Democrats Celebrate Economic Failure and Rising Gas Prices That Hurt Working Families

March 12, 2012

Americans Overwhelmingly Disapprove of Dems’ Gas Price Record But Democrats Are Celebrating Anyway

The American people are frustrated with rising gas prices and the Obama administration’s anti-energy policies.
President Obama is actually celebrating the fact that Americans can’t afford gas. For Obama, a winning record on energy means a weakened economy where Americans can barely afford to fill-up their gas tank.
As Democrats resort to desperate excuses for their failed policies, the fact remains that the Democrats continue to push policies that are making gas prices higher and causing hardship for America’s working families.

The American people are frustrated with rising gas prices and the Obama administration’s anti-energy policies:

ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL: OBAMA APPROVAL DROPS DUE TO DEMOCRATS’ ANTI-ENERGY POLICIES: “Obama’s over approval rating is down to 46% in the survey, in large part because of one issue: Rising gas prices.”(David Jackson, “Gas Prices Rise; Obama’s Approval Rating Sinks,” USA Today, 3/12/2012)

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS DISAPPROVE OF OBAMA ON GAS PRICES, JUST 26% APPROVE: “ ‘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,’ the Post reports. ‘Just 26% approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll.’” (David Jackson, “Gas Prices Rise; Obama’s Approval Rating Sinks,” USA Today, 3/12/2012)

President Obama is actually celebrating the fact that Americans can’t afford gas. For Obama, a winning record on energy means a weakened economy where Americans can barely afford to fill-up their gas tank:

“OBAMA TO TOUT ENERGY POLICY WINS”: “With gas prices sky high, President Obama will be spending part of his Monday making the case that his administration has made huge strides at reducing the United States’ reliance on foreign oil, while advancing clean energy technology.” (Aamer Madhani, “Obama to Tout Energy Policy Wins,” USA Today, 3/12/2012)

OBAMA TO TRUMPET 1 MILLION DROP IN OIL IMPORTS: “President Barack Obama, arming himself against election-year attacks on his energy policies amid painfully high gas prices, received a report on Monday showing a 1 million barrel-per-day decline in U.S. oil imports in 2011.” (Alister Bull, “Obama to Tout Energy Progress, Oil Imports Down,” Reuters, 3/12/2012)

IS OBAMA EMBRACING HIS FAILED ECONOMIC RECORD? “MUCH OF THE FALL IN OIL IMPORTS” OWES TO “SLACK U.S. DEMAND IN A STILL WEAK ECONOMY”: “But independent analysts attribute much of the fall in oil imports to slack U.S. demand in a still-anemic economy.” (Neela Banerjee, “U.S. Report: Oil Imports Down, Domestic Production Highest Since 2003,” Los Angeles Times, 3/12/2012)

INCREASE IN DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION OWES TO BUSH ADMINISTRATION POLICIES THAT ALLOWED GREATER ENERGY DEVELOPMENT: “And to a certain degree, they say, the boost in domestic oil and gas production is the result of decisions energy companies made during the George W. Bush administration to develop key reservoirs.” (Neela Banerjee, “U.S. Report: Oil Imports Down, Domestic Production Highest Since 2003,” Los Angeles Times, 3/12/2012)

As Democrats resort to desperate excuses for their failed policies, the fact remains that the Democrats continue to push policies that are making gas prices higher and causing hardship for America’s working families:

DEMOCRATS DESTROYING SHOVEL-READY KEYSTONE JOBS, RAMMING THROUGH NEW REGULATIONS THAT WILL INCREASE PRICE OF ENERGY:

“OBAMA LOBBYING DEMS” LAST WEEK TO REJECT JOB-CREATING KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE, AGAIN: “President Barack Obama is intervening in a Senate fight over the Keystone XL oil pipeline and personally lobbying Democrats to reject an amendment calling for its construction, according to several sources familiar with the talks.” (Manu Raju, “Obama Lobbying Dems Over Keystone XL Pipeline,” Politico, 3/7/2012)

OBAMA MAKING PERSONAL PHONE CALLS TO TOP DEMS OUT OF FEAR OF GIVING “ELECTION-YEAR FODDER” TO GOP, NEVER MIND THE JOBS AT STAKE: “The White House lobbying effort, including phone calls from the president to Democrats, signals that the vote could be close when it heads to the floor Thursday. The president is trying to defeat an amendment that would give election-year fodder to his Republican critics who have accused him of blocking a job-creating energy project at a time of high gas prices.” (Manu Raju, “Obama Lobbying Dems Over Keystone XL Pipeline,” Politico, 3/7/2012)

