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Obama: Candidates' gas holiday proposal a 'gimmick'

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 30, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Democrat Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers. Hillary Rodham Clinton said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens.

Clinton and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain are calling for a holiday on collecting the federal gas tax "to get them through an election," Obama said at a campaign rally before more than 2,000 cheering backers a week before crucial primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. "The easiest thing in the world for a politician to do is tell you exactly what you want to hear."

Clinton, who toured the Miller Veneers wood manufacturing company in Indianapolis, said "there are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday. That might not mean much to my opponent, but I think it means a lot to people who are struggling here, people who commute a long way to work, farmers and truckers." Clinton has called for a windfall tax on oil companies to pay for a gas tax holiday.

Meanwhile in Washington, President George W. Bush, asked about the proposal to suspend fuel taxes for the summer, said, "I'm open to any ideas and we'll analyze anything that comes up." But he also said he didn't want to inject himself into the ongoing presidential race and favored longer term alternatives.

With his comments, Obama continued a running dispute over whether ending collection of the gas tax is the quickest and best way to help consumers. Leading in delegates and the popular vote, Obama in recent days has focused on McCain, but he broadened that criticism yesterday to include Democrat Clinton.

"Now the two Washington candidates in the race have decided to do something different," Obama said. "John McCain started it, he made the proposal, and then Hillary Clinton said 'me too.'" The plan would suspend collecting the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and the 24.4 cent diesel tax for the summer.

He said drying up gas tax collections would batter highway construction, costing North Carolina up to 7,000 jobs, while saving consumers little. "We're arguing over a gimmick that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say they did something," Obama said.

Responding to Obama's criticism, McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said the Illinois senator "does not understand the effect of gas prices on the economy."

In Washington, Bush accused the Democratic-led Congress of blocking his proposals to deal with rising gas prices and dragging its feet on measures to address the sagging economy. He renewed his call for opening areas of Alaska wilderness to oil exploration and production.