Bill defends wife on gas tax

Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:13 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann
SANFORD, N.C. -- As his wife was spending the morning with an Indiana driver to publicize her plan to fix suffocatingly high gas prices, her husband was in North Carolina, fiercely defending her support of a gas tax holiday.

"She has been criticized by her opponent and by others, who say, 'Oh, it is just pandering to people to offer them gasoline relief,'" he said, standing atop a long flatbed truck at an early polling rally. "Well, let me tell you something folks -- when people are choosing every week between whether they got enough money to go to work and enough money to put food on the tables for their kids -- it is not pandering to try and help them get through the next six months."

Clinton has concentrated on the oil issue during his two-day swing through North Carolina. His wife's proposal to eliminate the gas tax during the summer months has been criticized by rivals who point out that the short-term benefit for many Americans would register at a savings of less than $50.

Other critics say that the summer solution fails to encourage the responsible seeking of long-term solutions to the energy crisis. The former president took special exception to that claim in Apex this morning.

"Hillary has got a long record as an environmentalist," he said. "But to say that giving people a little slack on these gas prices is going to discourage us from switching to higher mileage cars is just factually wrong. We're dealing with people here that cannot pay their bills."

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Comments

Well ... that would be McCain's 'Gas Tax'. He came up with the bread-crumbs-for-your-vote idea.

Frank, Missouri (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:18 PM)

You wanna talk savings? Who is paying for all the gas Bill is using these days on all his trips? I'm guessing NOT millionaire-many-times-over Bill and Hill...

We could save a chunk of money there...now if we were funding the gas tax out of that cost savings (keeping Bill at home), I might be for it.

(using the search button on Cafe Press to find the NO MORE BILL campaign buttons)

Lisa, New Britain CT Women for Obama (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:18 PM)

What a load of bull, Bill. Thousand will lose their road constuction jobs, what about them.. .I already know--you would rather put 30-40dollars in everybody's pocket and be called a good guy. What about their jobs--Bill...Furthermore--that 30-40 will be spent sitting in traffic because the roads and bridges have not been fixed.

Only a foolish, elitist, 109 million dollar politician would pander like this.

Andress (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:19 PM)

Sorry, Bill. Putting less than $5 a week into a family's pockets is not going to make the difference in buying groceries, and it's not going to make the difference in paying their bills. Quit exaggerating the so-called benefits of this "holiday."

Brian, Clinton, IA (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:20 PM)

If people are foolish enough to vote for this tax bait and switch they can vote for McCain. It's terrible to see Hillary imitate the Republicans. She is, indeed, Bush/McCain Lite!

Steve, Hunt Valley, MD (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:20 PM)

Bubba: can you please just shut up for once? I'd rather you go back to the Bosnia story.

b (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:21 PM)

http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Well sure, the tax fairy will just come along and pay for all the road repairs. I mean now that Bill and G.W. have sent our jobs to Mexico and China it's kind of hard to collect the payroll taxes from those jobs that lazy Americans 'just aren't willing to do'.

twocanpete (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:21 PM)

Oh yes, the patented "I feel your pain" motto. Bill, I want solutions and leadership not a pandering handout that would jeopardize the economy (300,000 jobs lost) and our infrastructure (hello - can you say Minneapolis bride collapse?). You and your wife sound like snake oil salesmen who normally run for office under the banner of the GOP. Shame on your both. I expected more.

Que, Crested Butte, CO (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:22 PM)

"We're dealing with people here that cannot pay their bills."
*****************************************************

Really Bill? People who cannot pay their bills? You mean people like your wife's campaign?

It seems to me that if you are going to talk about economic issues, I would avoid phrases like that - given the Clinton campaign's history of shafting their vendors.

http://thepajamapundit.com/

the Pajama Pundit (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:22 PM)

I just donated the 25 dollar 'tax relief' Clinton would like to give me to Obama.

