The Clinton McCain 419

This letter at the new site Gas Tax Scam is hilarious.

CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT POLITICAL PROPOSAL

Dear Sir

First we must solicit your confidence in this issue. This is by virtue as being utterly confidential and "top secret".

We are SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, the wife of the former United States head of state, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, and also SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, friend and associate of current head of state PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH. We got your contact through business inquiries as we were searching for contacts of a citizen who can help save our and our family's political careers since our country has been frustrating us.

We are top officials of the United States Senate Government who are interested in importation of oil into our country with funds that are presently trapped in the FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND dedicated to improving transportation. We wish to send this money to overseas accounts in the MIDDLE EAST but cannot due to restrictions in Congress Transportation Equity Act requiring that this money must be spent to build roads, bridges and high speed trains.

If you accept we will deliver to your a sum of 30 DOLLARS in the summer 2008 in form of a "GAS TAX HOLIDAY". You will then deliver this money to accounts of our friends in Middle East by taking it to your nearby gasoline station where they have information to forward the money. Please supply your bank account, social security number, address and your vote in DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES AND NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION.

It's surprising that a proposal that, after all, at its heart cuts taxes on driving does not have a plurality of support. It's kind of a freak occurrence (a contested primary with few other differences in policy forces the traditional media to actually cover the issue in a substantive way, and the unanimity among experts forces them to insert that into the debate rather than the more expected he-said she-said), but it does show what can happen when people get all the facts and are able to think for themselves. A pander only works when it's actually popular.

Of course, this is not really about the gas tax, but about Clinton's gambit to paint Obama's supporters as not real people. It's code for the "elitist" label that she's clearly been trying to stamp on him. And none of this changes the fact that superdelegates keep moving against her and the window of opportunity to actually win the nomination is closed. It just pisses off those Democrats who have been paying attention. Understand that this entire gas tax kerfuffle only aids Republicans in their effort to perpetuate a stereotype against Democrats.