The story

Polled position: gas taxes and supercars

By Angie Drobnic Holan, Robert Farley
Published on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 06:39 p.m.


SUMMARY: We find that Clinton mischaracterizes savings from a gas tax holiday, while Obama gets it mostly right. Clinton also said that if she's elected, cars getting 100 miles per gallon are only a couple of years away. But experts (those elitists!) differ.

With the primary campaign entering its final stretch, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama argued energy policy in the run-up to primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton argued for a gas tax holiday between Memorial Day and Labor Day, paid for with windfall profits from oil companies. Obama dismissed the measure as a political gimmick, saying it wouldn't gain voters much.

We looked at the following statements from the campaign.

• Clinton said that her gas tax holiday proposal would put $70 back in drivers' pockets. She neglected to say that's only if you're a family of four. We found she often omitted that distinction, giving the impression everyone would save $70. So we rated her claim False.

• Barack Obama calculated the savings per vehicle at a more modest $28. We found he got his math Mostly True and used reasonable assumptions to come up with the number. A word of warning: Economists say that $28 is a best-case scenario and certain to be reduced by increased demand.

• Clinton said prototype cars that get 100 to 150 miles per gallon are the wave of the future, and if she were elected president, you could buy a car like that "in a couple of years." Experts, though, say the new supercars are expensive, and a few years is likely too optimistic to get them on the road. We rated her claim Barely True.

Advertisement
Bookmark this
About this story

Sources: See individual items for sources.

Researchers: Angie Drobnic Holan

Personalities: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama

Related rulings:
Barack Obama on Energy, Monday, May 5th, 2008. Ruling: Mostly true | Details
Hillary Clinton on Energy, Sunday, May 4th, 2008. Ruling: False | Details
Hillary Clinton on Energy, Friday, May 2nd, 2008. Ruling: Barely True | Details

Contribute

No, we don’t want to take your money. But we are more than willing to listen if you know of any facts or story ideas for the Truth-O-Meter. truthometer@politifact.com

PolitiFact.com

PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate. >> More

Logos
Sorting out the truth in politics
Browse
Candidates

Search PolitiFact via Google

Feeds

Get PolitiFact:

Advertisement