Patterico's Pontifications

4/21/2011

Obama Cries Crocodile Tears Over High Gas Prices

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 10:25 am



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.  Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.]

You really have admit Obama has serious chutzpah to say this one.  He was addressing efforts to combat so-called climate change and the like when he said this:

Obama addressed rising gasoline prices at the San Francisco event Benioff hosted, even while acknowledging that donors at the $35,800-per-plate event weren’t personally struggling with costs at the pump.

“Right now we’ve got $4-a-gallon gas, and most of the people under this tent don’t have to worry about that. But for the average person who has to drive 50 miles to work and can’t afford to buy the Tesla, it’s hammering them. It’s hurting them,” Obama said, according to a White House transcript that notes the Tesla comment drew laughter.

Tesla Motors is a California-based company that makes an electric sports car that sells for more than $100,000, while the sedan Tesla plans to make available next year is about half that price.

Obama added:

“So there’s a huge economic imperative. There’s a national security imperative, as well, because we see what’s happening in the Middle East and we understand that a finite resource that is primarily located in a very unstable part of the world is not good for our long-term future.”

Well, at least this time he knows that if you can’t afford gas, you probably can’t afford a new car, either.  That’s a start.  Still, the reason why it takes serious nerve to say it is because he already told us he wants us to pay more at the pump.  Remember this bit?

(Thanks to Dustin for finding this for me a few weeks ago.) The youtuber who posted that has this transcript of the key moment:

Sen. OBAMA: Well, I think that we have been slow to move in a better direction when it comes to energy usage. And the president, frankly, hasn’t had an energy policy. And as a consequence, we’ve been consuming energy as if it’s infinite. We now know that our demand is badly outstripping supply with China and India growing as rapidly as they are. So…

HARWOOD: So could these high prices help us?

Sen. OBAMA: I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing. But if we take some steps right now to help people make the adjustment, first of all by putting more money into their pockets, but also by encouraging the market to adapt to these new circumstances more quickly, particularly US automakers, then I think ultimately, we can come out of this stronger and have a more efficient energy policy than we do right now.

And this was not a one-shot.  He said something similar on his cap-and-trade approach to energy (via Hot Air):

High gas prices are not an unintended consequence.  They aren’t a bug.  They are a feature. The environmentalists want higher gas prices, because they are trying to force you to consume less gas.  They want you to look at this*…

…and say, “Holy crap, I need a hybrid.”  So high gas prices are not an unintended consequence of their policies: it is the means by which they will accomplish their goal.

And this president has done many things to keep gas prices high, from blocking any attempt to drill in ANWR, to the illegal drilling moratorium in the gulf.  He came in with the promise to raise your energy prices and energy prices have risen.  And now he is pretending to be upset about it?

Give me a break.  At most he is upset that they might threaten his chances of reelection.

Hat tip: Doug Powers at Malkin’s place.

Update: Thanks for the link from Reaganite Republican, who has some potentially helpful advice.  Yes, a coupon for a gallon of gas is becoming more valuable by the day.  Sigh.

————————-

* That image is a little old and therefore that particular gas station has probably raised its prices even more since then.  You can read the article I ripped it from, here. But for me, that is about where prices are in my area, last I looked. And from what I have heard, that price is a little on the low side.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

79 Responses to “Obama Cries Crocodile Tears Over High Gas Prices”

  1. putting more money into their pockets

    That’s a bit of a jaw-dropper. What was Obama’s plan for doing that?

    carlitos (28bbc0)

  2. When Bush was president, and gas prices were higher than they were even now, A.W. was bringing out the charts to show that — taking into account inflation, etc. — gas prices were actually pretty low!

    Ah, good times.

    Kman (5576bf)

  3. Energy costs will necessarily skyrocket.

    Re-election is the only concern of his, therefore we should expect investigations into oil companies for price gouging, collusion, etc … as opposed to actually dealing with the causes of the skyrocketing prices.

    JD (8802f1)

  4. The was maybe a couple weeks in 2008 where gas prices were this high. Is that what kmart was referring to? I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that kmart wants to point at BUNNIES, be a contrarian, and ignore the point of the post. Shocked.

    JD (8802f1)

  5. one of bumble’s firstest most urgent priorities was stopping the oil drillings

    This is from Feb 5, 2009.

    In a clear signal that the Obama administration is shifting the government’s approach to energy exploration on public lands, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar yesterday canceled oil and gas leases on 77 parcels of federal land after opponents said the drilling would blight Utah’s scenic southeastern corner.

    that was one of the very first salvos in the war on jobs

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  6. It’s true that gas, with inflation adjusted is not climbing as fast as my memory insists it is, but it’s also true that it’s doubled during Obama’s term, and we can’t blame it on inflation.

