"Everyone gets a Sharper Image foot massager.."
-- David Cross channeling George W. Bush.

There were a lot of contributing factors that led to George W. Bush and not Al Gore being inaugurated in January 2001, but one of them certainly was the traction he got pitching his tax cut plan and offering a $300 rebate check to most tax paying Americans. Bush's policies went against the economic interests of most of the people who voted for him, but they voted anyway. "I want my foot massager!"

It's called pandering. If this were highschool and we were voting for student body president, he'd have handed us free candy with "W" taped on it. It's just as lame, but sad in that when it works, it proves that we are as fickle, uninformed, and stupid as the MSM treats us. All you need to get a voter's attention is to dangle something shiny in front of them. Congratulations, you have the decision making and reasoning powers of a cat.

Let's examine the similarites.

For Clinton supporters, the first thing that should give you pause about your candidate's proposal is that John McCain suggested it first.

The plan has been roundly rejected by economists, and energy experts yet Senator Clinton is undetered.

"Aides to Clinton could not, when asked, point to a single non-political expert who supported such a proposal, saying simply that it is a president's prerogative when to take expert advise.

"We believe the presidency requires leadership," said Wolfson. "There are times that a president will take a position that a broad support of quote-unquote experts agree with. And there are times they will take a position that quote-unquote experts do not agree with."

Who else do we know that has selective attention when it comes to listening to experts and scientists? When you don't like what they have to say, it gets in the way of all the decidin' you have to do.

You're with us or against us.

Sen. Clinton asserted

that she was going to propose gas-tax-holiday legislation to see if members of Congress are "with us or against us" in battling the oil companies.

Hillary, speaking of members of Congress, said: "I want them to tell us, are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?"

Who else do we know says "you're with us or against us?" Clearly a uniter, not a divider. Who else do we know that forces ill conceived but politically expedient legislation in front of members of congress, daring them to vote against something that could so easily be turned against them in an election year? I can hear the ad now, "Congressman McDemocrat voted against saving Americans billions of dollars at the gas pump! Got road rage now?"

These are the sorts of election year gimicks that get us politicians we don't want and don't deserve. Speaking leaders we don't want or deserve. Remember in 2000 how Bush's Florida campaign co-chair oversaw the recount, and how the supreme court handed the presidency to him. How many times have you thought about how different the world would be if Al Gore had been our president instead? What do you suppose Al Gore makes of this gas tax holliday?