BEREA, Ohio - Democrat Barack Obama dismissed as “ignorant” attempts by Republicans to make fun of his suggestion that Americans properly inflate their car tires to save fuel.
Asked at a St. Louis town hall last week how people could contribute to the effort to conserve fuel, Obama said that steps such as inflating tires to the correct levels could make a difference.
Republicans have seized on the comment to suggest that the advice on tires was the sum total of the energy plan put forth by Obama.
Mark Salter, a top aide to Republican John McCain, handed reporters metal tire gauges inscribed with the words: “Obama’s energy plan.”
At a town hall event in Berea, Ohio, Obama recited his plans to encourage the development of alternative fuels and his proposal for energy tax rebates and said Republicans were “lying about what my energy plan is.”
“The other thing is, they are making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three to four percent,” Obama said. “It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant. They think it’s funny that they’re making fun of something that is actually true.”
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds shot back by criticizing Obama for not calling on Congress to convene an emergency session to discuss energy solutions.
“Instead of calling on his party’s leadership to return to Congress and carve out an ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis, Barack Obama would rather tell commuters to inflate their car tires,” Bounds said.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Rebecca Cook (Unsold SUV’s at a Michigan lot)
Trackback
46 comments so far
Previous | 3 | 2 | 1 | Next
Hey, Russell4America:
You need to post the WHOLE story about your screed and McCain’s voting record. You’re just posting junk that can be taken any way you want it to, and you know it.
I could say that McCain voted against the (Cheney) oil tax break law and Obama voted for it. (That IS the truth) But, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
For instance, the equal pay for women measure was a scam. If you are educated about it, it was a scam brought out by Demos to make Repugs vote against it, just so posers like you could post this junk. Read WHY he opposed it, and you will understand. Also, you didn’t mention the $$ he proposed for training. Forgot that bit, huh?
Stop your stupid out-of-context posts. This is politics and politicians lie and bend the truth. You’re doing the same. It’s because of fools like yourself and politicians that use your style of tactics that we’re in this mess. When people like you leave, or move, or just go away, we’ll actuall get stuff done. It’s sad, but people like YOU … ARE the problem.
- Posted by sterHey, jon:
Do you know who ‘big oil’ is. It’s the shareholders. Their profits go to people like you and me. Buy some shares of Exxon, and you too can profit. Millions of people own Exxon shares… probably even in your 401(k). The dividends provide billions of $ to retired people. They put tens of thousands of Americans to work in HIGH paying jobs.
Also.. the $11 Billion profit? Do you know what they paid in taxes that quarter? Do you? $38 Billion! They paid more than THREE times in taxes as their profits. And… about half of their profits go to shareholders. Like I said, buy some shares and you GET that money.
They are just another company … just like Microsoft or IBM. Except, they make less than $0.08 per dollar in profit. Microsoft? Over $0.30.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget that not only does Exxon pay over $100 Billion in taxes already, but the government taxes you almost another $0.50 at the pump, per gallon… that’s MORE than Exxon or other oil companies make per gallon. Almost TWICE what they make.
Open your eyes. And… check your 401(k). Maybe you have some “XON” in there. If so… you must be one of those rich, evil, white oil men like Cheney. You’re not? Exactly, most of the shares are owned by regular folks, and a large % by retirees who use the dividend income to pay their bills. Wake up!
- Posted by sterThis just proves that Obama has no sense of humor. None. Now he is saying that it WILL save gas. Well, DUH! Of course it will. This was done because he said it would save as much oil as we would gain by drilling in the oceans. THAT’S what they made fun of.
Again, either Obama himself is ignorant of the point McCain’s campaign was poking fun of, or, he’s lying (my guess).
Either way, he’s unfit to be Prez.
C’mon, Barack… you said you’d challenge McCain to a duel (but yet you won’t get away from the teleprompters and into a TownHall debate). What does McCain say about that? His preferred weapon would be a “light saber”. The tire guage and the light saber things was funny!
