A Nancy Pelosi confidant hits hard at Hillary Clinton's gas-tax gambit

Why did we take notice when Rep. George Miller, a Democrat from the Bay Area, issued a release today ridiculing the gas-tax holiday plan that Hillary Clinton and her crew not only are promoting but are touting as a boon to them in their battle with Barack Obama?

Because Miller is the longtime friend and ally of the highest-ranking Democrat in the land, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who is second in the presidential succession line after the vice president).

Pelosi has chosen not to officially make a pick yet between Obama and Clinton. But when Miller came out for Obama back in early January, it was widely assumed he did so with Pelosi's tacit approval.

NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray wrote at the time: "This is perhaps the closest thing to getting a Nancy Pelosi endorsement as you can come without actually getting it. Miller is incredibly close with her politically. He wouldn't be doing this without her consent of sorts."

We wonder if Pelosi also was nodding her head over the release from Miller (a onetime chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee) that lambastes the call by Clinton (as well as John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee) for suspending the federal gasoline tax through the summer.

Miller's comments are notable not only for the blunt criticism one Democrat directs at another party member -- in so many words, he calls Clinton a purveyor of snake oil -- but also for the intimidation charge ...

.... he broaches at the end of the release. Here are the quotes Miller sent out in the missive:

“The call by Sens. Clinton and McCain to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline is a short-sighted stunt that will hurt consumers and do nothing to reduce the price of gas.

“American consumers and our economy need a real solution to the energy crisis, not an empty trick. You can run cars on a lot of different fuels, but snake oil isn’t one of them.

“In the hopes of winning votes, the Senators are preying on consumers’ justified anxiety about the economy without offering a solution to their real problems. There’s nothing in our history to indicate that oil companies will pass on any savings to the consumer. So despite the McCain and Clinton gas tax holiday, the price at the pump will continue to rise and oil companies will take even more of the profit.

“My constituents are reeling from the highest gas prices in the country. But they understand that we can only break the oil chokehold and bring prices down by investing in highways and mass transit, new technology, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

“Siphoning off the political energy from these necessary steps to focus instead on a plan that some political consultants favor is cynical politics. Taking a break from the federal gas tax and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it produces is harmful to the long-term economic well-being of our country.

“Sen. Clinton knows it is not easy to pass a windfall profits tax on oil companies. We have been trying to rein in record oil profits for years, and the House has repeatedly passed legislation to roll unjustified federal oil subsidies and invest instead in renewable energy -– but President Bush and Senate Republicans have blocked us. Some of the subsidies we are trying to eliminate started under President Bill Clinton’s administration.

“Sen. Clinton is trying to intimidate members of Congress into validating her bad policy prescriptions. Congress should reject her and Sen. McCain’s idea. Relief from soaring gas prices will only come from smart investments and real change in our energy policy.”

The Clinton campaign, for its part, continued to play what it sees as a winning hand, airing an ad in Indiana and North Carolina on the eve of their Tuesday primaries that laments Obama's opposition to suspending the gas tax.

It begins with an announcer intoning: "What has happened to Barack Obama? ... He is attacking Hillary’s plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn’t have one."

The ad, and a closing spot from Obama's campaign, can be checked out here.

Also, remarks from Clinton on the trail today about the issue can be viewed below.

-- Don Frederick

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[Andrew]

Pani, you're funny. There is no such dissatisfaction with Pelosi or Miller in their districts. Really, you're funny when you make up this stuff.

[NinaK]

Guess anyone who does not agree with Hilliary is an "elitist" in her way of thinking. Aren't Bill and Hilliary part of the elitist group...Bill travelling the all over the globe with his multimillion and billion dollar associates?? When was the last they either he or Hilliary sat down to dinner with a blue-collar family (aside from this campaign)? Niether of them has anything to do with blue collar workers or the poor EXCEPT WHEN THEY WANT THEIR VOTES!! Back to the economists. Hilliary cannot run her campaign budget, she was broke by the time she got to New Hampshire; she owes approximately $8 Million to middle-class vendors and business people (dating back to Iowa), she owes Mark Penn at least $4 Million, and his company over $10 Million, and owes herself and BIll $5 Million!!! And she is saying she KNOWS more than the professional, expert economists??? Hilliary, just zip it up, you cannot run your campaign, what the heck do you even know about economy and what is best for the nation??? Hilliary, you are a pathetic, insecure, and horrific individual who cannot get anywhere without tearing others down. SHAME ON YOU HILLIARY CLINTON!!