Ron Hussein (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:23 PM)

well well bill, seem you contradict your own policy, and robert rubin: "the best evidence on any of this that's around is what happened in 1993, because we put in place a powerful deficit reduction program. It had income tax increases on top the top 1.2 percent of Americans, a small gas tax and the supply side critics said that this would lead to high unemployment, recession even worse. And instead what we had was the longest expansion, economic expansion in American history, the creation of over 20 million new private sector jobs, high growth, low inflation, low interest rates, incomes increase at all levels. It was a remarkable period of economic conditions" so in 1993, when the economy was in bad condition, YOU, BILL CLINTON, RAISED THE GAS TAX. and yet people got by.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/rubin_12-10.html

Jaspreet Kochar, NY (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:23 PM)

Someone wants to control and manipulate everything, never mind the rules - or laws. Forget about accountability - or the ones who are being sacrificed.

The Clintons and Bush sound a lot alike to me.

Terry, IN (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:24 PM)

"Take My Husband". PLEASE.

Blaine (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:25 PM)

Once again, the Clintons have not done their homework.

They have blindly walked into the panderer's trap. The people of Indiana know that the gas tax hoilday is a loser. The Clintons have proven themselves stupid to the panderees.

aleese (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:25 PM)

Hey Bill, what do you think is the major cause of these high gas prices? Oh yeah, it's the IRAQ OCCUPATION that YOUR WIFE VOTED FOR.

She has ZERO judgement, ZERO class, and it offends me that she calls herself a Democrat. You too, Bill.

What was that thing you said a couple years ago about listening to the person who encourages you to hope rather than the person encouraging you to fear?

CitizenJ (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:28 PM)

If she cares so much why hasn't she put her money where her mouth is and put a bill before the Senate for her plan? John McCain did, as unsound as his idea was, he at least took action on his words. Why hasn't she? Because it's pure pandering, and by time Election day comes around she won't have to live up to her pandering promise as the "holiday" will have passed.

BL, Cincinnati OH (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:28 PM)

That is the latest joke from Clinton and McCain.
On campaign trail they say anything. why she didn't introduce that legislature about taxing oil industries prior running for president?
you save $14.6 cents , tax oil industries and they increase the price by $14.6 cent where is the saving? where is the beef?
after 35 years of experience that is what we get from Mcain/Clinton.
Americain People are smarter than that.

Wal (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:29 PM)

-------->

"I feel your pain" IS BACK ... this time on a flat-bed truck --- which probably gets about 2 miles per gallon of fuel.

PANDER ...PANDER ...PANDER ...PANDER ...PANDER ...

PANDER ...PANDER ...PANDER ...PANDER ... (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:31 PM)

Bill if you had to get out and pump your own gas you would know that 18 cents a gallon does not go a long way. It would be about a savings per average family of between $29-50 dollars during the summer. With a loss of about 230000 highway workers jobs and a lack of repair to our highways.Somebody else proposed this idea but I kind of like it Freeze gas prices and investigate the Oil companies to find out why they are charging us record prices making record profits and not finding a need to increase production .They are pricing the middle class out of their homes. I wish I could make a lot of money pandering speeches all over the world.Then I would not have to pump my own gas and would be even further out of touch with The Middle Class too.By the way I can barely afford my bills now so how the Hell am I supposed to afford a new car Hybrid or not.

Brian M. New Castle De. (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:31 PM)

Has anyone noticed that Clintons Superdelegates keep coming from people who are not elected by or accountable to the people? Its time to end this little dance.

Gail, Dayton, OH (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:31 PM)

There's one thing that really makes me angry. I know it's part of the Rove playbook to de-humanize your opponent. Neither Bill, or Hillary ever use Obama's name. It's disrespectful, insulting, and degrading.

Soon they'll have to call him MR. PRESIDENT !!!!!!!!!

Terry, IN (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:34 PM)

Doing something is better than nothing at all

Norm (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:34 PM)

BILL, it's pandering.

We can ALL make $800,000 taking with Columbians. You can afford higher gas. I can't.

Don't tell me a lie just to get my vote. That's the reason I don't like or trust you.

Vicki (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:34 PM)

It's not pandering to offer people relief, it's pandering to offer them a scheme that people will think gives them relief when it does no such thing. The market price has been set for gas, so removing the tax won't just chop 20 cents off the price of gas. Most of that will be rolled back in to profits, or used to offset the "windfall tax" that Hillary is offering to offset the loss of the gas tax- which means simply shifting the name of the tax and where it's paid, not how much it is or who is paying it. It's been tried before, it won't work- that's what makes it pandering.

