But, But…It Worked For Bush In 2000
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Economy, Elections, MoneyLooks like the Republican’s $100 gas tax rebates check is being seen as exactly what it is, a buyoff.
Now, I know this may sound like partisan pandering on my part, since I’ve said I like the Democrat’s plan to ease the taxes on gas for sixty days and make up the difference by closing a tax loophole that the oil companies continue to exploit. However, I think the difference is dramatic. While one involves a little bit of relief for people at the pump itself, the other seems like a pretty transparent bribe, with no knowledge of how much you even spend on gas. Here’s $100 bucks. Now vote for us.
In any event, Republicans and Democrats alike are pissed off at the GOP’s attempts to solve this gas problem, and it’s likely to bit them in the fall.
From NY Times:
Aides for several Republican senators reported a surge of calls and e-mail messages from constituents ridiculing the rebate as a paltry and transparent effort to pander to voters before the midterm elections in November.“The conservatives think it is socialist bunk, and the liberals think it is conservative trickery,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, pointing out that the criticism was coming from across the ideological spectrum.
Angry constituents have asked, “Do you think we are prostitutes? Do you think you can buy us?” said another Republican senator’s aide, who was granted anonymity to openly discuss the feedback because the senator had supported the plan.
Conservative talk radio hosts have been particularly vocal. “What kind of insult is this?” Rush Limbaugh asked on his radio program on Friday. “Instead of buying us off and treating us like we’re a bunch of whores, just solve the problem.” In commentary on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume called the idea “silly.”
And getting back to the difference between the Dems’ plan and the Repubs’ plan…I think this line sums up the difference quite well…
Under the proposal, $100 checks would be sent late this summer to an estimated 100 million taxpayers, regardless of car ownership.
I think that regardless of what the Republicans do now, they’re gonna be in a for a rude awakening when the elections roll around.
This entry was posted on Monday, May 1st, 2006 and is filed under Economy, Elections, Money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 1st, 2006 at 12:47 pm
As I’ve argued on other gas-price posts, I think both plans stink. The GOP plan was much more of a pure pander play, but suspending the gas tax will a) not provide much price relief anyway and b) do nothing to fix the underlying problem.
Just as interesting to me, though, was how tin-eared Bill Frist is over the whole thing. I see his presidential aspirations sinking like a stone thanks to his repeated public displays of idiocy.
Also, here are some thoughts on the economics of commuting.
May 1st, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Fair enough, but I don’t think both plans stink. And let’s be honest here, there’s NOTHING we can do to fix the underlying problem right at this minute. What we can do is make sure that the American public gets just a little relief from the very companies that are hiking the prices. The Republican’s plan is just plain stupid. Regardless of car ownership? Idiocy! That’s just wasting money and is clearly just pandering. Maybe the Dems plan isn’t the most amazing plan ever, but when I compare the two, the Dems’ plan wins hands down.
May 1st, 2006 at 1:43 pm
It is still a long way until November, but if this $100 rebate is any indication of the GOP’s mindset then they are in trouble. As Sean Aqui noted above the Dem’s plan won’t work either, but it does at least sound like a relevant plan as opposed to a marketing ploy.
Aside from rationing, there really isn’t much, IMO, the gov’t can do to reduce the price of gas in the short term. In the long term however there are many things we can do. If the Dems are smart they will make this a BIG issue in the election.
May 1st, 2006 at 1:45 pm
I don’t like the Dems plan, except the part where we stick it to the oil companies, but the Repub plan is completely ridiculous. If it really matters, I say the Dems do win, hands down.
I’ll tell you what you can do with that $100 . . . .
May 1st, 2006 at 3:42 pm
The only reason I want to “stick it” to the oil companies is because they’re using a tax loophole to make the money. Why reward them for this behavior at the expense of Jane and John Q Taxpayer? That doesn’t make any sense to me.
May 1st, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Which loophole would this be? Offshore subsidiaries.
May 1st, 2006 at 4:38 pm
Okay, I’ll agree that in a comparison of two bad ideas, the Dems’ plan is more accurately targeted…. :)
You’re right that we can’t fully solve the problem in the short-term. But we can start taking steps, some of which will have immediate impact. More broadly, high gas prices are the first and necessary step to solving the problem in the long term. Democracies only address difficult issues when their backs are against the wall, and the pain of doing nothing exceeds the pain of doing something. The pain of doing nothing just went up, and is likely to continue going up. Let’s seize the opportunity to do something other than trying to buy down gas prices with tax dollars.