Gas prices under evil oil stooge George Bush vs. gas prices under the god-like Barack Obama

Back in January 2009 we had finally tossed those evil oil stooges out of the White House and life was good again. Never again would we have to worry about prices being driven up by collusion between our nation’s leaders and the dastardly oil companies.

So just ignore the fact that oil prices went up only 7 percent during the first 26 months of the Bush presidency, but have gone up 67 percent during the first 26 months of the Obama presidency.

To paraphrase Bill Clinton, “I feel your pain at the pump.

obama-vs-bush-gas-prices

Source: WeeklyStandard.com

This post was last modified on January 26, 2021

Barack ObamaGeorge W. Bushoil
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View Comments (50)

  • How convenient that that graph leaves out 2004 to 2008, where at it's peak we were over 4 bucks per gallon. Of course you only include the early years of Bush's term before he had time to do damage.

          • Didn't nigh-global recession drop demand for oil?

            Also, recession drove investors back to the dollar, which boosted it against other currencies (with oil markets naturally bound to our currency)

          • Yes, but if nobody can actually afford to hire people, the economy will suck. When there is no economic growth, there is less demand for oil, thus, lower prices.

            But what we are seeing is an anti oil movement on the left who are willing to strangle America's enonomic well being. It also serve to force people into gov't dependency, which is right in the Dems wheelhouse.

          • The administration is forcing up fossil fuels to make alternative energy practical. That Goldman Sachs and other IBs have huge positions in oil futures and make money as their analysts "talk" up the price is just gravy for the crony capitalists.
            I really do not think it is more complicated than that.

          • Agreed. Speculators used to hang...

            An entity like Goldman Sachs captures cronies of all stripes. Government's regulatory prowess makes for attractive long-term allies. Speculatory activity has hugely transcended individual malcontents and spread through increasingly expansive systems of power & influence. Oil markets provided a nice escape hatch for massive capital sitting on the brink of housing's collapse (timed nicely for both this collapse, and to back out of oil again before the real recession killed demand). Colllusion with government provides for mitigation of strategic risks; in this vein, TARP and quiet machinations of the Fed seem as crescendo elements of a magnus opus (or what might be latin for Great Heist?)

            Many in government, finance, and the media profit endlessly. I don't know what to call them. This complex swirls across multiple spheres of influence, exchanging players as necessary: pols as pundits, financiers as cabinet members. None dominate, for the system of control emerges out of all these power structures

            Its little more than the easy trading of power amongst Elites

  • Why is the time period between 2003' and 2009 missing? Because, if it were included, it would show how gas prices spiked dramatically under Dubya in those years. This example is just another well crafted and deceptive example of how the right can "spin" the facts!

    • How does that have anything to do with the tripling of prices in obama's one term? solyndra gunwalker promised the people that energy prices would necessarily skyrocket under his plan. They're not done going up yet.

      But it only took a couple years for a solyndra gunwalker lover to blame it on bush. Yep, fred here figured it out. The spinning of facts is an art perfected by the right wing. Indeed!

      You putz.

    • It's 3.75 a gallon at four stations down the road here. Yet per barrel oil is hardly what it was a couple years ago when gas was a dollar less per gallon.

      • U.S. is exporting record quantities of refined fuel. If other countries are willing to pay up for it, that's the market at work. Someone who might suggest that we engage in a little national economic policy to restrict such exports invites insult

        • It is a dirty little secret that there is a surplus of "gasoline" right now and this surplus is not translating to lower prices in the market. Although I would suggest this has much to do with a series of other non free market forces at work. And at some points monopolies act hardly any differently than a state run economic authority. The major problem IMHO is that while there is a surplus of the refined product the flow of the major ingredient in that product is greatly restricted not only by OPEC but also by our restrictions of tapping that resource for ourselves. Another less obvious error is in government hoisting certain green technologies at the detriment of others. Were the market developing these technologies based on which had the greatest market viability (as opposed to which is most likely to get a subsidy) I've little doubt industry would be developing the table top hydrogen/oxygen separation process needed to power a fuel cell with a tank of water. Industry might also be attempting to build the sorts of rocket ships necessary to bring back the H3 from the moon and develop the cold fusion technology that is really the best long term solution for humanity. And of course we should not forget replacing spark plugs with lasers that could so increase the efficiency of the oxygen/gasoline combustion as to increase fuel efficiency and HP by a nearly unbelievable order.

