Obama Ad Hits Clinton Over Gas Tax

Obama has released a new ad in Indiana criticizing Clinton for her gas tax holiday, and featuring his own energy plan:

CBS News' Brian Montopoli assesses the political risks/rewards of Obama's gas tax line:

Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan political analyst, said "the anti-pander message" can be risky for a politician.

"Pandering is telling people what you think they probably want to hear," said Rothenberg. "Well, if they want to hear it, then it is a risk to go against it, by definition."

CBS News political consultant and Democratic strategist Joe Trippi said the gas tax issue "goes to the heart of the fight for the whole nomination."

"Obama is saying, 'I'm not going to promise you something that I view as silly,'" Trippi said. "Hillary is appealing to those who say, 'No, I don't care about that, I want my $30.'" (Obama has suggested that the gas tax suspension would only save the average American about $30.)

"My own gut is that this may actually hurt her much more than it hurts him," Trippi added. "She's going to have to hold this line now for the rest of the campaign. It's going to be pretty clear to people after a while that this is no solution to the problem - it's just aimed at making me feel better right now for my vote. And that's a problem long term because I think people question her credibility."

Read the full story.

Comments

[ThinkLiberal]

Like a fall-down drunk, who just can't restrain herself from another hit of the bottle, Shrillary just has to play the "politics as usual" game that is embedded into the very fabric of the Clintons - it who they are at their very core. So, the notion of her not pandering, playing dirty and offering meaningless platitudes instead of real solutions, without serious intervention and an equally honest introspective assessment, any expectation for honesty and fair play, is all but an unattainable and unrealistic element in her fatally flawed character. It's a mirage. Unfortunately, to the Clintons, this is their "normal", just the way that things are done and ought to be done.

A word to the wise: never invite these people over for dinner.

[Siryn]

The ad doesn't go far enough - to point out how many jobs would be lost over the summer. He needs another ad that focuses on jobs.

"Hillary Clinton says that she will bring jobs to Indiana [North Carolina].
But she proposed a gas tax holiday that will only save about $30 for an average person, but takes away federal money that supports highway construction, which will cost Indiana 6,000 jobs [7,000 in North Carolina]. Barack Obama's energy plan will take on price gouging, tax oil companies' windfall profits and invest in alternative energy sources. He will also give working families a permanent $1,000.00 tax cut to deal with rising costs. And it won't cost Indiana [North Carolina] crucial construction jobs that will keep Indiana's [North Carolina's] roads safe.

[cybersense]

Your information about where the money would come from for HRC gas tax holiday would be incorrect. It would not take away from the money for roadways and bridges, etc. That is McCains plan. Hillary is trying to give some room for a time and a little extra cash to afford things some other things. Milk is just as high as gas, so for $30 I may buy the milk instead. I know it's a short term thing. But, Obama doesn't do anything about anything. He just stands there and points the fingers at those who try and do something. pretty much has done so through out his whole campaign.

[Umungus]

Very nice ad.

So, Senator Clinton expects me to vote for her because she might lower gas prices from $3.50 a gallon to $3.32 for the summer, is that the best she can think of?

[hussein]

Obama paints himself into the corner by implying that $30 extra is not much. That is elitist.

$30 is not much to those he is trying to attract. That leaves out most of the small town folk he already has problems with.

NEVER EVER tell someone you know better than them how much their money is worth to them.

[wisdem]

Anyone who would miss $30.00 in gas money over a 3 month period does not even drive a car. Better come up with something better than that.

[NuOrigin]

The "experts" that Clinton calls "so called experts" have also mentioned that the gas tax holiday would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. I guess that $30.00 bucks would mean a lot to those looking for new jobs.

[JFB]

The $30.00 per person that would not be gathered as tax revenue during the gas-tax-holiday is a free windfall profit for the oil companies. We the people at the gas pumps will pay the same amount as always, and the oil companies (along with Clinton, McCain and Bush) will be laughing all the way to the bank.

The problem with your argument is that the majority of Americans see the gas tax holiday for what it is: pure political pandering at its worst.

