Tires, air pressure, & fuel economy: on that which The One hath proclaimed
It’s common knowledge, among those intent on maintaining their automobile’s mechanical soundness, that there are certain rules to follow. For example, one should regularly inspect the belts and hoses of their engine for cracks, leaks, etc. Another commonly known tip can be found at Valvoline’s website (scroll down the page):
Proper inflation pressure makes tires last longer, and it also improves the vehicle’s fuel economy.
Yet, how many of you are aware that Valvoline’s recommendation is, in reality, Barack Obama’s Energy Plan®?
From TIME, Michael Grunwald writes, in The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke,
How out of touch is Barack Obama? He’s so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. Gleeful Republicans have made this their daily talking point, Rush Limbaugh is having a field day, and the Republican National Committee is sending tire gauges labeled “Barack Obama’s Energy Plan” to Washington reporters.
But who’s really out of touch? The Bush administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 barrels per day by 2030. We use about 20 million barrels per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage by 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone else did, we could reduce demand several percentage points immediately. In other words: Obama is right.
Ignoring the careless manner with which Grunwald tosses numbers around – is he serious? Is he so out of touch with reality that he sees a common sense car care tip as now, somehow, being part of Barack Obama’s change we can believe in?
What future addenda will we see to Barack Obama’s Energy Plan®, Grunwald? Tax rebates for driving with windows closed? Economic incentives for dropping the tailgate on pickup trucks?
Yeah, Obama is right. And so is Valvoline.
Update: Via Political Punch (ABC News), From the Fact Check Desk: Are Obama’s Claims About Inflating Car Tires Accurate?
Filed under: Democrats • Energy • Rusty
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Ooh, an Obama/Valvoline ticket. The dream team! 🙂
I’m not sure what the problem is. Here, Obama has suggested a REAL, 100% effective way of saving MORE GAS than we could gain from offshore drilling. This solution does not cost a single penny of taxpayer dollars nor of any individual dollars. In fact, it SAVES individual citizens money.
Conserving is the ONE SINGLE CLEARLY EFFECTIVE way of reducing our dependency on foreign oil and it does not involve gov’t subsidies of oil companies, car companies or motorists (as our current “solutions” do).
It is the single most fiscally responsible, logical partial solution to a devastatingly serious problem AND YET, Obama is being given grief over this effective solution. By conservatives! (Pardon me, “conservatives.”)
What gives?
Oh, I forgot to mention, this solution can begin TODAY, as opposed to offshore drilling which MAY have small benefits a decade or so from now.
This kind of juvenile garbage is happening on both sides far too often, and I’m dissapointed that this website is rolling around in it.
A lot of bloggers have been making fun of Obama’s fuel saving tip lately. It’s just one common sense tip.
A lot of bloggers have been making fun of McCain because he admitted he’s not much of an internet user. He’s a smart man and I’m sure he can use the internet.
You’re like grade schoolers pointing and laughing at each other. It’s a ridiculous waste of time.
J.
I think the point Rusty is making is that some common sense, everyday idea, spoken by Obama, suddenly becomes The Best Thing Yet(tm), buttressed by TIME magazine itself (feeling it needed to come to his defense).
Tomorrow, Obama suggests clipping coupons. NY Times will have it on the front page, above the fold, noting it is ONE SINGLE CLEARLY EFFECTIVE way of reducing our food costs in these tough times. and it can begin TODAY.
Everything that man says is golden. Can I have an “Amen”?!
Yes, Doug, that was my point.
Dan, I started driving during the ’70s, about the time that economy cars burst onto the scene (for decidedly economic reasons). Remember the “odd/even day” parameters for buying gas? Carpool lanes emerged onto the scene not long afterward. Measures designed to minimize wasteful use of fuel and alleviate excessive spending.
You know what? I’ve always made it a point to check the air pressure on my tires, for both economic and safety reasons. Obama’s suggestion (which is neither liberal or conservative) is a good one – but it’s a tip that’s been known for quite some time and it’s a tactic that thinking Americans should have already been practicing.
So, Doug, if you had been alive when Roosevelt went on the radio in a speech and said, “I hope every American who possibly can will grow a victory garden this year,” and the US and the media and churches, etc, got behind it, got enthusiastic about this simple idea, would you have criticized Roosevelt for such enthusiasm for a common sense idea?
We need to get excited about the simple things we can do to live more responsibly and save our economy from collapse, rather than asking for more offshore drilling that will do practically nothing to deal with the larger problem.
Yes, well, I just started a garden of my own this summer — tomatoes, beans, squash and watermelons — and I can tell you first-hand that the effort in doing that vs. checking my tire pressure are comparable.
Or not. Garden’s aren’t simple. Heck, I didn’t list green peppers above because none of them grew at all, and the pumpkin plant fell victim to gravity, breaking the plant at its base. Ah well, learning experiences.
I’m not disagreeing that we should do simple things to help the economy. I love simplicity. The point, that you seem to be largely missing, is the fawning of the media and the liberal pundits over every single syllable that comes out of the mouth of their Anointed. If Obama suggests more companies adopt Casual Friday to boost morale and productivity, he has an army out there ready to proclaim the idea “the next ‘Victory Garden'”.
