Dems actually taking credit for high gas prices??

With the price of gasoline at an all-time record high, the Lying Democrat Media is in full-out spin mode trying to tell you that Barky's policies--fully supported by the Democratic party--didn't have anything to do with this painful problem.

The tactics the Lying Media use are many and varied, and worth examining: They'll claim Republicans are wanting to eliminate our use of imported oil, and then say (reasonably) that this is absurd, to damage conservatives.

Although the Lying Media constantly wailed about high gas prices when Bush was in office, now they'll claim higher gas prices aren't any big deal because the economy is so much stronger than when Bush was president. (Like a lot of other things, high gas prices only matter when a Republican is president).

They'll claim higher gas prices are actually good, because you stupid Americans in flyover country shouldn't be driving so much anyway.

They'll claim higher prices don't matter because Americans are driving less now than a year ago--because so many have lost their jobs! (Yes, they actually say that!) Of course it's hard to square that argument with "the economy is doing great!" but then no one in the Lying Media has to worry about being consistent.

Lest you think I'm just making this up, here's a piece by one Daniel Gross, said to be economics editor at Yahoo Finance. (Yahoo is thoroughly leftist/Dem/liberal.) The title is "Limited Gas Pains: Why the U.S. is Better Able to Handle Higher Gas Prices."

the U.S. economy is better situated to handle higher gas prices than it was last year, four years ago [before King Barry took over], or ten years ago. The upshot: higher gas prices are going to hurt, and will be painful for many. But they won't torpedo the economy.

For a host of reasons, the world's largest consumer of gasoline [read: you stupid rubes drive way to damn much] is much less likely to be the victim of high gas prices than it was a few years ago. Here's why.

First, compared with 2007 and 2008, corporate and personal balance sheets are in much better shape, and hence better able to absorb rising costs.

Did you know your "personal balance sheet" was in much better shape than back when W was president? I didn't. Seems like that would be equivalent to saying we're better off than we were four years ago--but of course no one would believe that, so the author uses a phrase that doesn't immediately trigger a response of "bullshit."

Second, the U.S. is a bigger producer of oil than it was a few years ago.

Oh, I see. And how does that explain why higher gas prices shouldn't matter to us?

More money spent by consumers on gasoline means more money going into the pockets of oil producers — most of them overseas. But in the last few years, the U.S. domestic oil industry has experienced significant growth. So more of the money spent on more expensive oil will stay in the U.S.

Why that's wonderful! So when I pay $50 today to fill up my new, 32-mpg compact car, I won't feel bad at all!

Of course, spending more on gasoline means I won't have that cash to spend on food or other luxuries, but what the hell...it doesn't matter because that extra money on gas is staying right here in the good ol' USA, right? Well, half of it, anyway.

Third, Americans simply drive less, and use less gas, than they used to. Part of that can be ascribed to the fact that employment remains far below the 2007 peak. But on the aggregate, the U.S. economy has figured out how to move more goods and people around while driving fewer miles and using less gas. [Total oil use] was down again through the first 11 months of 2011, even though the economy and employment were growing.

See how neat that save was? "We're using less oil--hooray!" But this is largely due to a lousy economy under Barky and the Dems, and even we can't seriously claim otherwise, so we'll counter by saying the economy is growing. And of course you rubes can't tell whether it's growing or not, so we win.

Just like you couldn't prove Barky and the Dems were lying when they said 30 million jobs were "created or saved" due to that gargantuan "porkulus" bill.

Fourth, [new cars are more energy-efficient.] ...market pressure and the technology created by hybrid development is influencing traditional vehicles.

Well there ya go: All those billions Barky gave GM, plus that lovely taxpayer-funded subsidy of $7500 to everyone who buys a Volt, are paying off big-time...by "influencing traditional vehicles." See, before the Volt was built, automakers didn't care squat about gas mileage, so they routinely hid a half-ton of lead and scrap metal in various compartments around the car, since they knew consumers didn't care.

Fifth, more people have alternatives to driving than they did four years ago. When gas prices rise, ridership of mass transit usually rises in its traditional strongholds like New York, Washington, and Boston. But in the last several years, light rail systems have opened and expanded in many states. And that means more people around the country have alternatives to driving.

See there, ya stupid clingers? Why are you rubes in Omaha and Memphis and Pittsburgh and such complaining about high gas prices, when you could be riding zoomie new light-rail systems to work?

Of course, don't ask how much taxpayers are paying in subsidies for each passenger on those fabulous systems. 'Cuz that might show y'all what a gargantuan waste most of those systems actually are.

Here's the last 'graf of this amazing Obarky reelection propaganda piece:

This is not to say that rising gas prices won't pinch the budgets of many Americans, or that they won't filter into the economy via higher prices for services and fuel surcharges. They will. But given the changing shape of the U.S. economy over the last several years, the damage is likely to be less severe.

"The damage is likely to be less severe." Damn, that makes me feel soooo much better. In fact, next time I fill up my tank, instead of fretting about the high cost, I'm gonna be thinking about how high gas prices are going to do "less severe" damage to the overall economy than I previously thought.

And I'll think about the many Democrat-championed policies that brought us this lovely state of affairs: No drilling in ANWR or in promising areas off Florida and California, cancelled Gulf of Mexico drilling permits, EPA growling about fracking, loaning money to Brazil to develop their fields instead of developing U.S. fields...the list is long.

But hey, give the muzzie socialist four more years to work his magic. Things will *really* be great by the end of a second term.