We Need OBAMA TIRE GAUGES!!!!

[kurtboss]

We need to invert this MEME and QUICK.

The solution is to have Obama branded tire gauges people bring to rallies.

They are VERY cheap and you could have a message on them. Someone can make some dough off this to boot.

My concern is that McCain will be mocking Obama with this very effectively if WE don't use it. You'll see GOP waving them all around.

It is good advice on the part of Obama, better to run with it and for Obama to have a laugh about it and make light of McCain.

What if you were to have oil companies contributions to McCain on the back of the gauge? Or maybe company logos of McCain oil company donors...

[tedoll78]

1. Either that, or a really good counter:

Could you imagine Obama quipping, "Apparently the Republicans have decided to let Carrot Top manage their campaign operations this year." :P

[Orsino]

53. There is no counter.

The pinheads that don't want to believe we can run out of oil, or that Jesus might not want them to drive V8s, will continue to jeer at conservation, on cue, with whatever slogans the Right dreams up.

We can only hope to drag enough thinking beings along with us that the pinheads become irrelevant.

[rndmprsn]

2. background please?

[PBS Poll-435]

3. The GOP is going to distribute commemorative tire gauges at their convention

Heard it on KLIF this afternoon.

[kurtboss]

9. Seriously?

Then we sure as shit need to do this.

[cbc5g]

4. I agree...Take the meme and mock it, it's the perfect solution to their bullshit game

[Coexist]

5. you can buy promotional blue ones here:

http://www.brand-a-rama.com/item_information.cfm?SupplierItemGUID=BE2E677D-C19C-4211-AC0E-1AF4DC62B8F4&source=gbaseBAR



but they're made in China.

[kurtboss]

12. Yeah I don't like the China thing but good find

I think it's more important to get them done quickly then where they're located.


You're on the ball both finding a source that would brand it and seeing the location...US would, of course, be pref.

[kurtboss]

19. Anyone Have Contacts in Obama Land?

Someone that could get an ear? Or know someone that knows someone??


This is one of those small things that is easily countered if hit upon.

[Coexist]

25. Democrats only purchase union made promotional materials

but here are some cool keychain ones:

http://www.promopeddler.com/04-49/tire-pressure-gauge-key-chain-qqp374567.htm

[kurtboss]

27. How Do we Know if these are Union Made Etc

Thanks for getting this stuff btw.

[Coexist]

30. online, you can only use the Google to help

in person, they'll have the union bug on them.

http://www.motivators.com/AutoAccessories-Promotional-Products-1-241.html

[Coexist]

29. here are union made, but they don't look imprintable..

http://www.usstuff.com/tiregaug.htm

[hootinholler]

44. Oh SNAP! Please let them distribute Chinese made guages! n/t

[AtomicKitten]

6. caphill calls it the new "purple bandaid"

bluedog Today, 9:04 AM Post #1
Member Avatar
Majority Leader

No more purple Band-aids....its.....tire gauges.........

this is too freaking funny!!!!! :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

McCain supporters in Michigan will distribute tire gauges at Obama’s energy speech in Lansing.

The RNC will also deliver gauges reading “Obama’s energy plan” to Washington newsrooms.

An allusion to Obama’s call last week for drivers to keep their tires inflated.

http://thepage.time.com/2008/08/04/republicans-to-mock-obama-with-tire-gauges/

[kurtboss]

14. Do we know where they're getting theirs?

See if they're Chinese...plus put in our own orders...

[AtomicKitten]

18. maybe you could ask them while this topic is making the rounds today

kind of a childish stunt IMHO

[kurtboss]

23. Yeah it IS childish

But that doesn't mean it isn't effective making Obama look bad..

[yellowcanine]

42. I don't see it as making Obama look bad. Most people will see it as a useful suggestion.

So how does it make Obama look bad? If anything it makes McCain look bad for trying to make hay out of it. I say laugh it off with a well timed quip and leave it go at that.

[PA Democrat]

36. What morons. Like making sure your tires are properly inflated is a JOKE.

It not only can save you money at the pump, but it can also save your life.

<snip>

Checked your tires lately? Maybe you should, because 27 percent of passenger cars and 32 percent of SUVs and light trucks are driving around with at least one dangerously underinflated tire, according to a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released Aug. 29, 2001.

<snip>

Underinflated tires can lead to blowouts, which can cause drivers to lose control and crash their vehicle. Underinflation was also blamed for the tread separation that plagued Firestone tires in dozens of accidents involving Ford Explorers. Even if it's not fatal, low tire pressure can mean poor vehicle handling, low fuel economy, and shorter tire life.

http://www.insure.com/articles/carinsurance/tire-safety.html

[AtomicKitten]

40. they don't mean it as a joke

The intent is ridicule. And, yes, they are morons.

[yellowcanine]

43. It is a cheap joke on them. That is how it will play out. Bet on it.

McCain's campaign is increasing being seen as all gimmicks and no substance. This plays into that. It definately does not win over independents - which IS the group he has to win over.

[mwb970]

52. mccain is clearly appealing to "low information" voters.

They're the ones we used to refer to as "idiots". Anyone with a brain simply laughs out loud at mccain's ridiculous, lie-filled ads. Not the idiots, though. They eat it up and beg for more! This is the group mccain is trying to win over.

There's a lot of talk about "dog whistle" statements aimed at a particular group that will "get the hidden message". But every mccain statement acts as a dog whistle to the "low information voter". The more bogus and ill-founded the remark, the faster they swallow it. And forward it to 50 low-information friends and relatives!