[Joe]

When price goes down, demand goes up. When demand goes up price goes up. If gas prices drop by the amount of the federal gas tax, then demand will go up. Then prices will go up, and before the Labor Day weekend, we'll be paying more for gasoline than we are today. Cutting the gas tax is a gimmick. And saying that we'll recover the tax revenue by "taxing the oil companies," is pure nonsense. The oil companies will just pass the tax increase along to their customers. Uh, that's US.

[DoTheMath]

Mona, please try very hard to pay attention:

"There’s nothing in our history to indicate that oil companies will pass on any savings to the consumer."

It's not pennies. It's nothing. Zero. Zip.

[Paul Kopper]

I lost all faith in this woman months ago as a sham, a fraud, and a cheater. How anyone can trust anything that comes from the mouth of this woman is absolutely beyond belief... And now this gas-tax gimmick? Unreal! She must get back to her hotel room at night and just laugh her caboose off at how stupid people are! Hey..., but anyone that cozies up to the Murdocks and Mellenscapes of the World are capable of just about anything. Beware Barack. Beware...Just like Bonnie and Clyde; no rules... God save us from this poison.

[Michael Reed]

Pelosi is one of the biggest disappointments to emerge on the democratic horizon of late! It’s sad to say that the strongest action Pelosi has taken is to undermine and criticize Clinton every chance she gets. I was undecided till she spoke out! Sorry Obama if Pelosi is for you I must go with Hillary

[Linda]

Evidently none of you are independent truckers. Too bad. Maybe then you would understand what this means to many on the road. Might be symbolic...but it is a start. And a windfall profit tax sounds like a good start to me. Go Hillary.

The composers of this letter failed to factor in WE that appreciate Senator Clinton's effort CAN"T afford a vacation or to travel EXTRA miles. Maybe we can save a little more to give the next Stearns buy out, or how about the airline subsidies.

Maybe we should start flying all our truck freight.

But then they are among the Obama Elite. Maybe you best be thinking about how you are going to get your milk for your Latte.

Take you letter and stuff it!

[toby]

Pelosi doesn't want the Democrats to win the White House. Because if they did, chances are she would lose her Speaker job.

I mean, tell me another time where the Speaker of the House has injected themselves so much into a Presidential primary?

She's so self serving, it's disgusting.

[DEnny]

Pelosi and miller two hard core commie left wing anti American fruitcakes. It has often been said that what will destroy this country will start in the bay area...now it begins

[JAE]

What is it about allowing people to keep more of the money they earned that liberals hate so much? Here in California we pay on the order of 50 cents a gallon in taxes. The oil companies make about 10 cents a gallon. So when people rail against the oil companies' profits they forget that they are being extorted FIVE TIMES that amount by the government! And the oil companies search for new finds, drill, transport the crude, refine it, transport it again, and facilitate its retail sale. The government does ............ what exactly for five times the profit?

[geo magn]

This one issue shows which candidate really will sincerely help the consumer and which ones want to mislead. If Obama would try to stop the alaskan oil givaway and make oil companies pay for our crude oil by the gallon instead of these joke free oil leases bush wants to bestow on exon and company, we could force them to give our citizens cheap oil and gas.