You are free to view it that way. I see it as genuine excitement over a candidate that is of a different ilk than what we’ve had the last nearly 30 years. Excitement over a new direction for our country. Excitement in taking part in our Republic – getting out and voting, young, old, black, white, gay, straight, coming together as a nation for positive change.
Don’t confuse skeptical enthusiasm with Messiah worship. At least you aren’t seeing, “O, The President,” as if he were the end all and be all of presidencies. Are the W bumper stickers and praise from the Right Wing media proof of Bush worship?
It seems to me that perhaps some who are more on the Right are feeling a bit of jealousy over the Dems actually having a popular, charismatic candidate – most of the criticism sent his way seems to be about how popular he is, how excited people are about him and not about his particular ideas which, like this tire pressure thing, are generally sound.
Did you see the George Will column the other day with the theme of “We’re tired of his eloquence”?
That and the tire pressure gauge criticism and the Paris Hilton ad… It makes one agree with Obama and the hundreds of thousands of people who show up at his appearances, “Is that all you got?”
Don’t confuse media coverage with adoration by the public. Dee Dee Myers, Clinton’s first press secretary, had an article about how the press seems to be trying to elect Obama. With the press absolutely in the tank for him, these elevations of common sense to saving grace are to be expected.
The press indeed are excited about this tire pressure thing, precisely because it’s Obama saying it; nothing more. This is less jealousy (if it’s any) than it is being struck by the intensely partisan tone the press has decided to take this time around. They’ve thrown objectivity wholly out the window (though they’ll still mock Fox News and the Washington Times). The entourage of adorers that followed Obama to Europe was one glaring example of that. This is another.
And all this alleged public “excitement” has put the two candidates in a margin-of-error race no different than the past two elections.
(P.S. The “W – The President” thing was a push-back by some Republicans to the derogatory use of “W” as a reference to Bush. And it had nothing to do with the media. Nothing nearly like the bowing and scraping we’re seeing today.)
Obama’s candidacy, like it or not, IS historic. The media, like it or not, covers exciting historic news.
That is more about the nature of the media and less about media “fawning,” seems to me.
If the Republicans were running the nation’s first black or hispanic or female president and the media did not cover it fairly extensively, that would be a surprise. If that candidacy was generating unheard of public turnout and donations, they’d be derelict in not covering the story.
What would you have the media do differently with such an historic candidacy?
How about this: Can you provide any examples of media “fawning” over Obama? In the Myers’ article, all I saw were references to the media covering his candidacy.
Coverage – even extensive coverage – does not equal fawning.
Dan,
Obama is not the first black candidate for president. He’s the first half-black candidate.
And, imo, that’s about all there is about him that makes him of a different ilk. I mean, look at him, he’s a flip-flopper, an opportunist, and about as slippery, and twice as polished, as Bill Clinton.
Yet, with all his slickness, all his money, and all the over-attention the media gives him, how is it that he’s still in a dead-heat with little old McCain?
Again, I’d ask for an example: HOW is the media fawning over Obama?
I’ve already stated that they are giving his candidacy great coverage because his is an historic candidacy. And yes, people are polling as suggesting that Obama is getting overcoverage, as there is some burnout on hearing so much about him.
But what are you asking the media to do differently? Are you asking them to cover another old rich white guy who is NOT exciting – whose own constituency is not fired up about him – are you asking that the media cover him as much as they do Obama’s historic candidacy?
Why? On what basis?
I just don’t think that’s the way the media works and I’m not sure that we should expect them to cover another McCain golf tournament or him speaking to a handful of oil company executives and their pals. There’s no news in that. What is there to report?
As to why he has only a 4-10% lead over him in summer polls? No idea. Our presidential races have been close the last few election cycles. There is a certain percentage (I’d guess in the 30s%) who will ONLY vote Republican or Democrat.
Add to that the reality that Obama has less experience than many of our recent candidates and that is bound to help McCain some. It is a legitimate (not overwhelming, but legitimate) concern.
Add to that the reality that some percentage of the population (2%? 10%?) are STILL tinged with racism enough that they would NOT vote for a black man. It is an ugly thing to consider but it is a reality.
If there were only 2% of the population who might otherwise vote for Obama who aren’t because he’s black, that would come closer to kicking Obama up to 10% points ABOVE McCain in these polls. And, as I’ve said, our recent presidential elections have been close. Having a 8-10% lead is not an insignificant number.
Finally, it has been suggested that the polling methods have underrepresented the young adult vote, which tends towards Obama.
Regardless, summer polls are a taste, but they’re not the real thing. We won’t get that until November. I think the closer we get – especially if the best that McCain can come up with is criticisms about tire air pressure (which he admitted today was a good thing) and Paris – I expect we’ll see the polls stay steadily in Obama’s favor, inching slightly upwards and come November, Obama will win handily.
My guess, for what it’s worth.