Stylish, punchy, and politically smart — so long as no one looks too closely at some of Maverick’s positions here. The gas tax holiday was embraced by Hillary too, and was derided by both the left and the right as unlikely to do much to help consumers. (It hasn’t polled particularly well yet either, although that data will change as prices rise.) As for the Obama soundbite about offshore drilling not doing much to lower gas prices today, er, that’s true. And McCain himself admits it:
“In the short term I’d like to give you a little relief for the summer on the gas tax,” McCain began, referring to his controversial proposal to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline. But then he made a surprisingly candid admission: “I don’t see an immediate relief, but I do see that exploitation of existing reserves that may exist — and in view of many experts that do exist off our coasts — is also a way that we need to provide relief. Even though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial.”
Like I said a few nights ago, Palin’s strategy of emphasizing the long-term benefits of drilling is much shrewder. As it is, Obama’s already mocking him for the “psychological” line. Expect a counter-ad forthwith.
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