"With escalating fuel prices, the time is now for drivers to focus on simple things like proper tire pressure to maximize tire performance and increase fuel economy." Laughable, right? How could Obama say such a thing? Only, Obama didn't say that. NASCAR did. And leading Republican governors Schwarzenegger and Crist also called on Americans to do this crazy thing that would reduce their energy bills by using a proven and cheap technique to decrease the rolling resistance of their tires.It's sort of rare that you see the sickness of our political culture on such clear display as in this flap over Obama's offhand comment suggesting that folks fully inflate their tires. Fundamentally, though, it's a good reminder that politics is like the Kiwanis or the Moose Lodge: It's a social club that justifies its existence by pretending that it's actually about community service and the public good. But it's really just another venue where a bunch of folks get together with their friends and work desperately to make sure they're in on the day's joke. Obama's comment on tire pressure was one of those interesting moments when the joke collides with the ostensible purpose of the club, and you get to see which motivation is stronger. Update: Whoops, looks like the Bush Department of Energy believes you should inflate your tires too. Image used under a Creative Commons license from Eric Castro. IN ON THE JOKES.
"With escalating fuel prices, the time is now for drivers to focus on simple things like proper tire pressure to maximize tire performance and increase fuel economy." Laughable, right? How could Obama say such a thing? Only, Obama didn't say that. NASCAR did. And leading Republican governors Schwarzenegger and Crist also called on Americans to do this crazy thing that would reduce their energy bills by using a proven and cheap technique to decrease the rolling resistance of their tires.It's sort of rare that you see the sickness of our political culture on such clear display as in this flap over Obama's offhand comment suggesting that folks fully inflate their tires. Fundamentally, though, it's a good reminder that politics is like the Kiwanis or the Moose Lodge: It's a social club that justifies its existence by pretending that it's actually about community service and the public good. But it's really just another venue where a bunch of folks get together with their friends and work desperately to make sure they're in on the day's joke. Obama's comment on tire pressure was one of those interesting moments when the joke collides with the ostensible purpose of the club, and you get to see which motivation is stronger. Update: Whoops, looks like the Bush Department of Energy believes you should inflate your tires too. Image used under a Creative Commons license from Eric Castro. 
