Democrats Promised to Lower Gas Prices

[Rich]

Promise: ?Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices?join Democrats who are working to lower gas prices now.? ? Then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Press Release, April 19, 2006

Broken Promise: ?The average price of gasoline hit $3.218 a gallon Monday, up a stunning 11.5 cents the past week and just half a penny shy of the inflation-adjusted record, the government reported. The average is almost certain this week to pass the inflation-adjusted high of $3.223, recorded in May 1981 by the Energy Information Administration.? ? ?Average Gasoline Price Nears 1981 Average,? USA Today, May 22, 2007. Democrats have been in power for six months, and gas prices have gone up, not down.

http://republicanleader.house.gov/brokenpromises/p_energy.html

[sirs]

Oh good gravy, Democrats have been promishing all sorts of stuff, if elected to office.  What happened to that consistent work week with no breaks??  Troops out of Iraq??

Supply & Demand is not a concept Democrats wish to bother themselves with

[The_Professor]

Stupid promise with nothing to back it up. I am surprised they are dumb enough to propose this unless it is for soundbite purposes. They don't have the chutzpah, aka the capability, to do it.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I do not recall EVER seeing, reading, hearing that the Democrats promised to lower gas taxes.

Therefore, I pronounce this a silly non-issue.

[Rich]

Well, there's a quote provided. So you must not have been paying attention.

[Xavier_Onassis]

What quote? There was no quote.
So if even ONE Democrat says this somehow becomes the friggin' party platform?

[Rich]

Once again, you obviously weren't paying attention in 2006.

[sirs]

What quote? There was no quote.  So if even ONE Democrat says this somehow becomes the friggin' party platform?

So, the word of the SPEAKER of the house, LEADER of the Democrat party, for the House of Representatives is merely speaking her mind.  And when she's stating "Democrats have a plan", she's really only saying "Nancy has a plan"

That about right, Xo??

 

[Rich]

>>So, the word of the SPEAKER of the house, LEADER of the Democrat party, for the House of Representatives is merely speaking her mind.<<

I remember hearing the democrats claim, "Elect us and we'll lower gas prices" dozens of times. I guess it's just proof liberals don't pay attention to what their leaders say. Or they just have bad long term memory, which would explain a lot of things.

[sirs]

To be honest Rich, I hear politicians from both parties, promising the moon, just elect them.  The issue I took notice of is Xo's overt refusal to acknowledge his own party's SPEAKER of the House.  Claiming some tweaked version of how it's not a party platform, as if such a promise ever would be.  Yea, right next to Abortion, and Gay Marriage is the platform of Lower Gas Prices.  Right up there with how reasonable & kind an idea of 2nd place Hillary offering Obama the VP spot would be

Sheeeeesh

[Rich]

I understand.

My point is, we still hear democrats blaming Bush for the high price of gas. Once the democrat were elected, they would fix the problem. Politicians promise a lot of things it's true, but in this case, you would think at least one democrat would pressure the people he help elect to at least address the problem in some realistic fashion. So what this proves is there really is NOTHING they can do, nor can Bush. It was just another ploy to regain power, just like promising to end the war. The war rages on (well, sort of), and the price of gas gets higher ad higher while the democrats do nothingto keep their promises.

[sirs]

Politicians promise a lot of things it's true, but in this case, you would think at least one democrat would pressure the people he help elect to at least address the problem in some realistic fashion. So what this proves is there really is NOTHING they can do, nor can Bush. It was just another ploy to regain power, just like promising to end the war.

Yep

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is one thing to say that the party wold like to take measures to lower gas prices and another to say that it PROMISES to do this. This is a totally bogus issue.

Whatever happened to all the clever plans Cheney had in his super-secret meetings with all those oil company executives to establish an 'energy policy"?

Or is $4.00 a gallon the result of their planning? Shorten supply by causing turmoil in the Middle East, resist changes in cafe standards, do not encourage wind, solar, tidal, geothermal power, or conservation.

[Amianthus]

It is one thing to say that the party wold like to take measures to lower gas prices and another to say that it PROMISES to do this. This is a totally bogus issue.

Pelosi said that Democrats "had a plan" to lower gas prices.

Just like Nixon "had a plan" to get out of Vietnam.

[_JS]

Oh good gravy, Democrats have been promishing all sorts of stuff, if elected to office.  What happened to that consistent work week with no breaks??  Troops out of Iraq??

Supply & Demand is not a concept Democrats wish to bother themselves with

Supply and demand?

If you had policies to strengthen the dollar I can guarantee you that the gas prices would fall.

Just saying "supply and demand" is very simplistic. Look at these memos from three large oil corporations.

Texaco
Mobil

Notice anything? Despite many people having the misconception that there aren't enough refineries in this country and it is the fault of the EPA, the truth is that oil companies shut down twenty-six refineries from 1993 to 2000 and none of them were closed for environmental regulation purposes. They were all closed due to the fact that the large oil companies wanted to cut supply in order to increase profits.

Moreover, they fought very hard to prevent President Clinton and Congress from giving incentives and allowing a more free market for small refinery businesses to start up. This included taking these businesses to court, bullying them, or buying them out before they ever got off the ground. Many of these small refineries are far more efficient, less pollutant, and use much more modern equipment than the older and larger refineries of the larger oil companies.

So yes, supply is an issue but not in the way that most think (including President Bush who talked about adding refineries very recently). Why would these companies wish to add refineries, increase supply, and drive down cost and profit? Quite clearly that isn't at all what they wish to do.

Demand is easy with oil. It is very inelastic. The oil companies have no compelling reason to change their strategy in the United States until demand shows some signs of elasticity at a given price. Thus far that really has not been the case.