OK folks. As I said yesterday, this whole proposal of a gas tax holiday is stupid. We all know that. Barack Obama knows that. Hillary Clinton knows that. John McCain knows that. Have we settled that?
Apparently not. It will take an awful lot of energy to convince your average American that a gas tax "holiday" is smoke and mirrors but apparently, at least for now, the media has decided to see if they can support Senator Barack Obama in his quest.
The Chicago Tribune correctly pointed out in on Tuesday that Senator John McCain was the one who let the genie out of the bottle. A fact that is mentioned only in passing, while heaping abuse on Senator Hillary Clinton in the Washington Post today.
James Fallows has it mentioned prominently in his "Stupidest policy ever" contest update over at The Atlantic.
Now, please bear in mind that I too agree that the whole proposal is an exercise in futility. My reference to the genie in the bottle has a purpose. As I argued yesterday, there are just to many people who will find this idea appealing for it to merely 'go away.' McCain let the genie out and now it isn't going back in.
Senator Obama and, apparently, the media for the moment, are trying to patiently explain to this constituency why this is all a farce. The effectiveness of this strategy will be seen in the not too distant future.
Even the WaPo article has a caveat in it's criticism of the proposed holiday:
Political consultant Carter Eskew, a former Al Gore adviser, said that if he were advising Obama, he would have said: "If you want to oppose this . . . you're going to have to spend a lot of time and energy explaining.
"I don't think it's brilliant economics; unfortunately, it may be good politics. The smart people say 'It's stupid,' and the people who aren't as schooled say 'At least it will do something for me,' " he said. "I don't know that anyone connects the dots: that there have been a series of politically expedient decisions . . . that have added up to an economic picture that is not at all rosy and in fact fairly disastrous."
This explains, more concisely than I, why I don't think that the Clinton camp made a bad decision here. McCain brought it up. You aren't going to be able to keep quiet about it. Do you, if you are running for president in a close race, support or oppose such an idea? Duh! I think this was a no-brainer for the Clinton camp.
I applaud Senator Obama for his courageousness in trying to patiently explain to the American people that this is stupid. But, in the middle of an economic crisis, I still think the pocket book wins out over logic. He is wasting a lot of energy in a battle I think he will ultimately lose. Not a good idea when you are running for any office, much less president.
Comments welcome,
Pat McGovern Sphere: Related Content