Michael (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:34 PM)

IRAQ SHOULD BE THE COUNTRY GIVES US THE OIL THAT WE NEED FOR GAS AS IT IS THE WAR THAT IS CAUSING THIS MESS AND HRC IS ONE OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR THIS WAR.

It was promised that they woud foot the bill for this war and they have not.

Bush needs to get off his ASS and make them pay us back for all the LIVES & FUNDS that we have lost.

Old Bill knows that it is true that this will not help us, he is just trying to help HRC get the nomination with all the LIES that HRC is promising.

If they do go this route with the gas tax releif we will be very sorry in the long run for $30.00 worth of gas that want last past the week going to and from work.

Who wants to cut the road repairs in this nation?

What about the bridges that are already in trouble and in need of repairs now.

The country has not even started to repair them as of now.

Now she wants to put a GAS TAX RELIEF out there just to get votes, this is not the safe way to go, more people will get hurt or maybe die because she is just jumping on the bandwagon with McCain.

Told you all that the woman is a republican, and if Bush buys this he a BIGGER IDIOT than HRC.

Go Obama '08

BIGOLDTEXAN (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:36 PM)

Hey Bill listen up! Your wife's gas tax plan IS PANDERING. She proposes a windfall profits tax on the oil companies to make up the lost revenue of a gas tax holiday.
Such a proposed tax is and will be DOA in either the House or the Senate. If I know this you and your wife certainly do too! Stop treating the electorate like children or more accurately like marks in a con.

Bill,Rochester,NY (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:36 PM)

A short term benefit to the average American of less then $50.00. If this is not pandering and a means to sell people on a bill-of-nothing-goods to get elected I don't know what is.

You see what Hillary is doing don't you. She knows your average white working class person in NC and Indiana who does not evaluate and weight the details of this proposal will say, golleeeee, Hillary is going to save me a bunch of money this summer on gas so I'm going to vote for her. This is more then pandering. This is calling your average white working class person in NC and Indiana ignorant.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:37 PM)

If cars ran on methane, Bill's breath could power the planet.

Hillary, and Bill; just say no (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:37 PM)

And 18 cents a gallon is really going to help anyone pay their bills. A dollar or two a week. Give me a break.

Paula, Maine (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:37 PM)

pomp and circumstance devoid of meaningful facts pretty well sums up the media coverage of the entire dem nominating process, all worthy of being placed on the front cover of any tabloid next to "an alien impregnated me"

MK,MO (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:37 PM)

Gas tax relief. Republicans mean it. Democrats are faking it.

NoRecession (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:38 PM)

Just a little number crunching, but to 'save' $50 from a summer's use of gas (with no fed gas tax), a person would have to put 25 gallons in the tank EACH week.

Yep, put 100 gals into your tank over the month at an approximate cost of $400...and you could 'save' less than 5%.

Use more like 10 gallons per week (and not the 25 gallons that Bill is suggesting)? Well then, over a whole summer of gas usage you could save $20...enough to buy 5 gallons of gas.

I say 'could save' because in reality, the markets will readjust to a higher price and we'll be paying just as high of a price as we would have with the tax.

jmp (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:38 PM)

Wife's? As in multiple wife's. First, it should be spelled wives.
Second, Does this work into that FLDS story in Texas with all those pregnant little girls?

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:40 PM)

Bill says, 'don't worry about the price of gas, we Clintons will always be good for a SPIN!

at, pa. (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:40 PM)

What has Hillary done as an environmentalist? She voted against the oil bill that would have required the oil companies to develop alternative energy.

Did Bill talk about his work for the Colombian lobbyists for $800,000? Maybe some of the people that are having a hard time buying gas, and just making it in general, would be in better shape if they had a good paying job? A more fair NAFTA like agreement, for example.