[FRED CAHILL]

GAS SHOULD NOT BE THIS HI . GAVE US A BRAKE.WE
THE LITTLE PEOPLE DONT HAVE A CHANGE OIL MEN FROM THE PRESIDENT ON DOWN. ARE POCKETING AND LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK .
WE ARE SALEING OURS OVER SEAS. I THINK. WE SHOULD TURN SOME OF OIL IN OUR MARKET.
THE WAY OUR COUNTRY IS GOING WE WILL BE A THIRD NATION IN 10 YEARS

[JustConsider]

To those who say even saving you 1 PENNY makes this gas-tax holiday worth it--think again: This gimmick may even RAISE GAS PRICES, not lower them, because of an increase in demand for gas.

Plus--it will take away about $9 billion dollars from the Highway Trust Fund, which means A LOSS OF 310,000 JOBS, including 6300 in IN and 7000 in NC. Not to mention that public safety is compromised when you don't maintain our highways and bridges--which is what the Highway Trust Fund pays for.

And Clinton saying she'll get the oil companies to pay for that $9 billion is BUNK! There is no mechanism in place to make her do that. There is no legislation even on the table to do that. She knows it, too.

But you know what's really disgusting about all this? CLINTON KNOWS THIS IS A BAD IDEA, but she also knows it would never pass Congress anyway. So, she figures she'll dupe many voters into believing she's actually for it. Who cares if she lies--no harm done, she figures.

Talk about morally bankrupt leadership! Talk about ELITIST: she's banking on the voters not being able to see through her lies because they're not smart enough.

Here's her stance: I'm smarter than they are and they're too dumb to figure out my gambit. If that isn't the definition of elitist, I don't know what is.

[geo magn]

This one issue shows which candidate really will sincerely help the consumer and which ones want to mislead. If Obama would try to stop the alaskan oil givaway and make oil companies pay for our crude oil by the gallon instead of these joke free oil leases bush wants to bestow on exon and company, we could force them to give our citizens cheap oil and gas.

[geo magn]

This one issue shows which candidate really will sincerely help the consumer and which ones want to mislead. If Obama would try to stop the alaskan oil givaway and make oil companies pay for our crude oil by the gallon instead of these joke free oil leases bush wants to bestow on exon and company, we could force them to give our citizens cheap oil and gas.

[Lucky]

I see a lot of comments that are just statements of opinion and attacks from Clinton supporters. To the people making those types of comments: why don't you take a minute to sit and think about what is actually happening here before getting worked up over something into which you obviously haven't put much thought? Maybe there's a reason economists nation-wide are screaming "no!" to the gas-tax holiday.

Here's what a gas-tax holiday would NOT do:

1) It WOULD NOT help the current economic crisis. It's an 18.4/gallon tax so let's do the math with a couple of average assumptions. Let's say you have a 20 gallon tank and you fill it up every week over the summer. This proposal saves you $44.16 over the course of the summer. This is the equivalent of giving up lattes for a couple of weeks .
2) It WOULD NOT lower oil company profits. Simple economics I think we can all agree on: removing the tax would cause more people to buy gas than without removing the tax. This means more money into the pockets of oil companies?
3) It WOULD NOT be beneficial in the long term. The holiday is a removal of the govt. tax on top of oil prices and removing this means less money for govt. funded programs. [This is an extreme example, but...] Do you like your kids to read? Schools are funded by taxes from state and local govt. Less tax revenue could mean cuts to programs that help the young/needy/etc.

That being said, vote for who you're going to vote for, but don't take the other guy down with you (without at least backing up your claim :D).

[Pablo]

I want my gallon of snake oil! If you take away the 18 cents a gallon federal gas tax for 3 months will the price of gas go down 18 cents? NO - It definitely will not. It might go down 8 cents a gallon for a month - but I'm sure the oild companies will raise it right back up again, and secretly thank Hillary for that extra profit margin. Heck, they might even give her some extra campaign contributions. Hmmm, I'd be more impressed if she got rid parking tickets....

[Joe]

Those stupid enough to take the gas tax holiday seriously are like mice stupid enough to take the moldy cheese in the mousetrap as a lifesaver.

[rob]

Representative Miller and perhaps Nancy Pelosi have no clue the pain most of us feel at the gas pump. They live an entirely different life than the typical American. I'd love to have their health insurance and retirement benefits, as well as their annual cost of living raises.

