By Rick Pearson
Sen. Hillary Clinton told voters in North Carolina today that her dispute with Sen. Barack Obama on the issue of suspending the federal gas tax for the summer was emblematic of a larger difference over the leadership styles of the two Democratic candidates for president.
"I think if you are a leader, you have got to look at both the headlines and the trendlines," said Clinton, who contends Obama is an elitist for opposing a gas tax cut to help the middle class Obama calls it a gimmick that will not provide any substantial relief for motorists or curb the nation's reliance on foreign oil.
"Now, it's important to me that we come up with solutions, and in a campaign, sometimes that's hard, because of the back and forth in the campaign," Clinton told voters. "But it is important, too, for you to see clearly what it is I propose and what I would do. There is no contradiction between trying to provide immediate relief and having a long-term vision and a plan for what we must do to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and to be moving towards more home-grown fuels."
As she pushes the gas-tax cut proposal despite opposition from Obama and many economic experts, the Obama campaign was quick to point out that a top Clinton supporter also has voiced criticism of such a plan. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley called a gas tax cut "a subsidy for the oil companies," according to the Charlotte Observer in May of 2006. More recently, Easley told the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C., last month that a state tax suspension wasn't on his agenda.
"There's really no alternative but to just get off of oil and we're going to have to do that with alternatives," Easley told the newspaper. "The country--America--has to be far more aggressive."
Clinton has proposed a tax on oil company profits to fund the tax suspension. Likely Republican nominee John McCain also has proposed a summertime lifting of the 18.4 cent per gallon federal tax, with the lost revenues to the highway construction trust fund coming from general federal revenues.
"This issue that we are facing today over gas prices, and the debate that my opponent and I are having over it, is really part of a larger difference between us," Clinton said. "It's something I hope you will think about when you go to vote - either voting early today or voting next Tuesday."
With the next round of presidential balloting only a few days away, the Clinton campaign gave its version of the TV advertising dollars both candidates are pouring into Indiana and North Carolina. The Clinton campaign says in Indiana, Obama has spent $5.6 million compared to her $3.2 million with the Illinois senator also pumping some ad dollars into the expensive Chicago media market to attract the attention of Northwest Indiana voters.
As for North Carolina, where Obama has long been favored, the dollar gap on TV spending is narrower, according to the Clinton camp. They say Obama has spent $4.9 million to Clinton's $3.5 million.
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