Networks Link Bush to 'Skyrocketing' Gas Prices 15 Times More Than Obama
As gas prices rose in 2008, network reporters mentioned President Bush in 15 times as many stories than they brought up President Obama in a similar period in 2011.
Bush drew gallons of coverage in 2008. Comparing a 20-day span of rising gas prices in 2008 to 24 days of rising prices in February 2011, the Business & Media Institute found the networks did more than 2 ½ times as many stories during the Bush years versus Obama.
Unrest in the Mideast has hit American consumers hard, driving up gas prices that had already been above $3-a-gallon since Dec. 23. The national average for gasoline hit $3.36 on Feb. 28, the highest ever for the month of February according to The Associated Press. But the amount of network news coverage of rising gas prices did not reflect it.
All three broadcast networks together averaged just one story about rising gas prices per day. In contrast, when gas prices rose similarly in 2008, the networks averaged more than one story, per network, per day.
It took 24 days, from Feb. 1, to Feb. 24 for the national average for unleaded gasoline to climb from $3.101 to 3.228. The last comparable period of "eye-popping" gas prices: the 20 days between Feb. 21, 2008, and March 11, 2008, when the national average climbed from $3.086 to $3.227.
Some 2008 reports including the March 6, 2008, "Early Show" exaggerated the already rising prices by emphasizing extremely high prices. That morning CBS showed viewers a California gas pump that was charging $5.19-a-gallon for regular unleaded before mentioning the national average for that day, which was $2.02 lower. Some 2011 reports have reversed that trend by downplaying the impact of currently high gas prices on consumers by using words like "inching" to describe rising prices, or calling U.S. prices "a bargain compared to Europe."
The Business & Media Institute examined all the broadcast network news reports mentioning gas prices during each of those time periods and found ABC, CBS and NBC aired more than 2 ½ times more stories (63 stories to 24) in 2008 than they did in 2011.
But it was more than just the amount of coverage that showed the media's willingness to spin gas prices one way under Bush, and another way under Obama. In 2008, network reporters mentioned "Bush," the "president" or "government" in gas price reports 15 times more often than in 2011 under President Obama (15 stories to 1). A number of stories portrayed Bush as out-of-the-loop when he was asked about the possibility of $4-a-gallon gas and hadn't yet heard that prediction.
In contrast to the 15 reports referencing the Bush administration when gas prices were "through the roof," the only 2011 story to mention the president was NBC "Nightly News" on Feb. 24. Tom Costello's report on the impact of surging gas prices quoted President Obama who was "optimistic."
Obama said, "We actually think that we'll be able to ride out the Libya situation and it will stabilize." Costello didn't question the president's statement or mention any of the administration's policies that will constrict the supply of oil and gasoline and could further increase the price of gasoline for consumers.
Networks Fail to Mention Obama's Anti-Oil Actions
President Obama is the most anti-oil president in years and has taken specific steps to limit domestic oil production including a moratorium on deepwater drilling in May 2010 after the BP spill and the recent imposition of new regulations on the industry. Yet, the networks refused to notice in the recent gas prices stories BMI analyzed, just as they did in December 2010.
Not a single one of 2011 stories about rising gas prices BMI examined brought up any of Obama's anti-oil policies despite the impact they could have on supply and prices.
Obama's drilling ban was overturned by a federal court judge in June, but his administration continued to enforce it. On Feb. 3, Bloomberg reported that the administration "acted in contempt" of court by doing so.
U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled on June 22, 2010, that the ban was "overly broad," according to Bloomberg. The following month Interior Secretary Ken Salazar put a second moratorium into effect, but voluntarily lifted it in October.
Some industry insiders claim there is still an "informal moratorium" on offshore drilling. "President Obama claims to have lifted the Gulf moratorium, yet not a single deepwater permit has been issued in nine months," Jim Adams, the Offshore Marine Service Association's president, said in a press release quoted by Bloomberg.
