When gas prices are high the incumbent President's support suffers. It's as simple as that. Now Obama and his liberal allies will come up with reasons it's not his fault till they’re blue in the face, but it's not likely to help. Excuse making isn't Presidential. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll demonstrates just how damaging the higher cost of filling up is to Obama's re-election prospects.
From the poll per the Washington Post:
Disapproval of President Obama’s handling of the economy is heading higher — alongside gasoline prices — as a record number of Americans now give the president “strongly” negative reviews on the 2012 presidential campaign’s most important issue, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Gas prices are a main culprit: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they disapprove of the way the president is handling the situation at the pump, where rising prices have already hit hard. Just 26 percent approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll. Most Americans say higher prices are already taking a toll on family finances, and nearly half say they think that prices will continue to rise, and stay high. [Peak emphasis]
With gas prices expected to cross the $4/gallon threshold in May, according to the Energy Information Agency, that spells disaster for Obama.
That's because while Obama and Democrats are hoping to keep the national conversation on anything but the economy (contraception, really?), continued high and rising prices at the pump will make those debates even less relevant to most Americans lives than they already are.
Obama may be able to build a billion dollar campaign, but even that won't be able to produce enough propaganda to compete with the regular sick feeling in voters' stomachs when they see the bill for commuting to work and dropping their kids off at soccer practice.
In 2008, the one time it appeared McCain had a shot was when gas prices soared — proof that the pro-drilling arguments of the GOP, and the anti-drilling policies of leftists, move public opinion in favor of the party of limited government.
Talking heads love to pontificate about how 2012 will be defined about the economy, but they're only half right. It won't be about the economy per se, but rather about voters' perceptions of the economy.
The average voter isn't waiting breathlessly for the latest unemployment figures to come out, nor do they really care. What they care most about is their own economic situation. That is calculated through their own cost of living.
Has their rent or mortgage gone up? Are groceries costing more? Does it cost more to gas up the car?
In this case, one of the prime indicators of the economy to most voters is going in the exact opposite direction of where Obama would like it. Add on top of that the nearly endless supply of botched energy initiatives of the Obama administration (Solyndra, Abound, Fisk, etc) and you have a strong case for the GOP to make to place high gas prices at the feet of Obama.
Even worse, Obama’s own Energy Secretary Steven Chu has said he wants to see gas prices near $8/gallon.
With 2/3 of voters unhappy with Obama at the pump, gas prices may just gouge Obama out of office.
Well. of course the Republican Conservative C.E.O.’s of the
major oil Companies will do anything to make sure that one of their bought and paid for GOP politicians gets in the white house. If that means raising gas prices to make Obama look bad then gas will go up it’s as simple as that.
At least he tries to be rational.
Ari succeeds at being rational, too, and the insults lobbed at him may be many, but are demonstrably untrue.
But yeah, this comment didn’t make much sense.
Props to you Ari for being coherent (most of the time!) and relating comments to the diary at hand
Well,L.O.L. at least two people are thinking, but that opening genius… he’s a real winner.
If you are a “Republican Conservative Career Politician”,
who is running for President
Then You are the guy the C.E.O.s want in the White House.
The simple reason for that is Republican Conservative Career
Politicians have quite the unhidden public track record
of being bought and paid for by multi-billion dollar entities
The disaster created by the last “Republican Conservative”
President is Still rolling over us. It is going to take more than one term to fix it, and it may take more than one president even at 2 terms each. the simple facts are:
1.) The last Democratic president took a deficit and turned it into the greatest surplus in American history and the strongest economy since the 50’s and we call Dems…Liberals?
2.) The last Republican President took this Surplus and turned it into the greatest deficit in GLOBAL history
through the greatest wasteful and wanton givaways of power to
C.E.O’s other corporate criminals who were lining his pockets
with graft to get him to do just what he did…Sell America to the highest corporate bidders at the expense of the American public and we call them…CONSERVATIVE!? In What way?
Certainly not morally L.O.L.
So O.K. Now you are telling me that I’m just supposed to let another one BACK in office? Why? To finish us off for good? I’m not that dense.
“GAS PRICES GOUGING OBAMA: New Washington Post Poll Shows Petrol Prices Killing Obama Support”
The point is; that to the C.E.O.’s of Chevron, Shell,
and EXXON Mobil this concept is a “No Brainer”
In other words…DUH! They want The Republican cronies they bought and paid for, back in charge.
Are we all understanding this now? Or shall I explain it to you as if you’re all 5 years old? LOL.
And my language…Well I didn’t resort to the juvenile attack
made by rockymtnred.
Well,… since the C.E.O.’s of the major Oil companies are Republican Conservatives I don’t see how it’s Obama’s Fault