Fox News On Why Presidents Can’t Control Gas Prices

Mar 7, 2012 by JOE WINDISH, Technology Editor

In 2008…

Media Matters:

Following GOP strategy, Fox News is again blaming the Obama Administration for rising gas prices — a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by energy analysts. But back in the summer of 2008 when the average U.S. gasoline price hit a record high of $4.11, Fox said that “no President has the power to increase or to lower gas prices” and the only way to reduce our vulnerability to gas price spikes is to use less oil.

Yes, they’re partisan shills (both Fox and Media Matters) but they make a good point. If you find Media Matters screeching about how Bush should have done something to reduce oil prices in 2008, I’m happy to post that, too.

While on the topic, a quick round up of reaction to Obama’s answer to questions from reporters yesterday on gas prices…

Andrew Sullivan asks, should we want higher gas prices?

Ezra Klein finds gas prices hurt red states more than blue states.

Jim Hamilton is relatively unconcerned about oil prices:

There is a good deal of statistical evidence that an oil price increase that does no more than reverse an earlier decline has a much more limited effect on the economy than if the price of oil surges to a new all-time high.

Here are 9 mobile apps to help you find cheap gas prices.

Clusterstock, What Most Economists Get Wrong About The Rise In Gas Prices.

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3 Comments

SteveK

March 7, 2012 | 8:16 pm

Good article… good points Joe. The media (all sides) tends to distort the news to fit their positions.

The Christian Science Monitor has a test that helps us to see just how many of our ‘facts’ are ‘facts’ as opposed to how much we think we know because of what we watch.

Are you smarter than a Fox News viewer? How about a CNN viewer? Take our quiz to find out.

American voters were quizzed on their knowledge of issues and facts raised in the 2010 midterm elections, in a survey by World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.

Respondents were also asked where they get their news from: Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, newspapers, network TV news, public broadcasting.

The survey found that “substantial levels of misinformation were present in the daily consumers of all news sources.” But Fox News viewers were significantly more likely to be misinformed than those who get their news from other sources. And, greater exposure to Fox News increased the degree to which viewers were misinformed.

This is not simply a matter of partisan bias. People who vote Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to be misinformed than those who did not watch it – though by a lesser margin than those who vote Republican. Those who got their news from NPR, CNN, or MSNBC were better informed on most – but not all – of the issues in the survey.

We’ve presented the 11 questions just as the survey asked them. How well informed are you?

Give it a go, it only takes a few minutes and you might be surprised at the answers.
I got 10 out of 11… How did you do?
slamfu

March 7, 2012 | 9:05 pm

Its and easy formula. Democratic presidents can’t control prices if they go down, but they can if they go up. GOP presidents can’t control them if they go up, but can if they go down. Write this formula down, check FOX news in 10 years whoever is president, and see if it doesn’t hold true.
RON BEASLEY

March 7, 2012 | 9:17 pm

Although I hate to come to the defense of the FOX infotainment network there actual news broadcasts have been “fair and balanced”. Even Bill Kristol said today there was really nothing Obama could do about it. Of course their major concern was that gas prices would go down between now and November and leave the Republicans holding another dead cat.