What if a president called for a general strike?

[SeanOhio]

I was having a talk with a friend earlier today about gas prices. We thought of this:

What would happen if a well-respected president (i.e., one to whom most Americans would listen) were to call for a general strike against, say, buying gas? We can assume that Krapjakistan is keeping the oil prices high, the president makes a national address calling for the strike, and beginning the next day, no one buys gas until the Krapjakistanis give in.

Now, I'm not an economist, and I don't like "what ifs," but I am curious about the outcome of such an event. Would it be catastrophic? Successful?

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Or a catastrophic success?

[Warpy]

2. So the strike is on Monday

That just means twice as many people gas up on Tuesday.

The only way you're gonna get Krapjackistan to cave is by pouring money into alternative fuel research and by instituting policy to favor econoboxes over massive penis extending SUVs, momvans and king cab pickups until the alternate tech is ready for the mass market.

The only way we're going to get out from under the oil cartel is by making their product largely obsolete.

[rman]

3. Krapjakistan is running out of oil,

no amount of protesting can change that.