McCain calls for $300 million prize for car battery

**min0 lee** · 06-23-2008, 08:37 PM

Cool, even though it's to get more votes at least this will motivate some people.

McCain calls for $300 million prize for car battery | Technology | Reuters

By Steve Holland
FRESNO, California (Reuters) - Republican John McCain said on Monday if elected he would propose awarding a $300 million prize to the auto company that develops a next-generation car battery that weans America off oil.
McCain sought to portray himself as a forward-looking leader on solving the U.S. energy crisis a week after taking heat from Democrats for reversing position and supporting offshore oil drilling.

"Whether it takes a meeting with automakers during my first month in office, or my signature on an act of Congress, we will meet the goal of a swift conversion of American vehicles away from oil," McCain told a town hall meeting in Fresno, in rural central California.

With Americans reeling from record-high $4-a-gallon gasoline during the prime summer driving season, both McCain and his Democratic opponent in the November election, Barack Obama, are pressing their proposals for tackling energy problems that are dragging down the U.S. economy.

On a day of campaigning in California, a Democratic-leaning state in which McCain hopes to compete in the November election, the Arizona senator sharply criticized Obama's decision last week not to accept public financing of his campaign.

The decision meant Obama, who had earlier pledged to accept the funding limits of public financing, may raise unlimited amounts from donors, virtually guaranteeing that he will have vast more cash on hand than McCain.
McCain said he was not worried about being outspent, while telling a fundraising event, "I'm the underdog."
At his news conference, he accused Obama of breaking a promise. "A president's got to keep his word when it's popular and when it's not popular," he said.

The Arizona senator, 71, who would be the oldest person elected to a first presidential term, finds himself behind Obama in polls but not by a wide margin.
But in a worry for him, a USA Today/Gallup poll published on Monday said voters are most concerned about energy and the economy and they prefer Obama by a double-digit margin on each.

CLEAN CAR CHALLENGE
McCain noted that Brazil has largely weaned itself from oil imports by converting most new cars to flex-fuel capacity that use alcohol-based fuels. Brazil went from 5 percent to 70 percent of flex-fuel new cars in three years, he said.

McCain said he would issue a Clean Car Challenge to U.S. automakers.
"For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a $5,000 dollar tax credit for each and every customer who buys that car. For other vehicles, whatever type they may be, the lower the carbon emissions, the higher the tax credit," he said.

And he offered a big reward for whoever comes up with a technological breakthrough: "A $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars."

McCain, who has taken steps to distance himself from unpopular President George W. Bush, also seemed to take a dim view of efforts by Bush and others to persuade OPEC nations to lower the price of crude.
"Some in Washington seem to think that we can still persuade OPEC to lower prices -- as if reason or cajolery had never been tried before. Others have even suggested suing OPEC -- as if we can litigate our way to energy security," he said.

The Obama campaign held a conference call with reporters to respond to McCain's energy speech and reacted with skepticism.
Obama economic adviser Jason Furman said over his long career in the U.S. Congress McCain "had the chance to make a difference for energy security and America's families."

"And he consistently not only didn't make a different but has stood in the way of the people like Senator Obama who have been trying to improve our energy security," Furman said.
(Additional reporting by Deborah Charles and Jeff Mason; Editing by David Wiessler)

**Prince** · 06-23-2008, 08:39 PM

I predicted months ago Obama would be our next president, I hope I posted that somewhere here...

**min0 lee** · 06-23-2008, 08:41 PM

Obama economic adviser Jason Furman said over his long career in the U.S. Congress McCain "had the chance to make a difference for energy security and America's families."

That's no lie.

**Big Smoothy** · 06-23-2008, 08:43 PM

And WHO is going to pay the $300 million dollar prize?

Taxpayers?

Wasn't someone talking about Obama being a spender?

After GWB ran up a $9 Trillion dollar National Debt, of which the annual interest has to be paid. And GWB is borrowing money from China, and other East Asia nations?

I agree with Prince: Obama will win, IMO. It's still early to tell.

Obama should play it to the Center for the Indendepents, use "Patriotic" symbols, and play it safe.

McCain has made many gaffs, and may possibly make more gaffs, because of this policy switches and loose control of his mouth.

**lnvanry** · 06-23-2008, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by Big Smoothy

And WHO is going to pay the $300 million dollar prize?

