Gingrich Claims Tire Inflation Lines Big Oil’s Pockets»

[RedEarth]

Last night on Fox News, host Sean Hannity and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) returned (as they often do) to Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) recent suggestion that Americans inflate their tires properly in order to save energy costs.

Seeming to outdo his previous false attacks on this issue, Gingrich claimed that Obama’s idea is actually encouraging Americans to “enrich Big Oil” because selling air has “a higher profit margin than selling gasoline”:

GINGRICH: Well, I got a very funny e-mail from a retired military officer in Tampa who pointed out that most tire inflation is done at service stations and you pay for it. And it’s actually a higher profit margin than selling gasoline. So Sen. Obama was urging you to go out and enrich Big Oil by inflating your tires instead of buying gas.

This claim is absurd for a number of reasons. First, gas station owners, not Big Oil, receive the profits from selling air — if they sell air at all (presumably from mechanized air machines). Second, air is free. So of course the profit margin for selling air is going be higher than a gallon of gas. By contrast, the cost of oil accounts for a significant portion of the price of gasoline. So any profits from gasoline sales (which are actually quite small) also go to the gas station owners, after Big Oil has already been paid.

But beyond Gingrich’s ridiculous assertion, the Auto Alliance has noted that maintaining proper tire pressure is “more important than you may think” because it saves fuel and reduces costs and greenhouse gases.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/gingrich-tires-big-oil/

[Bucky]

1. You can inflate your tires for free if you can just tap into Newt's gas bag.

See, in America, it pays to blow.

[Alexander]

2. Some stations charge $0.25 or $0.50, but even that's way cheaper than gas.

And it really does help your gas mileage.

[EC]

3. The money doesn't go to big oil

it goes to small businesses placing the air machines and the station owners.

[grantcart]

4. In California it has to be provided for free so that solves that problem

[AllentownJake]

5. Gingrich has always been a liar and his relevance

has faded fast.

[johnnydrama]

6. I guess that

So according to Newt I shouldn't buy any soda or cookies at the local gas station either.

Have we decided whether people like Newt are just really stupid, or just really bad liars?

[DefenseLawyer]

8. Drinking a Big Gulp means the terrorists win.

I hope you are happy!

[democrattotheend]

7. Can people inflate their own tires?

I know bike tires can be inflated with a pump that you can keep in your garage? Isn't there something similar for cars? I could swear my dad put air in my tires before...maybe he took it to a gas station, but I think he did it himself.

[truthisfreedom]

11. I bought a cheap compressor that plugs right into the car lighter socket.

It inflates everything and looks like a portable drill.

[4_Legs_Good]

13. I use a bike pump

It's fantastic!

David

[RamboLiberal]

14. I picked up one also that plugs into cigarette lighter for 19.95

even has gauge so you can see when you hit psi you want. I double-checked with a good analog gauge I carry and it is accurate. I got it at Home Depot.

[BlueIdaho]

9. The ramblings of a discredited politician on a partisan hacks program is important because?

I suspect the true believers that swallow this were never gonna vote for Obama anyway.

[truthisfreedom]

10. Umm... Newt? Ready for lawsuits? Because tire inflation is SAFETY-RELATED, Newt.

Don't go telling people not to check their tire pressure. They could be maimed and blame it all on you, idiot!

[opihimoimoi]

12. In their rush to denigrate Obama they often end up selfinflating themselves

This is too rich....

[RamboLiberal]

15. Some of the oil change places will check it for free

I drove in to a Valvoline when I noticed one of my tires was low. The young guys checked all 4 in just a minute. No charge. Didn't even ask if I was a customer before. Kicker was I sent an email to Valvoline complimenting them and got a $5 off coupon back.

I did buy myself a $19.95 air compressor that plugs in to cigarette lighter and works great. Even has a psi gauge that is accurate so you can see when you hit psi you want. I double-checked it with a good gauge I had bought a few years ago.

[Orsino]

16. Orsino claims Big Oil lines Gingrich's pockets.

And vice versa.

[TheKentuckian]

17. Example 96,000,000,000,000,076

that Republicans come in three varieties-stupid, evil, and recovering.

We know Newt ain't stupid or recovering, so it's door #2.

[high density]

18. Coming soon: The Gingrich Air Station

If it's so profitable I'm sure he'll start up a franchise system of stations that sell nothing but compressed air.