Gasoline prices drop, Bush goes up 2-3 points. Americans are stupid.

[eccles12]

That's my conclusion. No wonder the Republicans can get away with so much. Instead of being very angry that the gasoline prices went up as they did with far less reason than exists now, people are happily driving more and spending more and giving Bush more credit for dropping gasoline prices. Dropping despite the fact that BP is not pumping, the ME is in flames, and hurricanes still threaten the gulf. Go figure!

[rodeodance]

1. unless it is something that is tangable---people are oblivious.

[liberaldemocrat7]

19. I'm making some poster designs at zazzle.com

PEOPLE, ENJOY YOUR
CHEAP GAS NOW.
THE GOP WILL RAISE
THE PRICE AFTER THE
ELECTION.
VOTE DEMOCRATIC.
DON'T STAND FOR
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
GAS PRICE REDUCTION
ELECTION PLOYS.


http://www.zazzle.com/maximus7

[DireStrike]

2. Correlation is not causation

Probably the number one error people make with respect to polls.

It's possible that you're right, but it doesn't follow from the data.

[Botany]

3. # 1 bush did not go up in the polls

and # 2 the repugs are now taking credit for the drop in gas prices ...

Big Oil is helping out the repugs .... Nov 8th 3.50/gal


http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2006/...

Here’s the House release which riffs off a comment CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric made on last night’s program:

COURIC: "IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT THE PRICE OF GASOLINE JUST KEEPS DROPPING"

September 13, 2006

Katie Couric, the new anchor for the CBS Evening News, had this to say about plummeting gasoline prices last night:

"It's hard to believe, but the price of gasoline just keeps dropping. Nationwide it now averages $2.62 cents a gallon. That's down 42 cents in the past five weeks."

...

House Republicans have worked hard on common sense energy solutions to help American families feeling extra pressure at the gas pump. And welcome news has greeted consumers all over the country over the last few weeks, with drastic declines in gasoline prices providing relief from high prices. According to yesterday's USA Today:

"Gasoline prices continue to tumble, almost free-falling toward levels not seen in five months.
"The nationwide average for regular was $2.618 a gallon, the Energy Information Administration reported Monday. That was 10.9 cents lower than a week earlier.

...

Even as chronically negligent Capitol Hill Democrats continue to oppose responsible energy legislation that would help ease the burden of higher prices, House Republicans remain focused on common-sense energy solutions to help lower gas prices and Americans' cost of living.

[muntrv]

9. What common sense solutions, trib?

[Ignacio Upton]

4. Are you thinking of the Rasmussen poll that has him at 45%?

Unfortunately, I agree with you about the gas prices. Bush does not control how prices work. Market forces, and/or speculation (including blatant greed) is what's causing it.

[CatWoman]

6. are you for real?

[Ignacio Upton]

7. Huh?

If you're talking about the cause for dropping oil prices, then yes.
I've gotten some flack over saying that, but part of the decline is because of the traditional post-Labor Day drop. However, I don't rule out market manipulation, especially considering the EXTENT of the drop.

[sendero]

23. Crude oil prices..

....are controlled by the markets. The price you pay at the pump is most certainly not. Don't fall for the winger bullshit that because gasoline is traded on the commodity markets, the pump price is set there. It is not. Those markets are controlled just as surely as Enron controlled CA's electricity markets. It's is very easy to do, with bogus "shortages" and whatnot.

The pump prices are going down in anticipation of the election. And I will bet you any amount you care to wager that they will rise by the end of November.

Whether or not Americans will fall for this nonsense is subject to future verification. I wouldn't be surprised if it was worth a few points.

[MrModerate]

5. Dems risk this type of response when . . .

They hammer Bush and the 'Licans for gas price increases as if there's a magic button politicians can push to raise or lower them. It's a bit more complicated than that, and the oiligarchy doesn't dance to politicians' tunes. Quite the reverse.

Let's not blame Bush for the rain (or the hurricanes). Blame him for what he does after the rains fall.

[Alacrat]

8. IMO bush and big oil are one and the same

The same factors that drove the rise in oil prices haven't really changed, IMO this is big oils way of helping Jr. out, and they will surely go up after the midterms. I own a small gas station, mt prices are set by my supplier, and I get a commission of 4cents per gal. Our price for reg. Un has dropped from 2.87, to 2.39 in 3 weeks. There haven't been enough global changes to justify that drop, unless they were falsy inflated to begin with.

[Botany]

10. Egg Zac Lee

And isn't the Alaskan pipe line still down?

The drop in gas prices I think are a biz decision by big oil to help
keep their friends & partners in power.

[Alacrat]

