Another Baron Lie: But Wait! There’s More to Baron’s Vote Creating the Speculator Loophole!

Over the weekend, I blogged about Baron’s new-found opposition to oil price speculators.

Baron now says that there is a loophole in the law that needs to be closed, and this loophole is responsible for the rise in gas prices since Baron was elected (up about 75% as of this posting).

Baron, of course, promised when he ran in 2006 that he would reduce gas prices if sent back to Congress, something that quite clearly has not happened.

In fact, Baron has said that anyone that points out his campaign promise to lower gas prices is an “adversary.”

But anyway, I noted that such opposition to oil speculators was interesting, given that the speculator legislation Baron now denounces came before a committee Baron Hill sat on, and Baron voted for the legislation that created the very speculator loophole he now says he wants to close.

The creation of this loophole was sought by now-defunct energy giant Enron; heck, the loophole itself is frequently dubbed the “Enron loophole” for just that reason.

It turns out, after a bit of digging, that Enron was a contributor to Baron Hill’s reelection campaign.

(Read  more after the leap)

In the spring of 2000, Enron gave Baron Hill a contribution of $500 (go here and search for “Enron” if the link doesn’t work; some FEC links are permanent and others are not).

Later that year, Baron voted in favor of the legislation that created the so-called speculator loophole.

Sure, it was just $500.

Baron comes cheap.

After all, Obama had to give $12,500 to get Baron to sell out his entire district and endorse a presidential candidate that Democrats in his district opposed overwhelmingly.

So, just remember…

When Enron came calling with their checkbook, Baron Hill was glad to vote to create a speculator loophole that Baron now admits has caused gas prices to skyrocket.

When Barack Obama came calling with his checkbook, Baron Hill was just as glad to give an endorsement and sell out almost two-thirds of the Democrats in his entire district, despite promising not to do so.

The lesson?

Money talks, and Baron dances to its tune every time.

Baron now claims he wants to close the speculator loophole; I say it would have been easier to have ignored Enron’s contribution and voted against creating it in the first place.