Hillary calls out Congress on gas tax holiday

[Adelante]

Hillary Clinton in Jeffersonville, IN, just challenged members of Congress to weigh in on a gas tax:

"I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record," she said, per NBC/NJ's MIke Memoli. "Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil companies? That's a vote I'm going to try to get, because I want to know where people stand, and I want them to tell us - are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?"

Yikes! Why would she pressure still uncommitted Super Ds to make their positions known on this contentious issue? It's one thing to fight Barack Obama over the merits of a gas tax holiday. But why ask members of Congress to join the feud as their constituents fret over dollars and cents with each stop at the pump?

The issue is a no win. Members know that supporting the gas tax holiday won't do a lick to help fix the country's energy crisis. And many economists say the summer tax break will provide taxpayers with spare change in their pockets. No more. But the issue is loaded symbolically, of course, and with times so tough, voters might appreciate the extra money -- no matter how meager.

Bottom line -- Seems a selfish move for HRC.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/05/hrc_challenges.html

[MH1]

1. Maybe this will piss off some SD's enough to make their move.

[babylonsister]

6. That's a positive thought; I hope this might be the final straw. nt

[Joe the Revelator]

2. Is she serious with this stuff? I'm sorry, but 49 dollars over the course of the year does not

impress me. Not when it means taking money away from road repair and not investing in alternative energy.

[jasmine621]

22. It's really more than $49 over the course of a year.

Could be put in terms of milk and cereal for some poor families. And it means much more to the truckers because diesel tax is higher and has more direct impact on food prices. Since when is something temporary that might help a few families not worth it in the short term? Had Obama come up with this idea you folks would be slobbering all over yourselves with glee.

[Joe the Revelator]

25. You want an easy fix where there is none. The only REAL solution that will make a difference...

is getting off the oil teet by investing in alternative energy, whichever great invention that might be.

[pinkpops]

29. Stupid idea no matter who has it. Truckers especially need to

pay for the roads they use.

[nebula]

33. It will save you ZERO dollars

there is nothing to stop the oil companies from jacking up the price again and pocketing the difference.

[SoFlaJet]

3. for the 15th time now

why doesn't SHE go back to the senate and propose the bill herself instead of playing GWB with the "why doesnt congress do something routine?". You know why? Because that bill would be filebustered by her enemies in the senate-even her "good friends" McCain and LIEberman

[Windy]

20. this move could cost us down-ticket candidates! Is she NUTS!!! Go on record?

A lot of American's don't think that deeply into things. That's how we got Bush and these are the people she is appealing to with this propaganda move of hers.

Wow... incredible!

[Skidmore]

4. This woman is as stupid and incompetent as they come.

Boy, she looks tough jousting with that strawman.

Getting slapped with a red herring, I do say.

[IndianaGreen]

5. What's the name and number of the bill Hillary introduced for gas moratorium?

(crickets..... crickets)

That's right, Hillary hasn't introduced any such bill, nor does she have any plans to leave the campaign trail to push for such a bill.

Hillary will say anything to get elected!

[americanstranger]

7. I'd love to see about 45 senators come out and say

'It's a stupid idea and our esteemed colleague is stupid for proposing it.'

- as

[babylonsister]

8. Pelosi and Hoyer have weighed in; they both think it's pointless

and have said so publicly.

[Armstead]

9. She's a Fighter.....She is great at punching butterflies

[pinkpops]

31. shadow boxing

[AZBlue]

10. She is SUCH an idiot!

The plan is as flawed as it can possibly bet and yet she's still pushing it - and asking people to take sides on it??!?! What a moron.

[ErinBerin84]

11. haha...on ABC's national news, they

had an elderly woman who was "very impressed" with Hillary Clinton's gas tax holiday idea (for the record, they also had a man who thought the idea was pandering. Both people seem like they would be Clinton and Obama supporters respectably without this issue. But I was still laughing at the woman who was "very impressed" with the idea).

[Andy823]

12. Here is the problem I see

First let me say I think the gas tax "holiday" is stupid, but even if she could get congress to pass a bill "right now" so it would be in effect this summer, even if it cleared both houses, does anyone really think Bush would not veto it?

[monmouth]

13. Actually, Obama has the congressional SD's in his pocket. What's her point????

Most of her "buddies" are laughing at this proposal behind her back anyway.

[JimGinPA]

14. She Needs To Really Push This...

It's a winner.







:rofl:

[Adelante]

16. Heh

:D

[Skidmore]

23. Heh, heh.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[BattyDem]

26. Note to all Dems -

When you are on the same side of an issue as John "Bush's Third Term" McCain, it's time to rethink your position.

