..........Talking points:
1. Use term "Big Oil" whenever possible
2. Say Republicans get money from Big Oil
3. Say that oil companies, not gas taxes, gouge the consumer
4. Say that there's more drilling under Obama.¹
5. Accuse Republicans and Big Oil for setting the price of gas and oil.²
6. Blame Bush.³
7. It's not Obama's fault. (No matter what the topic).
¹ To the extent there is, it's because Bush signed on for it, but, primarily because it's being done on private or state owned land where Obama doesn't have a say.
² There's a lot of evidence that the price of oil is largely governed by international market forces. These forces may greatly overshadow any effect Obama has on the price at the pump, but if so it stands to reason they are also equally beyond the control of the republicans, who only make up about ¼ of kongress. What Obama has done has if anything stifled oil production and contributed to the higher prices. Obama may not be the strongest reason for the high price, but he's definantly NOT making anything cheaper.
There is also evidence that the president can lower prices. Bush directed some of the strategic national reserve be released into the market. The amount released was a piddling amount but the effect on prices was pretty impressive -- they went DOWN. Decent proof that psychology also plays a strong roll.
³ Par for the course! It's actually
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's fault!!!!!!
Boy am I ever getting sick of this. I may have voted for Dubya twice but I wasn't really any great fan; he was simply the lesser evil. But really, this is getting old.