archived: 4 - 10 Sep, 2005 Back Next
BUSH’S LEADERSHIP
Every 1 cent in the rise of gasoline prices takes 1 BILLION dollars out of the national economy. As the price of gasoline spirals above $3.00 a gallon, the economy will be impacted. From initial reports, the national average price for gasoline has moved about 30 cents in less than a week, taking an additional 30 BILLION dollars out of the economy.
Bush’s response was singularly uninspired:
"Don't buy gas if you don't need it.”
In addition, Bush promised to release some of America’s strategic oil reserves – which address potential problems with the supply of oil, but does not address refinery shutdowns.
It should come as no surprise that even as gasoline supply in the Southeastern United States started to return prices continued to rise.
Compare Bush’s response with that of Democrat Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer Thursday called on Montana oil refineries to stop "gouging'' gasoline consumers in the state, saying Hurricane Katrina should have no effect on prices for fuel refined and sold here.
"Even though their cost of production hasn't gone up one penny, they're raising the price 30, 40, even 50 cents,'' he said.”I think that's an outrage.
"That's not the way we treat neighbors. I'm asking them to hold the line. There is no reason to get a momentary spike to increase momentary profits.''
Hurricane Katrina caused major damage in oil-production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico and the South early this week. Since then, gasoline prices have increased as much as 50 cents a gallon in Montana, hitting $2.85 a gallon in some cities.
Yet, according to Schweitzer, the refineries in Montana get their crude oil from Alberta, Wyoming and Montana, and the cost of that oil hasn't risen this week.
Montana refineries in Billings, Laurel and Great Falls shouldn't be affected by developments in the Gulf, and therefore have no reason to raise prices so dramatically, he said.
"I'm calling on them to be good neighbors and roll back prices to the same prices that (they) had last week,'' he said.
Representatives of the refineries did not return telephone messages seeking comment Thursday. . . .
Schweitzer said he spoke to local managers at some of the refineries, and they gave no indication that they would be lowering prices.
Still, the governor said he hoped they would reconsider, since their costs of production haven't increased at all in recent days.
"I don't have the authority to tell them how to price,'' he said.”But it's imperative that they're sensitive about taking care of their neighbors in tough times.''
Schweitzer said the state has been kind to the refineries in the past, cutting them some slack when they violated sulfur-dioxide emission standards.
The refineries also have enjoyed huge property tax breaks on equipment, passed by the Legislature since 1997. – Independent Record
A stark comparison indeed!
REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY
Rep. Jan Schakowsky is a TPJ favorite. Rep. Schakowsky, a progressive, offers practical advice to advance progressive issues. These are her latest recommendations:
What should progressives do as we approach the 2006 elections to capitalize on Americans’ sense of unease and discontent?
I suggest two “Don’ts” and three “Dos.” First, progressives and Democrats don’t need an extreme makeover. Far from it. We do not need to rethink our values and principles, rewrite our agenda or move to the “center.” Polls taken the day before the 2004 election as well as the day after tell us clearly that the Democrats are already where most Americans are on the issues and also on values. The post-election Zogby poll asked respondents to name the moral values most important to them. Two to one, they named “greed and materialism” and “poverty and economic justice” over “abortion” and “same sex marriage.” They share our values. We do, in fact, represent the aspirations of the majority of Americans.
“Don’t” number two is our tendency to talk about our beliefs in terms of programs and policies. I have a ten-point health care plan. I have a housing policy. The right-wingers talk in terms of “right and wrong.” Right and wrong trumps programs and policies every time.
My three “Dos”: First, do what your mother said—or at least what my mother said—stand up straight. What people like least about progressives and Democrats is that they think we’re squishy. They think Bush is tough, knows what he believes and is willing to fight for it. Americans like tough, even when they don’t entirely agree with the substance. Voters like tough; voters don’t like tentative.
Standing up straight requires staying on the offensive. If we are playing defense, we are losing. The Republicans are providing us with a wealth of opportunities—unlimited examples of abuse of power, multiple examples of plain old corruption and greed, predatory economic policies, the quagmire in Iraq, threats to our Constitutional rights and devastating environmental policies.
Nothing should stop progressives from proudly and aggressively standing up in opposition to conservatives’ assault on fundamental, mainstream American values and sensibilities. Most Americans agree that it’s just plain wrong to give millionaires a $140,000 annual tax break, or eliminate the estate tax for 52,000 U.S. families at a cost of nearly $1 trillion over ten years, or reward companies that exchange good jobs at home for slave-wage jobs overseas, and at the same time starve education, Medicaid, veterans’ health care, and even homeland security. Most Americans resent being lied to about going to war and about outing undercover CIA agents. So many offenses, so little time.
The second “Do”—say it again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Steve Chapman, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune observed that in math, 100 x 0 = 0. In politics, you say something a hundred times and it adds up to something. Consider the repeal of the estate tax, which is nothing more than a giveaway to (as my mother would say) the “filthy rich.” The President calls it the death tax. Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and right-wing talk radio call it the death tax. The Washington Times writes about the death tax. And before you know it, the New York Times writes about the death tax, and since everybody dies, the public starts asking for relief from the death tax. Republican repetition of the same talking points may irritate you, but it represents the level of discipline that we need if we ever expect average Americans to hear what we stand for and be able to articulate it in one declarative sentence.
For the final “Do,” I borrow from Nike’s successful corporate slogan “Just Do It.” Quite frankly, I am sick of conversations about how disadvantaged we are because they control so much of the media or how the right-wing has been building its infrastructure for decades—even if it is true. If I had a dollar for every time a progressive whined about this, there would be enough money to balance the federal budget and fix Social Security for another 70 years.
Actually, the campaign to save Social Security is a perfect example of progressives “just doing it,” as well as standing up straight, and saying the same thing again and again. In my decades as an organizer, I have never participated in such an intentional and effective collaboration among diverse organizations and members of Congress. All the stakeholders have been brought to the table to craft a strategy that maximizes the strength of each. The President has not made a single stop on his journey to privatize and ultimately destroy Social Security that has not been greeted by an enthusiastic, disciplined and, often, huge group of protesters. Republicans are scrambling for cover, afraid to hold town meetings of their own. While it’s not over ‘til it’s over, we are winning the battle to protect and preserve Social Security.
I am optimistic; history is on our side. Rather than the beginning of a right-wing shift, I believe we are enduring its last gasp. This is a moment of opportunity for progressives; change is in the air. The 2006 Congressional elections are just around the corner, and we can’t waste a minute. Stand up straight, say it again and just do it! – In These Times
These are tactics that should be well heeded.
Last Update: 03/23/2006