You would think that with oil companies posting record profits and gasoline prices as high as they are, the Senate would shy away from continuing their $24 billion in subsidies to oil and gas interests. You would be wrong. Yesterday, nearly all Senate Rethuglicans and four "Democrats" voted to retain the publicly unpopular oil subsidies by a 51 - 47 vote, thus unable to reach filibuster-proof 60 votes.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that oil money influenced the vote: the 47 Senators who voted to continue the costly subsidies have received $23,582,500 in contributions over their careers from oil and gas interests, compared to $5,873,600 received by those voting to end the subsidies. Once again, the Rethugs have protected the powerful at the expense of the middle class. Sadly, too many Rethuglican low-information voters won't sniff out this connection, and will continue to harangue Democrats about "wasteful spending," failing to acknowledge the hand in their back pocket belongs to big oil.
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