Name that tune

Clinton sings the faux-populist, anti-intellectual Manichean blues

Posted by David Roberts at 4:30 PM on 05 May 2008

I must say I'm surprised and gratified at the amount of coverage the gas-tax holiday is getting. It appears to be blowing up in Clinton's face, which is exactly what would happen in a Good and Just world.

Earlier this week, asked about the fact that not a single policy expert or economist thinks the holiday would do anything for consumers, Clinton spokesflack Howard Wolfson said:

"We believe the presidency requires leadership," said Wolfson. "There are times that a president will take a position that a broad support of quote-unquote experts agree with. And there are times they will take a position that quote-unquote experts do not agree with."

Quote-unquote experts! Wow. Faux populist anti-intellectualism in service of political expedience. Where have I heard that before? The tune sounds familiar ...

A gaffe by the spokesflack? Nope, it seems Clinton really is taking this line. In an interview later with George Stephanopoulos, when asked to name a single economist who supported the idea, she said:

We've been, for the last seven years, seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hard-working Americans. ... I'm not going to put my lot in with economists.

Going with her gut, dismissing expert advice. If I could just place that tune ...

Here's some video (try not to cringe, I dare you):

Far from backing down in the face of this unified raspberry from the expert community (and the public), Clinton is trying to bully other legislators into supporting her plan, asking, "Do they stand with hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the big oil companies?"

An emotionally charged, Manichean choice in the face of a complex problem. Wait, I remember the tune! It's called "The Bush Administration," and it dominated the charts for years! Seems awfully early for a cover version, though ...

Now, compare and contrast:

For story: Name that tune
5 Comments | Post a Comment

Please go away Hillary

She is showing the same great judgment that led her to support the invasion of Iraq. Vote Obama!

by infp at 5:28 PM on 05 May 2008

sounds good , mostly

I was with him until he voiced the idea that lowered consumption in the US will lead to lower prices at the pump. He's done that before; it's a standing pattern. At that moment he is either foolish or pandering like the rest of them, unfortunately.

If he wants to tell the truth, he may have to start talking about cars being a luxury in the future.

mt

by Michael Tobis at 8:10 PM on 05 May 2008

No way he'll do that, Michael

As I reported here, even Bernie Sanders doesn't want to talk about peak oil. It's a horrible situation -- I heard liberal talk show host Randi Rhodes say that it isn't a problem of supply and demand, it's speculators, and that gas prices will be the number one issue in the election! great! No clue as to what's going on, a perfect prescription for bad policy. So right now, it's toxic. It'll be like FDR trying to coax the country to stand against Germany, which took years.

by Jon Rynn at 8:47 PM on 05 May 2008

Gas Taxes Pay For Roads

Gas taxes pay for roads.

No gas tax no roads.

No roads no cars.

Grist should be anti-gas tax.

Texeme.Construct(Participant)

by jabailo at 10:11 PM on 05 May 2008

"economists"

What's so bad with calling those leet folks with their over-simplified flat (i.e. infinite) earth models "quote-unquote experts"?

by 314159265 at 2:39 AM on 06 May 2008

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