(1)
One of the things that used to separate Democrats from Republicans was the propensity of Republicans to dismiss scientific evidence in their pursuit of the almighty vote or the almighty campaign contribution dollar. Whether it was well-established scientific theories (like evolution), or the overwhelming consensus (on topics like global warming) of scientists not bought and paid for by corporate interests with an axe to grind, Republicans could be counted upon to distort or dismiss the scientific evidence.

Well, Hillary Clinton finally got tired of seeing Republicans face no competition from Democrats for these votes and dollars. So she has broken free of the chains that bind Democrats to the science-consistent point of view.

Our text today is her gas-tax-holiday proposal (that is to say the one she borrowed from John McCain) Scientists and experts may have panned it, but what do scientists and experts know about anything? It takes a clear-sighted leader to know anything, and Hillary sees very clearly that she has an acute need to pander to voters. Once you see that very clearly, apparently anything is fair game.

Here’s spokesman Howard Wolfson explaining the Clinton campaign’s new to-hell-with-expert-opinion philosophy:

“”We believe that the presidency requires leadership. There are times when a president will take a position that a broad consensus of quote unquote experts will agree with, and there are times when a president will do something that, the group of experts quote unquote does not agree with.

“And you know, this is something that Senator Clinton believes is the right policy…she believes it’s the right policy in the short term to help consumers who are struggling, and she has, as I said, a very comprehensive plan to deal with this in the long term as well. And she’s going to continue to talk about this and continue to push for it. And I understand that there may be some people who disagree with it and of course they’re entitled to disagree with it. You know, this is something that Senator Clinton believes is important. And presidents listen to advice, get advice, and then, and then act. And that is what Senator Clinton is doing.”"

As you read that, just remember that Hillary is a quote unquote Democrat. Is there no act of political prostitution to which this lady will not sink?

(2)
It’s not just that economists have panned Clinton’s McCain-in-sheep’s-clothing proposal, it’s that everyone has panned it, economists across the political spectrum. When Paul Krugman criticizes Clinton and supports Obama, that tends to get people’s attention. And here’s Sam Stein with the most telling piece of evidence:

Surely, however, there must be someone out there not associated with a/ politician or a candidate who supported the idea of a gas tax reprieve — especially if, as Clinton suggests, it would be paid for by an excess profits tax on oil companies.

I emailed Howard Wolfson, Clinton’s spokesperson, asking him to put me in touch with an economic or environmental analyst who favored his boss’ plan. He never wrote back.

So I took the task upon myself. I would call experts from all sides of the ideological aisle to get a sense of where the debate stood. In the end, every single analyst I surveyed judged the gas tax holiday proposal to be, roughly speaking, a silly, superfluous, or outright pandering idea.

(3)
Just listening to Hillary and her campaign shill for the gas tax holiday was bad enough, but now we have to suffer through this kind of crap:

After several days of back and forth between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over whether a summer-long elimination of the gas tax would help or hurt, Clinton took a hard line, asking her colleagues in Congress to take sides.

“I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record,” Clinton told supporters at a rally in southern Indiana. “Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil companies?

“I want to know where people stand and I want them to tell us, are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?” she added.

The gas tax holiday she stole from McCain. And now she’s stealing Bush’s worst lines? If she gives us a Mission-Accomplished-style photo op next, then that’s it for me right there. I don’t wait for November, I move to another country right now.