Latest Development in the McSame, Obama, Hilton Smackdown
In keeping with his campaign’s desperate attempt to ‘undefine’ him as “McSame” and to recapture his sullied maverick brand of old, John McCain went on the attack again yesterday, this time at the South Dakota Sturgis biker rally (where he babbled incoherently and tried to enter his plastic-fantastic wife into the annual Ms. Buffalo Chip bikini-banana-bimbo contest).
McSame mocked Obama by pointing out a simple fact already embraced by the very Administration from which he is trying to disengage: proper tire pressure has a significant impact on gas mileage. So much so that it mandated all cars built after 2007 contain a tire pressure monitoring gauge. Per Time Magazine:
The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.
McSame’s ‘Mock Obama’ strategy came in for a little pushback from Obama himself who replied:
“So now the Republicans are going around — this is the kind of thing they do. I don’t understand it! They’re going around, they’re sending like little tire gauges, making fun of this idea as if this is ‘Barack Obama’s energy plan.’
“Now two points, one, they know they’re lying about what my energy plan is, but the other thing is they’re making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by 3 to 4 percent. It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant.”
According to at least one source, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates the savings at 12 cents per gallon— immediately.( See also here.)
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that drivers can improve gas mileage by as much as 3.3 percent by keeping car tires property inflated. The agency also says the impact would be immediate, resulting in savings of as much as 12 cents per gallon.
It remains to be seen whether the GOP– the Grand OIL Party which recently banked another $3 miilion from Big Oil– follows through on its threat to hand out tire pressure gauges at it’s nominating convention, a replay of its 2004 convention gimmick where it handed out purple heart bandages to mock presidential candidate John Kerry‘s Vietnam medals.
Another proposal by Obama that would have an immediate effect on the price of gasoline is the selling of 10% of the national oil reserves on the open market. That would send speculators scurrying, driving oil prices down to $80 barrel, if not by half.
All of which suggests an emerging theme for the 2008 election. Call it “The American People Versus Big Oil“, with the Democratic Party as advocates of the former and the Rethuglican Party advocates for the latter.
Let the games begin!
UPDATE: Barack hits back..
McCain is such a hopeless poser. There are a lot of dumbshit poser bikers in the world too, but bikers who actually ride understand that properly inflated tires are a must, or you Don’t. Fuckin’. Roll.
Bikers are also known for the world’s best bullshit detectors. And this little jerk stood there and tried to read a “spontaneous” sounding, contrived piece of bullshit off a music stand. If Republican Bikers watched McCain at Sturgis they’d never vote for him in, oh, say, fifty, even a hundred years. W.T.F. And don’t even make me think about his old lady shoving a banana down her throat.