On Sunday’s This Week, the mostly-liberal “Powerhouse Roundtable” couldn’t handle the fact that the results of an ABC/IPSOS poll showed over sixty percent of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of gas prices.
“Our new poll, interesting numbers. First of all, it showed overwhelming support for the ban on Russian oil, 77 percent support it, even if it means the poll question even if it means higher gas prices here at home,” fill-in host Jon Karl reported while breaking down the poll’s findings.
“But take a look at this other question we asked, which is, Biden's handling of gas prices, do you approve? 70 percent disapprove, so, in other words, ban Russian oil even if it means higher gas prices, but we're going to blame Biden.” Karl couldn’t understand how the public could simultaneously support banning Russian oil knowing it will lead to higher prices at the pump, while also disapproving of Biden’s failure to take any measures to lower prices.
Karl glanced over at former Democratic North Dakota Senator and ABC News contributor Heidi Heitkamp while bemoaning the results of the poll. Heitkamp responded cynically that “you always blame the party in power.”
Continuing her whining over Americans blaming Biden for high gas prices, Heitkamp thought the Biden administration “wasn’t aggressive enough” in discrediting the potential effectiveness of the Keystone XL Pipeline: “One of the first things Donald Trump did was give the permit and in four years the pipeline didn't get built? Why not? Because it wasn't economical to build that pipeline in those price points.”
She then proceeded to blame former President Trump for inflation, claiming “it was the Trump administration that overspent and drove up inflation so if inflation in prices and housing and in gas is because of deficit spending that's Trump's fault.”
Karl then showed a chart of how much gas prices have soared over the past month: “but look at this chart on gas prices just since February. If you look -- it is a shocking increase.” Heitkamp interrupted Karl mid-sentence to claim gas prices have been “artificially low” and the prices consumers are paying now aren’t the highest price Americans have had to pay:
In fact, George Herbert Walker Bush under the George Bush administration we had gas prices, inflation adjusted over $5. But we're shocked because we got used to $2 gas. And that's the problem!
Later in the segment, George Will, the lone Republican on the panel finally had a chance to weigh in. Will lambasted the Democratic-controlled Congress for passing another trillion-dollar spending bill the same week as the inflation report came out: “when you're in the hole quit digging, it's the law of holes. 7.9 percent inflation. In the week that is announced Congress passes another 1.5 trillion tranche of spending.”
This elitist segment featuring wealthy liberal media figures sneering at Americans struggling to pay to fill up their gas tanks was made possible by sponsorships from Tide. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
ABC’s This Week
3/13/2022
9:42:43 a.m. EasternJON KARL: Our new poll, interesting numbers. First of all, it showed overwhelming support for the ban on Russian oil, 77 percent support it, even if it means the poll question even if it means higher gas prices here at home. But take a look at this other question we asked, which is, Biden's handling of gas prices, do you approve? 70 percent disapprove, so, in other words, ban Russian oil even if it means higher gas prices, but we're going to blame Biden.
HEIDI HEITKAMP: You always blame the party in power. And, you know, the administration wasn't aggressive enough in my opinion in pushing back on the red herrings, the red herrings like it's because you didn't build the Keystone XL pipeline and I remind them one of the first things Donald Trump did was give the permit and in four years the pipeline didn't get built? Why not? Because it wasn't economical to build that pipeline in those price points. What they argue that this is because of inflation. Runaway inflation. Who drove up inflation? We saw the CBO numbers this week. It was the Trump administration that overspent and drove up inflation so if inflation in prices and housing and in gas is because of deficit spending that's Trump's fault and so the administration has not been nearly aggressive enough to explain what's actually going on.
KARL: Although if you look at the numbers, inflation really started to rise almost exactly when Biden came in the White House. Now obviously…
HEITKAMP: Well that argues my point, doesn't it?
KARL: But look at this chart on gas prices just since February. If you look -- it is a shocking increase that, you know, doesn't correspond.
HEITKAMP: Can I just say that is an artificially low price that you're starting from and when you do inflation adjustment, this isn't the highest price we've had in the last 20 years. In fact, George Herbert Walker Bush under the George Bush administration we had gas prices, inflation adjusted over $5. But we're shocked because we got used to $2 gas. And that's the problem!
(...)
GEORGE WILL: But when you're in the hole quit digging it's the law of holes. 7.9 percent inflation. In the week that is announced congress passes another 1.5 trillion tranche of spending. As the government was announcing it in the first five months of this fiscal year during which inflation lowered Americans' real wages in 9 of 12 months, we're now adding to the deficit in these first five months of the year $3 billion a year and debt service now consumes $1.2 million a minute. It's $20,000 per second if you want to do the arithmetic so stop, I mean, that's -- quit adding fuel to the fire.