  • How dare you point out that oil prices went straight up under barry and clowns. We don’t need the facts we already know what we believe. Bush and Chenney screwed all of us. The cost at the pump is a none story, just like the rising cost of food.

    When the riots begin, will there be media coverage or stone silence? My money is on the silence and compliancy of the media.

    Time to drill baby drill and dig and dig; we can supply all the oil, natural gas and coal for more than 250 years.

  • "So just ignore the fact that oil prices went up only 7 percent during the first 26 months of the Bush presidency, but have gone up 67 percent during the first 26 months of the Obama presidency."

    You have GOT to be kidding me!

    Why isn't this headlines news all over the country?

    Incredible.

    • Because its the selective use of statistics in the worst way. I take it the editor posted that as a tonge in cheek jab at the MSM because those are the types of stories they run.

      There is no comparison that oil prices (and house prices and gold prices and the JP Morgan stock etc.) all went through the roof under bush. But anyone who thinks oil prices are set by the president or oil companies is a moron,

      • There is no comparison that oil prices (and house prices and gold prices and the JP Morgan stock etc.) all went through the roof under bush. But anyone who thinks oil prices are set by the president or oil companies is a moron,

        And so, was Bush responsible for any of that?

        • No, the comparison is moot other than scoring political points. But selective data use is silly.

          In a specific 2 week period under Obama I was getting laid more than a similar 2 week period under bush. What does it mean? thats right, absolutely nothing.

  • Don't everyone jump on the Obama bashing train yet! I'm certain the liberal side will soon push the story that the rise in prices is due to the oil compainies conspireing together to fix high prices in an attempt to make Obama look bad. It's all an evil "Right Wing" WASP plot that has the bonus of the fat cats getting even richer!

    • wow! How is it that we've forgotten to bash the WASPs all this time?!?! We've been sticking to Bush and Republicans, conservatives and anything rightwing extremist radical but the dagnabbed Protestant contingent has escaped our wrath for several weeks now! Far too many to overlook. I, for one, appreciate Big D's bringing up the forgotten target. An acronym yet, to boot! Not that we're gonna let the Catholics catch a breath here or anything so silly as that...

  • You know....I feel for that poor woman who "wasn't going to have to put gas in her car or pay for her mortgage". Her savior BO has made all our lives so much better now!

    • She probably blames Bush and all of the racists that are keeping Obama down. That is the reoccurring theme that seems to be presented by the left.

    • I was thinking about her as well. She must be severely dissapointed that she still has to worry about putting gas in her car and paying her mortgage.

      • Actually, thanks to dear leaders economic astuteness, she probably no longer has those worries.

        Due to the "economic downturn", her car was repossessed and her house was foreclosed on.
        See he DID solve all her problems.

  • Obama promised to cause "energy prices to skyrocket", its one of the few campaign promises he's kept, apparently.
    LASunsett, I don't know if your being sarcastic but remember the BP oil spill, when we learned that BP was Obama's largest campaign contributor?
    We still have a "oil man" in the WH. Bush shook hands with OPEC, Obama bows down before them.

    • Obama used the BP oil spill as an excuse to help his friend Georgie-Boy Soros expand his operation in Brazil...

    • Paden and Pitt Z,

      It is sarcasm. And if you have spent any time at all on this blog, you would know that I am one the most sarcastic bastards around. (By golly, I have worked hard at it for years now, and I deserve the recognition)

  • Isn't it great to not have an oilman in the White House? Now, we can hold those greedy filthy oppressive oil companies accountable for their dirty rotten deeds.

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