Keep on fighting Hillary.

These elitist's are trying to steal this election from the American people by pressing super delegates to commit prior to all voter's voices being heard. They should be ashamed of themselves and in my humble opinion will pay a very high price in November. Obama is hemorrhaging and there isn't a band-aid large enough to stop the bleeding.

If Obama wins the nomination I believe that McCain will win in November. I for one will vote for him before I cast a vote for Obama.

[Phil]

George Miller is a shill for Progressive Left Democrats, and the Mainstream media - all who have been desperately trying to regain the power they lost when Bill Clinton showed them that a political centrist could balance the budget.

I'm a moderate liberal Democrat, and I'm sick and tired of the posturing by the Progressive Left of my party. It's the Progressives who consistently promise "hopes and dreams" and then end up accomplishing *exactly NOTHING*!!

How is it that Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Miller, and their respective crews have not been able to get us out of iraq, as they PROMISED?! How about the recent appropriation they all passed, without a PEEP??!!

George Miller and a lot of other flaming progressives - including pelosi - are going to be surprised in the near long term (3-5 years) as they're tossed out of office by a moderate liberal and independent constituency that's tired of their doublespeak.

That they would savage the fine reputation of a long time moderate liberal like Hillary Clinton is despicable. the Pelosi/Miller/Eshoo/Boxer crowd have lost my vote forever. And, btw, MANY of my friends and associates.

Bill CLinton took away GOP talking points - he balanced the budget. The GOP HATED him for that. As well, he took away the progressive left's talking points, because along with encouraging economic growth, most of his policies pointed in a left-center, moderate liberal direction.

Bill wasn't perfect;; neither is Hillary. I don't expect perfection in a President; not do expect to see a knight in shining armor saving America from evil.

The mainstream media, infused with Ivy League Journalism school writers, filled with white guilt, have done Obama;s negative campaigning FOR HIM.

I've seen more sexism and reverse racism in the primary than ever before - most of it promulgated by Progressive left types who have finally found a way to make me sick of their sorry rear ends.

Obama of OVER. I will not pull a lever in a voting booth for someone who has let slide the most egregious sexist and reverse racist attacks on his opponent, one of the finest liberal politicians in our generation.

Last: George Miller isn't fit to tie Hillary's shoes; that he's a close associate of Nancy Pelosi is just one more reason that has come along for me to never vote for her again.

GO HILLARY!!

[Angela]

I don't care what this guy says. I probably pay for his gas as a taxpayer. Gas is almost 4 dollars a gallon in his district. Will 18 cents make a huge dent? Probably not, but it will make me feel better.

I could care less if an economist doesn't think I should be allowed to keep my own money. Let me keep the paltry 3 dollars I would save at each fill up. I will use that money better than the government has.

[Loyd in Cerritos]

Well in so many words they did say the idiots vote for Clinton and the smart people vote for Obama. Are we really a nation of idiots? Listening to the Clinton supporters it's not a hard leap.

[Engy]

Hillary seems to be gaining popularity with this, right? It's amazing that she's using people who are in a bad economic situation, gaining their praise for ultimately hurting them in the long run.

I guess whoever claims that they'll make gas free will win. Of course, that's an exaggeration- I hope. I hope almost everyone could see through that. But why can't they see through this? Is it just too comforting in the short run?

[FJ Stratford]

The LATTE LIBERALS strike again!

Proving once and for all that just like the Rich Republicans, they do not understand the issues that resonate with the working middle class.

And just like their Rich Republicans, they do not care!

[Ronnn]

The issue is can you trust the candidate to do what's best for the country or what's best for the candidate. Hillary's policy will fail but if some people due to their ignorance will think that lowering the tax will come into their pocket which it won't Obama thinks policy should be made to improve the country not to get votes so he is against it.

The worst thing about Hillary is she will not back down just like Bush.

Clinton is mendacity we can count on. Obama is transparency we can count on. That is what this election is about.