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April 30, 2008 5:51 PM

Obama Responds On Gas Price Debate In New Spot

Posted by Brian Montopoli
Earlier today we showed you Hillary Clinton's new ad, "Trouble," in which Barack Obama is criticized for opposing a proposal to suspend the gas tax this summer.

Now Obama has responded to that ad with a 60-second spot airing in North Carolina and Indiana, "Truth." In it, the candidate explains why he opposes the gas tax suspension.

"I'm here to tell you the truth," he says in the spot. "We could suspend the gas tax for six months. But that's not going to bring down gas prices long term. You're going to save about 25, 30 dollars. Or half a tank of gas."

At this point, members of the audience are shown chuckling.

"That's typical of how Washington works," Obama continues. "There's a problem, everybody's upset about gas prices, let's find some short-term, quick fix that we can say we did something even though we're not really doing anything."

Watch it:

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by sjbj2322 May 1, 2008 4:19 PM EDT
Well given that it takes my husband two full tanks of gas per month to get back and forth to work each month - that''s $50.00 that could mean the difference of his not having to walk half the month to get there. Leave it to this arrogant little man to determine for me what is relevant to the lives of people who are struggling day to day to get by while he tries to pass a bill to send more American tax dollars overseas. What a farse that he has a clue of the reality facing many today.
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by donaldd8 May 1, 2008 3:26 PM EDT
Go ahead and Cut the gasoline tax much of the money is being syphoned off to pay for Bush''s Wars and our bridge and highway infrastructure is failing.

Cutting taxes also will increase demand on an already short gasoline production capacity which in turn will increase prices at the pump. More profits for oil companies.

Clinton''s "Price Gouging" tax has been tried before. Oil Companies sued to prove they weren''t gouging.

Place a "SURTAX" on oil Company income taxes is the only way to travel. A Surtax can''t possibly be passed on to consumers.
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by donaldd8 May 1, 2008 3:25 PM EDT
Go ahead and Cut the gasoline tax much of the money is being syphoned off to pay for Bush''s Wars and our bridge and highway infrastructure is failing.

Cutting taxes also will increase demand on an already short gasoline production capacity which in turn will increase prices at the pump. More profits for oil companies.

Clinton''s "Price Gouging" tax has been tried before. Oil Companies sued to prove they weren''t gouging.

Place a "SURTAX" on oil Company income taxes is the only way to travel. A Surtax can''t possibly be passed on to consumers.
Reply to this comment
by mattcat25 May 1, 2008 1:41 PM EDT
"Obama desperately needs a distraction."
Posted by greenfun at 10:19 AM : May 01, 2008


Senator Obama isn%u2019t running for the President of the Church of Jaramiah Wright, he%u2019s running for the Presidential Nomination of the Democratic Party. The distraction in desperation has been, and will continue to be from the detrimental policies resulting from Conservative Administered Government.

Perpetual War
Unfair taxation of the middle class
High prices for energy and everything else
High medical costs and prescription drugs
Pollution
Corruption
Religious hypocrisy and abuse of church status tax laws
Degradation of our infrastructure
Continued export of American jobs to overseas slave labor
Decline in US stature and respect of the world community


The Republican Party can%u2019t address the real issues they%u2019ve caused, they can only
Spout aggression against a minister of African decent.

What are you going to vote for?




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by greenfun May 1, 2008 1:19 PM EDT
Obama desperately needs a distraction.
Let''s not dwell on the fact that the man he claimed was like an Uncle-he just threw under the bus. Why? because of pressure from the media and pundits. He responded like the dutiful little politician he is. Where is this man''s courage, his conviction ?
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by mattcat25 May 1, 2008 1:14 PM EDT
The George Bush/Richard Cheney Energy Plan for the United States has completely played out.

Craft opinion that Saddam Hussein was constructing nuclear weapons to attack the United States.

Invade and Occupy Iraq.

Prolong the occupation and drum up more military action against Iran.

Cut taxes to the top 1% and divert Federal Treasury Funds to the Private Sector.

With the futures market price of Oil in a continuous ascension Bush deems to force the new Iraqi puppet government to %u201Cprivatize%u201D their oil production allowing Exxon Oil to collect the oil and sell energy at an inflated price to the American People.

Americans have paid, and paid, and we will continue to pay for time to come under the Bush/Cheney Energy Plan.

Vote McCain?
Reply to this comment
by texaslj May 1, 2008 3:47 AM EDT
"Obama has the best plan of all the candidates. Obama''''s plan was to never go to Iraq...."

Hillary and McCain voted for the war."
-----------------------------------
Posted by daninmadison at 09:43 PM

In 2004, when Senator Obama was running for the U.S. Senate he was asked how he would have voted had he acutally been a U.S. Senator. His answer: "I don''t know."

Also in 2004 Senator Obama said that he did not think there was "much difference" between himself and President Bush on the war.

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by juliekay44 May 1, 2008 3:39 AM EDT
Phil Gramm, Bill Clinton, and the Sub-Prime Financial Mess
http://blog.sustainablemiddleclass.com/?p=220 Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
Listen to Michael Greenberger on NPR%u2019s Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89338743
Prof. Greenberger said that Bill Clinton approved a law that has contributed to high oil/gas prices, Enron and the subprime housing mess. Phil Gramm, John McCain''s principle economic advisor was the major force behind the bill..

