Leading by example

Dana Milbank in the Washington Post:

"Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took over as president and vice president, gas prices have doubled!" charged Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), standing at an Exxon station on Capitol Hill where regular unleaded hit $3.10. "They are too cozy with the oil industry."

She then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away.

[...]

...After lunchtime votes, senators emerged from the Capitol for the drive across the street to their offices.

Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) hopped in a GMC Yukon (14 mpg). Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) climbed aboard a Nissan Pathfinder (15). Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) stepped into an eight-cylinder Ford Explorer (14). Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) disappeared into a Lincoln Town Car (17). Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) met up with an idling Chrysler minivan (18).

Next came Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), greeted by a Ford Explorer XLT. On the Senate floor Tuesday, Menendez had complained that Bush "remains opposed to higher fuel-efficiency standards."

Also waiting: three Suburbans, a Nissan Armada V8, two Cadillacs and a Lexus. The greenest senator was Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who was picked up by his hybrid Toyota Prius (60 mpg), at quadruple the fuel efficiency of his Indiana counterpart Evan Bayh (D), who was met by a Dodge Durango V8 (14).

So, what should be done about high fuel prices? I'm with the Cato Institute's Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren, who answer, "nothing." But the right decision is also the politically suicidal one, as illustrated by this Washington Post story about gas-guzzler drivers whining about the government's "failure" to keep gasoline cheap:

"This is ridiculous," said Jackie Tarone, a retired homemaker and Bush voter who was filling up a Mercedes SL500. "The oil companies keep giving money to the politicians to keep them in there -- that's the way the system works. It's a shame."

[...]

Many said they blamed the government and car manufacturers for failing to develop alternative sources of energy -- particularly after the oil crisis in the 1970s.

"The government is definitely to blame for making oil our number one energy source," said Inna Shapovalov, 35, an immigration lawyer who was putting $35 into her Hyundai Santa Fe. "I wish we could all drive electric cars."

In a district that contains some of the most affluent portions of the state and large numbers of gas-guzzling luxury vehicles, none blamed motorists themselves for buying cars that use so much gas. National figures show that though the average vehicle mileage improved dramatically through much of the '80s, it has since dipped or held constant.

John Holzberg, 64, a Republican banker from Boca Raton, put gas into a Cadillac and cursed when the total of $43 came into view. [emphasis added]

Ever have these days when you find yourself thinking, "you know, maybe democracy doesn't work after all?"

Damian P.

Update: Jacob Weisberg explains "how high gas prices make politicians stupid."

Posted by damian at April 27, 2006 11:06 AM