This will make the Republicans mad at me, but ...

[Edena_of_Neith]

... it's probably a part of the plan. Cheney knows all too well what he is doing.

As follows ...

Gasoline / General American attitude

79 cents per gallon for gasoline / We love the environment.
$1.09 per gallon / we love the environment
$2.09 per gallon / we like the environment
$2.59 per gallon / the environment is ok / an overwhelming majority of us support Obama
$3.09 per gallon / we have no opinion on the environment, the government is being unreasonable / we still support Obama
$3.59 per gallon / on the environment? No comment. / A majority of us support Obama
$4.09 per gallon / we are interested in economic survival, and hopefully that includes helping the environment / Obama has a thin majority in the polls

And now ...

$5.09 per gallon / we are not interested in the environment / a thin majority of us support McCain
$6.09 per gallon / we are really not interested in the environment / a majority of us support McCain
$7.09 per gallon / the environment? What's that? / a strong majority of us support McCain
$8.09 per gallon / Only the rich support the environment / how could one not vote for McCain?
$9.09 per gallon / Only the rich support the environment / please help us McCain.
$10.09 per gallon / Only screwballs support the environment / McCain to the rescue!
$12.09 per gallon / Only nuts support the environment / Please save us McCain!
$15.09 per gallon / Only truly crazy nuts support the environment / McCain by a landslide, the rebirth of the country
$20.09 per gallon / Shoot the environmentalists / McCain all 50 states, savior to the average America
$30.09 per gallon / Shoot anyone who even mentions the environment / McCain is the 2nd Coming.

Cheney will rack gasoline up as high as it takes to see the Republicans win reelection. And not only does this affect the presidency, it affects our senate, house, and governmental races.
They are widely predicting gasoline to rise to $8 to $10 per gallon by fall, and I believe they may be right.

I mean, Michigan should have been solidly in Obama's column, but Obama is only leading there by 2% to 6%. Why? Gasoline prices, of course.

lol ...

[Singularity]

Dude, if this happens during a Republican presidency (incompetent though it may be), that just decreases the chances of the voters electing another Republican. Many voters will go to the polls pissed off and ready to vote for anyone who promises change. Obama is that anybody!

[Edena_of_Neith]

Well, Obama is pro-Conservation. He strongly opposes new drilling.
McCain advocates massive new drilling for more oil, citing that it will lower gasoline prices.
Americans typically vote their pocket-books.

I'm just going by that logic.

We'll have to see how it plays out. What has me convinced are the polls in Michigan. There is no reason Michigan should be so close. Michigan is very Democratic. Obama should be ahead there by 20 points.

EDIT: A whole lot of states are close calls right now. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Nevada ... all within 5 points, if you average out the various pollsters.

Bush-Cheney may be counting on high gasoline to push that 5% to McCain.

They wouldn't be able to pull this stunt except for the fact that Obama is so very pro-Conservation, and McCain is suddenly all pro-drilling, pro-Big Energy (just as 75% of Americans suddenly favor off-shore drilling ...)
It is an irony. The Republicans raise gasoline through the roof, the American people suffer and ... elect another Republican.
Had gasoline stayed at 79 cents a gallon, Obama was a shoe-in for the presidency.

[Singularity]

In my opinion, the one thing that could sway voters the other way is some sort of unforeseen miracle happening to the price of gas just before the election. Of course such a miracle would lead many to suspect that the whole gas hike was a a faked ploy to make the Bush administration leave office looking like heroes.

I don't see that happening, however, because the truth of the matter is that American politicians really influence the price of gas very little. Most of it is set because of the global market, and we've already lost control of that. Our economy is basically at the mercy of China and Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future.

[Utrecht]

Dude,

You need to lighten up on the medications.....

The Republicans have as much control over the price of gasoline as I do over Jennifer Anniston's dating habits.

After all, how does a party with a lame duck president, minority in both houses of Congress "contol" gas prices?

For that matter - how does "Big Oil" control oil prices when their suppliers are predominetly State owned companies - and they make less profit % wise than many other industries (especially when this is supposed to be their high water mark?)

Oil is a commodity driven by scarcity......

PS. Americans have never "overwhelmingly" supported Obama - that lable only applies to Democrats under 50 years of age making more than $75k a year.....

[Bregh]

.

[Name Lips]

Worse so, atm, it's driven almost entirely by speculation.

This country's petrol product prices (even before taxes) are comparable to your own and we have 1/10th the population and a reserve in the trillions of barrels and much, much more still to be had.

(makes invasion notes)

Keep talking. Where is this reserve exactly?

[Bregh]

.

[Singularity]

I might be wrong about this, but wouldn't the reserve dry up pretty quick if we tried to use it to supply the entire country?

[Bregh]

.

[Utrecht]

Worse so, atm, it's driven almost entirely by speculation.

This country's petrol product prices (even before taxes) are comparable to your own and we have 1/10th the population and a reserve in the trillions of barrels and much, much more still to be had.


First thing - the strategic oil reserves are ideally for govenrmental purposes and if dedicated to the entire country would supply the US for IIRC 1 month.

Now on the speculators - bull - that is a canard tossed around by politicians. Speculators if anything smooth out the market - but they dont drive up the market.

If politicians were serious about reducing the price of energy they would do ALL of the following:

- Mandate MPG/Efficiencey Standards (even though I hate the control this gives the govenments - it will spur advances)
- Subsidize Alternative Energy (Wind, Solar, etc.)
- Embrace nuclear power
- Drill in ANWAR
- Explore/Drill in the Continental Shelf
- Allow Refineries to be built.

Effectively - increasing supply while decreasing demand - that is how you reduce cost.

The problem is that many of these are politically untennable for one side or the other - and rather than trying to solve the problem - each side is trying to win.....

[Bregh]

.