MW If you support the Iran war, stop whining about gasoline prices
By Brett Arends
'Maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks'
Yes, the price keeps going up. But if you support the war on Iran, you accept the consequences.
Kudos to Republican senatorial candidate Michele Tafoya. The former sports reporter, now running for retiring Democrat Tina Smith's U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota, said this week that if you support Donald Trump, and you support the war in Iran, you should stop whining about gasoline prices and suck it up.
"I think right now at least just kind of keeping a stiff upper lip," she advised. "Maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks, and so that gas goes a little further."
She added: "Until this thing is over and these gas prices go back down again, let's just try to be patriots about this. Whether you agree with it or not, we're there, and we've got to support our men and women in uniform."
Tafoya was talking to radio host Todd Starnes of Tennessee's KWAM.
Tafoya might want to work on how she expresses opinions, especially controversial ones. These comments will probably come back to haunt her in the election campaign. But on the substance she is absolutely right.
Sue me.
During World War I and World War II, Americans on the home front made huge sacrifices to support the war effort. They drove less, shopped way less, "made do and mended," and accepted food rationing. They ate a lot of turnips.
And the millions who went and fought usually made far greater sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate one. You can see the sea of American crosses in Normandy.
Going without a morning coffee run, or a trip to Arby's? Seriously? Phooey.
It's an open question whether this war is a price worth paying to destroy the terrible Iranian regime. But about 40% of the U.S. public does support it. And it is preposterous for anyone to support the war and refuse to accept the consequences. That would include, for example, the Teamsters, now facing a stunning 40% rise in the cost of diesel in a month. They overwhelmingly voted for this administration.
The consequences Americans are bearing on the home front, say in gasoline or diesel prices, are absolutely trivial compared with the consequences borne by others. Thousands in the Middle East have already died. That includes the schoolgirls killed by a missile at the start.
As for those who don't support the war, and didn't vote for this administration? Usually, all Americans are expected to rally round in times of war. And they usually do. But what about if that war was launched without their democratic consent, actual or implied? The U.S. Constitution unambiguously says that only Congress can declare war. If an administration ignores Congress, what moral burden does that place on a citizenry that was not consulted?
You make the call.
Michele Tafoya, then with NBC Sports, conducts a 2018 interview on stage at the KPMG Inspire Greatness Award event in suburban Chicago.
Telling people to cut back on the lattes and other luxuries shouldn't even be controversial. It's been a standard mantra of financial advisers and commentators for about two generations. People have launched bestselling books and lucrative speaking careers around the so-called latte factor. Your correspondent has written about it on occasion.
And even if you disagree with how Tafoya made her point, one thing is undeniable: People will be cutting back on luxuries in order to pay for skyrocketing energy prices. How else will they afford them? They will spend less, at Starbucks and elsewhere. If this energy crisis continues, many will be vacationing locally this summer to avoid airline or gasoline costs. They will set the air conditioning at a higher temperature.
They will do so whether they support the war or not, because they'll have to.
-Brett Arends
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March 20, 2026 12:39 ET (16:39 GMT)
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