Note: The article was published at the beginning of May. What's the next dumb economic idea in this race?

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John "I don't know too much about economics" McCain was the first out of the gate with this terrible idea. Hillary Clinton latched on.

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The Real Elitism in the Clinton Gas Plan

Forget for a minute that economists are criticizing Hillary's proposed tax holiday. Ignore the appearance of the plan, as little more than a way to divert a few bucks into the pockets of her core constituency, in the final run up to the primary.

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Discount Populism: Why the Federal Gas Tax Holiday Is Bunk

A Federal Gas Tax Holiday is bunk. Worse than bunk, it's counter productive -- the economic equivalent of solving the obesity problem by making Twinkies, ho-hos, and deep-fried mars bars tax deductible. Some people might call that populism, but pandering is closer to the mark.

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Political Double-Speak and Straw Dogs

At this late date with what is expected to be a pivotal event in the Democratic primary, one of the candidates is once again seeking shallow resonance with what the mainstream media calls "white working class voters".

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Only 19 percent of drivers properly check their tire pressure, and poorly inflated tires cost Americans an unnecessary $1.1 billion each year. That's equates to 3.5 million wasted gallons of gasoline each day.

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More than 200 economists, including four Nobel prize winners, signed a letter rejecting proposals by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain to offer a summertime gas-tax holiday.

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Last week I posed a simple challenge: Try to find any coherent economist willing to support the gas tax holiday proposed by candidates McCain and Clinton. The challenge remains unanswered, but here's some interesting commentary collected during the week:

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"Well let me tell you – this isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's designed to get them through an election".

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"Score one for Obama," wrote Greg Mankiw, a former chairman of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. "In light of the side effects associated with driving ... gasoline taxes should be higher than they are, not lower."

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Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lined up with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, in endorsing a plan to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for the summer travel season. But Senator Barack Obama, Mrs.

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McCain Economics Weak? – Offers most Practical Economic Proposal in a Decade

John McCain has used humor to offset those who like to say he's too old for the job. He even pretends to be asleep when asked questions; then suddenly snaps to attention to hear the giggles of the crowd.

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To help people weather the downturn immediately, McCain urged Congress to institute a "gas-tax holiday" by suspending the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

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