Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, was one of many Republican conventiongoers to take shots at Barack Obama’s comment that motorists could save gas by keeping their car tires properly inflated. The idea is endorsed by every energy expert in the world, but Republican leaders apparently can’t resist making jokes about it.
Tiahrt told a group at the GOP convention last week, “The price of gasoline hit $4 and we were told to inflate our tires.” But he later acknowledged that, yes, inflating tires works: “We can all conserve . . . and we can inflate our tires. That’s part of it, too.”
John McCain, too, was against tire inflation before he was for it.
Make up your minds, Republicans: Do you want Americans to keep their tires inflated or not?
27 Comments
It’s Tiahrt’s way of admitting Obama is right. Tiahrt hadn’t received his talking points so he couldn’t properly spin Obama’s sound reasoning to get us to think being more fuel inefficient will save us money.
The statement from Obama was to over inflate the tires.
Proper tire inflation has never been questioned by anyone.
When you over inflate a tire you decrese the wear area on the ground and you also decrease the controlability of the vehicle.
We need battle to keep the expensive and continuous “visions and dreams” of our politicians deflated.
SSITL, Obama said “properly” inflate your tires, not over inflate.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=XzZNP4tTfV0
We can’t inflate our way out of this crisis.
“We can’t inflate our way out of this crisis.”
Nobody said we could.
“Make up your minds, Republicans: Do you want Americans to keep their tires inflated or not?”
Cons cannot be bothered with the distraction of thinking.
They’d rather screech short, easy to remember bromides like “Drill baby drill!!” Nevermind that “baby” is the same greedy oil companies that are ENJOYING American misery with high gas prices.
Ahhh…TWO GOP bashing topics on the same day. This on the heals of 6 out of 7 negative Palin threads. I see the eagle has quit pretending to be impartial and is showing its true bias in the open now.
SSITL
Posted September 8, 2008 at 6:13 am | Permalink
The statement from Obama was to over inflate the tires.
______________________________________________
You’re lying.
I can see it now. The mandatory conservation police.
They will stop you to check your tire inflation, to make sure you comply. They will come to your home to take the temperature to assure you are not heating or cooling beyond what the government allows and that you have the brick in your toilet.
In all seriousness, we should conserve where we can and be good stewards of what God has given us. But the point is that we need to focus on increasing the available energy supply.
After the Ones now famous, tune up and proper tire inflation = Same amount of fuel we could “drill”
I went driving around and did a little observation of my own…
I expected to see cars sitting on the side of the road, idling, smoking, flat tires….etc.
Funny, I didn’t see any.
Ridicule and distortions plays well with the republicans.
It is much better for their leaders to side step, and avoid issues, by making erroneous statements than to deal with issues. Also, gets votes.
#
outlander
Posted September 8, 2008 at 8:02 am | Permalink
I can see it now. The mandatory conservation police.
They will stop you to check your tire inflation, to make sure you comply. They will come to your home to take the temperature to assure you are not heating or cooling beyond what the government allows and that you have the brick in your toilet.
In all seriousness, we should conserve where we can and be good stewards of what God has given us. But the point is that we need to focus on increasing the available energy supply.
——————
Naw, won’t come to your home, the Libs will pass a law that requires utility companies to regulate the thermostat of all newly built homes and require older homes to be compliant within 10 years.
At each self serve filling station, metal plates will pop up preventing your car from leaving until you check your tires and inflate them properly. Of course, just because there happens to be a 76 year old woman in a dress, with arthritis won’t stop the metal plates from activating.
Brought over from the ‘Open Thread’
Solar minimums…solar maximums, CO2, whatever. It’s only relevant from from an interest or academic point of view as man is a relatively insignificant participant.
Even if man plays a role we are for the most part limited to changing light bulbs and now putting catalytic converters on lawnmowers and string trimmers.
Good Grief, what will the bureaucrats occupy their time with next that makes our lives more difficult and expensive.
Obama is no authority on tire inflation, in fact none of the politicians are. All ideas are welcome to save energy as long as they don’t come at the expense of our freedom and trying to control our lives.
outlander posted September 8, 2008 at 8:02 am
“In all seriousness, we should conserve where we can and be good stewards of what God has given us. But the point is that we need to focus on increasing the available energy supply.”