MBM Chicago, IL (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:40 PM)

It is pandering pure and simple. A temporary 18cents holiday tax will not be a cure all. With gas being almost 4bucks a gallon, 18cents will hardly be noticed
all it will do is take money away from highway and road repair, which is greatly needed. We need a clear and concise approach to reducing gas consumption
and a real investigating of the oil companies exorbitant profits. Clinton and McCain sound like running mates. I think we need a real investigation of those two.

Leslie Philadelphia PA (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:41 PM)

That gas tax sure wont help the 300,000 roadworkers that will be out of a job to give people approx. $2 off of a fill up.

Eric (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:42 PM)

Obama is right on this. A gas tax holiday would only put more money in the oil companies' pockets. And a windfall profits tax would almost certainly not pass in the Senate, let alone president Bush's desk. Just another example of fiscal irresponsibility.

Doug P, Renton, WA (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:43 PM)

Rather have the tax on home heating oil repealed for the winter.

Phred, NH (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:43 PM)

To all you "bitter" gun toting, bible thumping, misandrist Hillary supporters who consistantly refuse to look at her record and consistantly vote against you ecconomic interest; Here is a better idea: The federal government should declare a a one day moritorium on all witholding taxes for those making under $75,000.00 a year which is in effect an instant tax credit. But then again I suppose you would rather have more bridge collapses and unrepaired roadways.

Torpedoyou, Tempe, AZ (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:43 PM)

Obama is TOAST. Hillary was our candidate in the beginning and she will be again. Hillary is the only one who can beat McCain. Obama screwed it up for himself. The media screwed up by pushing him to the forefront without knowing who the hell he really was. Now we know he's weak,can't make a decision if his life depended on it, and has poor character and judgement.The cat is out of the bag, shall we say.

j fl (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:43 PM)

The gas tax holiday will not save the consumer anything. The station owners will use it as extra profit and claim that the prices were raised on them during this timeframe.

OREGON TAXPAYER (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:44 PM)

Democratic congress! Nearly two years ago, you said you'd have an energy plan on the presidents desk in a matter of weeks. Still waiting . . . . .

Anwar Anyone (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:44 PM)

Bill isd wonderful! Best President ever!!

Gary Stipple (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:44 PM)

Bill,Bill,Bill. We know you feel our pain. We know you want to return to the 90s. We know you want the average person to save $28. this summer assuming the price of gas would drop and the oil companies would not raise prices anyway. Bill you and Hillary have not bought gas unless it was on the futures market for some time. Stop pandering and telling lies. Take your E.D. pills and find you a young staff worker to not have sex with. Hillary would probably set you up if it would get her a vote.

Michael California (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:45 PM)

it's three months, Bill. and they still won't be able to pay their bills at the end of the summer. total cynical pander.

along (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:45 PM)

This is pandering of the worse sort.

We don't need short term fixes. The government needs to hit the oil companies like they're hitting us. Reduce their subsidies and special tax breaks.

K, Seattle (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:46 PM)

The problem is that religion can only do religious things well. And when a Rev. Wright speaks at the National Press Club, or when a Billy Graham endorses a Nixon or when the adulterous Bill Clinton invited ministers to the White House to airbrush his squalid affair, or when McCain sucks up to the worst of the Religious Right that he once called "agents of intolerance" so he can get elected by religious nut-jobs, or when Hillary Clinton speaks of her faith and of carrying her Bible everywhere, so she will make good with those blue collar voters, it's hard to tell who's abusing whom -- the preachers or the politicians. One thing is certain; the relationship of religion and politics does America no more good than the Oracle of Delphi did the ancient Greeks

Y, OHIO (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:47 PM)

I wonder who actually has had to purchase gas recently, Bill/Hillary or Barack/Michelle. My money is on Obama's. I bet Bill and Hillary hasn't even driven a car in the last 20 years.

Hey, here's a good idea for a story: does Hillary/Bill even cars, what about the Obama's, and what kind of cars do they own, and what is the mileage on them? This important for me to decide between the two candidates.

Wayne, Austin TX (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:47 PM)

"Hillary has got a long record as an environmentalist," he said."
=====================================================

Yeah, right... and I'm a neuro surgeon.

KJ, Dallas, TX (Sent Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:47 PM)

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