Gas tax debate

Jonah Goldberg:

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What are those profound issues? What are those? Well, according to Obama and Hillary Clinton alike, gas prices top the list.

ABC's George Stephanopoulos opened an interview by asking Clinton how she can defend her proposal to suspend the federal gas tax for the summer when everyone knows it won't lower gas prices. "Nearly every editorial board and economist in the country has come out against it," he noted. "Even a supporter of yours, Paul Krugman of The New York Times, calls it pointless and disappointing."

Her response: Jimmy crack corn and I don't care.

Clinton says she doesn't mind if economists agree that her proposal would do nothing to alleviate high gas prices. Indeed, when Stephanopoulos pressed her to name one credible economist who thinks this idea has merit, she responded: "Well, I'll tell you what, I'm not going to put my lot in with economists."

The Clinton plan has the added benefit of punishing those evil oil companies by making them pay the tax, even though those pointy-headed economists say it will actually reward them.

Let's also point out that, as a matter of political reality, Clinton might as well be calling for a ban on unicorn meat in dog food, because there's no way her proposal can actually happen.

Now, in fairness, we should point out that Obama opposes the Clinton proposal for many of the reasons stated above. That speaks well of him.

But there's a larger point here. Clinton's new populist demagoguery is entirely symbolic. The "substance" is stage dressing.

She's trying to tell blue-collar workers that she's on their side. The language may be economic, but the message is about values. It's I-feel-your-pain treacle gussied up as tax policy.

Who cares if even liberal economists like Krugman concede the stupidity of her idea; she's taking the side of the Bubbas against all the fancy pants.

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Since the Federal gas tax is higher than th oil companies profit per gallon of gas, Clinton would either be mandating they sell their product at a loss or they would just pass along the "excess profits" tax by including it in the price making the whole program circular as Krugman points out.

At best it would be form over substance. It is like a hollow campaign slogan that he candidate cares by pretending to inflict pain on a scape goat rather than doing something about increasing production which would really lower the price.