    Kman is, as JD notes, just contrarian and hoping to change the subject whenever his god is questioned.

    But Aaron noting a change in price over 30+ years is not the same as Aaron noting a change in price over 2 years. And Aaron has more to his argument than the effect. He can point to some of Obama’s wishes and choices that reflect those choices as part of the cause of the Obama era gasoline price doubling.

    Soooo, Kman loses an argument and someone is treating Sarah Palin like crap and some democrats are challenging an election they know they lost. Meanwhile, the sky is blue and my dog likes steak.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  7. When the GOP takes the White house in 2012 and we see a recovery fueled largely by energy exploration, the GOP will have a clear argument that they caused it via policies. How often does that happen? It’s going to lead to a generation of voters who reject democrats.

    This is not the most important thing, though. What’s important is getting those oil platforms back, and getting back to work. This country is getting screwed.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  8. I like steak too.

    JD (8802f1)

  9. cap n trade, epa regulations, cancellation of the arctic survey, drilling moratorium, QE 2, they all work like Pinhead’s puzzlebox

    narciso (79ddc3)

  10. ignore the point of the post.

    The point of the post? That Obama wants the U.S. to reduce its dependence on foreign oil?

    Ho-hum. Name one politician who HASN’T said this.

    “Yeah, but Obama said it. He wants to ween us off of the oil teat. Grmphtadsjhdsa!!! He MUST be mocked for that!!”

    Whatevs.

    Kman (5576bf)

  11. That Obama wants the U.S. to reduce its dependence on foreign oil?

    HAHAHAHAAH

    Kman just can’t figure out that he’s so bad at this that he hurts his own cause.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  12. The point of the post? That Obama wants the U.S. to reduce its dependence on foreign oil?

    You are more ignorant than I have given you credit for.

    JD (8802f1)

  13. Kman, strangling domestic oil production does not reduce our dependance on foreign oil, it increases it. And Obama, during his trip to Brazil said “And when you’re ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers”.

    LarryD (feb78b)

  14. Who are we loaning money to for building refineries this month?

    JD (85b089)

  15. Kman

    I never excused the high gas prices and made it clear that they had to come down. i may have noted they were low for inflation (I honestly don’t remember either way) but i always made it clear that they were still unacceptably high.

    There is no inconsistency in my attitude. As usual your complaint is selective and deceptive at best, if not an outright lie.

    And i will add that Bush didn’t say he wanted this to happen.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  16. I didn’t explain this clearly enough,

    (from narciso’s link)

    They always say that.

    We just don’t appreciate how brilliant Obama is. If we would just believe in him.

    No big deal that he said signing statements and invading unilateral of congress was unconstitutional, took an oath to observe the constitution, and then took signing statements and unilateral invasions to an unprecedented level.

    ——-

    So, Aaron claims Kman is lying, and that Aaron thought gas prices needed to come down. Can’t Kman be right at least once? It’s so boring seeing him lose.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  17. Can an honest person show us where the Bush prices were over $4 and headed towards $5?

    JD (d48c3b)

  18. Colombia, Santos is generally a good egg, that’s the saving grace

    narciso (79ddc3)

  19. Mar 17, 2008 3.284
    Mar 24, 2008 3.259
    Mar 31, 2008 3.29
    Apr 07, 2008 3.332
    Apr 14, 2008 3.389
    Apr 21, 2008 3.508
    Apr 28, 2008 3.603
    May 05, 2008 3.613
    May 12, 2008 3.722
    May 19, 2008 3.791
    May 26, 2008 3.937
    http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_history.html:

