Politics & Power Quote by Marty Meehan

“First of all” is the tell: Meehan is moving to seize the moral high ground before the policy weeds grow in. By leading with price gouging as a crime, he frames the debate as ethics, not economics. That’s smart politics in an era when gas prices can turn abstract legislation into a kitchen-table grievance overnight. “Gouging” is a loaded verb; it doesn’t merely describe market behavior, it implies predation. If the public is angry, the villain is already cast.

The second move is more tactical: he signals independence by admitting he broke with the Republican House version. This isn’t just partisan point-scoring; it’s a credential. In Washington, “I didn’t vote for my side’s bill” functions as proof you’re not captured by donors or party orthodoxy. The subtext is defensive and anticipatory: voters suspect oil companies get sweetheart deals, so he’s telling them he saw the loopholes and refused to bless them.

The phrase “too many breaks for the oil companies” does heavy lifting by staying vague. He doesn’t name specific tax provisions or subsidies because the emotional target is clearer than the legislative minutiae: special treatment for powerful interests. It’s a populist contrast between ordinary consumers paying at the pump and corporations insulated by policy.

Contextually, it echoes the early-2000s fights over energy bills, hurricane-related price spikes, and the perennial suspicion that energy policy is written with industry at the table. Meehan’s intent is to align himself with consumer anger while keeping the policy argument legible in a sound bite.