Reader lets Senator Obama defend himself
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
Richard Rafter
Published: August 11, 2008
In response to the recent cartoon satirizing Senator Obama’s comment about properly inflated tires. Let him speak for himself.
“You know the other day I was in a town hall meeting and I laid out my plans for investing $15 billion a year in energy efficient cars and a new electricity grid and somebody said, ‘Well, what can I do?
What can individuals do?’” Obama recalled.
“So I told them something simple,” Obama said. “I said, ‘You know what? You can inflate your tires to the proper levels and that if everybody in America inflated their tires to the proper level, we would
actually probably save more oil than all the oil we’d get from John McCain drilling right below his feet there, or wherever he was going to drill.’”
“So now the Republicans are going around — this is the kind of thing they do. I don’t understand it! They’re going around, they’re sending like little tire gages, making fun of this idea as if this is ‘Barack
Obama’s energy plan.’”
“Now two points. One, they know they’re lying about what my energy plan is, but the other thing is they’re making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by 3 to
4 percent. It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant.”
RICHARD RAFTER
Dale City
Post a Comment
The commenting period has ended or commenting has been deactivated for this article.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
Reader Reactions
Posted by ( jVA ) on August 13, 2008 at 11:11 am
“ “Folks, we live in the greatest country on the face of the earth. Please join me in trying to change it? I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I heard that. Need I say more? “
Hilarious, this is like the fourth time you’ve posted this statement. You must be feeling really proud of what a smart and clever guy you are.
In fact, the “quote” you are so proud of is not from Senator Obama. Its a made up quote from a syndicated columnist writing for the National Review, brainiac.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/obama-speech-remake-2061941-sen-great
From the column:
“A few months back, just after the New Hampshire primary, a Canadian reader of mine – John Gross of Quebec – sent me an all-purpose stump speech for the 2008 campaign:
“My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.“
I thought this was so cute, I posted it on the Web at National Review. Whereupon one of those Internetty-type things happened, and three links and a Google search later the line was being attributed not to my correspondent but to Sen. Obama, and a few weeks after that I started getting e-mails from reporters from Florida to Oregon, asking if I could recall at which campaign stop the senator, in fact, uttered these words. And I’d patiently write back and explain that they’re John Gross’ words, and that not even Barack would be dumb enough to say such a thing in public.“
Need I say more?
The great part is that learning the truth won’t stop Cobra and the rest from continuing to post this drivel as if its a fact. In the George W. Bush world, reality is what you say it is.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( willow703 ) on August 13, 2008 at 6:50 am
jVA,
I’m with on the “flip-flop” thing. But Obama’s plan is to slap a tax on the oil companies’ “windfall” profits. I like the idea of him giving each of us $1000 from that tax. That way I’ll have something to pay the increase in prices by the oil companies and everyone else & maybe have some left over; which I will give to someone else for some reason.
That is the way our system works: John works for Joe, Joe compensates him with “money”. Joe uses the “money” to buy goods & services from Jim, Jerry, Jane & Jack, most of whom employ people, like Joe, who are compensated with “money”.
All agree to pay a certain part of that “money” to employ Nancy, Harry, George & Dick to do, for the whole, what they, as individuals, can’t do. They call that part of their “money”, “taxes”. Some call it “redistribution of wealth”.
The only problem with this system is that if Nancy, Harry, George & Dick don’t do the job you want, it takes forever and costs a lot of “money” to replace them. And you have to choose from a labor pool of people like John, Barack, Hillary, Dennis & Ron.
But, not to worry, because, after all, it’s only “money”.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( RonCharest ) on August 12, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Cobra,
1.6m barrels of petroleum products represents at least 1.6m barrels of crude oil pumped from American-based wells.
How you make the jump from petroleum products to Monica’ dress is beyond the comprehension of my poor little liberal mind. Please provide a logic map of how you got from here to there, and type real slow so I can follow.
