by Lynnell Mickelsen

Have we reached the tipping point? Because for the last two decades or more, the conventional political wisdom has been that you can never go wrong with a rebate or tax cut'..that the rubes in fly-over country will cash their dinky checks, vote Republican and not pay any attention to the huge tax cuts and payments heading out to oil companies and big CEOs.

Heck, I thought the $100 checks to "ease the burden of high gasoline prices" was just a joke, mainly because it amounted to three tanks of gas in my 1997 Plymouth Voyager. Plus I'm one of those crazy-assed libruls from a blue state. But according to the story in the Monday, New York Times the GOP hush money ain't working very well anymore.

Sharp Reaction to G.O.P. Plan on Gas Rebate
By CARL HULSE and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
WASHINGTON, April 30 '" The Senate Republican plan to mail $100 checks to voters to ease the burden of high gasoline prices is eliciting more scorn than gratitude from the very people it was intended to help.

Aides for several Republican senators reported a surge of calls and e-mail messages from constituents ridiculing the rebate as a paltry and transparent effort to pander to voters before the midterm elections in November.

"The conservatives think it is socialist bunk, and the liberals think it is conservative trickery," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, pointing out that the criticism was coming from across the ideological spectrum.

Angry constituents have asked, "Do you think we are prostitutes? Do you think you can buy us?" said another Republican senator's aide, who was granted anonymity to openly discuss the feedback because the senator had supported the plan'''''.

"David Winston, a Republican pollster who advises the Senate Republican leadership, called the rebate an intuitive way to show voters that Republicans were on their side. "It is like putting the American family budget ahead of oil company profits," Mr. Winston said. "How do you help the American families out? Well, give them some money."

But disapproval started flowing in almost as soon as the idea surfaced, said aides in several Republican offices. One senior aide to a Southern lawmaker said the calls were surprisingly harsh. Some complained that the rebate would amount to only two fill-ups at the gas station."

Call me an optimist, but maybe voters are wising up.