Written by T. Logan Dayne
With gas reaching an all-time high, Democrats are trying to save face and shift blame as to why so many Americans are suffering economically. A new Quinnipiac Poll released found that most Americans were likely to blame the Biden Administration’s economic policies for the high gas.
Despite entering office stating that “The buck stops with me”, President Biden has attempted to shift blame as to rising gas prices since day one. Many point to the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline as an example, a move which was defended by Biden by saying the pipeline would not have been finished for another two years. That was two years ago. And now as gas prices and inflation are rising, a phenomenon happening well before the Ukraine war, when asked, many Democrats say that Putin or the Pandemic are the real reasons, anything but failed economic policy.
Rep. Mike Levin of California is now attempting to gaslight voters with a new catchy slogan he calls “the three P’s”. According to him, these are the real reasons Americans are suffering. As prices for gas break $6 a gallon, blame is laid at the feet of Putin, the Pandemic, and Price-gouging by oil companies, according to Levin. His nicely wrapped message, however, is receiving a good amount of pushback in his district. Rep. Mike Levin was able to flip the district back in 2018 but as the midterm elections come up, that number by the gas pump may prove to be a weighty factor in his re-election. Levin promises that he will “keep telling the truth,” but laying all the blame on Putin, the Pandemic, or even Price-gouging doesn’t paint a truthful picture, at best half-truths. Things that are left out are the stringent measures the Biden Administration has placed on oil companies creating a chilling effect and creating scarcity. Biden himself bragged in the Democratic Debates in 2019 that he was proud that he had slowed down so many oil companies from drilling during his long career in politics.
It is hard to explain away problems to people that are hurting in the here and now. The gas problem has really strained the message of many Democratic Candidates that they “deliver” and are truly the party of the working class, especially when so many of them simply tell Americans that they should just buy electric cars instead. Only time will tell if the Democratic talking points are effective and a high number by that gas pump will not be a good sign for Democrats when the midterms arrive.
Photo Cred: Tom Williams CQ Roll Call
