Issues, Indecision And Strategic Voting
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The Polls and the Pump
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.
R obert Nall cursed under his breath as he drove into the Citgo station on Highway 17. He stood at the pump for 10 seconds, staring. Regular $3.59, mid-range $3.72, super $3.84.
"I don't know who to blame -- the government or the oil companies," Nall, 33, said as his dollars trickled into the tank of his two-door Hyundai. "I don't know what to believe. It's like the politicians are trying to sell something."
In the days leading up to the primaries here and in Indiana, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have been pitching proposals to deal with gasoline prices. Clinton offered a federal gas tax "holiday" as a summer reprieve; Obama calls the three-month holiday a "gimmick" that won't fix the problem.
Nall, who recently retired from the military and works at Wal-Mart while studying applied science at the College of Albemarle, agrees with Obama. "The oil companies will probably raise prices, so it's not worth it," he said.
Even so, he voted for Clinton. "I got about as much faith in her as I do anyone else, and I like her views on health care," he said as he paid $29 for just over eight gallons of gas. "I think her experience will help us."
Nathaniel Ralph Jr., 22, stepped out of his '92 Volvo station wagon. He was already wearing an "I Voted" sticker, which he picked up after casting his ballot for Obama, whose life story appealed to the Elizabeth City State University student.
"Obama is in touch with the people. He has a young family," said Ralph, who was on his way to his work-study job on campus. "He had a single mother."
When Ralph heard Obama call the gas tax holiday "politics as usual," he agreed.
Ralph drives only three days a week to classes, and otherwise he stays close to home. He stopped by the Hop In at the Citgo station to get a soft drink but did not fill up his tank, which is down to about a quarter full. He's conserving that until Friday, when he plans to fill up.
"I'll drive into Virginia. It's cheaper there," he said.
