Obama Energy Plan Revealed, a Tire Gauge

When Obama first suggested last week that Americans could save on energy costs and gasoline by making sure their tires are filled to the correct PSI, Republicans latched on to the remarks, and have not let go ever since. McCain campaign surrogates have been passing out tire gauges across the country during the last few days insisting that tire pressure amounts to the Democrat’s entire energy policy.

For his part, McCain said he agreed with Obama’s suggestion during a town hall Thursday but has also mocked the Democrat’s line as symbolic of his energy plan.

“We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore and we need it now. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage. And the only thing I’ve heard him say is that we should inflate our tires. So he has no plan for addressing the energy challenges that we face,” McCain said Friday during a Panama City press conference.

Obama is announcing his own comprehensive plan today with a wide range of potential solutions to the nation’s energy crisis but don’t expect that to stop Camp McCain from hammering home the tire press suggestions over and over again for the next three months.

UPDATE–The McCain campaign is offering you your own Obama tire pressure gauge for a $25 donation. See the latest email to supporters from Campaign Manager Rick Davis below.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) just pretended to be a Democrat. He stood on the other side of the chamber and listed all of the GOP bills that the Dems killed.

He then said, “I am a Democrat, and here is my energy plan” and he held up a picture of an old Isetta car with a sail attached to it. He paraded around the House floor with the sign while the crowd cheered.

With gas prices now hovering around $4, smart drivers care. Savvy consumers are seeking to increase fuel economy and the life of their tires by paying more attention to those rubber objects that are attached to their vehicle.

Tires that are underinflated by 6 to 7 pounds per square inch increase tire rolling resistance 10 percent or more, increase tread wear rates and tire fatigue. When a tire is underinflated, the tire's road contact zone and cyclic stress level changes resulting in undesirable loss in tire and vehicle performance.