Remember when President George H. W. Bush went down a grocery checkout line and appeared not to know how the price scanner worked? He was lambasted for being out of touch. The mainstream media couldn’t get enough of it.
Well, here is Barack Obama responding to a man at a town-hall meeting who was concerned about $4 a gallon gas (James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal had the transcript-the AP has reportedly scrubbed the quotes):
I know some of these big guys, they’re all still driving their big SUVs. You know, they got their big monster trucks and everything. You’re one of them? Well, now, here’s my point. If you’re complaining about the price of gas and you’re only getting eight miles a gallon–(laughter)–you may have a big family, but it’s probably not that big. How many you have? Ten kids, you say? Ten kids? (Laughter.) Well, you definitely need a hybrid van then. (Laughter.) . . .
So, like I said, if you’re getting eight miles a gallon you may want to think about a trade-in. You can get a great deal. I promise you, GM or Ford or Chrysler, they’re going to be happy to give you a deal on something that gets you better gas mileage.
Human Events adds:
Anyway, the concerned citizen in question, Gamesa assembly worker Jerry Holt, explained to our wise guru of diminished American life that he can’t really trade in that SUV (actually, he owns two of them) because he’s got ten children. “Ten kids you say? Ten kids? Well, you definitely need a hybrid van then,” Obama instructed him.
These are not concerns for the elevated mind of the Sage of Decline, for Barack Obama will never stuff his family into a hybrid minivan. His presidency is all about changing your life. The process is well under way. Stop pining for the old days of prosperity and freedom, do what he says, and everything will be fine.
If the people’s business does not detain the deserving Obamas from having a little mini-vacation (would you like a mini-vacation-sounds nice, doesn’t it?) in Williamsburg this weekend, you can bet they’re going to use a lot of gas and leave a carbon footprint big enough to land a fleet of private jets.