[Umungus]

What are you going to do once the "holiday" is over? Pray she gives you another break.

How about a real solution, not pandering.

[mlaiuppa]

That's $10.00 a month.

Maybe.

Because there's no guarantee the oil companies aren't just going to raise the price and wipe out the "relief". That $30.00 over the summer may turn in to $18.00 over the summer. Will it still be worth it? Hillary can't deliver it anyway. IF it happens Bush will take the credit. (At least we can blame him when it fails.)

Hillary's pandering assumes people are short sighted and stupid.

At least Obama is treating voters as intelligent adults.

[gregjones]

HILLARY HAS LOST THE ENTIRE BLACK VOTE....FOREVER !!!
This is the message being sent by blacks to the DNC (and the superdelegates). There is no way Hillary will defeat McCain without the support of Black America aka the guaranteed Democratic vote. Hillary started out with 82% of the black support. But as Blacks learned more about her (Goldwater Girl...Against Civil Rights Act '64....It was LBJ...Not MLK....etc) combined with Bill's (...fairy tale....Jessie Won S.C. too...etc.­)...blacks were shocked beyond repair. (remember....we luved Bill so much we called him 'The First Black President')....but never again....WHERE'S THAT STORY. This has nothing to do with Obama !!!! We (blacks) have awakened to the truth about the Clintons......

Greg Jones
www.Blacks4Barack.org
(A Multi-Racial, Grassroots Org...Dedicated To Truth)

p.s. Blacks4Barack.org started in Feb. 2007 (Greg Jones) when VERY few blacks were for Obama.....they were ALL for Hillary !!!!! We knew that Obama was the best person to run our country and bring our troops home and that is why we started our grassroots organization. (Not because he's black...but because he's most qualified) The more black voters learned about Obama...the more they liked him.... the more they learned about the Clintons....the angrier they got !!!!!!!!!!!!!! We appreciate our friends of ALL races....who are working together....for the very best candidate....to put America on the right track.....Barack Obama ! THANK YOU !

[hussein]

You wish.

[JFB]

And so do I.

[Grannysue]

Clinton/McSames idea is sort of like, boy I have an awful pain in my right side, O.K. take some aspirin that will make you feel better, don't worry about going to the Doc, I'm sure the aspirin will make it go away! Their pandering makes about as much sense!

[BigSid]

WORST AD I'VE EVER SEEN

Seriously, wasn't that a boring ad?

[Laverne]

The truth is always boring

[BigSid]

I thought Obama was supposed to be exciting.

[TheSecularist]

It's a wonderful ad and I truly loved it. But I can see how some could find it boring. It can't hold a candle to sniper fire, knocking back a shot of whiskey in a bar, and fond "memories" about totin' a gun.

[teapartydude]

So...you're expecting some Girls Gone WIld mixed in?

[WFV]

We must all reach out to any registered voters we know in Indiana and North Carolina and urge them to vote for Obama Tuesday.

Wouldn't it be great to watch Hillary drop out next Wednesday? I, for one, will throw a party.

[pertello]

Thats a really god commercial. And if that doesn't work he should go negative and tell everyone what a useless senator she's been for the state of New York. And also how she supported NAFTA all along.


Message to Barack:If you can't win over the working class whites with your intelligence, then destroy their confidence in their phony "working class girl". She's not a fighter. Include that in a commerivcal just like this./

"Everyone calls Hillary Clinton a fighter. But what exactly has she ever fought for?"
(now you include all the shit she's = not done for NY and all the jobs lost in NY and stuff about NAFTA)

Last line of the commercial would be

"Hillary Clinton will fight for herself. But she won't fight for you."

