"The Christians had a better chance against the lions than the American consumer has against the OPEC cartel"

This quote by Ed Markey is describing the power of the OPEC cartel, which is an intergovernmental organization of 15 oil-producing nations. The OPEC cartel has the power to control the worldwide supply of oil, and therefore, the rate of oil. Markey is comparing the power of the OPEC cartel to the power of the lions in the Roman Colosseum, where Christians were tossed to the lions as a kind of entertainment. Markey is suggesting that the American consumer has less power versus the OPEC cartel than the Christians had against the lions. This is because the OPEC cartel has the power to manipulate the price of oil, and the American customer has no control over this. Markey is highlighting the power of the OPEC cartel and the lack of power of the American consumer.