    Jun 02, 2008 3.976
    Jun 09, 2008 4.039
    Jun 16, 2008 4.082
    Jun 23, 2008 4.079
    Jun 30, 2008 4.095
    Jul 07, 2008 4.114
    Jul 14, 2008 4.113
    Jul 21, 2008 4.064
    Jul 28, 2008 3.955
    Aug 04, 2008 3.88
    Aug 11, 2008 3.809
    Aug 18, 2008 3.74
    Aug 25, 2008 3.685
    Sep 01, 2008 3.68
    Sep 08, 2008 3.648
    Sep 15, 2008 3.835
    Sep 22, 2008 3.718
    Sep 29, 2008 3.632
    Oct 06, 2008 3.484
    Oct 13, 2008 3.151
    Oct 20, 2008 2.914
    Oct 27, 2008 2.656
    Nov 03, 2008 2.4
    Nov 10, 2008 2.224
    Nov 17, 2008 2.072
    Nov 24, 2008 1.892
    Dec 01, 2008 1.811
    Dec 08, 2008 1.699
    Dec 15, 2008 1.659
    Dec 22, 2008 1.653
    Dec 29, 2008 1.613
    Jan 05, 2009 1.684
    Jan 12, 2009 1.784
    Jan 19, 2009 1.847
    Jan 26, 2009 1.838
    Feb 02, 2009 1.892
    Feb 09, 2009 1.926
    Feb 16, 2009 1.964
    Feb 23, 2009 1.909
    Mar 02, 2009 1.934
    Mar 09, 2009 1.941
    Mar 16, 2009 1.91
    Mar 23, 2009 1.962
    Mar 30, 2009 2.046
    Apr 06, 2009 2.037
    Apr 13, 2009 2.051
    Apr 20, 2009 2.059
    Apr 27, 2009 2.049
    May 04, 2009 2.078
    May 11, 2009 2.24
    May 18, 2009 2.309
    May 25, 2009 2.435
    Jun 01, 2009 2.524
    Jun 08, 2009 2.624
    Jun 15, 2009 2.672
    Jun 22, 2009 2.691
    Jun 29, 2009 2.642
    Jul 06, 2009 2.612
    Jul 13, 2009 2.528
    Jul 20, 2009 2.463
    Jul 27, 2009 2.503
    Aug 03, 2009 2.557
    Aug 10, 2009 2.647
    Aug 17, 2009 2.637
    Aug 24, 2009 2.628
    Aug 31, 2009 2.613
    Sep 07, 2009 2.588
    Sep 14, 2009 2.577
    Sep 21, 2009 2.552
    Sep 28, 2009 2.499
    Oct 05, 2009 2.468
    Oct 12, 2009 2.489
    Oct 19, 2009 2.574
    Oct 26, 2009 2.674
    Nov 02, 2009 2.694
    Nov 09, 2009 2.666
    Nov 16, 2009 2.629
    Nov 23, 2009 2.639
    Nov 30, 2009 2.629
    Dec 07, 2009 2.634
    Dec 14, 2009 2.599
    Dec 21, 2009 2.589
    Dec 28, 2009 2.607
    Jan 04, 2010 2.665
    Jan 11, 2010 2.751
    Jan 18, 2010 2.739
    Jan 25, 2010 2.705
    Feb 01, 2010 2.661
    Feb 08, 2010 2.652
    Feb 15, 2010 2.608
    Feb 22, 2010 2.655
    Mar 01, 2010 2.702
    Mar 08, 2010 2.751
    Mar 15, 2010 2.788
    Mar 22, 2010 2.819
    Mar 29, 2010 2.798
    Apr 05, 2010 2.826
    Apr 12, 2010 2.858
    Apr 19, 2010 2.86
    Apr 26, 2010 2.849
    May 03, 2010 2.898
    May 10, 2010 2.905
    May 17, 2010 2.864
    May 24, 2010 2.786
    May 31, 2010 2.728
    Jun 07, 2010 2.725
    Jun 14, 2010 2.701
    Jun 21, 2010 2.743
    Jun 28, 2010 2.757
    Jul 05, 2010 2.726
    Jul 12, 2010 2.718
    Jul 19, 2010 2.722
    Jul 26, 2010 2.749
    Aug 02, 2010 2.735
    Aug 09, 2010 2.783
    Aug 16, 2010 2.745
    Aug 23, 2010 2.704
    Aug 30, 2010 2.682
    Sep 06, 2010 2.682
    Sep 13, 2010 2.721
    Sep 20, 2010 2.723
    Sep 27, 2010 2.694
    Oct 04, 2010 2.732
    Oct 11, 2010 2.819
    Oct 18, 2010 2.834
    Oct 25, 2010 2.817
    Nov 01, 2010 2.806
    Nov 08, 2010 2.865
    Nov 15, 2010 2.892
    Nov 22, 2010 2.876
    Nov 29, 2010 2.856
    Dec 06, 2010 2.958
    Dec 13, 2010 2.98
    Dec 20, 2010 2.982
    Dec 27, 2010 3.052
    Jan 03, 2011 3.07
    Jan 10, 2011 3.089
    Jan 17, 2011 3.104
    Jan 24, 2011 3.11
    Jan 31, 2011 3.101
    Feb 07, 2011 3.132
    Feb 14, 2011 3.14
    Feb 21, 2011 3.189
    Feb 28, 2011 3.383
    Mar 07, 2011 3.52
    Mar 14, 2011 3.567
    Mar 21, 2011 3.562
    Mar 28, 2011 3.596
    Apr 04, 2011 3.684
    Apr 11, 2011 3.791
    Apr 18, 2011 3.844

    gp (Honest Person) (72be5d)

  20. The huge drop in gas price at end of 2008 was due to the liquidity squeeze of the financial panic. This rush for USD drove down prices of lots of commodities; even pushed gold under $800 for a while.