——-
Actually, the point is that increasing energy efficiency increases our “avaiable energy supply”.
And we can “produce” much more by increasing energy efficiency than we can by drilling more.
“SSITL
Posted September 8, 2008 at 6:13 am | Permalink
The statement from Obama was to over inflate the tires.
Proper tire inflation has never been questioned by anyone.”
Care to substantiate that allegation?
Comsos’ post illustrates the basic difference between optimistic Republicans and pessimistic Democrats on energy issue.
Democrats want us to accept a lesser future. Cut back here, smaller house, smaller car, change your thermostat to uncomfortable. Reduced expectations. Be happy with it.
Republicans can see cutting back in the short term, but we see the promise of producing more energy in the future.
Outlander, the Republicans are generally for producing more oil in the U.S. even though the amount that can be produced over what is currently being produced doesn’t amount to a whole lot of oil. The oil produced is sold on the world market, suppying the rest of the world, and making a few cents of difference at our gas pumps. The Repubs only give lip service to “alternative” energy. The Repubs need to come out and acknowledge that oil is not our future, at least for our transportation industry. It is irresponsible to continue to talk about this issue and concentrate on oil, a dwindling resource that we control very little of, but use much more than other countries. That seems to be all the Repubs want to do. That is why an independent voter like myself won’t support McCain. I simply do not believe that McCain nor the Repubs in Congress are committed to changing our energy policy to get our transportation industry away from oil. If they were serious, they should have been proposing $billions of dollars in research & development, tax incentives, etc. for alternative energy in the last eight years. You know why they didn’t? Because of the War in Iraq, and the tax breaks they gave to only the richest Americans. Irresponsible!
outlander posted September 8, 2008 at 12:30 pm
“Comsos’ post illustrates the basic difference between optimistic Republicans and pessimistic Democrats on energy issue.
———
No, I’m optimistic that available and future technology will increase energy efficiency, and sharply reduce energy demand.
For example,
http://www.oilendgame.com/ReadTheBook.html
outlander: “Democrats want us to accept a lesser future. Cut back here, smaller house, smaller car, change your thermostat to uncomfortable. Reduced expectations. Be happy with it.”
———
Nope. We can have the same (or even increased) service, comfort levels, etc. while using less energy. Read OilEndGame.
outlander: Republicans can see cutting back in the short term, but we see the promise of producing more energy in the future.”
——–
Republicans want to gamble on getting a few billion barrels from the Arctic Refuge decades from now, and then have it run dry.
Democrats want to “produce” much more, by increasing energy efficiency.
Increasing the U.S. light vehicle fleet mpg by only 0.4 mpg saves about 3.4 BILLION barrels over a 30-year period.
There’s a point at which optimism becomes insanity, and pessimism becomes depression. Then there’s realism. The realists are the ones with the hand held calculators and the glasses half-filled with water.
So, if you’re all ready to take a 30 second break from the stupid flame wars, let’s examine what Tiahrt said.
Gas hits $4/gallon and we were told to inflate our tires.
The implication here is that inflating our tires is a waste of time — that there’s something _more_ we as individuals can and should be doing. What is it? Don’t tell me “drill.” _I’m_ not going to drill. _I_ don’t have the cash, the equipment or the expertise.
So if inflating tires isn’t enough, then what _is_? Let’s hear _your_ suggestion, Todd. Come on! Give us some positive ideas!
FWIW, here’s _my_ answer: http://www.electricrider.com. Is there _any_ politician who has the cojones to suggest other people try that approach? No? I didn’t think so. Cowards.
BALANCE.
The spike in energy prices should be viewed as a plus to both sides.
1. It important to drill more if there are reserves to be economically tapped.
AND
2. It is important to focus on increasing efficiency and alternative energy.
Both sides can do much to bring about real solutions by advancing the status quo in their own respective areas of expertise. Solutions will come by both sides working together.
As an individual, you can either inflate your tires, try and conserve energy, or get a shovel and start digging for oil in your back yard.
Get a life Scholfield, is this all you can find to criticize the Republicans? Are you that dense that you can’t see that they’re making fun of Obama because that’s basically his entire energy plan, inflate some tires? They’re making fun of him because not everybody is going to do it. Are you that stupid you don’t get that?
Refuting the nonsense that situveux1 provides:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy
I found this text terribly awesome.