It’s hard to believe Sen. Hillary Clinton was ever honored to share a stage with her rival Sen. Barack Obama after seeing her latest last minute ad slamming Obama’s criticism of the much-ballyhooed gas-tax holiday.

But first—a word of praise. We’re actually talking about an issue. Gas taxes have never been so refreshing!

We’re talking about an issue for what seems like, the first time since December 2007. We’re talking about economics: supply, demand, production, profits, and loss. Slight upgrade from the status quo.

Hillary can call the economic pitfalls of her plan “elite opinion” until every last chicken comes home to roost, but economic theory as a media-driven, election-year conversation is a drastic and very welcome departure from said chickens.

Sen. John McCain proposed the tax holiday first. What makes his endorsement different than Clinton’s is that the New York Senator wants to use a windfall profits tax on oil companies to recoup the lost government income.

The whole proposal reeks of opportunism.

Making gas cheaper is no way to reach Clinton’s environmental goals- namely, using higher oil taxes to pay for alternative energy sources.

While it’s splendid we’re talking about an “issue” and not a controversy, or a celebrity—it’s an anemic victory. There’s no way George W. Bush will approve a tax on oil companies this summer, nor will the issue even make it to the Senate floor.

And as we pat the talking heads for even focusing on the issue, let’s not forget that the only reason the news networks are on this at all is because each campaign believes it’s a boon for their candidate.

Also why Obama’s aim to begin a military surge in Afghanistan gets 25 seconds.

The gas tax illustrates two different definitions of politician: does the candidate respond and try to pacify the people, or does he/she see beyond its cursory appeal and try to contextualize the policy? In the gas tax case, that would mean talking about the four states that passed a gas tax holiday and lost tens of millions in revenue without a tangible drop in prices.

Watch the exit polls from Indiana and North Carolina. The gas issue is an issue now because it’s timely, and because it’s a way to appeal to working class whites as well as conflate Obama with elite judgmental types unfit to be president.

A split decision today, with Clinton winning in Indiana and Obama in North Carolina is a win for the Obama campaign if he can keep Clinton at bay in the popular vote.

Max Zimbert is a political columnist for Pop + Politics.