It’s a stupid campaign ploy, for sure, but I do get sick of hearing every news story about saving money on gas mention the fully inflated tire thing.  People should remember to check their tires, we get it.  But it isn’t going to save loads of money, either.

What are the chances the McCain campaign’s tire pressure gauges were produced in Chinese sweatshops?? After all, it would fit in with the cynical corporate capitalist imperialism that seems to be so inherently vital to such a mentality as found among McCain and his ilk.

Bet they think since they live in the land of the free,they’ve a right to drive with any tire pressure they see fit and everybody driving with optimum tire pressure would be communist and unamerican.After all,if you pay for the gas,you own it and are free to squander it as you please.Or maybe a little.everyday kinda thing like this doesn’t appeal to their heroic he-man macho-poser self-image as much as invading foreign countries with BIG GUNS(*drool*) to get their oil by any means necces….er,convenient.

Does McCain have any non-joke-based policies?  Or does every one of his policy statements start out, “A rabbi, a priest and an atheist walk into a bar ....”?

I really don’t understand the McCain strategy on this one.

It’s one thing to make fun of an opponent over, I don’t know, macroeconomic plans, or foreign relations with country X, simply because most people don’t know anything about those topics.  But just about everyone who owns a car knows about the necessity of regular tune-ups and taking care of the tires.  All they’re doing is pointing out that Obama was right.

What the hell kind of campaign strategy goes around pointing out the other guy is correct?

You win this round, Party of Personal Responsibility.

So when are the Repugs passing out “McCain Lip Balm and Anal Lube” kits, so they can give all Americans a kiss while they butt-fuck them raw??

Maybe Obama’s people could pass out replicas of offshore drilling rigs. Covered in black, sticky goo.

Thery’re trying to find something as petty and yet easy to disseminate as those vile purpole band-aids were back in 04. They seem to think this is it. I’d like to say it’s not going to be effective, but then I thought the sight of morbidly obese cowards denigrating the service of a war hero (gasp!) wouldn’t be effective either.

Never forget that modern conservatism is all about the kid in all of us. The mean, spoiled, selfish, cruel kid. The one who thinks faggots are funny and girls are gross. What an awesome group of people.

shoot me in the fucking face, please. 

damn.  that’s gonna be worth about a half days chuckle right there!  thanks jesse!

Is the idea that this tire-pressure thing is “funny” because it’s supposed to sound like Jimmy Carter talking about turning down the thermostat in winter?

Never forget that modern conservatism is all about the kid in all of us. The mean, spoiled, selfish, cruel kid. The one who thinks faggots are funny and girls are gross. What an awesome group of people.

Oh, come on - when the term “South Park Republicans” was coined, which character did you immediately think of?...

...here is the Fueleconomy.gov web page, run by the U.S. Department of Energy, that lists things that can be done to improve fuel economy, including maintaining proper tire inflation.  Individually or in sum, they represent things that lots of people don’t pay attention to that could improve gas mileage - sometimes substantially.

It’s a shame Obama didn’t mention air filters or proper grades of oil instead; it actually would be mildly amusing to watch McCain and his lackeys passing out “Obama Energy Policy” air filters (undoubtedly for H2 Hummers) to bemused reporters or offering cans of motor oil provided by the Ol’ Maverick’s biggest contributors in return for contributions…

[interesting that their photo of the tire gauge indicates an underinflated tire.  Since I don’t seem to “get” the McCain brand of humor, I’m guessing that must be part of the joke, too]

I think FlipYrWhig nailed it. Unfortunately.

When is the McCain campaign actually going to start trying to win?  So far, everyone from the candidate on down is acting like they don’t really give a shit and can afford to wing it.

So when are the Repugs passing out “McCain Lip Balm and Anal Lube” kits, so they can give all Americans a kiss while they butt-fuck them raw??

You know, louise, they might actually get some results from their Abstinence-only classes if they started distributing that particular product to the kidz.

maybe obama should get some from the same supplier and put them on his website, too.

