I've had a few pundit types ask me what the deal is with the kerfuffle over the tire gauge. What's the attack here on Obama? That pumping your tires is elitist? That it's unbefitting a commander in chief to recommend auto maintenance?
Apparently Republican attacks have become so baroque that they are now impossible for anyone outside the Republican base to decode. So here's my take on it.
The short answer is that there's a much bigger fight getting started here.
It's an article of faith among greens that "there is no silver bullet -- what we need is silver buckshot." In other words, we're not going to be able to simply replace the big, highly concentrated, brute-force industrial energy system that fossils built. We're going to have to produce, distribute, and use energy in a much smarter way, and that means doing thousands of little things (like, in the area of transportation, inflating our tires, carpooling, moving to a four-day work week, telecommuting, offering a crusher credit, pay-as-you-drive car insurance, etc.). These things will buffer our shift to a system with new sources (clean electricity) and new techniques (plug-in hybrids, public transit, and transit-oriented development).
Problem is, the public doesn't really get that. They are instinctively suspicious of the lots-of-little-things demand-side approach, and instinctively attracted to the big, macho, stick-your-derrick-in-it supply-side approach.
Obama is the first political figure since Carter to understand the energy efficiency and conservation approach and actually try to present it to the American people. Republicans want to nip it in the bud -- that's why they are so aggressively jumping on the tire gauge thing. They want to make it seem like a small and silly response to a very big problem. But all the things we need to do will seem small and silly in isolation; it's the portfolio approach that will work. If the truth about efficiency gets out -- how much cheaper it is than new oil, how many more jobs it creates, how much more it does for the domestic economy -- Republicans are well and truly screwed.
This is the key energy battle of the next few years, and this is the first shot fired. Good for Obama for standing up to it.
(See also Michael Grunwald.)
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Comments
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GreyFlcn Posted 2:47 pm
05 Aug 2008
Offshore Drilling in the OCS/ANWR saves you 1% on fuel costs.
_
This concept is a direct attack on the superficial policies that McCain puts forward, because even though small, it is orders of magnitude more effective than McCain's policies.
They NEED to discredit that. Since the DRILL argument is essentially the only sticking argument McCain seems to have on transportation.
Without that, McCain really doesn't have anything left besides the equivalent of turning Coal into Gasoline. Which is a rather flimsy argument if it's given much press.
-David Ahlport
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Gar Lipow Posted 3:21 pm
05 Aug 2008
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wiscidea Posted 9:38 pm
05 Aug 2008
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justlou Posted 9:48 pm
05 Aug 2008
The Democratic reduce-the-demand side of the coin is symbolic of a bottom up, democratic worldview. Keep the bucks at home and in your pocket, use less and be your own power broker.
Republicans are good about preaching about responsibility but their dominance ironically depends on our continuing irresponsibility and dependence on their hegemony of power and lording of the wealth. The tire gauge fiasco represents their desperation in seeing their dominant worldview crumbling along with the infrastructure that their power sources have built.
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John former Marine Posted 10:06 pm
05 Aug 2008
Il faut cultiver notre jardin.
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justlou Posted 10:38 pm
05 Aug 2008
Please, please, please, that was just a joke and not intended to hijack this thread. But it does address a question about the hierarchy of authority which does affect about every sphere of our lives and has some relevance here.
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GreyFlcn Posted 10:40 pm
05 Aug 2008
http://greyfalcon.net/doonsbury.png
-David Ahlport
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KenG Posted 10:52 pm
05 Aug 2008
It didn't surprise me that a Washington DC check of tires found a lot of underinflation, but I don't know that that is representative.
Confirming our worst fears, as soon as this came up, several posts in this blog suggested establishing the "inflation police" to go out and check and inflate everyones tires. My perspective is that you had better keep your damn hands off my valve stems.
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justlou Posted 11:07 pm
05 Aug 2008
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!
My faith in the future rests squarely on the belief that man, if he doesn't first destroy himself, will find new answers in the universe, new technologies, new disciplines, which will contribute to a vastly different and better world in the twenty-first century. Recalling what has happened in my short lifetime in the fields of communication and transportation and the life sciences, I marvel at the pessimists who tell us that we have reached the end of our productive capacity, who project a future of primarily dividing up what we now have and making do with less. To my mind the single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom.
On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom.
Source of quotes: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater
If I recall correctly, the "extremism in the defense of liberty" phrase was crafted by Goldwater's speechwriter, Karl Hess. Interestingly, Hess had a following among some lefty radicals during the 70s.
Although I would find many of Goldwater's policies repugnant it would be hard for me to disagree with the core principles expressed by him in these quotes. There is a convergence here that has relevance to our discussion on this thread.
Thanks, David, for bringing Goldwater to our attention. Yes, figments indeed. That was a good cartoon.
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Russ Posted 11:38 pm
05 Aug 2008
It always seemed to me that to pay lip service to conservation as the right way to tackle environmental problems (while hoping/assuming people wouldn't actually do much of it) would dovetail nicely with the right-wing mantra that "voluntary" "market" solutions are the answer to everything. That's what I would have told him if I were one of his mercenary thugs.
