The common thread here is anti-intellectual, populist demagoguery. Economists believe the gas tax suspension won’t help consumers. Under current market conditions, the after-tax price of gasoline won’t fall. (And the precedent this would set would be a disaster for the future of weaning Americans off of cheap, carbon-intensive fuel.) So the fact that economists or Tom Friedman may live in cities is obviously not relevant at all. I can imagine Clinton and McCain promising to solve the health care crisis by promising free government-issued leeches, and when doctors insist the leeches won’t help, they reply that it’s easy for rich doctors with their lavish medical plans to say we don’t need a solution.<\/p>\n
Generally, betting on the intelligence of the American public is a bad move. But, like Noam, I think this is a great fight for Obama right now. Here’s how pointing out his refusal to pander on the gas tax helps Obama….<\/p>\n