As NewsBusters has been reporting, America's media have recently taken it upon themselves to make sure the soaring price of gas does not reduce Barack Obama's chances of getting reelected in November.
Doing her part Sunday was Current TV's Jennifer Granholm who actually said on ABC's This Week, "I think blaming the president for high gas prices is like blaming Rudy Giuliani for 9/11" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GEORGE WILL: But right now, they think they're going to float in on high gas prices. Something like that, and that's just preposterous.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM: It is preposterous. I think blaming the president for high gas prices is like blaming Rudy Giuliani for 9/11. It's totally ridiculous.
So presidents have absolutely no impact whatsoever on energy prices? Granholm didn't feel that way when she was stumping for John Kerry in 2004.
Here's what then Michigan governor Granholm told CNN's Bill Hemmer on October 15 of that year:
BILL HEMMER: We will talk more about this throughout the day, depending on where the story goes. Specifically, now in your state, Michigan listed for a long time as one of the many battleground states in this country. Where do you see it now, the race in your state, shaping up between John Kerry and George Bush?
GRANHOLM: It's still close. But I think Kerry has -- is ahead by three or four points. But it is still close.
I tell you, though, Bill, every day, when you pick up the papers, though, and see the headlines, I mean, just today alone, record deficits, Dow under 10000, unemployment claims higher, home heating oil at the highest level it's ever been. In Michigan, we care about the middle class and that middle class squeeze. So when gas prices are up, and wages are down, that really affects us. And so John Kerry's speaking to that.
In February 2006, Granholm gave the Democratic radio response to President Bush's State of the Union address:
Mr. President, I watched your speech as the governor of a state that is the epicenter of America's manufacturing crisis. And I was right with you when you said, "if we have a level playing field, no one can out produced or out compete the American worker." And we in Michigan could not agree more. And I was on the edge of my seat waiting for you to take a stand for those workers, the ones that are being hurt by unfair trade practices by other countries. And for the American businesses that are are being slammed by health care costs. And for the American automakers that are fighting hard to compete and that need you to fight along side them.
But like so many Americans, Mr. President, what I heard in your speech instead, was "you're on your own." Automakers, you're on your own. Manufacturers, you're on your own. Citizens, you're on your own. [...]
We believe in protecting the financial security of consumers because American families are being squeezed by costs for gas and home heating oil.
In August 2008, Granholm chaired a town hall meeting about energy prices. This is long but stay with it - the hypocrisy is delicious:
GOV. GRANHOLM: Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to America's Town Hall. My name is Jennifer Granholm. I'm the governor of the great state of Michigan. (Cheers, applause.) And tonight we're going to be talking about something that's on everybody's mind, but I can tell you it certainly is on the mind of the people in Michigan, and on the people -- of the people who are fighting to keep jobs in this country, and it's about energy and jobs.
We are all feeling it, are we not, this pain at the pump? Aren't you hurtin' about it? Well, how do we transition? This is the question we want to talk about. How do we transition to clean, homegrown energy so that we can break this dependence on foreign oil and make ourselves more secure and create jobs? That's the question.
So, we've got a tremendous panel this evening. We have with us Jim Rogers, who is the CEO of Duke Energy and a board member of the Alliance to Save Energy. We have Jim Bauer next to him, and Jim is a steelworker who actually lost his job at a steel mill because the mill closed down, but now is with Gemasa, which is a wind turbine manufacturing company who's investing in America and in American workers. Next to Jim is Aimee Christensen; she's the founder of Christensen Global Strategies. She's advised Google's environmental initiative. She has been a Cabinet member, worked with the Clinton administration on energy. She is a sharp cookie. And the last person on our panel is Jerome Ringo, who is president of the Apollo Alliance, which is a coalition of labor and environmental groups creating energy independence and jobs. [...]
GOV. GRANHOLM: So it's a broad question, but let me direct it to you since you are the CEO of an energy company. What is the energy strategy that will bring us efficiency?
MR. ROGERS: Consumers across this country are facing rising energy prices -- gasoline, natural gas and electricity.
It is critical for the future of our country that we embrace energy efficiency and make it a key part of our strategy going forward. We need a balanced portfolio approach to addressing the energy and environmental goals.
I recently talked to Senator Obama, and after our conversation, it was clear that we shared a similar aspiration for our country; and that is to make it the most energy-efficient economy in the world, and we can do that. And we can do that by investing in technologies, in renewables, and investing in energy efficiency and helping people control their bills and help them control their use of electricity in the future.
GOV. GRANHOLM: Does energy efficiency also create jobs?
MR. ROGERS: It will create jobs. The important thing is to make the investments today. And maybe most importantly, it is critical to achieving our economic goals as well as building a bridge to a low- carbon world. The first thing we can do is energy efficiency, and that will take us on the road to that low-carbon world.
GOV. GRANHOLM: Well, as we know, Senator Obama has a plan to create 5 million -- million -- jobs in alternative and renewable energy. That's music to my ears as governor of the state of Michigan, where we are looking for ways to replace those lost manufacturing jobs with clean and green technology and manufacturing jobs. [...]
GOV. GRANHOLM: This is everybody's problem. Aimee, you're such a great thinker and strategist and adviser. What do we do about this gasoline price problem?
MS. CHRISTENSEN: Well, it's absolutely unacceptable that, in a country of innovators and entrepreneurs, that we've been basically relying on one fuel source and one engine type for almost a century. And this is because of failed policies and a lack of leadership in Washington.
And what Senator Barack Obama is going to bring is a comprehensive energy strategy that will meet K.C.'s challenges in the near term, with a thousand-dollar tax rebate to every family in this country, to help pay their energy bills.
He's going to crack down on energy traders. Speculation prices are driving prices higher. And he's also going to double fuel efficiency for our auto fleet within 10 years.
And in seven years he's going to have a million plug-in hybrids on the road. These are cars that get 150 miles per gallon, and they're ready now. And even better, he's going to partner with American automakers and American parts manufacturers --
GOV. GRANHOLM: Whoo! We love that! [...]
GOV. GRANHOLM: Now, have you seen Senator McCain's plan?
MS. CHRISTENSEN: Senator McCain's plan, unfortunately, is the same thing we've had for the last eight years, which is the oil companies' plan. And it's unacceptable. And unfortunately, we can't drill our way out of this problem. He claims we can, but the Bush administration's own records show that drilling for oil will only significantly address the (crisis/prices ?) of our energy by 2030. And that is not a solution for anybody but the oil companies. [...]
So, in 2008, Granholm campaigned for Obama in full support of his energy policy.
Now that it has failed, and she is the host of a show on Al Gore's Current TV, she thinks "blaming the president for high gas prices is like blaming Rudy Giuliani for 9/11"
She's gonna fit in just fine at that joke of a network.
