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John McCain has distorted Barack Obama's energy plan by insenuating that all the plan includes is properly infalted tires.
Republicans have always been the better party at distorting the truth and running smear campaigns. They are a well-organized machine at every level of government, and they seize on any opportunity to turn a Democratic candidate into a laughing stock. Cue images of Michael Dukakis in a tank. One particular area where Republicans are particularly adroit is focusing on little details in isolation that, when taken out of context, seem absurd. So it was no surprise that when Barack Obama unveiled his comprehensive energy plan and announced that properly inflated tires is a good tool for saving energy and cutting costs, the John McCain camp said Obama’s energy plan was to encourage Americans to inflate their tires. Of course they never mentioned that Obama’s energy plan also includes tapping into the strategic petroleum reserves and investing in alternative energy. They simply took one statement, isolated it, dissected it, and worked it into McCain stump speeches to make Obama seem ignorant and naïve. It should not surprise anyone if the Obama statement works its way into a McCain campaign commercial before November. On a practical note, it is undisputed that properly inflated tires increase gas mileage. If McCain wants to dispute science—which Republicans have been known to do—he should check with the Department of Energy, which notes that every pound per square inch of underinflated tires wastes 27 million gallons of gas per day in the U.S. If McCain is still skeptical, maybe he should confide in some of his Republican friends, such as California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or Florida governor Charlie Crist, both of whom have encouraged their states’ citizens to properly inflate their tires as a way to cut costs. This type of comment-in-isolation distortion is nothing new. As Jonathan Alter, senior editor of Newsweek, noted, “The Republicans are trying to ‘Jimmy Carterize’ Barack Obama.” This is a reference to Carter’s donning of a sweater and encouraging Americans to turn down their thermostat during the energy crunch of the 1970s. Overnight, Carter’s energy conservation plan became about one thing and one thing only—wearing sweaters. Despite vast Republican success at these tactics, it appears that the latest McCain ploy might not be resonating with voters. A recent poll shows that working-class voters support Obama over McCain by ten percent. The poll’s targets were those who make less than $27,000 a year—the same folks who know that inflating your tires can save you a few bucks at the pump. Perhaps voters have reached a point to where they can see right through the charade of Republican campaign tactics. If that’s the case, John McCain is in serious trouble.
The copyright of the article Barack Obama and Tire Gauges in US Elections is owned by Jeff Stanglin. Permission to republish Barack Obama and Tire Gauges in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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