Adams said the consequences have been thousands of lost jobs and higher prices for gasoline and heating oil. At least one company, Seahawk drilling, has filed for bankruptcy blaming Obama administration policies.
The Heritage Foundation wrote on Jan. 11, 2011, that only two new deepwater permits have been issues since the end of the Obama moratorium, "down 88 percent from the historical average." Heritage also said shallow-water permits are down 11 percent. The Obama administration has also cancelled four pending lease sales in Alaska and reinforced existing offshore drilling bans, which prevent exploration in 85 percent of coastal waters.
"The lack of exploration and production means fewer jobs for out-of-work Americans and less money flowing into federal coffers," Heritage concluded.
Action on at least several of those permits may be forthcoming now that Feldman has ordered Salazar to decide on five permit applications from Ensco within 30 days.
Investor's Business Daily argued in a recent editorial that the Obama administration is intentionally allowing prices to spike in order to make green energy more desirable.
On the issue of rising prices, IBD editorialized: "It's not just Mideast turmoil that has brought us to this point. It's also a deliberate program of restricting domestic energy to make so-called green energy more attractive and necessary, keeping an Obama campaign promise that energy prices would 'necessarily skyrocket' on his energy agenda."
What High Gas Prices Mean for the U.S. Economy?
Moratoriums and permit delays have already costs jobs and threatened businesses and "soaring" gas prices could damage the fragile U.S. economy even more. Some analysts have predicted $5-a-gallon gasoline which would be "devastating," but "serious" consequences could result even if prices only reach the $3.75-a-gallon range.
AP reported that some businesses are already taking the hit for extra fuel costs because they don't think the economy is strong enough to pass it on in the form of higher prices.
In that same report, AP quoted Oil Price Information Service's chief oil analyst Tom Kloza. "[He] believes that the normal seasonal rise in prices has been pulled ahead by events in the Middle East, but he still expects prices to rise further. He predicts prices will reach $3.50 to $3.75 per gallon, barring more chaos in the Middle East," AP said.
Kloza said that would have "very serious consequences for the economy."
AP also reported that, "Over a year, analysts estimate, oil at $100 a barrel would reduce U.S. economic growth by 0.2 or 0.3 of a percentage point. Rather than grow an estimated 3.7 percent this year, the economy would expand 3.4 percent or 3.5 percent. That would likely mean less hiring and higher unemployment."
According to John Challenger, chief executive officer of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, rising fuel prices be the "biggest obstacle yet" to job growth. Challenger said in a release, "Companies will be reluctant to pass along their higher fuel costs to consumers. So, the more companies are required to spend on fuel, the less they have to spend on expansion and hiring."
Higher prices, such as the $5-a-gallon prediction would be even worse for the economy. University of Maryland economist Peter Morici told BMI: "$5-a-gallon would be devastating if it's in 2011, if it's in 2014 it might not be devastating. But right now, if we went to that by July it would kill the recovery. It is unlikely that we will get to $5-a-gallon because it would kill the recovery before that point and then prices would go down."
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Comments
"When gas reaches $4/gal"
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:14pm.
Today. Acton, CA. Northern L.A. County. Admitedly it was for Premium. But, it was on the sign - 87 oct: $3.759; 89 oct: $3.899; 91 oct: $4.049
Last Monday (21 Feb) regular was $3.459. That's up 8.6% in one week for those of you keeping score at home.
Wonder If O'Reilly Will Get This Right...
Submitted by Wildcatter1980 on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 5:06pm.
...and put the blame where it belongs. He wants to blame the oil companies and Wall Street speculators, but...while the oil companies want to make money, they are probably smart enough to understand that they cannot price themselves out of the market. The oil companies have to understand that if the prices rise too high, not only will people not buy as much gasoline, there will be a generally depressive effect on the whole economy.
But, what is more important are all the restrictions, old and new, in place on the prospecting, developing and extraction of oil and other energy sources with the USA'a borders. This administration has severely curtailed oil prospecting and maybe even production in the Gulf since the BP oil spill last year by refusing to issue permits.
