These obscene gas price hikes are a political ploy to make Bush a hero,

[mtnsnake]

a hero, that is, to anyone stupid enough to fall for it, and there are plenty of people who fall into that category, like half the country for example.

I've got no article to back me up. I've got nothing to go on but simplistic common sense.

In order for Bush to "come to the rescue", they have to artificially hike gas prices so fucking high between now and summer that they can start dropping prices at the pump by late August and then dramatically drop them from then until November, just in time to give people the illusion that gas prices dropped under Bush and life is good again, when in reality no such thing ever happened. When Bushco gives the order to pull the plug in September, people will think, "Gee, he's a great guy. He got gas prices dropped over a dollar a gallon, and it's down to $2.25 a gallon and all is fine and dandy. Yippee. Life is good. They have my vote again!"

In the meantime, the oil companies will once again have made ANOTHER record breaking profit, smashing their previous record because of the CURRENT obscene price hikes which enable the FUTURE price drops in September.

Either that or they're gonna send Bush to the rescue with his guns a'blazin', all as a big charade....to make like he's putting his foot down against the oil companies to get them to drop prices by half a buck a gallon to fool the people into thinking he did something good in a feeble attempt at making him look like a half-ass hero. Even though Bush and the oil companies are all in cahoots, the idiots will buy into the act.

Either way, it's all a fucking charade with a certain date in November in mind.

[Ecumenist]

1. If that's what the plan was...

It's as piss poor as the rest of his "plans". It'll be as successful as pushing a car uphill with a rope. :eyes:

[Karenca]

2. no, he's toast

it'll take more than that for his ratings to go up.
I don't believe they'll go back up.

unless he's planning another terrorist attack here...that's what i'm so afraid of.

[mtnsnake]

10. You think so? Bookmark this thread & tell me if I'm wrong come October

If gas prices don't drop dramatically before the elections, at least temporarily, call me out sometime in late October, and I'll be glad to eat crow in front of everyone.

This isn't just about ratings. It's not just about Bush. This is about a desperate attempt to keep the Republican Party and war machine in power.

It also MIGHT have something to do with Iran. Don't be surprised when the NEXT obscene spike in gasoline prices, the one following the November elections, is incorporated sometime in 2007 to stir up public sentiment to attack Iran. These artificial rollercoaster-like fluctuations have a purpose, one way or another. When Bushco gives the order for prices to soar again and hit $4 or $5 dollars a gallon sometime next year, the sheeple will be ready to attack anyone with a darker skin than theirs if they think it means cheaper energy prices for us.

[marbuc]

3. He's been scraping the bottom of the barrel for popularity for months now

if this in their bag of tricks they would have broken it out by now. Outside of a spontaneous declaration of world peace, I don't see how Bush can rebound. Once integrity ratings go as they have, that's it.

[norml]

4. The public be damned! BushCo wants higher oil prices.

Oh they might orchestrate a slight price drop in October, but it's more likely they'll just continue to blame their enemies for the high oil prices.

[CoffeeCat]

5. Interesting idea...

I didn't think of that...that they would artificially create outrageous gas prices, and then decrease them as the Nov elections roll around.

Very astute.

Whatever they're doing--we know that Bush and the oil/gas execs are acting as one. Bush panders, pleases and services his oil buddies--at their pleasure. Gas prices aren't raised without Junior knowing about it--and giving his blessing.

I think your observation about the elections is interesting.

Maybe I've grown incredibly cynical. I was thinking today, that Junior and his corporate thug friends really don't give a rip about any of us. The gloves are off and they just don't care. Junior has escaped so many scandals and committed so many crimes--I think he believes that he can do anything he damn well pleases. He just doesn't give a shit anymore. He's not even trying to give a shit anymore.

If he wants to help his buddies in the energy industry make a few billion more--ain't no big thing!

Who knows what these thugs are doing. Whatever it is...it isn't positive.

[wtmusic]

6. Absolutely...and sing it to the world every chance you get

Your "simplistic common sense" makes a lot of sense.

Not to mention...

Now that all of our a-holes have been reamed a little wider, those post-election hikes won't cause but a moment of pain...

[wtmusic]

7. K & R...this has to be hammered into the public consciousness nt

[exlrrp]

8. I don't think so

High gas prices are bad for Bush, they show the economy in disarray and may do a lot to shove it over the brink. Democrats can gain political traction by pointing out that, after over 5 years of complete Republican reign, things are getting worse.
Are YOU better off now than you were 5 years ago? Unless yopure in the top 5% of Americans, moneywise, the answer is NO! THIS isn the question the Democrats need to keep asking..
The economy is not near as rocksolid as the administration wants to pretend. Higher gas prices lead to higher inflation, the REAL economic enemy of the American people.
The public understands high gas prices where they may not be getting all the implications of Plame, the NSA scandal, etc. But they feel it in their wallets and know its not good.
Democrats need to be playing up all the bad sides to the current econopmyu--like the obscene dificits that are NOT going down and are NOT going to be cut in half by the time Bush leaves--as he has PROMISED. Bush started with a surplus and has run America runously into debt. Thats wht the Democrats need to focus on.

