True Story: I Delivered RNC Tire Gauges Today

RNC Press Intern True Story: I delivered three tire gauges today to the Washington bureaus of various national news organizations on what is most certainly one of the best weather days we've had in the Metro area since May. (Parenthetically, a true story of lesser interest: I picked up the envelops they were sent out in last week in Arlington at the Container Store of all places.) To the right, my intrepid adventure documented. But, just to cherish the moment of Obama's brilliant oil strategy, here's his remarks on tire pressure:

Captain Ed, at Hot Air, clears up just what the relative gains of the most stellar tire pressure will do for us:

"Obama clearly stated that we could get just as much oil from tire inflation and tune-ups as we can get from drilling — a ludicrous statement well deserving of ridicule [...] Most experts put the actual improvement at 3%.  With our present consumption of 20 million barrels a day, that comes to a savings of 1.65% at the most generous assumptions, and more likely about 0.5%. Current production of American oil is 8 million barrels a day; expanding drilling to the OCS and to interior shale would eventually provide millions more per day, not just the 100,000 barrels we’ll get out of our tires."

This speaks to the continued, and astounding ignorance of (or else willful defiance of) some of the oldest, simplest, and most basic of economic concepts. Yes, we can marginally reduce demand through tire maintenance, but as Editor Emeritus Douglas so eloquently phrased it today: "Increase supply, prices go down. It's EASY. Drill more, more oil, costs less. Yay." Should the Guerilla Congress fail, or Barack Obama pull it out, the leftists will probably conceive of a revolutionary strategy: price ceilings. Prevail, Guerilla Congress, conquer and prevail.

Comments

[ScottJ]

The failing of your logic, as a result of ignorance or more likely willful intent, is that there is not the volume of oil available from domestic offshore drilling to increase supply in a way to make an adequate difference in prices. To not grasp this fact is either shockingly naive, or is just dishonest. I'll guess the latter...

[Katherine Miller]

I didn't clarify this in the above post, but offshore drilling is not the only longterm means of energy production, in my mind. We need to drill more to increase supply -- that will lower the price, hell, expectation of increased supply has already cut the national average from $4.10 to $3.80 since Bush lifted the executive ban.

At the same time, we ought to be expanding nuclear and solar (check out this Forbes piece: http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/08/opec-oil-congress-oped-cx_mc_0709energy.html). Germany has 17 times the solar power per capita that we do, and the raw solar power of Seattle. Fuel cells should also play a role. In the meantime, though, we need to drill more -- increase the supply, bring down the cost.

[ScottJ]

Refreshing to hear support for solar from a GOPer. Indeed, with solar research breakthroughs happening everyday, it has massive potential:

http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111578

Of course, John McCain has regularly opposed renewable energy standards and tax credits. His "energy policy" for more drilling and more nuclear, is really just a reflection of two industries that donate heavily to him. A comprehensive energy policy must include renewable energy if it is to be considered at all realistic and serious about addressing the problem. There simply is not a sustainable supply of oil to keep up with demand and nuclear safety is still uncertain and comes with the problem of nuclear waste that no one wants in their backyard.

As for drilling "now", that is not a solution- it will not achieve any real effect, which even McCain's staff admits:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-offshore18-2008jun18,0,3372420.story?track=rss

This is just a ploy by oil companies to get control of more land for them to hold onto and not drill on for years.