    In his liberal heart-of-hearts, does BHO like high energy prices? Yes, of course.

    Relative to the rest of the Western world, are US gas prices currently higher? No, not really.

    Do high gas prices portend coming economic crises? They usually do.

    Will $5 gas hurt BHO’s reelection chances? You betcha.

    gp (Honest Person) (72be5d)

  21. gp, thanks for that. Something I notice, the prices seem to go up and down, though they trend up, until January 2007. The only exception is the late 2008 financial crisis.

    I wonder what changed at the beginning of 2007 that would have led to a steady climb until the bubble burst? Cough cough.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  22. Kman, Obama is not “weaning” the US off the oil teat. Instead, he believes that destroying the ability of the average American to afford gas will accomplish his loonier environmentalist supporters’ goals. Hence the stupidity of his illegal efforts to stop Gulf oil drilling.

    Obama professed a desire to intentionally drive gas prices up long before being elected. And he’s shown an utter failure to understand the financial devastation, from his policies, to the very people he falsely purports to care about.

    But you are too partisan and too brainwashed with looney environmentalist propaganda to do anything but continue to stalk Aaron.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  23. Dustin

    i won’t say for sure he was lying. i might have said it was historically low when adjusted for inflation. But i never said it wasn’t a problem. And for him to pretend i was defending the prices or thought they were no big deal is just bull.

    I mean sh-t, I am a car-culture guy. I fill up gas like anyone else and i feel the pain like anyone else. there is no way i was ever cool with $4 a gallon gas. I was depressed when we hit $2 a gallon. now i think i would bomb a country for it only to be $2 a gallon.

    (for the slow, that’s a joke!)

    And i could be wrong, but i don’t think it got much higher than that for me. if it even hits $4.50, that will be a new high in my experience.

    So i might have said something about it being historically low against inflation. I really don’t remember. But i never said it was okay at that level.

    GP

    i always get suspicious when a person advertises themselves as honest, but what you said seems right. i mean i didn’t fact check your gas price history, but other than that…

    my understanding is that europeans pay alot more for gas. as in so high they can’t understand why we are complaining.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  24. Obama is a car illiterate. Tesla’s “sports” car won’t handle a 50 mile one-way trip, much less a 100 mile round trip. TopGear tested it and they had to constantly plug the car in after 20 miles or so, and it takes hours to recharge. Idiot.

    Sean (7e3d26)

  25. Top Gear pitted a BMW against a Prius, and the BMW was more efficient.

    Not that the prius isn’t also more efficient. It’s just that they aren’t for the same thing. I have an Accord that I use to drive long distances and a pickup that I use to haul cubic yards of backpain more often than I like. Both are extremely efficient. If I didn’t care about my safety and I did tons of stop and go traffic and I had the capability of keeping batteries working forever, I guess a Volt would be a good idea. Oh, and if I didn’t care about reliability.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  26. Thank you, gp. AW, that honest person thing was in response to my request. It looks like for about 6 weeks, the prices were over $4. Don’t prices generally rise over the course of the summer? This should be a loooooong summer. I put over 40K a year on my car, and Obumble’s anti-job anti-US energy policy sux.

    JD (d48c3b)

  27. Quick update on my previous comment, I was wrong, TopGear worked out it only has enough juice to do 55 miles and it takes 16 hours to fill it back up, so that means you had better hope to live within 20 miles of work or else your $100,000 Tesla won’t do you any good. Here is the TopGear video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfHyGD7_pM

    Sean (7e3d26)

  28. But Obama cries real tears when his manparts are kicked.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  29. Sean

    lol, i think i saw on that show where they had an odd german car. he asked the driver to pull foward and then get out. the car opened from the front so literally he couldn’t open the car door.

    So then the driver asks, “okay, so how do i put this in reverse. i don’t see the gear.”

    And the guy outside the car replies, “there’s no reverse.”

    That is right. you can only get out in the front, and there was no reverse. So if you pulled too close to a wall and couldn’t get out, you had to hope someone came along and pushed you back.

    maybe those same engineers worked on the tesla.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  30. Didn’t Tesla also receive 100s of millions in taxpayer “investment”?

    Chris (eafa5f)

  31. Obama wants us to not depend on foreign oil by banning drilling here in america.

    Makes sense if you have the atrophied brain of Kturdman.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  32. Obama wants us to not depend on foreign oil by banning drilling here in america.

    Even if you drill everywhere you want to drill in America, we’re still going to have to rely heavily on foreign oil.

    Eventually, we’re going to have to come up with alternate energy sources.

    Everyone here knows that.

    Kman (5576bf)

  33. Thanks gp for the facts and the analysis.

    Kman, as usual, missed the point and diverted the discussion. It does not matter if gas cost 25 cents or 25 dollars a gallon under Bush.

