Pandering? Yes, but there’s more
A possible upside to Senator Clinton and Senator McCain offering the American public a gas tax holiday is they are attempting to buy your vote for thirty dollars or so. With everything else being so expensive, it would appear that the price to purchase a vote is relatively inexpensive.
There are numerous downsides to the tax holiday. Besides encouraging more gasoline purchases, there may also be a desire by some to hoard gasoline in tanks or cans at home. The possible disasters there are obvious. Of course the fact that one hundred top economists say it’s not a good idea should be noted also.
But here’s the bottom line as far as I can see. Even if this was a fantastic idea, how in the hell would this get the approval of congress before the summer and what are the odds of the bill receiving a big fat veto from the president?
So if you and I know these things, wouldn’t you expect Senators Clinton and McCain know them as well? So are the senators being deceptive? Is anyone up for more deception these days? I don’t think so.
There are numerous downsides to the tax holiday. Besides encouraging more gasoline purchases, there may also be a desire by some to hoard gasoline in tanks or cans at home. The possible disasters there are obvious. Of course the fact that one hundred top economists say it’s not a good idea should be noted also.
But here’s the bottom line as far as I can see. Even if this was a fantastic idea, how in the hell would this get the approval of congress before the summer and what are the odds of the bill receiving a big fat veto from the president?
So if you and I know these things, wouldn’t you expect Senators Clinton and McCain know them as well? So are the senators being deceptive? Is anyone up for more deception these days? I don’t think so.
posted by pissed off patricia at 1:54 AM
31 Comments:
You mean you really don't believe John McCain and Hillary Clinton are looking out for your best interest?
neither do I
A chuck of the dice using sound bytes. A totally merit less and wrong idea for these times. realpolitik in action.
peace
mark
this is a joke
both clinton and mccain know they cant get this done this summer and both know it is economically the stupidest thing they can do
but it WILL buy votes ---votes come cheaper -- cheaper than a tank of gas....
chalk another one up to the stupidity of the american public - the 45% or so who like this idea
The sorry thing about all this is it is going to get Hillary votes. She is already painting Obama as being out of touch with the people's needs and siding with the elitists. I am amazed that people can't see this for what it really is, just another con job. This women will sell the democratic party and the people right down the toilet.
There is pandering and then there is this gas tax fantasy land
What this really shows is McCain's and Hillary's contempt for the average American. They assume we won't read the papers and what all the economists are saying and they think we are too stupid to understand the econ 101 concept that in a situation where the price of a commodity is not yet limiting supplies that the only thing a tax break will do is deliver more profits to the suppliers. This is just another poorly disguised give away to the oil companies.
It really makes me mad that these two think so little of the American voter.
If this is such a great idea why don't those two Republicans running for president eliminate this tax permanently.
If it gets through Congress, I don't see Bush vetoing it. The modern Republicans haven't met a tax cut they didn't like.
Citing 100 economists is not a very good idea. The old joke in academe is "put 100 economists in a room and there will be 101 opinions." The dismal science is only dismal.
What's this about getting sent a check for thirty dollars?
our bridges and roads here are in awful, awful shape. that's what the gas tax goes to.
yeah, we will get 30 dollars and fall onto a giant pothole with thousands in repairs or worse, just plunge straight into the river from the bridge collapsing.
I live in Minneapolis were one of our bridges did fall in the river. Being a motorcycle rider we have roads I wouldn't go down for fear of falling in a pot hole that would swallow a semi. These two clowns are doing nothing but pandering for votes, and the problem is, IT WORKS...
It's not even a temporary solution. It just adds to a long-term problem. Just when I thought my level of contempt for them couldn't get any higher, they go and open their stupid mouths and utter their profoundly ridiculous ideas.
pandering? a stupid idea? i'm shocked. shocked i tell you, to think that they would stoop so low.
yes this is a pretty stupid idea they are chatting about! do they really think all us voters are that STUPID!
Actually I wouldn't be so quick to say Bush would veto this.
Yesterday the whitehouse announced they'd be looking at all options to stem gas tax prices including McCain's gas tax holiday.
Don't forget how Bush co-opted McCain's surge plan and put it in place after poo-pooing it publicly for months.
On top of that- the idea is stupid and won't help at all. In short it's the sort of thing that appeals to Bush.
Perhaps it's all a big experiment to see how many stupid gullible fools there are in this country.
i want my $30 in silver.
it's historically accurate.
dean wormer, I think you are right if its McCain's bill, if it comes up as a democratic bill he would veto it.
Wait - you mean that government doesn't happen in a vacuum? I am shocked. And how many people will believe this silliness?
I'd better check in with MSNBC for the latest primary info to see just how easily manipulated Hoosiers and North Carolinians are!
I think they would do better to allow Brazil to sell some of it's stockpile of sugarcane ethanol on the US market rather than this boondoggle. But we can't have SA reaping any benefit from that wretched NAFTA plan, now can we.
Say, don't they have black people down there? GWB
Next thing you know, they'll be calling for CHANGE in the direction of the country....
... oh, wait.
I think that the senators are playing the odds. Pandering is what has been going on since the first gas shortage way back in the early 70's. We've been falling for it for over 30 years, so why wouldn't we continue to fall for it?
We're Americans. We like short term, quick fixes. Actual solutions are just too hard and may require some sacrifice on our part.
You can't even get a dime bag for $30.
Obama was right! It will save nothing. he tried it in his state and the oil companies just raised the price. It is just a ploy and oil companies will simply raise the price back up and make even more.
That stupid idea of eliminating oil company tax breaks will have the same effect.
Besides they are trying to buy your votes but at our expense not theirs! Now if they wanted to do a Chrysler deal well!
It isn't just deceptive. It's f-cking insulting.
One more reason to favor Obama: he does the math and isn't afraid to say THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
I'm deceptioned out
Good for Obama for not jumping on the bandwagon. And you know what? I think the voters rewarded him for not insulting their intelligence.
ok, you want my take on this debacle? Just like the stupid tax refund, incentive, whatever, it's like the nation has HIV, rapidly morphing into full blown AIDS, and the governement says, "There, there, here's a lollipop."
F*ck them. I'm taking my tax 'refund' and giving it to the Obama campaign.
All I know is, I'm seriously looking at a Mini Cooper. 36 mpg in city and 47 highway. Screw the gas companies!
Fallenmonk is right on, I think. McCain and the Clintons really must think we are a nation of Stoopids.
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