All BO can do is show the world he has no sense of humor, and call everybody a racist (no… not CALL them that, but just like he did with Clinton, insinuate it). That’s all he’s got. He won’t debate (he’d get creamed), has no other ideas of his own (except ‘changing’ ideas), and plays the race card. That’s it.
- Posted by sterWow! What intelligent comments. You people are actually contributing to a sensible dialog. Perhaps you may want to consider contributing your sensibilities to a FOX article. They could use some facts and common sense over there. And yes Obama’s suggestion is a good one. Like turning off lights, conserving water, walking and riding a bike, buying less, recycling, etc. etc. Perhaps Obama;s campaign should distribute the tire gauges themselves…
- Posted by Mike RobinsonThe Republicans are acting like a bunch of adolescents, making “fun” of what actual experts say would happen if we all had the proper tire pressure in our automobiles. Typical, stupid, underhanded, swift boating tactics.
NOT THIS TIME, NOT THIS TIME…..
- Posted by PegDon’t worry, McCain’s chances were deflated years ago when he became the “Bush twin.” As for correct pressure, all he can do is slime and act ignorant. As a 60 year old woman, I have always known this to be true and have my tire pressure checked regularly. McSame has sure brought this elcction to it’s lowest common denominator, ignorance and bitterness.
- Posted by LindaWhy should Obama call upon the Democratic leadership to return for the Republicans to filibuster yet ANOTHER sensible energy bill? How ignorant do they think we are? Do they suppose we don’t know their record on energy and climate change? Shame on the lot of them.
- Posted by Suzanne GreeneIt seems like McCain thinks he is running for President of his local Junior High School rather than President of the United States. Ignorant and pathetic are the two words I would use to describe his campaign strategy.
- Posted by AlanIt’s sad that so many Americans buy into his juvenile tactics. The fact that McCain is even close in the polls is an indictment of the American educational system.
As a presidential candidate, Obama is a joke. How often does Obama check his family’s tire pressures? How many liberals are doing so and how many are driving SUV? How many liberal celebrities are flying solo? If you are thinking that inflating your tires can make Americans independent from the foreign oil, you are idiots. Please give us some real solutions, Obama. Remember Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, all Democrats can get are phony guys and Obama is no exception in 2008.
- Posted by RedAmerican1Hay Russell, at least McCain has a voting record. Is Obama ASSUME ing that Americans are so ignorant that they drive with improperly inflated tires? We need to drill for U.S. controlled oil and we need to drill NOW!
- Posted by Mike“Every Expert”????? What experts??? Please, oh exalted one, let us know who these people are. If we should hear from them directly with more ideas at 3-4% per idea we will save at least 10% in total consumption by next week. Thats how many MILLION BARRELS??? Quick, find an EXPERT to let us know… Bob
- Posted by bob lopezAny owners manual will tell those who can read, proper tire inflation is a function of gas economy, safety and handling. McCain would not understand such technical issues. Barack Obama based his proper tire inflation / gas mileage message on NASCAR reports, where races are won and lost on involved gas mileage planning that includes tire pressure. Proper tire inflation is something that is checked on most service call or oil changes.
- Posted by Fareed H. AnsariLet’s see… if I spend $100 per week on gas, I’ll save $3 per week, by inflating my tires properly… $156 per year. That’s one-and-a-half weeks of gas, I’ve saved. Let’s say just 10 million people do the same, that would be a savings to those people, of $1,560,000,000 - - that’s $1.56 billion saved.
- Posted by jonNo wonder the GOP is making fun of it, that’s $1.56 billion that wouldn’t be going into Big Oil’s pockets.
The Repugnicans act like a bunch of school yard bullies, mocking their own ignorance. They try to sow seeds of doubt about Obama’s capacity for leadership while demonstrating none of their own. This campaign is all about Obama, on both sides. McCain is more of the same . . . and it is becoming more and more evident that Bush is a felon. McCain would finish what Bush started - the destruction of our democracy.
