Naturally, enough Democrats voted against the light bulbs most people like to use to kill the repeal measure.
The GOP bill to overturn the standards set to go into effect next year fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. The vote was 233-193.
For many Republicans, those newfangled curly fluorescent light bulbs were the last straw, pushed by an overreaching government that’s forcing people to buy health insurance, prodding them to get more fuel-efficient cars and sticking its nose into too many places.
Their legislation would have kept the marketplace clear for the cheap, energy-wasting bulbs that have changed little since Thomas Edison invented them in 1879.
For most Democrats, it’s an exasperating debate that, just like the old incandescent bulbs being crowded out of the market, produces more heat than light.
The the GOP leadership can, and should, bring the measure back up when only a majority would suffice to pass. But the Senate and president remain firmly committed to the proposition that only Washington knows what light bulbs the rest of us should use in our homes.
Truly it is time for another American Revolution.
