NBC's Lauer Urges Exxon Mobil CEO to Bash Gingrich Plan to Lower Gas Prices
In an interview with Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson aired on Friday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer pushed the oil company executive to reject a plan by Newt Gingrich to lower the price of gas: "Newt Gingrich is promising Americans that he can deliver gasoline at $2.50 a gallon. Is he being truthful with the American public, in your opinion?"
Tillerson responded: "Well, I haven't seen his specific plan for doing that. I guess the thing that might concern me would be, would you be taking some short-term action simply to achieve a short-term result that could, in fact, be very detrimental to the longer term security of energy, moderate pricing of energy for the country?"
Lauer didn't let the matter drop, pressing further: "I'm actually surprised that you say you haven't seen the specifics of his plan, because as CEO of the world's largest oil company, when you're talking about a guy who could be president of the United States and have dramatic impact on policy, why wouldn't you take the time and really dive into that program?"
Tillerson reiterated: "Well, I just haven't seen it, Matt. I've not seen his plan for getting gas prices to $2.50."
At the top of the show, co-host Ann Curry hailed the possibility of the economy "bouncing back," but fretted over high gas prices: "Could that derail the recovery?" Moments later, she declared that the "celebration" over good economic news "could be muted by concerns over gas prices."
Here is a portion of Lauer's March 9 exchange with Tillerson:
7:11AM ET
(...)
LAUER: As we sit here and we – and we talk, Mr. Tillerson, it's a political year. Alright, there's an election coming up in November. And one of the candidates on the Republican side, Newt Gingrich, is promising Americans that he can deliver gasoline at $2.50 a gallon. Is he being truthful with the American public, in your opinion?
TILLERSON: Well, I haven't seen his specific plan for doing that. I guess the thing that might concern me would be, would you be taking some short-term action simply to achieve a short-term result that could, in fact, be very detrimental to the longer term security of energy, moderate pricing of energy for the country? And so, I would – I would be cautious about dramatic actions to get it near term.
LAUER: I'm actually surprised that you say you haven't seen the specifics of his plan, because as CEO of the world's largest oil company, when you're talking about a guy who could be president of the United States and have dramatic impact on policy, why wouldn't you take the time and really dive into that program?
TILLERSON: Well, I just haven't seen it, Matt. I've not seen his plan for getting gas prices to $2.50.
LAUER: One of the things he's calling for is open everything up, everything for exploration and drilling, and that's going to, just the even thought of that, that all that oil might be available, would bring prices down.
TILLERSON: Well, I've never taken myself to the business of trying to predict prices. What I think's important in developing our own natural resources is to know that we do influence that market by having supplies that are stable, that are not subject to geopolitical interruption. The revenues are staying here, the taxes that are generated are staying here, and very importantly, the jobs that are created are staying here.
(...)
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Comments
Cover Job
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 4:19pm.
NBC's Lauer Urges Exxon Mobil CEO to Bash Gingrich Plan to Lower Gas Prices
in an effort to cover the Messiah's ineptness.
The question Lauer doesn't have the courage to ask
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 4:53pm.
"The President promised that he'd reduce our dependence on oil. Was he completely honest with the American people?"
It's easy to manipulate the speculators
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 4:49pm.
If that is what you think is driving the price of oil up and therefore gasoline, just put policies in place that lead them to believe that there will be more and cheaper oil available in the future, and the prices will start coming down.
Approve the Keystone Pipeline.
Re-open all the off-shore areas that the Bush administration opened and the Obama administration closed.
Reign in the EPA and allow companies with current leases on Federal lands to start exploring and drilling.
Open ANWR
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Lauer
Submitted by mmilesll on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 5:08pm.
Does this a hole even own a car? It's always the progressive liberals who don't have to drive to work that want others to suffer. Take away any of their perks and listen to them scream-PBS and Planned Parenthood for example.
Short term plans....
Submitted by JoiseyJ on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 5:28pm.
So, once again we hear from the president and others that there isn't a short term plan to solve our energy issues. What I don't get is WHY the pundits on the right, let alone our political class, don't wheel out the quote, I believe from Joe Biden, that drilling wasn't the answer.
The quote was from about 10 years ago. Had they acted on it at that time, the resources that he was disparaging would be available to us today.
Why do we keep letting these clowns kick the can down the road and never get called on it??
When Obama took office the
Submitted by dscott on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:25pm.
When Obama took office the national average price of gas was running $1.84 to $1.89 after having run up to $4.11 the previous summer. So why is it crazy to suggest $2.50/gal gas is unreasonable?
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_N...
When you look at supply vs demand the current prices are unreasonably high because of 1) the Iran situation and 2) because of the expectations of continued artificial (government induced) supply restrictions by the Obama Regime. Secretary Chu has made it very clear they have no intention of changing any policy of opposing domestic gas and oil drilling on Federal lands and they continue to seek out any thread of excuse to halt or hinder fracking on private lands.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=wgfupus2&f=4
At the end of January 2009 the country was consuming 8,800,000 barrels/day while the price was in the $1.80+ range when Obama took office. At the height of the price spike the country was consuming 9,300,000 barrels/day and we were paying $4.11/gal.
What about now?
The country is consuming 8,300,000 barrels/day and we are paying $3.79/gal on average. So here we are consuming 500,000 barrels/day LESS than when we were paying in the $1.80+ range... So who is being unreasonable and in denial of reality? The fact is liberal Democrats and their propagandists (MSM) want higher gas prices regardless of the effects upon the poor and middle class, no matter how many jobs are destroyed. That fact is undeniable given their objections to Gingrich's plan. On January 20, 2009, Obama and the Democrats declared war upon the poor and middle class.
On the contrary, the election year stunt is being played by Obama and the MSM pushing pie in the sky of algae, which already discussed is ridiculously expensive at $33/gallon and detrimental to the environment with the absurd amount of water required to produce this costly substitute. A plan only Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore can afford and will profit handsomely at the taxpayer's expense of course via mandates, subsidies and credits.
Time to get real here folks,
Submitted by Snappy on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:27pm.
Time to get real here folks, it will take 10-15 years for keystone, ANWR, or any new drilling to get to market and affect current supplies... all the great thinkers in DC have been saying this for the past 30 years... when will we finally learn, the best course of action is just to do nothing and allow Brazil to do the drilling. Besides, we have $50 led lightbulbs now, which should solve all our energy problems.
Why is Lauer ...
Submitted by Fredy on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 9:03pm.
Why is Lauer asking about a Gingrich plan he did not even bother to introduce into the conversation? What a useless attempt to ambush a guest into attacking 'something' undefined.
Let me, in 1 short description, finish what should have been presented as 'the Gingrich plan in a nutshell'.
What Newt has said was that if you opened up most every place for drilling then oil companies would drill. However, and what Newt also points out, is that oil companies will slow or stop drilling when the cost of recovery reaches the price for the oil. In todays dollars, that would be somewhere between $2.00 and $2.50 per gallon of gasoline. Newt says he got this price point from several oil company advisors he talks to.
All Lauer had to do was state what I just typed to set-up the question in an appropriate manner. Instead, Lauer tried to blindside this exec with a half truth in order to get him to attack Newt.
Pure political propaganda!