These actions are having at least as much impact on the recent rises as the turmoil in the mid-east is having.
--
If you want to know what liberal secular progressives are really doing, just listen to what they are accusing others of.
Recommended reading: Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg
no drilling for you
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:14pm.
WE hit $3.50/gal here this morning.
What obama and his green eco-nuts are waiting for is that the public begins to demand and clamor for his electric golf cars.
Exactly where does one.....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:15pm.
..."fill up" with one of those?
I think...
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:48pm.
....they wind up with a key.
So.....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:18pm.
When can we expect cable news to start linking Obamugabe to eco-facists?
Makes you wonder, since
Submitted by ant on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:21pm.
Makes you wonder, since Republicans are always being accused of some kind of BIg Oil "brotherhood". Why gas prices went down when Dems took the Congress and now have risen again since Repubs made great gains in November doesn't fit that narrative.
If Republicans and Big Oil were joined at the hip, prices would go down. To create rising gas prices in an industry you have great 'influence' over,(allegedly) only makes you look bad. It's illogical and , for me, just proof of another lib false accusation.
Unavoidable.
Submitted by Ashrak on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:25pm.
Regular gas is $3.40 to $3.50 around here today. Some are still below $3.30 but I am betting that doesn't last long. $4.00 is close at hand.
Mainstream Media will not be able to ignore it much longer, no longer will they be able to cover for Obama as they have been.
don't forget about Ben
Submitted by OffTheLows on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:27pm.
I think Bernanke is having a larger impact on commodity inflation than Obama, though our drilling approval process in the GOM is a joke and of course adopting the Pickens Plan and converting our truck fleet to NG would have a huge impact on global oil consumption, but unfortunately neither side seems to be sticking their necks out in favor of natural gas.
OReilly
Submitted by PeterStone on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:33pm.
The last time we had skyrocking gas prices OReilly blovated daily about gas comany collusion and Bush doing nothing..
Prices are higher now and what do we hear from the Great Bloviator .............nothing.
You're right............the
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 1:12pm.
You're right............the blowhard DID go off constantly about 'Big Oil'. Bush, etc. Maybe he isn't doing it now because he wants another interview with Boy Blunder - since he's STILL talking about how good he did in the last one!!!
There is no connection
Submitted by Edhenry on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:55pm.
There is no connection between higher gas prices and this administration's unwillingness to tap into any domestic, efficient energy sources...none what so ever.
And higher energy costs do not hit the poor the hardest.
And higher energy costs will not cause higher inflation & unemployment
So lets spread the moratoriums beyond the gulf of mexico, to all shale, coal, nuclear and alaska energy reserves.
let's ignore our resources and keep sending money, jobs, technology and transfer our security and future to those who hate us.
The moratorium is illegal
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 1:03pm.
You know the moratorium is illegal, right? Or does that not matter?
-Jon
Even though Boy Blunder DID
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 1:15pm.
Even though Boy Blunder DID say that he'd put coal companies out of business, and the costs of electricity (and from that, I can only deduce that he meant power also) would 'skyrocket'........these high gas prices are STILL Bush's fault - because that's a catch-all phrase to cover all sorts of subjects that the MSM and Obama himself can use to avoid taking responsibility for anything...........
Media are criminals! 15x!
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 2:11pm.
Media are criminals! 15x! Just like the DEMS like to run & hide with their "toy", the media run & hide with the facts and basic fairness! How shameful can you get? The answer is more! They have no shame because they have no ethics!
Like my FYI below, the Media dumps the comments section when they are getting an ear full & losing the battle, then they just delete all comments and MAJICALLY no longer have the comments section.
