[Mb-civic] Pain at Pumps May Be Felt at Polls - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

Pain at Pumps May Be Felt at Polls
As Gas Prices Soar, Voters Want to Send a Message to Lawmakers

By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 27, 2006; A01

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 26 -- One of the soaring bridges to the 
beach here is named for longtime Republican congressman E. Clay Shaw 
Jr., and at its foot is a gas station where drivers on Wednesday were 
filling up, wincing at the tally and wondering whom to blame.

Gasoline prices have reached $3 a gallon in the area, and for Shaw, a 
former mayor and a political institution here, the rising bipartisan 
disgruntlement at the pumps is a troubling sign. Here and in other swing 
districts across the country, the Democratic challenger is attacking the 
Republican incumbent for inaction -- or worse -- on gas prices and other 
energy woes.

"This is ridiculous," said Jackie Tarone, a retired homemaker and Bush 
voter who was filling up a Mercedes SL500. "The oil companies keep 
giving money to the politicians to keep them in there -- that's the way 
the system works. It's a shame."

Although she has voted for Shaw in the past, she said, she isn't sure 
about next time.

"I don't know which is the lesser of two evils anymore," she said.

Anger over gas prices is gaining traction in many midterm races around 
the nation as Democrats attack Republicans for being too close to oil 
companies. With many in the GOP growing uneasy, President Bush this week 
called for price-fixing investigations. Political analysts say the 
rising prices could dovetail with growing public concern over the war in 
Iraq to give Democrats an opening in several key races.

In Virginia, one of two candidates in the Democratic primary for Senate, 
Harris Miller, accused Sen. George Allen (R) of siding with oil 
companies instead of backing legislation to protect consumers. "Looking 
to George Allen and George Bush to solve the gas crisis is like asking 
Bonnie and Clyde to solve the crime problem," Miller said.

Allen campaign manager Dick Wadhams said in response that Democrats in 
the Senate had obstructed the passage of an energy bill in Congress for 
more than five years. He said Allen fought successfully for the bill's 
passage in 2005. "Had Harris Miller's friends not obstructed that bill 
for years, we would be a lot closer to energy independence and 
developing renewable sources of fuel," Wadhams said.

In the Maryland governor's race, incumbent Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) 
took fire from his Democratic challengers, Baltimore Mayor Martin 
O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. They accused 
him of failing consumers by not putting his clout behind anti-gouging 
legislation that died during the recently concluded legislative session.

Ehrlich dismissed the attacks as "whining" and told reporters he is 
realistic about his limited ability to exert pressure on gas prices. He 
did say he is seeking permission to temporarily halt the use of 
cleaner-burning gas additives in the Washington suburbs and Baltimore area.

In Minnesota, Democratic Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar has stopped at 
stations to hear from consumers. In Pennsylvania's 6th District, where 
Democrat Lois Murphy is trying to unseat Rep. Jim Gerlach, Murphy has 
been swinging through the state all week for rallies at gas stations. In 
Arizona, Democratic Senate candidate Jim Pederson proposed a tax rebate 
to families funded by eliminating oil companies' tax breaks.

George Gonzalez, an assistant professor of political science at the 
University of Miami, said the issue gives the Democrats leverage against 
Republican incumbents. "It certainly creates a bias against the 
Republicans," he said.

At the pumps, it was clear that incumbents had something to worry about.

Thomas Fortino said of Shaw: "I voted for him before, but now I want 
change -- but not just because of gas prices." The retired 
picture-framing-store owner was filling up in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida's 22nd District stretches across coastal communities from Fort 
Lauderdale through Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Shaw is being challenged 
by state Sen. Ron Klein, who is well financed and also focused now on 
energy issues.

This week, Klein proposed suspending Florida's sales tax on gasoline 
during August, noting that "there is a lot of frustration out there -- 
Congress has done nothing."

In criticizing Shaw for "generally voting with the Republican leadership 
to prop up the oil companies," he echoed other Democratic candidates 
whose national leaders have advised them to depict the problem, at least 
partly, as a product of Republican coziness with the oil industry. At 
least among motorists filling up here, suspicion regarding the oil 
companies was rife, with several citing the record profits recorded by 
Exxon Mobil Corp. 
<http://financial.washingtonpost.com/custom/wpost/html-qcn.asp?dispnav=business&mwpage=qcn&symb=XOM&nav=el>

"I'm boycotting Exxon Mobil right now," said Deborah Shuart, a 
53-year-old Republican who was putting $41.70 worth of gas into her car. 
The entrepreneur said her family of five is considering carpooling for 
the first time. "It's been tough."

Shaw said he anticipates being the target of some of the anger.

In a letter to constituents who ask about the issue, Shaw reminds them 
that he voted in favor of a measure to increase fuel-efficiency 
standards, which failed. In August, he sent a letter to Attorney General 
Alberto R. Gonzales, calling for scrutiny of potential profiteering and 
price gouging.

Noting that any "challenger will blame the incumbent" for the economic 
situation, he said he expects that gas prices, if they continue to rise, 
"will have some effect" on the election.

At the pumps here, the oil companies may have been the most commonly 
cited target of consumer ire, but not the only one.

Many said they blamed the government and car manufacturers for failing 
to develop alternative sources of energy -- particularly after the oil 
crisis in the 1970s.

"The government is definitely to blame for making oil our number one 
energy source," said Inna Shapovalov, 35, an immigration lawyer who was 
putting $35 into her Hyundai Santa Fe. "I wish we could all drive 
electric cars."

In a district that contains some of the most affluent portions of the 
state and large numbers of gas-guzzling luxury vehicles, none blamed 
motorists themselves for buying cars that use so much gas. National 
figures show that though the average vehicle mileage improved 
dramatically through much of the '80s, it has since dipped or held constant.

John Holzberg, 64, a Republican banker from Boca Raton, put gas into a 
Cadillac and cursed when the total of $43 came into view.

"I can't seem to figure out who's responsible," said Holzberg, who 
"doesn't like George Bush anymore." But he was sure it was making the 
electorate grumpy. "The economy is humming along, but nobody cares 
because everyone is focused -- like I am -- on Iraq and oil prices."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042602141.html
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