[mscovergirl]

TO ALL THE VOTERS:
Since the media is refusing to reveal/report the Paul vs Clinton fraud case in court right now, we need to create our own movement and flood every blog on CNN and every blogging website on the World Wide Web with information from the case regardless of what the topic is. For those that don't know - Google Paul vs Clinton and hold on to your shirt with what you read!!
For those of you who think this case has been thrown out or is irrelevant:
"In the landmark civil fraud case against Bill Clinton in Los Angeles, where the former President is charged with defrauding a Hollywood dot com millionaire to help Hillary Clinton obtain more than $1.2 million from him for her 2000 Senate campaign, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz ruled on Friday, April 25, 2008 that Hillary Clinton would not be required to testify in a sworn deposition as a material witness in the case until AFTER the November election!.­"(paulvcli­nton.com)
Here is the kicker - the judge is a Bill Clinton appointee!

[Lagniappe]

I have been posting info about this case,too,but to little avail. I did not know the part about the judge being a Clinton apointee. WHY HASN"T MR.PAUL HAVE HIS ATTORNEY FILE A MOTION TO REMOVE THE JUDGE FROM THIS CASE DUE TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST?This case also has Ed Rendell playing an important role as the mediator between Clinton and the defrauded party. WHY AREN" PEOPLE BLOGGING ABOUT THIS _WHY HASN"T HUFF PO DONE A STORY ON THIS?

[RobinL]

Go on to CNN, MSNBC and all the network blogs and publish this URL:

www.paulvclinton.com

[Mayoyo]

Take Hil-LIARy.
McSame-Hillary 08

[RedDogBear]

Great comments. Haven't seen one person support the Clinton/McCain corporate welfare for oil plan. One point I haven't seen anyone else mention is that the difference between McCain and Clinton is that Clinton proposes making up for the money lost by removing the tax by an obscene profits tax on the oil companies. Which is a great idea except that she knows very well such a tax, even if it were to make it through congress, would be vetoed by Bush with no hope of an override.

[DanoS]

The problem with the proposal isn't the amount of savings, is HOW it's saved. Cutting the "tax" actually hurts us more by put 300,000 construction work out of work, does nothing to make our roadways and bridges safer and lets big oil profits off the hook. The tax is necessary. This is a Clinton blunder.

Ask yourself this - Is having $25 buck in your own pock worth the price of knowing 300,000 are laid off, our bridges aren't safe, and big oil gets a pass? My answer is no.

You want lower gas prices, hurt big oil by consuming less and go after their profit margins.

[jupitor]

this is indeed a great ad! Now go to htt://abcn­ews.go.com­/GMA/Polli­tics/story and get your updates on the Peter Paul vs Clinton case! It's really informative and involves Rendell/F.B. I/ F.E.C. U.S. sitting president/First Lady turn NYSenator/Chairman Randell of the Dem. Party who defrauded bussiness man Peter Paul out of 2 MILLION dallors for Hillarys Campagne. Seems the F.B. I did a full investigation and parts of this had been buried by the F.E.C when the clintons were allowed to make up a Fourth Fraudlent report for the record to cover up the crime! This is it folks, the info. has finally hit the internet!

[trackpad]

I think this ad misses the mark slightly by not more emphatically reminding people that this is actually a McCain plan that Hillary just picked up and ran with, that it is in essence just another example of Hillary trending Republican and voting for the wrong thing at the wrong time.

The ad could also do a better job of pointing out that this plan has been more less universally panned by economists. But I guess the challenge of describing all the ways in which this plan is stupid in 30 seconds was pretty daunting.

[jupitor]

sorry folks ! forgot to tell you to scroll all the way down to the bottom for the abc news on the Peter Paul vs. Clintons.

[the964kid]

All you have to know is that John McCain and George Bush both support Hillary's gas holiday - so you know it's no real policy issue if those bozos agree. No politician should want to be on the same side of an issue as Bush & McCain.

[ChitownObamabot]

Not only the .30 cents a day...but the thousands of laid off road and construction crews as they raid the infrastructure fund. With bridges falling down around the country I wonder what decent American would want to see people out of work (going backwards isn't it), another fatal accident because funds were not available to repair/replace worn out roads, and the general promotion of more consumption as opposed to less....all for just .30 cents a day over 3 months.

WE are smarter than this!