-------------
FYI on this... I commented on the following article. Most comments were against the gay agenda. So NBC Local axes all comments!!! Now, no comments show up and no comments allowed! I stated that they are "legislating morality," their "morality!" http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rutgers-To-Allow-Co-Ed-Dorm-Rooms--117121553.html Rutgers Dorms Going Co-Ed After Student's Suicide-----------------
This was a good article. READ the quotes by the city official!!!! : Now government wants to control tidiness of churches http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=269337#ixzz1FN2QKP90
It was several years ago that the foundations of the problem were set in place, when Concord, N.H., officials decided that if the church used its building to house the homeless and meet missionaries' needs, it would no longer be a church because those weren't "religious" purposes.
A subsequent room-by-room inspection of the facility was conducted by city officials, and their determination was that such activities were not religious, so the legal experts with the Alliance Defense Fund jumped into action. They now have pending a tax appeal for the church's 2008 taxes as well as a lawsuit over the 2009 taxes.
According to the Alliance Defense Fund, among Temchack's statements from her deposition:
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Fox News needs to play it
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 2:22pm.
Fox News needs to talk about the high gas prices and how the Chairman made those comments about skyrocketing costs and then proceeding with the illegal moratorium regardless of the court orders to cease it.
If not them, Rush, Hannity, anyone.
-Jon
Wow, it's still Bush's fault.
Submitted by wiwf on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 2:26pm.
Wow, it's still Bush's fault. Silly liberals.
I imagine most folks around here have seen this already.
Submitted by Ashrak on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 2:57pm.
But here is a link in case you haven't.
Gasbuddy.com
Get to your state, county or city and even view a national map of gas and diesel prices.
ethanol or not
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 3:11pm.
Too bad it doesn't tell you which ones are ethanol and which ones aren't. I definitely want something like that. crappy ethanol gas + lower gas mileage = more money flying out my wallet.
-Jon
I thought a gas buddy would
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 3:12pm.
I thought a gas buddy would buy me free gas! What does price matter when it is free?
Signed,
the federal governement
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Obama is disappearing
Submitted by sherlock1 on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 3:27pm.
from all news coverage. For example, NPR always has a puff-piece about him visting some factory and mouthing platitudes about green jobs, and then everything else concerning federal departments, foreign or domestic policies, officials, or whatever omits any mention of Obama.
In the last Presidency, if a crew was changing a lightbulb, it was a "Bush administration crew changing a Bush lightbulb"! In this one, everything is unattributed or attributed to someone else.
Well, unless it is a success story, and then Obama gets credit... which is why you seldom hear his name!
American people lose again
Submitted by fromsuncity on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 9:34pm.
keep supporting that a$$hole, KEEP VOTING DEMOCRAT!!!
Grow up. Just......grow up..
Submitted by Mycos on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 6:39pm.
Get out of the "house" (by that I mean nation), read some actual news instead of the kind that tells you what you already think, and then maybe you'll see how ridiculous you all look whining about the price of gas that is so heavily subsidized it is stillb at least $2 a gallon less than in any other nations that doesn't socialize its fuel prices as well.
Yes! That's right. Venezuela under Hugo Chevez also controls the price domestically. And as a result, they pay even less that what you're whining about. Here in Canada, the country where you get most of your oil imports, has gas selling at over $5 gal.!
The reason it's so high? Like the adults we are...we pay for what we use. You otoh, not only demand the government subsidize the cost you pay at the pump, but then throw a fit about having to pay a little more on your already rock-bottom tax rate.
Reality DOES matter. And you can't keep refusing to hear about it it forever by blaming the truth when you do hear it as instead being just lies told to you by a conspiracy of corporate media heads who decided to tell left-leaning lies to a nation full of right-of-center media consumers. (IOW, why on earth would they do that to themselves?!!?)
Eventualy it becomes clear to even the most extreme denier that it simply doesn't matter how big your military is, you can't keep living a developed-nation lifestyle forever without paying the actual cost at some point. The problem is that the corporations want to pay nothing. They control the media. Which they have then used to sell you, the voter, on the idea that taxes are a terible thing in general, and that nobody should pay them, especially them because then they won't be able to hire people like you. So the less everybody pays, the better of you all are! Right?. That way, when they pay off a rising star or an existing one who needs cash to go in and push legislation for more tax breaks, you twits wont get suspicious about it, or maybe even think he's doing a good job! (Heh! wouldn't that be hilarious if it actually happened!)
