A Trip Down Memory Lane: Gasoline Prices

[Lasher]

Ah, those memories of yesteryear. It seems like it was just yesterday when gasoline was 92 cents a gallon. It was February 17, 2000:

GWEN IFILL: Americans have come to count on cheap oil. No longer. Energy prices are soaring. A gallon of gasoline, which cost an average of 92 cents a gallon a year ago, now goes for $1.35 a gallon and higher, up more than 30 percent.

CONSUMER: Well, there's not too much you can do about it. You have to have the gas, so you have to pay the price.

GWEN IFILL: The cost of heating oil in the Northeast has doubled as well, driven in part by the cost of crude oil. The barrel of oil that cost just $11 only a year ago now costs about $30.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/economy/jan-june00/oil_2-17.html

Those were dark days indeed, but we had hope. Candidate George W. Bush promised to take steps to ensure Americans would not have to pay those outrageous gasoline prices of over a dollar a gallon.

► “I think the president ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say: ‘We expect you to open your spigots’ …The president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price. And if, in fact, there is collusion amongst big oil, he ought to intercede there as well.”

Financial Times, February 2, 2000

► “I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply. … Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.”

New York Times, June 28, 2000

► “We're dependent upon crude. … I would hope the administration would convince our friends in OPEC to open the spigots.”

Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2000

► “I think Americans ought to be asking, ‘Where's all the capital we earned overseas after defending some of our OPEC nation friends?’”

Associated Press, March 20, 2001

► “Well, we've got good relations with a lot of members of OPEC. If the president does his job, the president will earn capital in the Middle East, and the president should have good standing with those nations. It's important for the president to explain, in clear terms, what high energy prices will not only do to our economy, but what high energy prices will do to the world economy.”

CNN, January 26, 2000

http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/4_05_04_Gas_Price_Quotes.html

Yessir, Candidate Bush had a plan. $1.35 a gallon was unacceptable! Stupid Clinton.

[texpatriot2004]

1. I would like to see a comparison of Chumpy's approval ratings

and the gas prices.

[Lasher]

3. I thought you would never ask.

http://www.pollkatz.homestead.com/

[texpatriot2004]

4. Thanks. n.t

[ixion]

2. ah yes, but in Bushspeak, it makes sense...

$1.35 is unacceptable, if you're an 'oil man'.

$2.50 and up is much, much better.

See how that works?

[lutefisk]

5. Opened up the spigots AND doubled the price.

That's one accomplishment the Bush Regime can claim. They had to work like beavers to increase consumption while raising prices, but by golly they did it.

Disincentives to conservation, encouragement of consumption, and a life and energy sucking illegal war accomplished a large part of it. Is the SUV tax break still in effect?

[ixion]

7. Yep, the loophole, created for AMC

so they could make their crappy cars, is still in effect. :-(

[Imagevision]

6. You know Bush is in trouble when you see the gas prices drop this fast

Because if Bush's numbers weren't tanking like they are prices would still be going up. don't kid yourself.