//the McCain brand adult diapers may be a bridge too far.

But drilling is MANLY and stuff! Wimps check their tires. REAL MEN DRILL AND DRILL NOW!! YEAH!

*This post is 100% sarcastic

it isn’t going to save loads of money, either.

The point Obama was making when he made the statement that the wingnuts are now ridiculing was that if we collectively took steps to make our cars more fuel efficient, like properly inflating our tires and getting regular tune-ups, that would save more oil than would be available if the ban on offshore drilling were lifted.  And it’s true.  (Blatant blog-whoring, but I don’t want to clog up the comments with the longer explanation.)

maybe obama should get some from the same supplier and put them on his website, too.

I’m with Indy. Obama should absolutely double down on this idea by repeatedly talking about tire pressure during his upcoming “energy week.” It’s a small, sensible idea that everybody can understand, and it connects individual action (and personal responsibility!) to the national goal of energy “independence.”

This is a winner. Obama should repeatedly seize opportunities to talk about how that this little change would have a bigger effect on people’s out-of-pocket gas expenses than offshore drilling, at almost no cost. By ridiculing the idea, the McCainiacs are effectively saying that offshore drilling is a better solution to the gas price problem than simple auto maintenance, and Obama can easily show that he’s flat wrong. By popularizing the tire pressure comment, the McCain campaign is throwing Obama into the briar-patch. Run with it!

Also, is there something to be done with the idea that McCain “can’t handle the (tire) pressure?” Or is that a stretch?

You inspired me to action Jesse.

http://www.priusownersgroup.com/?p=4381

There are a lot of things that would save more fuel at lower cost than drilling would. And would do it all either right now or in only a few years time.

In some parts of Texas lower income people can get a check for up to $3000 written out to a car dealership if they trade in an older car for a wide range of efficient new cars. Sure, this program is expensive, but it helps Houston comply with the Clean Air Act.

Something like this might also save a lot of oil and actually cost less than drilling.

I think the tire pressure guages should be linked to the blatant airhead who is running this handout scam.

What next, an “eat beans not meat” Obama whoopie cushion?  Suitable for kneeling 5x a day?

OMG, can we get a few cases of those cushions for the RNC???

And label them MCCAIN in ‘08??? You’re Darned Tootin!!

LOL! Does McCain have any feet left? It seems to me he keeps shooting himself in them.

The kind of small donors who would get the $25 donation gift fill their tanks to drive to work, and it hurts. A few weeks after playing with the Obama tire gauge, they may very well notice the slight but meaningful difference. There’s also the issue of the name being there in front of them (associated with a message neutral at worst), making them subconsciously more at ease with a foreign name through repetition.

Only to the very rich would this be a gag that would never see use and not backfire.

Sometimes I wish that I had better photoshop foo - I would take one of those stupid pictures of McCain looking goofy or like a bufoon about to explode and stick that sucker in his ear.  Add a caption like “Oh No ... the pressure’s too low!” to imply “airhead is underinflated” and have fun!

I am so tempted to just buy a bunch of plain ones for a buck, grab a Sharpie… then pull a McCain and sell ‘em online for a “$25 donation”...

Checking things is “fussing,” and fussiness is faggy, ergo Obama wants to turn us all into fags. That’s the narrative; it’s all McCain’s got.  And it might work.  (If it does, can I have Jesse’s gun when he’s done with it?)

Like some of the other McCain tricks lately, I believe this will backfire and do him more harm than good.

The “Party of Personal Responsibility” thinks it’s absurd for us to try something each of us can do for ourselves, and instead wants us to pay lots of money to large faceless organizations who will solve the problem for us.  Ummm, yeah.

I found this on Edmunds.com:
The Department of Transportation estimates that 5 million gallons of fuel per day are wasted due to low tire pressure. That’s more than 2 billion gallons per year, just because people don’t take the time to inflate their tires properly.