McCain renews call for gas-tax holiday at Union Station campaign stop (KC Star buries the story!)

The Kansas City Star ^ | Jul. 17, 2008 | DAVE HELLING and SCOTT CANON

[neverdem]

Sen. John McCain on Thursday renewed his call for a “brief” gas tax holiday — and quickly ran into a political fender-bender with his new Missouri campaign chairman, Sen. Kit Bond.

The Republican told an estimated 1,200 people at Union Station that suspending the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel would help put millions of dollars into the hands of businesses and lower-income Americans.

Such a holiday, he later told The Kansas City Star, could be justified by cutting wasteful spending: “The most pork barrel-laden aspect of everything we do are the highway bills.”

One of the most vocal supporters of past highway bills? Bond, appointed this week as McCain’s state chairman.

“Sen. Bond and I have strong disagreement — have strong disagreement on pork barrel spending,” McCain said. “We have fought on the floor of the Senate, and I think the American people are fed up with earmark, pork barrel spending which has caused corruption.”

Bond — who opposes a gas tax holiday — deftly deferred.

“Senator McCain and I agree that wasteful spending should not be tolerated, but what the American people are really fed up with is $4 gas,” he said in a statement.

McCain’s renewed call for suspending the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal gas tax came during a wide-ranging, one-hour town hall meeting at Kansas City’s historic train depot.

The capacity crowd strained...

--snip--

He also said Obama had the “most extreme” record in the Senate.

Asked later if he thought Obama was an extremist, McCain said: “His voting record … is more to the left than the announced socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont.”

Does McCain think Obama is a socialist? “I don’t know. All I know is his voting record, and that’s what people usually judge their elected representatives by.”...

[neverdem]

After hearing the story on the radio a couple of days ago, I wondered what kind of coverage the DBM gave it. I entered john mccain bernie sanders obama into Yahoo! News. You have to look at foreign sources to find the story with the correct headline.

AFP via Yahoo! News Obama 'more left' than a socialist: McCain

Australian Broadcasting Corporation Obama 'more left' than a socialist: McCain

[RC2]

Democrats in Congress want to raise the gas tax ten cents a gallon. Go figure.

[Cobra64]

Democrats in Congress want to raise the gas tax ten cents a gallon. Go figure.

Actually, up to 40 cents a gallon.

Libs do everything upside down.

[hkp123]

I’m not real keen on McCain, but I’ll vote for him. However, he is wrong on the “Tax Holiday”. It will do nothing more than “bankrupt” local DOT’S that are already in trouble. Conserve and save and then the governmink raises rates to cover the shortage. It’s happening all over the country. I’m so tired of this carp. Obamao has no plan other than to tax the populace into oblivion. Then the revolution will start.

[AlaskaErik]

I’d rather we keep the tax in place and use it to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.

[sirchtruth]

Who really gives a tinker's damn about a one time "tax holiday," like McCain's doing people a favor by not taking more of their money!?

Drill you dumbasses, I'd much rather you'd call for that, you liberal coddling wuss!

[normy]

I will take all of the above.

Asked later if he thought Obama was an extremist, McCain said: “His voting record … is more to the left than the announced socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont.” Does McCain think Obama is a socialist? “I don’t know. All I know is his voting record, and that’s what people usually judge their elected representatives by.”...

McCain is a strong anti communist and remarks like this are awesome. I hope this guy continues to tell it like it is.

[Fred]

Since the great ‘demand destruction’ has curtail gas usage somewhat, expect lower tax revenues from gasoline and EXPECT Reid and Pelosi to DEMAND A TAX INCREASE ON GAS to make up for lost tax revenues...

[HighlyOpinionated]

Democrats are against the deferred gas tax because it puts money into the hands of voters and businesses and normal people. Democrats don’t want people to have money in their pockets. Democrats want to raise taxes so that they can then decide which pockets the tax money goes into — theirs or their cronies —

Pork Barrel Spending, We’ll Have A Wonderful Time . . .
Pork Barrel Spending, Just Keeping Our Family in Mind . . . Pork Barrel Spending, We Couldn’t Do It Without You . . .
Pork Barrel Spending, Money For Me And My Cronies, Too.
(to the tune of roll out the barrel)

[captnorb]

Get an accounting of where the gas tax funds are first.

I don't know about you but here in NC the DOT funds are used for the general budget.....Our roads are getting worse and our state gas taxes are some of the highest in the country.