Saturday, February 25, 2012

Re: President Obama Talks About Gas Prices, Energy

Yes, the Bush administration and obstructionist GOP are to blame for
high gas prices.


On Feb 24, 9:57 am, Keith In Tampa <keithinta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hopefully, the American people will see that President Obama's failure to
> respond in any meaningful fashion yesterday in Miami, (while on a campaign
> trip)  while so many Americans are hurting due to the drastic increase in
> fuel prices,  will be the light bulb going off in their heads, and they
> will remember this nine months from now.
>
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 9:29 AM, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > From Coleman
>
> > Obama Talks About Gas Prices, Energy
>
> > President Obama jogged up the stairs leading to the stage where he
> > spoke at the University of Miami on Thursday.
> > By MARK LANDLERNYTimes Published: February 23, 2012
> > MIAMI — President Obama, confronted by the political perils of surging
> > gas prices in an election year, on Thursday defended his efforts to
> > wean the United States off imported oil, even as he conceded there was
> > little he could do in the short run to ease the pain at the pump.
>
> > Enlarge This Image
>
> > Doug Mills/The New York Times
> > President Obama discussed gas prices and energy policy during his address.
>
> > Speaking to students at the University of Miami, in a swing state
> > where gas averages $3.69 a gallon, Mr. Obama said: "Just like last
> > year, gas prices are climbing across the country; this time, it's
> > happening even earlier. And when gas prices go up, it hurts
> > everybody."
> > The president offered what he called an "all-of-the-above" response,
> > based on more domestic oil production, development of alternative
> > energy sources and stricter fuel-efficiency standards.
>
> > Drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans and anticipating potential
> > attacks on the campaign trail, Mr. Obama ridiculed his opponents for
> > recycling a "three-point plan for $2 gas."
>
> > "Step one is to drill, and step two is to drill, and then step three
> > is to keep drilling," he said.
>
> > This was the president's first major effort to tackle an issue that
> > has surfaced in the last few weeks as oil prices have been driven up
> > by tensions in the Middle East, where Iran has threatened to retaliate
> > against the West because of sanctions over its nuclear program.
>
> > Mr. Obama seemed keenly aware of the risk posed by oil prices. A
> > previous cycle of price increases played briefly to the benefit of
> > Senator John McCain during the 2008 campaign, when his running mate,
> > Sarah Palin, revved up crowds with the chant, "drill, baby, drill."
>
> > The president said that the United States is producing more oil now
> > than at any time during the last eight years, with a record number of
> > rigs pumping. The White House, he said, was prepared to open new areas
> > in the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to exploration.
>
> > But Mr. Obama warned that no amount of domestic production could
> > offset the broader forces driving up gas prices, chief among them
> > Middle East instability and the ravenous energy appetite of China,
> > which he said added 10 million cars in 2010.
>
> > "Anybody who tells you we can drill our way out of this problem
> > doesn't know what they're talking about, or just isn't telling you the
> > truth," he said to whoops from the crowd of nearly 1,500.
>
> > Mr. Obama's remarks, tinged with humor and sarcasm, were bluntly
> > political, on a trip that included fund-raising events in Miami and
> > Orlando. But his message was sober: neither he nor anyone else can do
> > much about oil prices, which he said were likely to keep rising.
>
> > The White House contends that the public has grown accustomed to these
> > periodic spikes and will credit him for speaking honestly about the
> > underlying economic realities rather than offering "gimmicky" fixes —
> > something he eschewed in 2008.
>
> > Still, with gasoline prices nationally about 12 percent higher than a
> > year ago, Democratic political analysts believe Mr. Obama needs to get
> > ahead of the issue quickly. Newt Gingrich, for example promised this
> > week to bring gas down to $2.50 a gallon.
>
> > "Four dollars per gallon has typically been the tipping point when
> > people go from complacency to exasperation," said Geoff Garin, a
> > Democratic pollster, who notes that people have begun mentioning gas
> > prices with increasing urgency in his focus groups.
>
> > Gas prices did not figure prominently in the Republican debate on
> > Wednesday in Arizona, where the candidates trained most of their fire
> > on one another. But Republicans in Congress criticized Mr. Obama for
> > not opening more federal land to exploration, and for not approving
> > the Keystone XL pipeline.
>
> > "The president would like everyone to forget that gas prices have
> > doubled over the past three years while he consistently blocked and
> > slowed the production of American-made energy," a spokesman for House
> > Speaker John A. Boehner, Brendan Buck, said in a statement.
>
> > Even Mr. Obama, they noted, once referred to his "all-of-the-above"
> > policy as a "hodgepodge."
>
> > Among Mr. Obama's proposals are opening 75 percent of the nation's
> > offshore oil and natural gas resources by 2017; fuel-economy and
> > emissions standards for trucks, vans and buses; and an administration
> > effort to prevent bottlenecks in the oil market.
>
> > Michael Levi, an energy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations,
> > said, "Any effective energy policy is almost inevitably going to be a
> > hodgepodge." He credited the president with stimulating production,
> > though he said the rejection of Keystone sent a weak signal.
>
> > The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's lobbying group, said
> > Mr. Obama had restricted opportunities to produce more oil by
> > shortening leases and slowing permit approvals.
>
> > The president fired back, repeating his demand that Congress end
> > subsidies for the oil and gas industries.
>
> > "It's outrageous," he said. "Every politician who's been fighting to
> > keep these subsidies in place should explain to the American people
> > why the oil industry needs more of their money."
>
> > None of Mr. Obama's proposals were new, and some were aspirational. He
> > said gasoline and diesel produced from algae could replace up to 17
> > percent of imported oil. But experts say such fuel is a long way from
> > being commercially viable on that scale.
>
> > Joking that he once bought a car for $500, Mr. Obama said that because
> > of new fuel-economy standards, new cars will average nearly 55 miles
> > per gallon by the middle of the next decade.
>
> > Mr. Obama struck his own inadvertent blow for fuel economy, by flying
> > to Florida on a Boeing 757 rather than a 747. The bigger 747, which
> > usually serves as Air Force One, was in the shop.
>
> > --
> > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> > Have a great day,
> > Tommy
>
> > --
> > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> > Have a great day,
> > Tommy
>
> > --
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>
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>
> - Show quoted text -

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