[earthlover]

34. I believe McCain supports it too. Maybe she could co-sponsor it

with her future running mate?

A tax moratorium does nothing to solve the problem. The oil companies are raking in the dough these days. Systematic solutions are what we need.

Perhaps the solution is to threaten the oil companies with nationalization if they don't quit their fucking price gouging. Call it jaw boning. Call it mud wrestling. But if the SOBs don't go along with something reasonable, fucking nationalize them in the interests of national security!

With that as a bargaining chip, the oil companies would bend more than many of us could imagine. They get catatonic when some third world nation nationalizes some oil wells....imagine their panic if the American counterparts got nationalized!

I may be showing an extreeme example here, but we are getting royally ripped off at the gas pump! The profits are ballooning for the oil companies. A gas tax moratorium will only make these profits larger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why? Because at a lower cost, americans will buy even more gallons than they already do, and the profit margins are not affected by one penny by the gas tax. In fact, since the oil companies know we are willing to pay $3.50 per gallon for gas, why would they be inclined to price their gas any cheaper even after the tax is repealed? This gas tax moritorium is just plain stupid!

That's why McCain supports it. And that's why his buddy Hillary tows the McCain line on it.

[myrna minx]

15. Is she really going to the mat with this? THIS?

This is embarrassing, and smacks of Bush hollering at Congress from his podium.

And as a citizen of Minneapolis, the city effected by the bridge collapse, this is rather infuriating.

[Kaylee]

17. Hmmm. Does this raising of fists and threatening Congress that they

must pass some ill-conceived measure remind you of anyone? *cough*Bush*cough*

[Indenturedebtor]

21. Hah Annnnnnd

She tries to paint it as "Sticking it to the oil companies"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Some people think they are so smart... but I tell you that one sure sign of general intellligence is to recognize that while there are many stupid people EVERYONE IS NOT AS STUPID AS YOU ARE!

What a moron! :rofl:

[Bread and Circus]

18. If she thinks this gimmick is somehow "standing with the people" then she is out of touch.

[VenusRising]

19. "with us or against us"?

:wtf:

Where, oh where, have we heard that before?

:eyes:

[anigbrowl]

39. Seconded. It's nothing but a cheap power play.

I hope it goes down in flames and takes her campaign with it.

[BattyDem]

24. Once again, I have to ask ...

does anyone honestly believe the oil companies will lower prices by 18.4 cents? If they do, it will only happen after they raise prices by 19 cents the week before the law goes into effect. We won't see a dime of the "tax" money.

[mudesi]

27. She's an idiot. (nm)

[crimsonblue]

28. A gax tax holiday is standing with the Oil companies...

They will just pocket the extra change, plus our roads and infrastructure will be grossly affected by this.

[ecstatic]

30. This is a Bush move. Plain and simple.

She is pushing this despite the opinion of top economists for political expediency.

[BlueIdaho]

32. And much to her surprise - they will all sit this one out. nt.

[Aloha Spirit]

35. This makes my blood boil. You're either with Hillary or you're EVIL!!! ha.

[Aloha Spirit]

37. 24 hours later, and I'm STILL pissed about this. It's like Hillary *wants* me to hate her.

[Aloha Spirit]

36. I can kind of see Clinton casting herself as the outsider with this move, esp. considering Congress'

low approval rating. If she IS trying to woo the public with an outsider image like she's done with the Florida revote, I don't see how that's a very effective long-term strategy.

[Adelante]

38. Rep. Mark Udall (CO) calls her out back

Mark Udall, A Key Undecided Super-Delegate, Blasts Hillary's Gas Tax Holiday

By Greg Sargent - May 2, 2008, 4:32PM

Here's a bit more evidence that Hillary's insistence that members of Congress declare whether they're "with us or against us" on her gas tax holiday proposal risks causing friction with them at a time when she's courting them as super-delegates.

Rep. Mark Udall, who's running for Senate in Colorado and is undecided in the presidential race, has just come out against the proposal in very strong terms indeed:

"Senator Clinton claimed yesterday that I either stand with her on this proposal or stand with the oil companies. To that I say: I stand with the families of Colorado, who aren't looking for bumper sticker fixes that don't fix anything, but for meaningful change that brings real relief and a new direction for our energy policy. We can't afford more Washington-style pandering while families keep getting squeezed.

"It is exactly the kind of short-sighted Washington game that keeps us from getting real results to our energy problem."

Coming from a key undecided super-delegate, that's some harsh language. And it bears a striking resemblance to Obama's criticism of her proposal, too.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/mark_udall_a_key_undecided_sup.php