Gas Tax Holiday
Posted at 4:00pm on May 14, 2008 Polluting the Message
Always Let the Right Hand Know What the Left Hand is Pandering
By Mark I
Sen. John McCain has called for a summer gas tax holiday to help consumers dealing with the rising cost of filling their tanks. Most observers, including this one, think that the temporary aspect of McCain’s suspension makes it nothing more than political pandering. But we’ll accept that because of the political strategy inherent in making this proposal. It’s a good suggestion inasmuch as it forces his Democratic rivals to go on record as for or against higher gas prices. Sen. Hillary!™ Clinton recognized the political strategy implicit in McCain’s call and quickly endorsed the idea, while the Senator from H.O.P.E.™, Barack Obama, did not. In the process Obama painted himself as more comfortable than McCain or Clinton with high gas prices. So far, so good.
But then Sen. McCain stole the thunder away from his own political jujitsu by coming out in favor of a cap and trade system for carbon emissions. Leaving aside the catastrophic economic implications such a policy would have, and sidestepping the question of whether man-made global warming is real and reversible; calling for this policy on the heels of proposing a gas tax suspension is both bad politics and poor message craft. The two proposals contradict one another and make the Democrats' message look coherent by comparison.
Read on…
Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Environmentalism | Gas Tax Holiday | Global Warming | Hillary Clinton | John McCain — Comments (21)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:09am on May 13, 2008 MI MORNING UPDATE: House Republicans Propose Gas Tax Holiday-Hoogendyk Files Petitions-McCain Policy Speech
By saul anuzis
175 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
LOWERING GAS PRICES… With gas prices inching toward the $4 a gallon mark, House Republicans announced Monday that they are backing legislation that would suspend the 6 percent sales tax on gas purchases through Labor Day in an effort to boost the state’s tourism market.
HOOGENDYK FILES 30,000…Jack Hoogendyk filed over 30,000 signatures yesterday to put his name on the ballot to run for the United State Senate as our Republican nominee. Congratulations to Jack and thanks to all that helped.
Posted in Gas Tax Holiday | Hoogendyk Files Petitions | Michigan Republican Party | Republicans | Saul Anuzis — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