Thanks.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( raywilliams ) on August 12, 2008 at 7:22 pm
cobra, there was some cleaning to be done on the blue dress, but imagine how much laundry was done over the years John McCain chased that tart all over the country. At least he married the tramp after he told his faithful wife to take a hike - apparently being too old and fat to suit him. Not sure what that says about the moral standards of either of them. In fact, that sums up your view neither candidate is worth supporting or even dumping on. Where is Mark Warner ... ?
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( cobra ) on August 12, 2008 at 4:12 pm
You libs continue to look silly trying to compare BHO with McCain. Come on folks. There is absolutely no comparison between the two other then they are both miserable candidates. The guy is a Rookie plain and simple. As stated but denied by all libs, if he were white he’d would have been sent packing months ago. He has played the race/victim card from the start. Did you forget what they tried to do to your boy Bill Clinton? Man you guys are very forgiving when it comes to libs. BHO made one of the most ignorant statements that one can imagine. “Folks, we live in the greatest country on the face of the earth. Please join me in trying to change it? I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I heard that. Need I say more?
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( cobra ) on August 12, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Ron,
You misread and interrupted the article incorrectly. It stated 1.6m barrels of petroleum products which include many other products such as motor oil. It’s not just refined crude used in gasoline. Man it took a gallon of petroleum products to get the stain out of Monica’s dress after Clinton was done with her. Can’t let you get away with your little snotty comments about Rice. And here’s another angle for you on the oil companies. Many pension plans are now seeing serious gains due to the increase in the price of oil. Many of our teachers, fire fighters and policeman’s pensions are invested in oil. Let’s stop the demonization of legitimate American Business’s who employ hundreds of thousands of Americans. Seems like you guys on the left want them to go under.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( raywilliams ) on August 12, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I would rather have a leader willing to change his mind when presented with new information or opportunities than a leader that refuses to change even when confronted with facts.
Also, a leader that does not need to make up “facts” ( we tell our kids these are called lies ) would be nice, but that is asking too much from our sitting president.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( jVA ) on August 12, 2008 at 3:41 pm
“I’m just reading your messages. When McCain changes his mind it’s “flip-flopping”, but when Obama changes his mind it’s just “changing his mind”? “
I was just responding to the stupid accusation that Obama is a flip-flopper. John McCain has flip flopped or changed his mind or whatever you want to call it just as often or more than Obama. I laid out 15 examples to make my point. The guy has been in the Senate a long time.
As I said in my original post I think the whole “flip flop” argument is just completely lame and unimaginative. I don’t have a problem with politicians changing their minds on issues. For example, McCain was against MLK day originally, and now he says he was wrong and supports the holiday. Good for him - I’m glad he changed his position.
I don’t think it has any bearing on this race for Obama or McCain. So why don’t we leave the lame “flip flop” argument back in 2004 where it belongs?
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( willow703 ) on August 12, 2008 at 3:13 pm
jVA,
I’m just reading your messages. When McCain changes his mind it’s “flip-flopping”, but when Obama changes his mind it’s just “changing his mind”?
I sort of agree with Ron about all of the oil we are exporting (selling). If we stopped the oil companies from doing that with what would we replace the taxes gained from those sales? I don’t know. Would the savings from decreased imports balance the tax losses from decreased exportation? Where do we store that oil if we don’t export it? Where do we refine it? Where do we refine the oil from increased domestic drilling; do we have the capacity? I don’t know, but it does bear consideration.
I don’t know who is going to win in November, but the tone of the campaign suggests a long period of gridlock.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( jVA ) on August 12, 2008 at 12:44 pm
“Sen. Obama did say he was, maybe, willing to drill as part of a program to reduce our independence. At 9:38 you praise him for his willingness to change his tune, at 9:46 you have him ridiculing his own stance. “
This is nonsense. You’re totally distorting and mischaracterizing Obama’s position.
Obama has said he thinks offshore drilling will have little to no effect on oil prices, but he is willing to compromise with the Republicans on it if it will allow us to pass a meaningful bill advancing alternative energy.
If you’d like to comment on why this is a bad position, I would be interested to hear it. If you just want to distort Obama’s position and then comment on your own distortion, then maybe you’re better off debating with yourself.
Report Inappropriate Comment