    The point is Obama is on record as saying high gas prices are good, as are high electricity prices, and comments about gasoline being expensive as a hardship for anyone in the US are so much deceitful propaganda.

    I shudder to think what they would get away with if there was no Internet or talk radio to bring this kind of stuff to mind.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  34. Obama wants us to not depend on foreign oil by banning drilling here in america.

    Even if you drill everywhere you want to drill in America, we’re still going to have to rely heavily on foreign oil.

    Prove it.

    I think we could both reduce consumption and increase productivity greatly. If we did this enough, at worst, we’re much less reliant on an unstable middle east.

    You just like to assert things. You have no vision. You say something can’t be done as a method of forgiving Obama for going in the wrong direction.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  35. #34 is the same douchey drivel OBarcky spits out.

    JD (85b089)

  36. Alternative energy is a farce. 🙄

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  37. Everyone should know that if we supplied 60% of our oil demand with our own oil we would be less dependent on foreign oil than if we supplied only 50% with our own oil (just picking numbers out of the air). The higher percentage of our oil need that we can supply with our own production NOW means we are less dependent on foreign oil NOW.

    Speculation about what alternatives we will have in sufficient supply 1, 5, 10 years from now are just that.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  38. MD – by their “logic” if you cannot supply all that is needed immediately there is no need to even try to supply any. It is a juvenile childish all or nothing false choice.

    JD (29e1cd)

  39. Yep, MD. Even if you just say oil is fungible anyway, the fact remains that more supply = more stability and lower prices.

    Oil is the lifeblood of our country, and we should drill for oil. I can’t think of a time in our history other than WWII where were need to be less reliant on others for oil.

    I disagree with dohbiden that alternative energy is a farce, but it is a very large scale problem. It’s too large a scale for solar and wind, and those have major environmental consequences.

    But if we think ahead, to a world that will be demanding more oil, and supplying the USA with less, maybe we do need to find a way to replace as much oil use as possible. My opinion is that nitrogen fuel cells are an option. Natural gas isn’t bad either. The Nitrogen costs a lot of electricity, but it’s similar to gas in that I can just fill’er up. We could upgrade infrastructure enough to where electricity is much cheaper and cleaner (nukes, of course), and then the economic argument for nitrogen makes more sense. Honda also has an idea where your home uses gas to generate electricity.

    It’s just that this is no miracle cure. It’s hard work for America, especially since we are bankrupt. I really am sore that Obama didn’t have the FDR style vision to use his reckless stimulus on something like this. Trains? Shovel ready nonsense? Bailouts for GM and his other pals? He could have been a much better leader, but like Kman, he has no vision. Only politics.

    In the interim, we need to drill for oil and weather the storm. We also need a longer term plan.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  40. “Tesla Motors…”

    Tesla, a Palo Alto-based company, though ‘promising,’ remains an unprofitable firm.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Tesla-Races-Higher-On-Morgan-indie-3281637213.html?x=0

    It’s founder, Elon Musk (creator of Paypal,) also operates SpaceX, which is currently attempting to persuade the government with his vision of ‘commercial’ HSF, contracting to service the ISS with his Dragon space capsule as shuttle retires. Investors in the private sector remain wary of the high risk/minimal ROI in this field (which is why governments have conducted HSF programs of scale, not ‘for profit’ commercial firms.) While the Falcon rocket has worked and an unmanned Dragon orbited and returned last year, SpaceX has not launched anybody into orbit and returned them safely to date; Dragon is configured to both ferry supplies and crews to LEO, servicing the ISS, (tentatively scheduled to be de-orbited in 2020). But Dragon currently has no independently tested/verified ECS (environmental control system) and thus has not been man-rated, nor does it currently have a verified escape tower system. Musk continues to lobby Congress, seeking ‘subsidies’ for ‘commercial space’ — a government which borrows 42 cents of every dollar it spends– because private capital markets, beyond his circle of cronies and his own personal investment, have kept their distance. (The launch pad at Canaveral AFB used by SpaceX was partly ‘refurburshed’ w/gov’t funds as well.) Musk has also said he expects to retire on Mars. (Mars, Pennsylvania is more likely.) Branson’s suborbital ‘ticket-to-ride’ is currently hiring pilots and plans to start rocketing paying passengers up and down next year. It most likely will be the next logical step in this field.

