Obama says rivals Clinton, McCain pandering on gas tax

[oberliner]

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers. Hillary Rodham Clinton said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens.

Clinton and certain Republican presidential nominee John McCain are calling for a holiday on collecting the federal gas tax "to get them through an election," Obama said at a campaign rally before more than 2,000 cheering backers a week before crucial primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. "The easiest thing in the world for a politician to do is tell you exactly what you want to hear."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLPqTxd4Fe7e5EymHU-kTUgweRDQD90BPHC01

Where do folks stand on this issue? Is that gas tax holiday a good idea or a political ploy? (or both?!)

[GetTheRightVote]

1. It sounds good but it certainly a political ploy, remember NAFTA.

[oberliner]

3. Yeah - it sort of reminds me of that "rebate check" everyone is so excited about

As a campaign issue, it seems pretty minor.

[SoonerPride]

2. It is a terrible, dumb, vacuous pander that won't affect price at all.

Ask any economist.

It is stupid and empty headed pandering of the basest sort.

Even Clinton cheerleader Krugman admits it is a stupid idea.

Dead ender.
Non starter.
DOA

Shall I go on?

[oberliner]

5. But do you think it will hurt Obama politcally to oppose it?

The whole issue does seem like much ado about nothing to me.

[SoonerPride]

8. No.

As people hear the economics of it and realize it is an idiotic idea, they will think less of McCain and Clinton for supporting somethign that dumb.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. If we want to see increased importation of oil and more collapsing bridges,

then it's a great idea.

Otherwise it's a hoax.

[Cha]

10. And, of course, hilary

would go for it.

[dflprincess]

6. I would give this one to Obama

Somewhere today I heard that a 3 month moritorium on the gas tax wouldn't save the average driver enough to buy one tank of gas at current prices. And, quite frankly, I don't see how we can afford a moratorium - isn't the deficit large enough? But then, I've seen the remains of a collapsed interstate bridge over the Mississippi so I may be taking this personally.

[parasim]

7. It's a political ploy, imho.

and a bad idea. A friend of mine who manages a 7-11 tells me that the taxes on gas are not that much in the first place (forgive me, I can't remember the numbers) and you know the gas prices are going to keep going up, so it ain't going to make that much of a difference in what people end up paying for gas over the summer. The taxes on gas are not the problem, it's the profits the oil companies are making.

The "gas tax holiday" is simply a ploy to make people feel like the candidates supporting it are helping them. Exactly the same as the "stimulus" checks we're going to get from Bushco. Methinks it's bullshit.

[Bensthename]

9. Clintons plan will cost 100,000 jobs that take care of our roads and bridges..

Woo Hoo great plan McCain/Clinton..

[Forkboy]

11. Pandering at it's finest.

And it won't make a dent in everyday people's lives.

[w13rd0]

12. If we really wanted to get a handle on gas prices...

...the answer isn't a "gas tax holiday" that will do nothing, because the petro companies will raise the price to a "compromise" between what they've acclimated us to accept and what price - tax would be. Net result, we pay more for less, and more money goes into the pockets of oil ceos.

Bush's solution, nuke plants and drilling in ANWR, are just his way of ensuring his continuity as a do-nothing, know-nothing on the board of several energy companies after he "retires to his ranch". It will do NOTHING for gas prices today, hell, less than nothing.

Political ploy, completely, or just naked opportunism.

[oberliner]

13. What is a good approach to dealing with this situation?

Seriously, are there any good ideas out there?