. obama approach divided members of his own party and some remain skeptical. some say you have a great bill on the floor of the senate. i don t think there are 60
we declared it dead numerous times. and it wasn t. some senators i talked to today on the republican side are concerned about is the democrats get together, as erin said, and try to do something small ball. then in lake duck session try the beef it up. how big they make it or significant the changes, it won t be waxman-markey but it could be big or damaging after the november elections. that s problematic. it s one thing that i think has the republican leadership wanting to make sure that every republican is on board in blocking this and not allowing for any compromise, even on the small ball issues. bret: charles, senate democrats are scheduled to meet tomorrow to talk about strategy. the president is set to meet at the white house with the bipartisan group of senators next week on this. the white house appears ready to push this thing forward hard. it feels a lot like the beginning of healthcare when
the bill is passed. [ applause ] waxman-markey bill squeaked through the house a year ago. of course, that is the cap-and-trade bill that passed the house, which can t pass the senate. senator lieberman is cosponsoring a different bill with senator john kerry which he says is more moderate than the house bill. it has broader community support and broad environmental community support. so we think it has a better chance of passage overall. reporter: the president didn t mention that bill, though it s bet orn a key issue he raised last night. there are costs associated with the transition. some believe we can t afford the costs right now. that s why mr. obama approach divided members of his own party and some remain skeptical. some say you have a great bill on the floor of the senate. i don t think there are 60