Taxpayers?

Wasn't someone talking about Obama being a spender?

After GWB ran up a $9 Trillion dollar National Debt, of which the annual interest has to be paid. And GWB is borrowing money from China, and other East Asia nations?

I agree with Prince: Obama will win, IMO. It's still early to tell.

Obama should play it to the Center for the Indendepents, use "Patriotic" symbols, and play it safe.

McCain has made many gaffs, and may possibly make more gaffs, because of this policy switches and loose control of his mouth.

both have made gaffs...and both will continue to gaff it up my friend. They aren't going to be the ones calling every shot anyway. The USG is an every growing system with sources of power that do no explicitly lay in the white house or capital hill. Neither are going to dramatically change anything.

back to the subject, a 300m reward is nothing...a drop in the bucket here in DC. Send the tax dollars to this project...its much more worthwhile than half the other expenditures on domestic infrastructure waste (assuming the waste actually happens...pork might not actually be pork in all cases...it might be a source of funding black/unknown ops)

**Hoglander** · 06-23-2008, 09:28 PM

If someone could do this they wouldn't need McCain's 300. Don't be retarded. McCain is just trying to play up to you retards and get the retard vote. Bottom line is that he is calling you retarded you retards.

**min0 lee** · 06-23-2008, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by lnvanry

...its much more worthwhile than half the other expenditures on domestic infrastructure waste

I would rather see it wasted domestically than on foreign soil.

**min0 lee** · 06-23-2008, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by Hoglander

If someone could do this they wouldn't need McCain's 300. Don't be retarded. McCain is just trying to play up to you retards and get the retard vote. Bottom line is that he is calling you retarded you retards.

Typical politician trying to get votes. He really doesn't wow me at all.
What is it that KBM calls him McSame, funny but it applies.

**Big Smoothy** · 06-23-2008, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by Hoglander

If someone could do this they wouldn't need McCain's 300. Don't be retarded. McCain is just trying to play up to you retards and get the retard vote. Bottom line is that he is calling you retarded you retards.

Hoglander hit it right on the head.

McCain's comments are targeting the "low-info" voter.

These are people that, regardless of educational level, don't follow politics/economic/world events closely, but they have high turnouts in the polls.

Obama and McCain are both trying to get the "low-info" voter to like them.

Low-info voters often vote for people they "like" as a person.

That's why candidates go on Letterman, Leno, Oprah, and interview with People magazine occasionally.

**BulkMeUp** · 06-24-2008, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Prince

I predicted months ago Obama would be our next president,

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/op...ml#post1719955

But hey, look at it this way, at least you have a 50% chance that you were right if Obama wins!

**TexanTA1996** · 06-24-2008, 09:09 AM

Obama's economic plan is an absolute disaster, and is basically re-distribution of wealth and a socialist government. ANYONE would be better than Obama. In my opinion, he hasn't got a shot in hell.

**min0 lee** · 06-24-2008, 09:17 AM

BulkMeUp
..is bulking up!
Elite Member

TexanTA1996
Registered User

Are you guys related?

**min0 lee** · 06-24-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by TexanTA1996

Obama's economic plan is an absolute disaster, and is basically re-distribution of wealth and a socialist government. ANYONE would be better than Obama. In my opinion, he hasn't got a shot in hell.

I don't see any else with a better plan.
That's the problem.

Whatever happened to Ron Paul? Is he bunking with Perot?

**kbm8795** · 06-24-2008, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by TexanTA1996

Obama's economic plan is an absolute disaster, and is basically re-distribution of wealth and a socialist government. ANYONE would be better than Obama. In my opinion, he hasn't got a shot in hell.

And the continuation of socialism for the corporate elite only is a hallmark of the Republican economic plan. Now why is it that conservatives have no problem asking the rest of Americans to make sacrifices for their country, but insist on bribing their corporate masters for any token patriotic endeavor?

The mantra about "redistribution of wealth" from who. . .Halliburton, who sucks up billions of our tax dollars without many checks and balances or responsibility?

**BulkMeUp** · 06-24-2008, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

BulkMeUp
..is bulking up!
Elite Member

TexanTA1996
Registered User

Are you guys related?

What the deuce! I've been found out.... Lois will pay for this!

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