I'm hearing from quite a few on the right that Obama is to blame for the current high price of gasoline, but I can't find any evidence on which to base this accusation. Nor has anyone provided any for me.
The Federal excise tax on gasoline has not raised since 1997US production of crude oil has risen steadily since Obama took office. Even during the six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling, US oil production was not negatively affected.
Please note, from the above chart, that US production of crude had previously fallen steadily since 1985. Even during the Bush years, 2000-2008 - production steadily fell.
This is because the
moratorium did not prevent the operation of existing wells. It only prevented new exploratory drilling during the time that it was in effect.
I even heard one person, while accusing Obama for the steady rise in gas prices since he took office, give credit to Bush for the rise in oil production during the same time period. Talk about a stretch! Bush couldn't affect oil production in eight years, yet Obama could raise the price of gas within days of taking the oath? How do you wrap your brain around such contradictions?
So far, no one has satisfactorily explained exactly what it is that Obama has supposedly done to make the price of gasoline so high.
It's not as if he
started two wars in the Middle East.
It's not as if he has
familial connections to the oil industry.
It's not as if he chose an
oil company executive for a running mate.
It's not as if he appointed an
oil company executive as National Security Advisor or Secretary of State.
It's not as if he invited
oil company executives to create energy policy for the US behind closed doors.
And yet I have been told that Obama has "set the stage" for higher gas prices, without anyone providing specific actions. Is it "anti-oil" to not bend over for oil companies? When pressed, people speak vaguely about the six-month moratorium in 2010 (but I've already debunked that, above), and that he did not fast-track the Keystone pipeline. I'll get to this, but first one final word about the moratorium.
Suppose your neighbor wanted to add on to his house, but the only way to get the construction equipment on-site was through your back yard. And, even though he swore that there would be no damage to your property, someone on the crew didn't set a handbrake on a truck, which then crashed through your kitchen wall.
Wouldn't you be just a little bit pissed? Wouldn't you tell this neighbor, no more construction crews through my back yard? At least, until you were satisfied that your kitchen (and grass, and begonias) were all put right and that there would be no more incidents like this?
In other words, what the hell would you have done in Obama's place? Remember, the BP disaster in the Gulf was entirely their fault. They did not have adequate safety measures in place, and what they did have was not operational. Having caused this explosion and huge spill, they then admitted that they had NO FUCKING CLUE how to fix it. So what would you have done?
Okay, now on to the Keystone. This is a
clusterfuck if ever there was one, but what it boils down to is this: TransCanada wanted to build a huge pipeline, using force-pressure technology that had already caused
one huge spill elsewhere. Republicans wanted to fast-track this pipeline, despite huge protest from very dissimilar groups. Environmentalists said it was a bad idea. Farmers said it was a bad idea. In November of 2011, Obama announced that he'd have a decision in a couple of years. That wasn't good enough for Congressional Republicans, who attached a two-month deadline to an unrelated extension to a payroll tax break for American workers. And for once, Obama grew a spine and said "No."
Okay, got all that? Now, go back to the steady increase in domestic oil production since Obama took office. Now, look at
oil company profits during that time and try to reconcile that to the claim that the oil industry, and by association, the US economy, was somehow hurt by this action. Try to reconcile this with the claim that Obama has, somehow, set the stage for high gas prices.
You can't do it.
Here's a link to
Obama's accomplishments to date. If you look you can find those specifically associated with Energy: Oil. If you're so inclined, then please feel free to point out those which set the stage for high gas prices -- and then, if you'd be so kind, TELL ME WHAT YOU'D HAVE DONE.
Anyone who can't expend this much effort to justify blaming Obama for high gas prices, is not worth my time.
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