Needless to say, of course, is that they're still working on a way of telling the rest of you that they only mean no taxes for them... not you too! I mean, because after all.... Wouldn't it be silly if nobody paid taxes but still demanded all the perks of living in a 'first world" nation?
Mucous
Submitted by Radical1979 on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 6:54pm.
First of all the article was about the failure to name Obama in stories of rising gas prices the way Bush was named when he was POTUS. None of your silly arguments have anything to do with that.
However, Mr. Let the government take care of me because I'm to inept to do it myself, we don't mind paying taxes, it's where the money is being spent that we have a problem with.
I'm confused about what corporations you're talking about because they pretty much all promote us paying taxes. MSNBC doesn't complain AT ALL when taxes are raised, only when people like Gov. Walker and Chris Christie try to keep them under control.
If gas is over $5 a gallon in Canada it's because your country beleives you're all to stupid to take care of yourselves. In your case, the government might be right.
Rad---
Submitted by matthewdean on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 12:42am.
"Mucous". Perfect.But Buuussssh....it's
Submitted by ant on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 8:15pm.
But Buuussssh....it's Buuuusssssh!
And those corporations being all corporatey in their corporation buildings doing evil corporate stuff. And besides, America baaaadddd! Bad America deserves punishment. And as soon as I leave college when mommy and daddy stop paying for my beer, weed and pizza, I'm going to fight the powers by getting a government job and working for them and fighting those evil high school diploma, blue-collar, tax-payin', fascist pigs
Talk about grow up.
That's new Obama troll name #2, 8 more to go.
Sucks to be you, eh?
Submitted by Mycos on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 3:34pm.
"Conservatism is not the doctrine of the intellectual elite or of the more intelligent segments of the population, but the reverse. By every measure available to us, conservative beliefs are found most frequently among the uninformed, the poorly educated, and the less intelligent" (p. 38). McClosky, H. Conservatism and personality. American Political Science Review, 52, 27-45.
"It appears that conservatism has pathological dimensions manifested in violence and distorted psycho-sexual development" (Boshier, 1983, p. 159). This is supported by a study conducted by Walker, Rowe, and Quincey (1993) in which there was a direct correlation between authoritarianism and sexually aggressive behavior. An investigation done by Muehlenhard (1988) revealed that rape justification and aggression toward subordinate individuals was much higher in traditional (conservative personality) than non-traditional personalities."Walker, W., Rowe, R., & Quinsey, V. (1993). Authoritarianism and sexual aggression. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 65(5), 1036-1045.
"Neither conceptually nor empirically does there appear to be any grounds for distinguishing authoritarianism and conservative personality - except that the former may be regarded as a somewhat more particular case of the latter" Wilson, G. (1973). The psychology of conservatism. New York: Academic Press.
Wow, mucous, that's
Submitted by ant on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 6:56pm.
Wow, mucous, that's convincing! Lefty masturbation material?
"The beaver industry is not coming back."
Submitted by SickofLibs on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 7:11pm.
"McPhinias, Quagmire P. (2001). Why Canadians project on Americans. Journal of Jealousy & Sociopathic Behavior. 85(1), 783-856."
Mycos, Veteran psychiatrist calls liberals mentally ill
Submitted by upcountrywater on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 7:32pm.
When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious.
Basically liberalism is a willful failure to mature beyond adolescence that can have catastrophic consequences for society. With luck, the official diagnosis of this disease by a mental health professional will facilitate the search for a cure.
But wait there is more mucous...
Liberalism is a mental disorder
In the book, Michael Savage accuses liberals and leftists of making political moves which undermine the basic tenets of American life including marriage, the U.S. Constitution, The bill of rights, and the Ten Commandments.
You Didn't Build That.