Here we go again. As if massive spending, out-of-control debt, and high unemployment are not bad enough, now we can add rising gas prices to the mix of “change we can believe in.” That’s right… with all the uncertainty in the Middle East and Barack Obama’s complete lack of leadership, prices at the pump are heading up, up, and up.
The rising cost of gasoline has certainly received the attention of the American public. As noted in an AP story on GOPUSA, GfK Roper Public Affairs conducted a poll recently and found that 77 percent of respondents “called gas prices a highly important issue to them personally.” This past fall, the number feeling the same way stood at 54 percent. An ABC News/Washington Post Poll asked respondents, “Have recent price increases in gasoline caused any financial hardship for you or others in your household, or not?” Seventy-one percent of the respondents said, “Yes.” A similar question was asked in a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll, and 64 percent responded, “Yes.”
And, of course, the rising gas prices end up making their way back to Obama. Gallup asked, “Overall, do you think President Obama is or is not doing enough to solve the country’s energy problems?” Sixty-five percent answered, “Is not.”
Obama, already back on the campaign trail, addressed the price increases on Wednesday, saying there’s not much he can do about it.
“I’m just going to be honest with you. There’s not much we can do next week or two weeks from now,” the president told workers at a wind turbine plant. It’s a theme Obama’s struck before as he tries to show voters he’s attuned to a top economic concern with gas prices pushing toward $4 a gallon.
“Gas prices? They’re going to still fluctuate until we can start making these broader changes, and that’s going to take a couple of years to have serious effect,” Obama said.
Interesting… If something “fluctuates,” doesn’t it need to also go down as well as up?
Wow… jabbing a guy for his 8-mile-per-gallon SUV? I wonder how many miles per gallon Obama gets in his limo?
If Obama seems clueless, apparently those around him are seeing that gas prices could be the nail in the coffin for his reelection campaign. The Los Angeles Times reports on the growing concern in the White House over rising gas prices.
The Pew Research Center is coming out with a report this week showing that a majority of Americans say gas prices have a “substantial impact” on their household financial condition.
“The bottom line is, unless gas prices go down, it puts the president in mortal peril,” said Douglas Schoen, a former campaign consultant to President Clinton. “Every American faces higher gas prices every day, so in a certain sense, it has the likelihood of being a more serious problem than the unemployment rate, because 9% are unemployed but 100% of the American people have to deal with the impact directly and indirectly of rising fuel prices.”
Not only does every American with a car need to get gas, but every time that American fills up, he or she will be reminded of the state of the economy. Borders could be secure and the debt could be low, but just look at the meter going up and up as you pump your gas, and your blood starts to boil.
Oil prices are much less dependent on supply than perceived supply. If the supply is perceived to be at risk, prices will rise. Obama CAN do something about it. This is what presidential leadership is all about. Four-dollar per gallon gasoline is just around the corner, and it could mark the end of the Obama presidency.
At what price does the cost of gasoline affect your ability to provide other necessities?survey software
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