    President Obama and family plan to attend the launch of STS-134 on April 29th. (As Mr. Obama’s administration cancelled Constellation, rank and file NASA personnel may not be all that pleased to have him there.) This most likely has everything to do w/Gabby Giffords (assuming she will attend as her husband is the shuttle commander) and nothing to do w/shuttle. It could be seen more like a campaign trip and less a legitimate presidential visit which may be subject to calls for reimbursement of costs. VP Bush attended a shuttle landing in 1988 as his presidential campaign was in full swing and faced similar criticism. More ironic was President Nixon attending the Apollo 12 launch in November, 1969 and then proceeding to dismantle the Apollo program in January, 1970. You have eight days to work up some zingers for Obama, Dustin, et al. Go for it. As in this case, this writer would agree.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  41. You are tiresome, IMP.

    JD (318f81)

  42. “The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing. But if we take some steps right now to help people make the adjustment, first of all by putting more money into their pockets…”–Commissar Obama

    Nothing wrong with that, except there’s no way in hell socialism is going to put money in people’s pockets. The more you pay in taxes, the less dough you’re going to have to buy gas…and that’s an inescapable fact o’ life.

    Dave Surls (c6ad85)

  43. Even if you drill everywhere you want to drill in America, we’re still going to have to rely heavily on foreign oil.

    Eventually, we’re going to have to come up with alternate energy sources.

    Everyone here knows that.

    Comment by Kman

    We all know that eventually we will need alternative energy sources but we also know, at least those of us who were once engineers, that it won’t be wind and solar. Maybe in the far distant future, solar will be practical but now, unless you want to cover Delaware and a couple of other small states with panels, it won’t work.

    Then you have enviro nuts objecting to the solar panels.

    It turns out that we have some the world’s largest reserves of coal and natural gas, especially with fracking. Nuclear power is the best way to generate electricity. Liquid petroleum will be the best suited fuel for automobiles and trucks for the next 50 years. Natural gas is best for home heating.

    What we have are people like Obama who think that electricity comes out of a plug in the wall. I honestly cannot understand the man and many of his followers who just cannot be as stupid as they sound.

    Right now, we are very close to a tipping point in electrical generation and transmission. California, in particular, is very vulnerable. I’ve been considering getting a generator for a while. Solar roof panels in California and Arizona will never pay for themselves but they might be part of a disaster coping scenario.

    There are just too many people who do not know how the world works running things right now.

    Mike K (8f3f19)

  44. Note to Kman–this past week, I paid $4.09 a gallon for midgrade (what I’ve always gotten for my car). I don’t remember ever paying more than $4.00 a gallon in my life. Including the Bush years. And Florida, while above average, doesn’t have the high prices they have, say, in California.

    my understanding is that europeans pay alot more for gas. as in so high they can’t understand why we are complaining.

    It was once explained to me that a lot of that difference in price is due to higher taxation–the European equivalent of our gas tax is much much higher.

    kishnevi (cfb699)

  45. Why is DCSCA pasting nonsense about shuttle launches?

    It’s barely edited plagiarism of something I read an hour ago. And it’s actually worse, too. DCSCA, I thought you claimed to be a journalist. I guess you claimed a lot of things, though.

    You have eight days to work up some zingers for Obama, Dustin, et al. Go for it. As in this case, this writer would agree.

    What does that even mean? My criticisms of Obama are substantive. I’m glad the US President is attending a shuttle launch. That is an eminently presidential thing to visit. Much better than visiting the golf courses of South America. Shuttle Launches are heroic. The hard working astronauts trained hard in Houston for this mission, and are risking their lives. The hard working men and women of Houston, 18,000+, have been tirelessly preparing, and will work around the clock to keep this mission run well.

    Oh, I know Obama isn’t going to Houston, since he hates Texans and is a petty loser, but at least he is visiting the Launch, where thousands (though not as many as Houston) also work to make this mission succeed.

    But again, what does this have to do with anything in this thread? there is a thread where DCSCA made fun of Texas for having burnt shuttle Columbia dropped on it, as a consolation prize for not having a shuttle exhibit we very much wanted. I guess DCSCA is ashamed of his conduct in that thread (as well he should be), but wanted to troll in this one (which he appears to be good at, not that I care enough to change my behavior over it).

    Yes, let Obama act like a president and show NASA some respect. I am glad he’ll be at the launch.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  46. It’s barely edited plagiarism of something I read an hour ago. And it’s actually worse, too.

    Ya think?

    It’s founder, Elon Musk (creator of Paypal,) also operates SpaceX, which is currently attempting to persuade the government with his vision of ‘commercial’ HSF, contracting to service the ISS with his Dragon space capsule as shuttle retires.

    carlitos (28bbc0)

  47. Yes, Carlitos, I guess DCSCA’s prize winning CBS journalism didn’t require him to know how to write in English.

    I am sorry everyone. I know I go on and on feeding these damn trolls too much (not referring to Carlitos, who I think I called a troll a while back because I was overreacting, which seems quite stupid in retrospect).