Nor would this have to seem inconsistent with drill-and-burn. Rather, you could represent reasonable energy policy as being a confluence from both supply and demand sides, top-down and bottom-up, conservation and drilling. (Of course all the while putting all the real effort and resources into the top-down extraction assault, while the talk of conservation would be just talk, no action.)
Oh well, like David said, it's difficult to understand Republicans these days.
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frankbi Posted 11:57 pm
05 Aug 2008
lolwut--...?
I'm now starting to think that what's at the heart of the Republican proposals is that it doesn't involve big fat mega-gizmos the size of New Jersey which can show those filthy Russkies/Arabs/Chinese that We Have Testicles. The minute that the proposed global warming `mitigation' solutions involve Death Star-like projects, the conservatives' dislike for Big Government will magically vanish.
By the way, please sign this petition to urge Coleman et al. to go ahead and sue Al Gore and Hansen!
-- bi, International Journal of Inactivism
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Steven T Posted 12:31 am
06 Aug 2008
Another factor: Now that a Rovian crew has taken over key positions in the McCain campaign, these guys are trying to quickly and dramatically trying change the race's dynamic. Remember that a few weeks ago Obama was looking like he was about to put away the whole election.
A big part of what's going on is harassment. If it wasn't a tire gauge it would have been something else equally irrelevant. Doesn't really matter what as long as it is simple and visual. Recall LBJ calling one of his opponents a practitioner of beastiality so the poor guy would have to disavow the practice. Same principle.
The Republicans quite understandably may wonder whether Obama's campaign will hit back hard enough to regain its momentum. Actually, I wonder that too. Indeed, getting Democrats to question Obama's fortitude is a big added bonus, because that might reduce Democratic enthusiasm -- and thus fundraising and voter turnout.
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wiscidea Posted 1:12 am
06 Aug 2008
I'm not exactly one of Obama's strongest supporters, but I must admire his ability to calmly and rationally respond to the sort of crap Republican's are throwing at him. He eloquently defends his remarks rather than try to wiggle out of the situation. This stands in sharp contrast to several previous Democratic candidates for President and will, I think, ensure he wins in November. I'm starting to like the guy and look forward to voting for him.
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Jon Rynn Posted 1:23 am
06 Aug 2008
As for McCain, if you follow his logic, I suppose his supporters should be driving around with floppy tires that barely miss dinging up the wheel. The tire gauge counteroffensive was a way to distract attention from Obama pointing out that drilling won't do much, which was the original point of the inflated tires argument in the first place
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Dan Riehl Posted 1:51 am
06 Aug 2008
If this is bad form here, I understand it may be deleted, but I'll leave a link in case Grist wanted to respond.
Thank you. And if this is not a good practice, I won't repeat it. It isn't my intention to simply troll the site. Thank you for allowing me to comment.
http://thefastreport.com/2008/08/grist-misses-the-gist-mi ...
Dan Riehl
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moehrlei Posted 2:01 am
06 Aug 2008
No individual raindrop ever considers itself responsible for the flood.
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wiscidea Posted 2:20 am
06 Aug 2008
Yet, they whine when someone simply suggests they check their tire pressure to save a little money.
But Daaaaaaad, I don't waaaaaannnnnt to check my tire pressure. I want NEW tires and I want them NOW! I'm going to hold my breath if you try to make me check my tire pressure. I'm going to go let air OUT of my tires! Hah!
Republicans... GROW UP. Otherwise, we're going to need that damned nanny state you keep going on about!
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archigeek Posted 2:41 am
06 Aug 2008
The mellotron is your friend.
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Dan Riehl Posted 2:49 am
06 Aug 2008
While the pundits dissect it, enough of America is dismissing Barry O as clueless and silly because of it. Argue the merits if you want, but ... it's in the game!
What do you want from voters, an attention span?
Dan Riehl
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Jason D Scorse Posted 4:46 am
06 Aug 2008
+http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/8/5/17190/39536
Donate to his campaign and other Democrats if you want real change; otherwise, we're going to get little more than more nukes and drilling and tax cuts for the rich...and a couple more wars.
We need to focus on the root causes of problems. http://www.voicesofreason.info.
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Delay And Deny Posted 9:43 am
06 Aug 2008
Obama has been compared to Jimmy Carter...and it couldn't be truer. The last two years of Carter were economic and political misery, culminating with the 'displine speech'. Carter would orate about some pressing need...then stop for the answer and intone: 'discipline'.
The thing is, the 'public' doesn't want to hear that. We all feel as if doing our jobs is effort enough. We get up, drive to work, work hard, come home and either crash on the soft, go out with friends and drink away the pain, or switch from work to working with kids for soccer, playtime, movies, help with homework.
In other words, the public says, this is the bargain. We don't have time for discipline, that's why we pay you politicians the big bucks. YOU'RE supposed to fix or solve it. If you're telling us to do something, then, you, Obama, are fired!
The real answer that will allow us to keep 99.9 percent of our infrastructure is hydrogen. Just let the system take care of it is probably the best answer in this case. We don't need "visionary" billionaires, or kooky Greens, or "Moonbeam" politicos...all we need to do is let the bureaucrats work their magic, and cut the pipes from liquid (oil) to gas (hydrogen).
Problems solve.
Go back your homes.
There's nothing for you here.
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