Especially important was his repeatedly citing Phil Gramm as the source of the worst of the %u201Creforms%u201D that allowed the wholesale theft of as of yet untold tens of billions, maybe hundreds of billions.
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by juliekay44 May 1, 2008 3:37 AM EDT
Phil Gramm, Bill Clinton, and the Sub-Prime Financial Mess

http://blog.sustainablemiddleclass.com/?p=220 Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
Listen to Michael Greenberger on NPR%u2019s Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89338743

Prof. Greenberger said that Bill Clinton signed a law that has contributed to high oil/gas prices, Enron and the subprime housing mess. Phil Gramm, John McCain''s principle economic advisor

Especially important was his repeatedly citing Phil Gramm as the source of the worst of the %u201Creforms%u201D that allowed the wholesale theft of as of yet untold tens of billions, maybe hundreds of billions. He especially mentioned removing %u201Cderivatives%u201D from any possibility of regulation. Noting that Gramm is John McCain%u2019s principle economic advisor is especially important this year. Since McCain himself admits that he knows nothing about economic issues, his choice of Gramm to serve as his brain in these matters should be enough to show he%u2019s the opposite of the reformer his media-driven mythology insists on. That white-knight role is a pose that was created for him after he got caught in the Keating scandal.

With his history, positioning the entirely tainted, ultra-sleazy, Phil Gramm as his candidate for economic Czar should be enough to kill that one off, though not in the corporate media. We%u2019re going to have to do it outside the moldy media.
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by jisantiago May 1, 2008 2:54 AM EDT
Hillary used to lament that the media always hits hard on her but uses kid gloves when it comes to Obama. But the world has seen in recent times that no presidential candidate in recent memory has been subjected to such rigour and scrutiny as Obama had been. He has taken blows from the right, left and centre.

Now the question that should be asked is: why is Hillary not being questioned by the media of her association with her reverend who is charged with child molestation?

Also why has she not come under serious media scrutiny over her campaign related fraud cases. Is she also not guilty by association of her husband for his many dubious dealings with the Arab rulers?

It''s about time the American media is seen to be fair in its dealings with the presidential candidates. Let''s not have double standards here.
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by b-easy63 May 1, 2008 2:32 AM EDT
So now HRC does not have to testify in the campaign fraud case against Bill that also implicates her--until AFTER the November elections? So says the judge who appears to not want the story about Hillary and this fraud to taint her bid for the Presidency. But why not? We don''''''''t need another Clinton impeachment when we find out what a lying fraud who stole money that she really is (they''''''''ve got VIDEO and the tape of her voice --Hilterly supporters!!)

Is this like Rezko? Nope--Rezko involved Obama''''''''s association with a questionable person. This involved HRC and Bill''''''''s questionable actions (and potentially illegal actions) with a questionable person. Big difference.

Obama''''''''s could harm his campaign, Hillary''''''''s could land her before a Grand jury and like DeLay--facing jail time now the judge steps in and says everyone EXCEPT Hillary, can testify now-but Hillary gets to wait until after the election is over--wonder why? The judge also told one of the lawyers of Hillary/Bill to say Hi to a buddy of his who worked for that firm. Nice and cosy eh?

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.
com/tal
k/2008/04/breaking-news-hillary
-clinton.
php

What does a civil case have to do with fraud? Hillary lied on a deposition about the same issue that got her campaign mgr (David Rosen) indicted. and she is caught on tape helping to plan a fundraiser that would limit the donation to her to 25K--but it was for 250K--10X the amount. If proven--then that is fraud--just like the Tom DeLay case. LMAO
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by musicnme-2009 May 1, 2008 1:46 AM EDT
My family supports Obama. We like his leadership and judgement. He is a true leader--almost God Send. We got to give this guy a chance!!! Senator Obama!!
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by DCropp May 1, 2008 12:43 AM EDT
Finally a politician who speaks the truth.

Obama has the best plan of all the candidates. Obama''s plan was to never go to Iraq. Remember, the cost of oil was $20 a barrel. We were told the cost would go down.

Hillary and McCain voted for the war. Hillary and McCain directly drove up oil 500%.

Obama will get us out of Iraq. That will bring oil down.

Hillary talks about getting out of Iraq but says she will annihilate Iran. Every economist knows Iran will drive up oil in retaliation of Hillary''s comments.
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by oldwhiteguy1 May 1, 2008 12:42 AM EDT
and by the way-that gas tax builds and repairs roads and bridges. anyone in favor or a tax ''holiday'' should weigh the 25/30 dollar saving against the cost of blown tires and constant wheel alignments. if everyone who has been the victim of a ''pothole'' voted for Obama he''d win by a landslide!
Of course McCain doesn''t worry about potholes, he goes everywhere for free in his "old lady''s" jet-and when he gets there he calls Obama an elitist...
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by farmermd April 30, 2008 10:36 PM EDT
Here is a web site that actually looks at the ads and gives you the honest truth without spin or bias

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
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by farmermd April 30, 2008 10:34 PM EDT
I am astonded Actually a politician that speaks the truth.
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by memekiller April 30, 2008 10:25 PM EDT
There is only one straight-talker in this election, and it''s not McCain.
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by nomorehillry April 30, 2008 9:37 PM EDT
why is this video no longer available? Did the Clintons remove it because it told the truth?
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by getcentered April 30, 2008 9:35 PM EDT
The facts are, Obama is right on this issue. Why is Hillary fibbing about this? IT BS for votes....

"Score one for Obama," wrote Greg Mankiw, a former chairman of President George W. Bush''s Council of Economic Advisers. "In light of the side effects associated with driving ... gasoline taxes should be higher than they are, not lower."

Republican McCain and Democrat Clinton, who is battling Obama for their party''s nomination, both want to suspend the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax during the peak summer driving months to ease the pain of soaring gas prices. The tax is used to fund the Highway Trust Fund that builds and maintains roads and bridges.

Economists said that since refineries cannot increase their supply of gasoline in the space of a few summer months, lower prices will just boost demand and the benefits will flow to oil companies, not consumers.

"You are just going to push up the price of gas by almost the size of the tax cut," said Eric Toder, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington.
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