    It’s kinda cute to think of DCSCA trying to pretend to be a newsman by rewriting something he just found.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  48. He is an idiot not-savant, Dustin, in one of its manic phases. Pretty soon we will be regaled of tales of Maggie Thatcher selling newspapers to Von Braun in his underwear while IMP videotaped it from his dorm, before heading across the globe to play soccer on the lawn of the American Embassy in Russia during a whiteout blizzard where his collection of antique jeeps and JournoList contact allowed him to escape unscathed via a secret elevator that he shared with Rush Limbaugh and Dan Rather who had a penchant for throwing sticks of Right Guard at Rush while screaming what’s the frequency kenneth and who could forget his days of international intrigue at NSA where he saved the world from godzilla and mothra prior to transferring to NASA and taught them how to make the space shuttle after another late night boxer discussion with Von Braun, thus squaring the circle.

    JD (d48c3b)

  49. Even if you drill everywhere you want to drill in America, we’re still going to have to rely heavily on foreign oil.

    Eventually, we’re going to have to come up with alternate energy sources.

    Everyone here knows that.

    Comment by Kman — 4/21/2011 @ 1:23 pm</Supply and demand. We need to drill more and create new refineries. The combination of an increased supply of oil and additional refinery capacity will drive down the price of gas. Just the thought of that potential will drive prices down.

    I'm not sure but when prices went up during the Bush admin, didn't we have a bunch of refinery fires and a bunch of other refineries down for maintenance at the same time? Loss of refinery capacity would cause gas prices to go up.

    Why does Obama want to drive up the price of everything, because that's what high fuel prices will do.

    Tanny O'Haley (06e01b)

  50. The left demonized the Cheney task force, even they warned of everything that would come about, including a blackout like New York had in 2003, yes
    problems with the Alyeska line in 2003, as well as
    the previous partial nuclear shutdown in 2007, all contributed to the problem

    narciso (79ddc3)

  51. “Eventually, we’re going to have to come up with alternate energy sources.” Can’t imagine what you’d use for aviation after all the petrofuels are gone. Surface transpo can conceivably go all electric, but where do you get the electricity, post-Fukushima? I see Google is part investor in a 30-square-mile wind project; its peak output is under 1GW, which is what you get from a single fission reactor.

    Someday when the crude oil is all gone, folks will look back and say “What a miraculous mineral petroleum was! So versatile as a feedstock, and so blessedly energy-dense as a fuel. Why did people hate it so much?”

    I watched the documentary “Saltmen of Tibet” last nite. Their energy economy is dung-based; it’s the kind of humble holistic “harmonious” system that a shallow academic like BHO would probably praise.

    gp (72be5d)

  52. Oil is king, and will be, for the lifetime of anyone reading these words

    http://themotorcycleproject.blogspot.com/2011/04/dirty-sexy-gasoline.html

    BDJ (1e484f)

  53. Didn’t Obama tell people to buy new cars when asked about the rising price of gas? No, the AP scrubbed that one.

    Arizona Bob (7d2a2c)

  54. Can’t imagine what you’d use for aviation after all the petrofuels are gone. Surface transpo can conceivably go all electric, but where do you get the electricity, post-Fukushima? I

    I say nuclear, post Fukushima, and I realize that sadly this country may not cooperate with me on that. We should try to build reactors away from earthquake zones.

    I suppose we probably can use alcohol and biodiesel for aviation. I really don’t know. I have no problem with using oil based petrol for fuel. There’s plenty of oil for airplanes, I’m sure. Hell, there’s really plenty for cars for a very long time.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  55. thus squaring the circle.

    The Aristocrats!

    Dustin (c16eca)

  56. @#48/49/50/51- ROFLMAO

    “Conservatives pride themselves on resisting change, which is as it should be. But intelligent deference to tradition and stability can evolve into intellectual sloth and moral fanaticism, as when conservatives simply decline to look up from dogma because the effort to raise their heads and reconsider is too great.”- William F. Buckley, Jr.

    Yep- most decidely in the ‘sloth’ column.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  57. Meds are your friend. Non-compliance is always so not-pretty.

    JD (318f81)

  58. Remember, folks, DCSCA has more than a few screws loose And that is no one picking on you, buddy. That is based on the bizarre self-aggrandizing stories you have been telling for some time. JD hit the high points. Those are all based on your prior stories of supposed greatness.

    What I would like to see, Dustin, is a link to where this so-called journalist plagiarized. Because if that is true, he needs to be reminded, over and over again, that he is just a loon, and not a very good one.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  59. JD, I think you are right. The guy is just mental. From time to time he tries to be reasonable and then teh crazee comes pouring out.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  60. Abuse of grammar and crappy plagiarism is effecting change and challenging dogma. Pointing out grammar abuse and crappy plagiarism is intellectual sloth. Umm, OK.

