Anothers view of the Energy debate

[HonestChieffan]

How he has managed this energy issue has not been good, Pelosi and Reid are making it more difficult, and McCain is winning this in the minds of the voters who are making up their minds as we move closer to the election.

Here is an interesting commentary...http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/19421


How’d This Happen?
Jennifer Rubin - 08.06.2008 - 12:08 PM
The debate over energy is going full tilt. Somehow Barack Obama is now reduced to arguing that tire inflation is a substitute for domestic energy development. I am not sure how calling your opponent “ignorant” qualifies as “the high road,” but I do agree with this take from the Left that “Obama will lose this exchange and wind up sounding like a Dukakisian know-it-all.”

Obama does have a few problems on the subject of energy: he is flip-flopping (or maybe not) on drilling and on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), he is saddled with his recalcitrant Democratic Congressional colleagues who fled rather than vote on drilling, public opinion is overwhelmingly against him, and he has his facts wrong (at least on oil savings from inflated tires). Mainstream media outlets frown at his windfall profits tax and SPR flip-flop which are seen as ham-handed, very old school gimmicks.

This episode is classic Obama: he was slow to recognize he had a problem, he looks alternately recalcitrant and then irresolute (as with the surge) as be bobs and weaves between his base and political reality, and he condescends to voters. And then he doesn’t have a good answer for his own voting record. But it is really a failure of common sense: why not include domestic drilling as a significant part of our energy approach? (After several weeks someone seems to have explained this to The One.)

The haphazard and delinquent effort to catch up to McCain’s energy policy blitz (which has been going on for weeks now) also tells us something else: Obama thinks he can ignore whatever McCain is doing. It is not surprising for the candidate who considers himself already President to disregard what his opponent is up to. The temptation is great to try to run out the clock and get by on pablum and pretty pictures.

But Obama does it at his peril . He is now struggling to find a way to counteract the McCain energy offensive. You have the feeling that each day will bring a new challenge/gambit from the McCain camp (What’s next? Jiffy Lube tune-ups for the entire press corps?) and the rest of the day will be spent watching Obama and his media allies trying to swat away the incoming fire. It is what happens when you take a victory lap months before the first votes are cast.

[Programmer]

Regarding the tune-ups and properly inflating tires; How many people in the U.S. do not already do this on a regular basis? I see my vehicles as investments and do the regular maintenance on them. Keeping the tires inflated to the right pressure is more of a safety item for my family.

I think Obama feels that car owners are like the republicans that hang on to their guns and religion. He's talking down to the larger part of American citizens. Not cool.

[StcChief]

Regarding the tune-ups and properly inflating tires; How many people in the U.S. do not already do this on a regular basis? I see my vehicles as investments and do the regular maintenance on them. Keeping the tires inflated to the right pressure is more of a safety item for my family.

I think Obama feels that car owners are like the republicans that hang on to their guns and religion. He's talking down to the larger part of American citizens. Not cool.
yeah. the days of the under-inflated tires exploding on Explorers are over....

most folks who can maintain their cars do

[penguinz]

How many people in the U.S. do not already do this on a regular basis? .I would say the majority of people do not do routine maintenance on their vehicles. How often do you see someone check their fluids or tires when filling their tanks at QT? Not very many.

[Programmer]

I would say the majority of people do not do routine maintenance on their vehicles. How often do you see someone check their fluids or tires when filling their tanks at QT? Not very many.

I don't do maintenance at QT. I used to get gas there until they started selling gas with ethanol in it.

I check my fluid levels at home every weekend on all of our cars. (Maybe not the Chevelle, we don't drive it much other than to shows)

I change my oil every 5000 miles at the dealers service department.

I think more do maintenance than you presume, but there isn't any way to accurately get the numbers.

[penguinz]

I check my fluid levels at home every weekend on all of our cars. (Maybe not the Chevelle, we don't drive it much other than to shows)
I would bet that the majority of people do not check their own fluid or air levels on their own and it only gets done when and if they take it to a shop for oil change or other service.

[Baby Lee]

Not to belabor this overly [too late], but I think I've identified another source of irritation about the inflate your tires bit. It's frustrating to those who are diligent in their car maintenance because he's suggesting there's this easy solution to the problem, but;
1) you've already done all you can do in that area, there's nothing you can do to help the problem.
2) further improvement now rides on the backs of folks too lazy to maintain their cars in the first place.
So this relief solution is out of your hands in the hands of people who don't have a predilection to even help themselves, let alone the rest of us.

It's like IDing a problem that could be solved if only everyone bathed at least once a month. Great!!

[Bugeater]

I would say the majority of people do not do routine maintenance on their vehicles. How often do you see someone check their fluids or tires when filling their tanks at QT? Not very many.
Meh, today's cars are pretty much foolproof and don't require that much routine maintenance, many don't even need a tune up until 100,000 miles. Electronic ignitions and cleaner burning unleaded gas have pretty much eliminated the need for them.

And unless your car has bad rings or leaks oil badly you shouldn't need to check the oil every time you fill up.

[HonestChieffan]

We cannot inflate our way out of this problem.

[penguinz]

Meh, today's cars are pretty much foolproof and don't require that much routine maintenance, many don't even need a tune up until 100,000 miles. You actually expect your plugs to be even 90% of their max efficiency at 90,000 miles let alone 100k? Even if you do go 100k on your plugs have fun getting them out easily.

[jettio]

Not to belabor this overly [too late], but I think I've identified another source of irritation about the inflate your tires bit. It's frustrating to those who are diligent in their car maintenance because he's suggesting there's this easy solution to the problem, but;
1) you've already done all you can do in that area, there's nothing you can do to help the problem.
2) further improvement now rides on the backs of folks too lazy to maintain their cars in the first place.
So this relief solution is out of your hands in the hands of people who don't have a predilection to even help themselves, let alone the rest of us.

It's like IDing a problem that could be solved if only everyone bathed at least once a month. Great!!


Looks like the GOPers have nothing better to do than to mind trip about imaginary people.

[Bugeater]

You actually expect your plugs to be even 90% of their max efficiency at 90,000 miles let alone 100k? Even if you do go 100k on your plugs have fun getting them out easily.

OK, but even replacing them @ 50K isn't what I'd call "routine" maintenance. That's once every 4-5 years for the average driver.

[Chief Henry]

We cannot inflate our way out of this problem.

psst , don't tell the Obots that.