On the gas tax, who is the bigger pander bear, McCain or Clinton?

[yellowcanine]

I say Clinton, since McCain came up with the idea first, and Clinton then said "Me, too!"
So McCain may have actually thought it was a good idea, but Clinton apparently didn't think it was a good idea until McCain came out for it. (Others had talked about it so she doesn't have the excuse that she only thought of it when McCain talked about it)



But I would be willing to listen to arguments saying otherwise.

[NJmaverick]

1. Both are equally as bad

[yellowcanine]

3. I only give McCain some benefit of the doubt because he pretty much has admitted he doesn't

understand economic issues. So he may actually think it is a good idea. It does have some superficial appeal, after all.

[NJmaverick]

10. I could see that

[tokenlib]

2. Clinton!! McCain has to be dragged to pandering..

Hillary knows damn well that a windfall tax to pay for this pathetic weak quarter band-aid has no chance in hell of being passed. So she is full of it once again.

[tridim]

4. Hillary should know better.

She's become such a disappointment.

[YOY]

5. F*** that. Focus on the real issues!

Flag pins man! FLAG PINS!

What the hell is the matter with you?

Maybe if it's too hot in the kitchen you'll have to make an Omlet with Harry Truman like Hillary said!

:sarcasm:

[yellowcanine]

7. Ok then, who is the bigger pander bear, Obama or Wright?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

9. Doug Coe.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. Clinton was right on this issue the first time around. Why she changed her mind,

I don't know.

[yellowcanine]

8. Did she come out against it at one time? If she did that seals the argument.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

12. Yup. She argued against it in 2000.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/28/131030/283/576/504867

[havocmom]

11. McCain is the pander bear. Clinton is a windsock

Haven't seen much original thought from that woman since the race began.

[TahitiNut]

14. Indeed. I wonder if she had to have an operation to have her "inner compass" removed.

Or, did she ever have one in the first place? Puzzling. :shrug:

[YOY]

17. Or well before that...

I remember she took a note from a DLC friend of hers (two actually...one who is no longer a "Democrat") and decided to rain against video games to win over Soccer Moms and NASCAR Dads.

She's managed to get everyone who has ever actually played one to think she's an idiot on the side of Jack Thompson. (Look him up...he's a winner.)

It's what let me on to her little "triangulation game." Apparently I'm outside of her "triangle"...

[JackORoses]

13. hillary is because she pretend like she can make up for the loss in Roadway funds

She fails to mention that the "Gas Tax Holiday" would start this Summer, but her proposed "Windfall Tax" could not be enacted until sometime next year and that is only if she is elected.

It's a total sham.

[RichardRay]

15. There actually is a difference between their proposals...

but I don't think it makes it any more likely to work.

Senator Clinton wants to make up the tax revenue loss by putting a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. That actually makes some sense in an academic economics sort of way. The 'holiday' puts money into the pockets of the oil companies, so the tax takes it back out. The problem is figuring out how much to tax them and how, and, most of all, getting a damned windfall profits tax passed.

For her plan to work we'd need to not only pass the gas tax holiday, we'd also need to pass the windfall tax bill, and get it all done in one month - hell, I doubt Congress could get all that done in one year. Maybe McCain and Senator Clinton mean that we'll have a gas tax holiday next summer?!?!?

So, they're pandering differently, but equally.

[napoleon_in_rags]

16. Sorry to disrupt McCain's little cheerleading squad here...

But Clinton is paying for it by taxing windfall oil company profits, McCain isn't clear how he's paying for it, though probably by borrowing from China. That's the difference, Hillary is taxing the oil companies for it, and that's makes a massive difference between the two.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

18. You really think that has a chance of passing?

[yellowcanine]

20. I am not sure that even the gas tax holiday has much chance of passing in time for this summer.

So it is likely all moot anyway.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

21. The tax holiday has a slim chance because Republicans *LOVE* tax cuts.

and some Dems obviously support it too, especially in an election year. Windfall tax? ZERO chance.

[yellowcanine]

22. They also like pork barrel road projects in their districts. Rock:Repub: Hard Place

[SemiCharmedQuark]

23. Yeah, but it's an election year. Nothing says "elect me!" to Republicans better than tax cuts.

[yellowcanine]

19. I think that how it is paid for is sort of beside the point as to whether it is a pander or not.

I agree that Clinton gets some credit for at least proposing a way to pay for it. But the bigger question - whether it actually would work - bring gas prices down for any significant length of time - is likely no and therefore this is simply pandering.

[rasputin1952]

24. It's a stupid idea...just flat out stupid...

it would do nothing except aid in the deterioration of the infrastructure, and since Fed funds would dry up, increases in state and municipal taxes would be raised to offset the losses.


BTW....for the average citizen, it would mean a savings of some $28 a year. How many dollars are accumulated by this annual $28 per person tax?....$4,350,000,000 at some 125 million people...and that's conservative #'s. A lot of roads and bridges crumble w/o that cash inflow.

But why should McCain worry, he can always fly in his wife's corporate jet.