Breaking: Clinton to Introduce Gas Tax Holiday Bill to Senate [UPDATED
Fri May 02, 2008 at 12:46:31 PM PDT
Just when I thought that the Junior Senator from New York couldn't possibly be more shameless, I run across this WSJ wire:
Sen. Hillary Clinton plans to introduce legislation today in the U.S. Senate following up on her campaign commitment to put the federal gas tax on hiatus during the peak summer driving season, said campaign spokesman Doug Hattaway.
More below.
MBNYC wrote a diary on Clinton playing chicken with democrats, daring them to oppose said tax holiday. But now she has finally lost her mind and will be introducing the bill, which, if it ever comes up for a vote, many Democrats running for re-election will spurn this Clinton lunacy as it will definitely cost them votes in November.
From the same WSJ piece, a reaction from Pelosi:
"First of all, there is no reason to believe that any moratorium on the gas tax will be passed on to the consumer, first and foremost," she told reporters, "Second of all, it would defeat everything that we have been trying to do to lower the cost of oil." Pelosi said to lower gas prices Congress should be investing more in renewable energy resources.
Yes, it would defeat everything that we have been trying to do to lower the cost of oil, but then again, Speaker Pelosi needs to know her place here and remember that what she should really be trying to accomplish instead of spend her time on sound energy policy is somehow give the throne back to the Lords of Clinton.
UPDATE: Bill is to be co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), a superdelegate supporting Clinton, up for re-election in 2012
UPDATE II:
Colorado Senate candidate Rep. Mark Udall (an uncommitted superdelegate) has this to say:
Senator Clinton claimed yesterday that I either stand with her on this proposal or stand with the oil companies. To that I say: I stand with the families of Colorado, who aren’t looking for bumper sticker fixes that don’t fix anything, but for meaningful change that brings real relief and a new direction for our energy policy. We can’t afford more Washington-style pandering while families keep getting squeezed.
It is exactly the kind of short-sighted Washington game that keeps us from getting real results to our energy problem. Experts across the ideological spectrum agree that it will increase the deficit, drain money away from Colorado roads and bridges, and hurt the environment, all without actually making prices lower for drivers.
Source: http://www.politico.com/...
