Debate fact check: Obama says low gas prices in Jan 2009 were due to economic collapse

[Qutzupalotl]

Was he right? Actually, yeah:



Okay, so what do we see here? Does it look like domestic gas prices (black line) are responding to the policies of one American president or another? Note the peak toward the right: That's the summer of 2008, when George W. Bush was in office. The price crash that follows bottoms out in late-December 2008/early-January 2009, shortly before Obama took over.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/chart-gop-gas-price-attack-obama

[littlemissmartypants]

1. ...

[Cha]

2. Yeah, I've heard of

people on fb blaming Pres Obama for the high gas prices now which is crazy.

Thanks for this report, Qutzupalotl

[genxlib]

3. This one is pissing me off

I have managed to stay pretty level headed about most of the disgusting things happening during this election but the gas price thing is really pissing me off.

All over south florida there are billboards with inflammatory info about this. One side says Obamas first day and the price and on the other side is the current price. In the middle is a picture of Obama greeting someone in Middle Eastern attire.

This represents the worst possible form of deceit. The numbers are actually true but lack all context that would completely invalidate the point they are trying to make. These people know that the price was just as high under bush but they are exploiting this quirk in the timing to rile people up. Furthermore, this chart shows the rest of the world tracks right with us so it has nothing to do with domestic policy.

And of course they are on ClearChannel billboards.

[loudsue]

4. And NOBODY has mentioned that prices went back UP when repukes took

the house in 2010. When the oil/gas industry thought they might get their asses kicked by a dem house, senate, and white house, they started playing nice. But the minute the repukes took over the house, they went right back up again, knowing that there would be no legislation passed about pulling their tax breaks and exemptions supported by an angry public. Oil companies own the repukes 100%, and repukes will NEVER vote to stop the price gouging and tax dodging done by their benefactors.

The oil & gas companies pay little or no taxes on a big portion of their income.

And most of the main (biggest, meanest) oil companies are in the USA, or backed by the USA's oil companies.

[krawhitham]

5. Gas has dropped over .50 in the last 2 weeks in Cincinnati

Down to 3.24

[timlot]

6. Repugs have short term memory.

That think the American people don't remember gas was high in 2008.