[mtnsnake]

11. I think you missed the premise of the OP. I'm talking about artificial

price fluctuations and pulling people's strings by doing so. I'm not talking about "high gas prices" in general.

[Virginia Dare]

9. If it is, it will backfire...

the American people are not patient enough to wait for Bush to come up with a grand plan to save us all. I think Katrina proved that. This is one place where the majority of the sheeple actually see through the bullshit. Empty rhetoric is not going to work here.

[mtnsnake]

12. Who's talking about "empty rhetoric"? Bush doesn't have to say a thing

All he has to do is give the order when prices will change.

It's all about timing, not rhetoric.

[Virginia Dare]

13. I don't think he personally has that kind of control over it...

and there will have to be a whole lot of empty rhetoric before it happens, because it's not going to happen tomorrow.

[lostinacause]

14. If you believe that this is actually happening there are ways to bet

against the oil prices. Personally, I wouldn’t because if the situation in Iran blows up the prices that we are seeing right now would be nothing. Six percent of the worlds supply off the market plus the prospect of a large scale war in the Middle East would send oil prices through the roof. In my opinion (I am by no means an expert) the market is doing a reasonable job balancing risk. I personally don’t buy that Bush’s is intentionally and significantly raising the price of oil.

[mtnsnake]

15. Not just Bush. It's also the entire regime who's pulling his strings, too,

who will reap the benefits just as much or even more than Bush can. It goes way beyond Bush's ratings. The people who are really running the show could care less about Bush at this point. Ya gotta look at the bigger scheme of things, which is enabling Repbulicans to stay in power so the war machine can do its thing.

You're right that an attack on Iran could send prices skyrocketing. Skyrocketing prices is also a means of stirring up pro-war sentiment to justify that attack. Either way, the world is a worse place with Republicans in power and a far more dangerous one. We need to be on our toes and figure this shit out before it happens.

[lostinacause]

23. Of course it goes beyond Bush. Every decission made is made by

someone else. This is politics.

What I said still stands. If the price is artificially being manipulated the people doing the manipulating stand to loose though short selling and other ways to profit from inflated prices. Since the prices or mainly being driven up on the world market, the theories about collusion don't do an adequate job explaining the high prices. Like I said if you believe the prices are going to go down for the election then short sell.

Note: If Iran remains stable then the prices will naturally go down in a month or two.

[bscottsmith]

16. so true

Right now people are so pissed about $3.00 per gal. But if gas went to 3.75 and then later dropped to 3.10 everything would be ok. It has happened over and over again.
www.stoverforcongress.us

[mtnsnake]

20. Thank you for hitting the nail on the head

and you did it nicely with just a few words.

[Capn Sunshine]

17. He's already a hero

Ask any stockholder of Exxon-Mobil.

[bdamomma]

18. look at this from bartcop

http://www.bartcop.com/

Iraq pumps 2,000,000 barrels a day,
(and that was before the 2002 Halliburton Upgrade)
times today's oil price which is$73.09 a barrel
makes $146,180,000 Bush stole just yesterday

...add to that, Iran pumps 3M barrels a day.

Once the sick bastard invades, that's 5M barrels a day
times today's oil price which is $70.82 a barrel
makes $365,450,000 dollars Bush will steal daily

That's a third of a billion dollars every day
No wonder they were so eager to start a war

...and what did it cost us?

2377 2378 soldiers' lives



On what date will Bush's oil hit $100?

[Blue_Roses]

19. People aren't stupid

give the average Joe some credit here. I make a point to start a conversation about the price of gas with whoever is next to me everytime I get gas. I even keep a running tally in my head and it doesn't look good for Bush. People are aware and TIRED of this administration and all their under-the-table-back-room antics.

[mtnsnake]

21. Maybe not, but they have very short memories

You know those people you're talking to at the pumps right now? That's good, and I commend you for doing that, but talk to them after the plug is temporarily pulled and the price of gas drops by half a buck or more a gallon come September. They won't be so tired because things will appear as peachy...for the time being, anyway.

Mark my words. Bushco will be buying their votes this fall with a timely drop in the price of gas.

[Vinca]

22. Maybe, but I'm thinking he's just got the oil-producing countries

so pissed off at us they're jacking up the price as retribution. You can't blame them really . . . what else can they do to get back at King George? The sad part is, Shrub doesn't give a damn. If he did, we'd be growing our own fuel and putting money into serious development of technologies other than "new-q-ler."