    You go, Mr. Freedom Fighter.

    carlitos (756ec2)

  61. It is not nice to make fun of ‘tards. We should be kind and gentle when speaking of IMP.

    JD (318f81)

  62. @60/61/62/63 LOL, you seem to know a lot about meds– doncha, JD. Take them and your memory might improve. Thatcher was our MP in Finchley; Von Braun in his underwear? Jockey shorts– shaving, too. It was touch football in the embassy courtyard BTW, not soccer. Limbaugh? Indeed, he smells- literally. Bad B.O., hence an appropriate spokesperson for the ‘right guard.’ Jester has a lot to learn.

    Now run along. Oh, and carlitos, good to hear the msm has picked up on the Musk angle. Post a link. Great minds think alike– what’s your excuse. And Dustin, so pleased to read you’re proud our president is attending a space shuttle launch– you do know it’s in Florida– not Texas.

    WFB was so correct… ‘sloth,’ indeed.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  63. Manic feedback loop. Wash rinse repeat.

    JD (318f81)

  64. And Dustin, so pleased to read you’re proud our president is attending a space shuttle launch– you do know it’s in Florida– not Texas.

    It wouldn’t kill you to actually read my comments before you reply to them. Or maybe it would, I guess.

    I’m not going to waste any more time talking about trolls.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  65. @#31/#32- yep, that’s Musk’s ‘MO.’

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  66. I think he’s graduated to uruk hai orc, the Popular Mechanics story on private space travel, including
    the Lynx suborbital is interestinf

    narciso (79ddc3)

  67. Personally, I think that IMP is under a doctor’s care. Because repeating the braggy braggy lies does not help. Some time ago, Daley and JD showed how internally inconsistent they were. It’s sad, really.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  68. one of the primary reasons for the annual spring bump in gasoline prices has to do with the refineries switching the the summer blends of gas required by the EPA. We have had a surge every spring in gas prices for the last 10 years.

    joe (93323e)

  69. “Conservatives pride themselves on resisting change, which is as it should be. But intelligent deference to tradition and stability can evolve into intellectual sloth and moral fanaticism, as when conservatives simply decline to look up from dogma because the effort to raise their heads and reconsider is too great.”- William F. Buckley, Jr.

    DCSCA – Buckley writing on marijuana laws in 2004 for anybody who is interested in the context Disco Stu did not for obvious reasons want to provide.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  70. Was that really DCSCA? It looked like a decent pardoy of him, but … it was real?

    Oh my god.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  71. Have you ever tried to describe what crocodile tears are to a five year old? My dad had to one day when I overheard him telling my mom about some abusive creep they were acquainted with who dad described as being “over there crying crocodile tears” (because the guy’s wife had finally had enough and walked out on him).

    Sorry for the diversion. That flashback just came to mind when I saw the headline of this thread.

    elissa (778225)

  72. Re: all of DCSCA’s posts in this thread.
    The price of gas isn’t the only thing that’s high today.

    Icy Texan (82fcef)

  73. _________________________________________________

    In his liberal heart-of-hearts, does BHO like high energy prices? Yes, of course.

    The guy in the White House is a latte-liberal elitist, a faux greenie (eg, his giving a speech a few years ago on the perils of global warming that took place at a location he drove to in his SUV) who believes environmentalism is a religion everyone should be required to pray to. He wants higher gasoline prices to encourage people to stop using all their carbon-belching vehicles.

    Beyond that, he won’t sweat the burden represented by high taxes on goods and services, or what leftists similar to him have imposed on people in Europe by creating very high per-gallon gas prices due mainly to huge sales taxes.

    Mark (411533)

  74. Thatcher was our MP in Finchley; Von Braun in his underwear? Jockey shorts– shaving, too. It was touch football in the embassy courtyard BTW, not soccer. Limbaugh? Indeed, he smells- literally. Bad B.O., hence an appropriate spokesperson for the ‘right guard.’

    cool story, bro.

    carlitos (28bbc0)

  75. It turns out that we have some the world’s largest reserves of coal and natural gas, especially with fracking. Nuclear power is the best way to generate electricity. Liquid petroleum will be the best suited fuel for automobiles and trucks for the next 50 years. Natural gas is best for home heating.

    We have enough natural gas to last four thousand years.

    Michael Ejercito (64388b)

  76. In 1965 U.S. and Canada were producing 33% of the world’s oil.

    Today U.S. and Canada are only producing 12% of the world’s oil.

    OPEC and Russia are producing 46 % of the world’s oil and they doesn’t want to bring the price of oil down.

    As oil prices are set by supply and demand worldwide, U.S. and Canada have less and less influence over oil prices.

    laurent (9b8b64)


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