- Posted by ZhavaDespite, the fact that the GOP asserts that Obama is inexperienced, they have inadvertantly refuted their claim with this prank, because the tire gauge symbolises the “pressure”, Obama can handle,as president.
- Posted by maxWhat drama queens, to stand before congress and to have the gall to suggest they care about the american people.They controlled both houses and the presidency for 6 years.Do you really want to see their votes on alternative energy?Anyone who wishes to learn how they voted can go to Vote Smart.Not a green record,but black Texas tea.
- Posted by joseph marcucilliThree to four percent ? Sounds pretty high to me. What will it be next week eight to ten percent ? I somehow think those might be either Al Gore numbers or democrat math. I sure don’t get any three to four percent unless I am running flat to start with.
- Posted by old moMcCain’s voting record on women’s issues:
McCain has voted consistently against women’s health, and he supports overturning the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade. Following is a summary of his positions on women’s issues.
McCain Opposed Equal Pay Bill for Women, Said They ‘Need Education and Training’ Instead. McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill. The bill addressed a recent Supreme Court decision that said Steelworker Lilly Ledbetter could not recover back pay for 19 years of discrimination at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. because she had not discovered the unequal pay until she retired. The bill would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the discrimination. [Source: aflcio.org; H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08; Associated Press, 4/28/08]
McCain Voted to Gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. [Source: aflcio.org S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]
Source for the following information: Planned Parenthood
McCain opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies. In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.
McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based.
McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.
McCain opposed Title X, the nation’s family planning program.
In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control.
McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and to require insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
McCain opposes comprehensive sex education.
In an interview aboard the “Straight Talk Express,” McCain struggled to answer questions about comprehensive sex education and HIV prevention. He also stated that he supported “the president’s policy” on sex education.
McCain unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception.
“Whether I support government funding for them or not, I don’t know,” McCain said about contraceptives.
McCain opposed repealing the “global gag rule.”
In 2005, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the “global gag rule,” which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country.
McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Posted by Russell4AmericaIn February 2007, the AP quoted McCain stating, “I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.” In May 2007, he reiterated his desire to overturn Roe v. Wade during an appearance on Meet the Press stating, “My position has been consistently in my voting record, pro-life, and I continue to maintain that position and voting record.”
Wow, this is what it comes down to. If this is the best McCain has, I may need to switch parties. The word Ignorant does seem to describe a lot of things concerning this election.
- Posted by KenVoting Record: He Does Not Support Our Troops and Veterans
September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that “things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.
July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to drawdown troop levels in Iraq. At the time, an ABC poll found that 63% thought the invasion was not worth it, and a CBS News poll found that 72% of respondents wanted troops out within 2 years.
March 2007: McCain was too busy to vote on a bill that would require the start of a drawdown in troop levels within 120 days with a goal of withdrawing nearly all combat troops within one year. Around this time, an NBC News poll found that 55% of respondents indicated that the US goal of achieving victory in Iraq is not possible. This number has not moved significantly since then.
February 2007: For such a strong supporter of the escalation, McCain didn’t even bother to show up and vote against a resolution condemning it. However, at the time a CNN poll found that only 16% of respondents wanted to send more troops to Iraq (that number has since declined to around 10%), while 60% said that some or all should be withdrawn. This number has since gone up to around 70%.
June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops but with no timeline to do so.
May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.
April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
March 2004: McCain once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans’ medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans’ needs.
October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.
April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.
August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650,000,000. To his credit, he also voted against the 2001 Bush tax cuts, which he now supports making permanent, despite the dire financial condition this country is in, and despite the fact that he indicated in 2001 that these tax cuts unfairly benefited the very wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
So there it is. John McCain is yet another republican former military veteran who likes to talk a big game when it comes to having the support of the military. Yet, time and time again, he has gone out of his way to vote against the needs of those who are serving in our military. If he can’t even see his way to actually doing what the troops want, or what the veterans need, and he doesn’t have the support of veterans, then how can he be a credible commander in chief?
- Posted by Russell4America