14. Yep,

They can always pull an excuse out of their ass whenever they want, to raise prices. Almost all the excuses they have used are still in play. I can't imagine, or believe for one second that oil speculators suddenly decided to sell, for some reason. I believe less than a month ago, we were told oil would be $100bbl and gas $5 a gal, when the BP pipe line went out, it's still out, we are still at war, and India and China didn't go completely hybrid. The peak of the hurricane season is this Friday, ( another of their excuses) we haven't abbra cadabbra'd a refinery in the last month either. I haven't heard one reason why, that would explain the decrease, and don't say summer driving is over, summer driving never accounted for 16-18% of consumption. I sell more gas when school starts back than I do in the summer, and if you think about it, there is an increase in travel and consumption when parents and buses start rolling everyday taking kids to school, IMO far more than what summer drive vacations would be. It's all political pandering from big oil, hoping to keep their favorite puppet and his other cast of characters at the helm of their massive, money making, public stealing/ wallet raping ship. One more thing, when gas was closer to $3 a gal, if I took a credit card, I would lose a half cent per gal, at the same time, I was the one taking all the heat for the rise in prices, people don't understand what a slim margin the end retailer has, and they think I set the price. I wish bush could have gotten some of the ass chewings and cursing I've had to take over the last few years, just so he would experience the headaches I've had. I was losing money on gas, and had to fight like hell to keep my employees through times when I really couldn't afford to do so, I managed to keep them all, they depend on me, and they all have families, I have gone months ay a time without paying myself, just to avoid laying them off. Do you think any ceo of any oil company would do the same for their employees?. I'm not trying to blow my own horn, I'm just pissed off. I'm glad to see the drop, but I may lose it, when it goes back up after the mid terms, because of the "holiday driving demand", and the "switch to heating oil crisis" mark my word, that will be their excuse in mid November.

[focusfan]

22. Great post

No has a clue to what small business owners have been going through the past six years.

[liberal N proud]

11. This is why the prices dropped

Following the election in November, they will resume the fleecing of America with higher gas prices.
The bull shit story will go something like, higher demand for winter heating oil is driving up the price of oil. The gas prices will follow.

Yes America is STUPID!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

12. I'm sure as hell gonna go fill up my tank. Then,

I'm gonna go cast my vote for a Democrat.

Fuck *bush.

[BootinUp]

13. What makes you think it isn't just

polling statistical noise?

[LizW]

16. This

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

[BootinUp]

17. All this graph shows

Is that economic uncertainty and slowdowns affect both Bush popularity and gas and oil prices.

[LizW]

18. Not really

It shows a fairly consistent correlation between falling gas prices and rising Bush approval. There's nothing on that chart about economic slowdown or uncertainty.

[BootinUp]

21. The correlation is weak n/t

[wuushew]

28. Really have you calculated the correlation co-efficient?

I will give you until noon Eastern to do so, otherwise I will be forced to do it myself despite my job obligations.

[BootinUp]

29. feel free

I don't see the need since the chart moves in opposite directions in several areas. The point is all the chart demonstrates (I won't use the word show again) is that there is a strong connection between economic conditions and the Presidents approval rating.

[RagAss]

15. Wait till their kids get that draft notice.......and it is on the way....

[MadHound]

20. Perhaps there isn't the correlation that you're seeing here.

My neighbor, who voted for Bush twice, and I were talking, and matters came around to gas prices. His comment was that the local price at the pump was still higher now than at this time last year, and that the reason it was going down was indeed because of the upcoming election. And lower prices at the pump wasn't deterring him from voting straight Democratic at the poll this fall. He's pissed at what has happened to our country and wants a change. He isn't alone, in fact his view seems to be the prevailing sentiment out here in rural Missouri.

And frankly I would take anything that a Rasmussen poll says with a huge grain of salt.

[KharmaTrain]

24. We're Also Getting Lazy

I'm already seeing people here dividing up chairmanships and making their impeachment day plans. We've got other priorities at hand and its time now to make a difference...one of the few chances most of us will really have. Losing this election opens an abyss I shudder to think about and thus is my motivation for going out and working my ass off for a local campaign...and I hope others are doing the same. We're down to the final mile...and this is where both the rubber hits the road and where the going gets the roughest.

Of course this regime is gonna drop oil prices...just like they rose them in 2000 to try to hurt Al Gore. They're also passing pork barrell/feel good bills right and left in Washington with little opposition that will soon flood the local airwaves to try to drown out how your local rep is a boooosh lapdog. Instead you'll see the new highway your rep has gotten the money for or the groundbreaking of that new federal widget factory.

Yes, Iraq is an important issue, but this regime has many arrows in its quiver that its firing to try to put lipstick on a pig. They and their corporate media enablers will claim black is white...things are great and if you're upset, either your a malcontent or its the Democrat's fault. The goal is both energize their base and demoralize ours.

If Democrats turn out and make sure ALL the people who want change get to the polls on Nov. 7th, good things will happen. It's up to most of us to push this thing over the top. My greatest fear are Democrats getting complacent or looking beyond the election or believing polls that are either skewed or outdated. Or that the attempts by Repugnican to either turn off or demoralize possible Democratic voters through their relentless sliming and noise machine that will drive down our vote...maybe enough for them to slide by in key races.

To those who are working for campaigns...keep it up. For those who can and haven't...the time is now to get in on the action. November 7th isn't the end...it is the beginning...or it should be...it's up to us to make that happen.

[Vinca]

25. Dimwit of the Year Award goes to a woman in a news article

I read last week who said she supported Bush because "the Lord put him there" and she didn't care how he governed. Have Americans always been this stupid?

[B Calm]

26. I had a republican at work tell me back in 2000, watch the price

of gas drop, now that we have a Texas Oil President! He forgot to mention I would have to wait 6 years and it's still a lot damn higher than what it was in 2000. YES THEY ARE STUPID!!!

[borlis]

27. I agree with you, they sure are stupid. But after all that has

happened the last 5 years, I am really ashamed at just how stupid they are.

[bdamomma]

30. oh, this just sucks that some americans can kiss this admin.

ass on gas prices, and think they are for the people what crap.

[kentuck]

31. Over and over and over...they fall for the same ol' shit...

Then they will act surprised when the gas prices go back up after election. You can't fix stupid.