BUT 66% OF AMERICANS SUPPORT KEYSTONE APPROVAL: “The Pew Research Center poll released Thursday finds 66 percent who have heard about the issue say the proposed pipeline to bring oil sands from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries should be approved, while 23 percent say it shouldn’t.” (Ben Geman, “Poll Shows Support for Keystone Pipeline, Environmental Regulations,” The Hill, 2/23/2012)

CANADA WARNED IT WOULD TURN TO CHINA FOR OIL EXPORTS AFTER OBAMA’S KEYSTONE DECISION: “President Barack Obama’s decision yesterday to reject a permit for TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline may prompt Canada to turn to China for oil exports.” (Theophilis Arigitis and Jeremy Loon, “Obama Keystone Denial Prompts Canada to Focus on China,” Bloomberg, 1/19/2012)

LAST WEEK THE THIRD LARGEST INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCER IN AMERICA ANNOUNCED IT WOULD CLOSE PLANTS BECAUSE OF OBAMA’S EPA RULES: “GenOn Energy Inc. (GEN), the third-largest U.S. independent power producer by market value, expects to shut about 13 percent of its generating capacity by May 2015 because of environmental regulations.” (Jim Polson, “GenOn Will Shut Plants Through 2015 on Environmental Rules, Bloomberg, 2/29/2012)

DEMS RENEWING PUSH FOR JOB-DESTROYING NATIONAL ENERGY TAX:

ENERGY AND COMMERCE RANKING DEMOCRAT HENRY WAXMAN RENEWS PUSH FOR CAP-AND TRADE: “But if we could put in place a price on carbon and then use the sales of carbon allowances to raise revenues we could raise money and cut emissions at the same time, and we can have a transition that will be as orderly as possible. If we leave both to become much more severe then the answers will be more radical and painful.” (Ezra Klein, “Henry Waxman’s Plan to Cut the Deficit and Stop Global Warming—at the Same Time,” The Washington Post, 2/26/2012)

TOP DEMOCRATS ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE PUBLISHED WASHINGTON POST OP-ED CALLING FOR $200 BILLION NATIONAL ENERGY TAX: “The best approach would be to use a market mechanism such as the sale of carbon allowances or a fee on carbon pollution to lower emissions and increase revenue. Using these policies, the United States could raise $200 billion or more over 10 years and trillions of dollars by 2050 while cutting carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, providing transition assistance to affected industries, and supporting investments in clean-energy technologies.”(Henry A. Waxman, Sherwood Boehlert, Edward J. Markey and Wayne Gilchrest, “Carbon Emission Policy Could Slash Debt, Improve Environment,” The Washington Post, 2/23/2012)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS STUDY ESTIMATED CAP-AND-TRADE WOULD INCREASE GAS PRICES 26% BY 2030: (“State-by-State Analysis of Waxman-Market Cap and Trade Legislation Paints Dour Picture for Nation’s Economy,” National Association of Manufacturers, 8/12/2009)

NAM: WOULD INCREASE ELECTRICITY PRICES 50% BY 2030: (“State-by-State Analysis of Waxman-Market Cap and Trade Legislation Paints Dour Picture for Nation’s Economy,” National Association of Manufacturers, 8/12/2009)

DEMOCRATS’ OIL AND GAS “PERMITORIUM” ON NEW ENERGY DEVELOPMENT:

GULF BUSINESSES FRET THAT “PERMITORIUM” REMAINS IN PLACE: “They’re calling it a ‘permitorium’ caused by stricter regulations that are allowing gulf drilling, but at a snail’s pace, in both deep and shallow water.” (Katie Moore, “New Study: Small Businesses Hit Hardest by Drilling Delays,” WWL TV, 1/31/2012)

RECENT ISSUANCE OF NEW LEASES AT ONE-THIRD OF HISTORICAL AVERAGE: “According to the Greater New Orleans Gulf Permits Index for January 31, over the previous three months the feds issued an average of three deep-water drilling permits a month compared to the historical average of seven. Over the same three months, the feds approved an average of 4.7 shallow-water permits a month, compared to the historical average of 14.7.”(Editorial, “ ‘Stupid’ and Oil Prices,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/24/2012)

OFFSHORE LEASING MUCH MORE DIFFICULT, SLOWER UNDER OBAMA POLICIES: “Approval of an offshore drilling plan now takes 92 days, 31 more than the historical average. And so far in 2012, an average of 23% of all drilling plans have been approved, compared to the average of 73.4%.” (Editorial, “ ‘Stupid’ and Oil Prices,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/24/2012)