Folks, we're bucking a trend here. Americans have been getting stupider and stupider for years. They were stupid enough to "elect" the emetic bush not once but twice, and I'm quite sure they are more than stupid enough to elect his clone. Vastly superior candidates are repeatedly rejected in favor of mentally ill, criminal incompetents.

Our citizens no longer deserve America, and so we will lose it.

[awoke_in_2003]

49. I know they intend ridicule...

it is funny, though, that Chevron has been airing commercials telling people to keep tires properly inflated to save gas.

[Hamlette]

7. Be sure to remind people keeping tires inflated SAVES more gas than we will pump out of ANWR

http://rochesterturning.com/2008/08/04/drilling-in-anwr-versus-inflating-your-tires/

[ellacott]

13. Good idea

They can have that logo on one side and an Obama logo on the other side.

[kurtboss]

28. Agreed

More good ideas.

[madeline_con]

8. Or a pic of the Straight Talk Express with flat tires. n/t

[eShirl]

11. bwahahaha

[kurtboss]

16. I like it

But the gauges would be nice way of grabbing the whole meme.

[eShirl]

10. YES beat them to the punch; also makes a practical gift

[Coexist]

15. yup!

[TwilightGardener]

17. Obama was right on this--this wasn't a gaffe, it's a sound suggestion.

I'll take two Obama Tire Gauges, please--one for each car.

[kurtboss]

21. Exactly Why This Could Work

It really is sound advice. But we don't Obama trivialized with it....

[freesqueeze]

20. won't proper tire pressure

save you as much as off-shore drilling (without the tar stations)?

[yellowcanine]

22. I disagree - let them distribute their tire guages. When people ask, "why? and are told the reason,

they will say, "But Obama is right!" I see this going nowhere for the pubbies. Making a big deal of it - while generating some comradarie and good feeling - is playing into their strategy. Spend the money on something useful.

[kurtboss]

26. Turns Out Obama could CREDIT McCain with a Great Idea

Obama says hey, I thought he was being environmentally conscience, so our supporters should have them too...

[yellowcanine]

31. Not saying Obama should totally ignore it. Light hearted quip in a debate would be enough though.

And the laughs would be AT McCain. It would be a great two-fer. It would show that Obama can take a joke and it would poke fun at the silliness of the McCain campaign

[bunkerbuster1]

24. The GOP gauges look really cheap and hard to use, by the way.

Year or so ago I invested in a high-quality digital meter. I'll never go back to those crappy stick-gauges.

[yellowcanine]

41. Don't know about the GOP gauges but there is nothing crappy about a high

quality analog gauge like most of the service technicians still use. They don't need batteries for one thing and they are more durable than digital.

[bunkerbuster1]

51. I'll take your word for that...

I just thought the gauges being handed out looked like crap.

[H2O Man]

32. Absolutely right!

This would be kind of like the Agnew "Mickey Mouse" watches from long ago. The republicans thought they were getting a dig in; the "new left" adopted those watches, and stole the symbol from the enemy.

[MadrasT]

33. What if...?

What if the rethugs had a convention... and NO ONE CAME? :rofl:

Just sayin'...

[sonias]

34. And NASCAR endorses the plan too

Picked up from a DailyKos Diary today called "Tire Pressure":

NACAR
Tire maintenance key to safety, fuel economy
With gas prices now hovering around $3, 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.

It's not important that most people still aren't aware that today's tires are scientific marvels, holding up under extreme heat and freezing conditions, cruising over pavement, rocks, dirt, water, snow, mud, gravel and all sorts of road hazards.

It is worth noting, though, that these high-tech tires, with their advanced tread designs, sidewalls, belts and compounds, are beginning to garner more public attention as gas prices escalate.

:kick:

Sonia

[phusion]

35. looks like they already did...?

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/08/04/prop-watch-the-obama-tire-gauge.aspx

[Born_A_Truman]

37. Maybe the GOP can use it to check the hot air in their candidate!

[elehhhhna]

38. Let's give out McCain wrenches, since the wheels have come off his campaign.

[bvar22]

39. Proper tire pressure is almost always the FIRST recommendation....

...at every boost mileage site.

The Hyper Milers advocate filing tires to the maximum allowable pressures (not "recommended" pressure), and testify to some surprising results.

Filing to maximum allowable tire pressure may provide better mileage, there will be a trade off in ride comfort and safety.

[truthisfreedom]

46. Filling to 2 psi below max rating is better. You can increase tire life by thousands of miles doing

this as well, and that means enormous oil savings too!

[justinaforjustice]

45. Dean Gave Out Snow Scrapers in Iowa in 2004.

Let's turn McCain's tire gauge attack on Obama into a real boomerang. When I campaigned for Howard Dean in the Iowa primary in January of 2004, snow scrapers made great campaign "give-aways". It was freezing there!

Now, tire gauges would make a perfect "must have" Obama campaign item. All that's needed is a slogan on the side. How about: "Full Tires Save Gas, Obama's Energy Policies Will Save Our Nation!" I'm sure that there are many creative souls out there who can come up with much more nifty slogans.

[truthisfreedom]

47. SOMEONE MAKE A FLAT TIRE THAT SAYS "McCAIN'S ENERGY PLAN"

That will drive them crazy.

[Virginia Dare]

48. No, we need McCain "HEARING AIDS"....n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

50. Don":t give Mcgaffe free advertising, Maybe put health facts about how air pollution is harmful and

how using less gas will reduce pollution