The Question:
Gasoline prices are up sharply and have doubled since Obama’s first election. Who or what is most responsible for this price hike?

20% - No one person or thing. It’s just supply and demand

13% - It’s the greedy oil industry - refiners, producers, OPEC

42% - Obama’s green agenda and anti-carbon policies contribute to high gas prices

24% - We’re all responsible because of our dependence on carbon fuel

My Comments:
The average price for gasoline in the U.S. has essentially doubled to almost $4 a gallon since President Obama began his first term. We wanted to know who you thought was the most responsible for this increase, so in our poll last week we gave you four possible options.

As you can see, one-fifth of our sample thinks the price of gas is just market driven, with 13% blaming oil producing countries and corporations. Almost one-fourth of you allowed that our collective dependence on carbon fuel makes us all to blame for high gas prices. But the big group, 42%, puts the blame on President Obama and his ideology and policies.

On that last response, there is precedent for a president’s behavior affecting oil prices. When crude prices last reached a high level, President George W. Bush merely announced his intention to encourage more oil drilling in the U.S. and prices dropped like a stone. I believe if Obama wanted lower gas prices, he could do something similar, like reverse his position on the Keystone pipeline and his opposition to drilling. Remember, Bush didn’t do anything different, he just announced his intentions. I think the president should give that “announce” thing a try, don’t you?