Two Ads

It's very possible that both of Tuesday's primary contests will turn on Clinton and Obama's opposing positions on a temporary gas tax cut, instead of the recent media attention on Obama's former pastor.

Both have ads up on the gas tax. Clinton's is a traditional "contrast" ad:

Obama responds with a less traditional ad, featuring him in a recent town hall, mocking the proposed gas tax cut as typical Washington politics that sound good but never actually help anyone:

I have noted before that Obama's best moments in the campaign have been his "adult" moments, when he is seen as "a regular voter disgusted by a system mired in pathetic childish politics."

He has employed that approach to effectively defuse negative attacks not about real issues.

This is different: an attempt to puncture stale Washington tactics regarding policy, in opposition to a populist-sounding tax cut no less.

If it works, it's a big deal.

Cross-posted at LiberalOasis

Comments

[maryrat]

How can she promise anything for THIS summer? She have powers we don't know about?

[lightoftruth]

People are hurting NOW. They want relief NOW. You can do the things that need to be done for the future later (ie. improved gas mileage vehicles, windfall profits taxes, etc.). Asking people to wait for relief is not going to appeal to most people who suffer shock at the gas pumps. It may appeal to the more affluent drivers who can afford to wait, but for a lot of people it will not. It reinforces the perception of an out of touch elitist. Hillary Clinton may be pandering to use the gas holiday tactic but I bet you it has strong appeal to the average working 'joe'. I have heard people asking why Obama does not want to help the average working person by supporting a gas tax holiday.

[abigail1]

the average working joe would probably prefer not to need new tires this summer because the roads where he lives are poorly maintained because of lack of funding.
He would probably prefer that his friends construction job working on the bridge down the road be canceled due to lack of funding.
and he would probably prefer that he not be driving on that poorly maintained bridges when it collapses.
he would probably prefer that the oil companies and refineries use the gas tax holiday as a way to jack up prices to line their own pockets, which is what most economists think would happen.
I think the average working joe is smart enough to figure that out.

as to what the quick fix is, there isn't one. It sucks but it's true. the dollar is going down, developing countries oil consumption is going up and gas prices reflect that. urban sprawl means people are driving more while getting worse gas mileage. there's no way to fix those fundamental problems short term.

[lightoftruth]

I am not arguing that this is the solution to the country's energy needs. Nor am I arguing that the benefits to the average worker/driver won't be taken away by the energy companies if the government gives a gas tax holiday.. Nor am I arguing that roads and bridges won't suffer if the gas tax holiday is implemented. These are all hypothetical possibilities. Again , POSSIBILITIES. People I hear talking are looking at the immediate situation every time they tank up. And the reality is that they see the money going out NOW. Why do you think the truckers are so upset NOW. Do you think they don't want good roads to drive on, safe bridges to cross and their friends to have a job? But they are in pain NOW. And they will vote for relief now. And the only people promising relief now are Clinton and McCain. So who do you think they see as trying to help them? Why do you think those tax-refund -anticipation -loan companies have been successful? Because they give you your money NOW!

[papasalas]

Obama proposes to speed up the second part of the stimulus package. Plus, a $1,000 tax credit for middle class families.
Your not doing justice to your user name.

[Lemeritus]

The gas tax holiday promises much, does little and solves nothing. If given half a thought, it's a ridiculous idea -- not that as senators and candidates either Clinton or McCain could do more than introduce it as a bill, which neither are rushing back to Washington to do. For immediate relief, one month of refusing to add to the Strategic Oil Reserve at these prices would do more to correct the price per barrel than anything else.

My question (left over from yesterday) is -- while we know he opposes the gas tax holiday -- what exactly is Obama's recommendation for dealing with the cost of gas in the short-term? It isn't enough simply to oppose an idea which, as lightoftruth suggests, has strong appeal to the "average working joe" -- I would like to hear what he would do instead, now and not on page 9 of his 11 page energy paper.

[holycrizzo]

Thank you so much, Barack, for treating us like adults of normal intelligence. He's even being too generous--most economists predict that if you repeal the gas tax, oil companies will simply raise gas prices, oh, 18.4 cents? More profits for oil companies.

Moreover, Hillary's plan fails to understand the basic economics of the situation. Gas is pricey because there's just not much out there. Low supply = High price. Artificially lowering the price by suspending the gas tax doesn't magically create more gas. When supply is too low, the market corrects itself by raising the price.

Bottom line, you won't save ANY money from a gas tax repeal, but the oil companies sure will.

[shel3364]

Use the link below to figure out what you'd save with this moronic gax tax rollback. Remember that highway funds will lose about $9 billion because of it. I can't see how Sen. Clinton will get legislation passed to get the money she's promising....especially by Memorial Day. Maybe that's her plan. Make empty promises you know you can't keep and then blame the failure on congress.

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=13lkzo

I'd save MAYBE $18. Wow.

[jvarga]

Between 5/26 and 9/1 you will drive 2075 miles. At 20 miles per gallon, you will burn 103.8 gallons of Gasoline.

Your Total Tax Relief would be $19.10.

That drops by 8 dollars if I don't drive home to visit my parents this summer :P

[timm0]

Well, if he wants to keep her royal lowness from snatching North Carolina, they better get a lot of airplay and now! The hag marches up and down every day banging the big Rev. Wright bass drum and it's hurting him.

But while we're at ad design, I'd like him to ad a spot that comments on the Indiana company that moved manufacturing to china under the billary administration (part of her 35 years of service)... and maybe a mention about her repeated lies over NAFTA-Canada.

[jvarga]

I still want to know how temporarily repealing the gas tax will guarantee that prices at the pump will drop by 18.4 cents per gallon. Even if they somehow insure that that will happen (call me a pessimist, but I doubt our benevolent overlords in the corporate offices will allow that to happen) gas just hit $3.75 a gallon here, so whoop-diddy-do, it'll drop to $3.566 a gallon for a couple of days before some random crap makes oil price go up another dollar per barrel and then gas will go right back up. Then the gas tax holiday will end and gas will go up 18.4 cents per gallon anyhow. That'll really help me pay my bills.......

[timm0]

This is EXACTLY how I feel when I hear about tax credits for things like college tuition, et. al. They represent money on the table that the money-grubbing swine with pseudo-monopolistic, pseudo-collusive control will ultimately maneuver to consume.... then those of us on the outside are still left facing the same damn problem again when the prices soar shortly thereafter.

This kind of crap makes my blood boil. But I fully expect this sort of IQ-depleting garbage from clinton and bush - and the other neocon swine our there - so at least I'm prepared for it when I hit the news sites...

[timm0]

oops.... I meant to write "out there" not "our there"....

[creo13]

Clinton also tries to hit Obama for voting yes on Cheney's energy bill. Saying it was much better for the oil companies when, in fact, the oil comapanies were taxed more than the tax breaks they were given. The other thing is that Hillary's most staunch supporter in Indiana, Evan Bayh, voted for the Cheney bill too. He's traveling around with her listening to her say this at every stop. Wonder what he's thinking.

Wonder what Bayh thinks when Hillary does an ad at a closed plant that closed because her husband's administration allowed the sale to the Chinese company. At the time Bayh objected. Predicting that those jobs would go away. Now they're gone and she's trying to capitalize on that. That union guy was right - she's got brass.