Media fear economy, gas prices have Biden over a barrel

Biden energy policies under scrutiny, shifts blame to Russia for rising gas prices

‘Special Report’ panel react to the Biden admin’s energy agenda.

Record inflation plus record high gas prices equals media spin. That’s the equation journalists are using as they cover for the Biden administration’s self-inflicted economic problems.

This isn’t math. It’s political science. The media are looking at an election wipeout for Democrats in November and doing everything they can to cover for President Joe Biden and his inept administration.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to members at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Biden presented an optimistic vision of the partys prospects in Novembers midterm elections despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflation continuing to slice into Americans purchasing power. Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The New York Times almost got behind the press room podium to fill in for Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “Republicans Wrongly Blame Biden for Rising Gas Prices.” The paper pointed the finger at the pandemic for supply disruptions, not the Biden administration’s open war on American energy.

CNN declared, “Gas prices are in the danger zone. Biden can’t do much about it.” The network that allegedly wants to tack more toward the center isn’t showing it. “Why record-high gas prices won’t be solved by drilling more oil in the US,” it wrote, defying the concept of supply and demand.

That was also the Biden line when asked about gas prices. “Can’t do much right now. Russia is responsible.”

In an ironically phrased defense of the president, CNN anchor Ana Cabrera tried to say the price spike wasn’t about American output. She vowed to get rid of the “misinformation going around about who or what is responsible” for the price spike in gasoline. “For the last couple of years, the United States has been the world’s top oil producer.” Turns out, the president was defending was Biden’s predecessor — the one who set all that in motion.

Quartz tried its own subtle spin: “Don’t blame Biden for high gas prices.”

That’s been the press’s strategy the entire time Biden has been in office. PolitiFact defended the administration over gas prices a year ago, pretending Biden’s canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline made no difference because “the pipeline wasn’t operating yet.” Forget the threat of the Green New Deal making companies not want to invest in equipment they won’t be able to use later.

Let’s not forget the collective thrill up the media’s legs when Biden released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve last year. And the price dropped a bit. He even took credit for it. So, I guess he can impact the price sometimes.

CNN was ecstatic. Business senior writer Julia Horowitz praised Biden and … China: “Oil prices are finally falling. Thank China and Joe Biden.” Anchor Don Lemon called it “big economic relief for millions of Americans” and asked, “Can we just celebrate the good news for a minute?”

PolitiFact was back for another factcheck in November when Biden released the oil. This time it admitted, “the year-over-year rise in the price of gasoline is larger than any the country has seen in at least three decades, and experts say that consumers are right to be concerned.” The time period for that spike began right after Biden’s election. It had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.

None of this was the media strategy back in 2006, when it was OK to blame Republican President George W. Bush. “I’m a little peeved when I hear the president say there’s not much we can do about this [gas prices], folks. … Where is his responsibility in all this? Five and a half years, and we’re dealing with these gas prices? It’s ridiculous.” That was Meredith Vieira on ABC’s “The View.”

ABC’s Chris Cuomo (Yes, that one.) talked about people selling blood to buy gas in 2008. He even brought up the Great Depression to refer to the Bush economy. “People struggling to pay for the basic necessities — food, gas, housing — seeing savings depleted, plans for kids and future threatened.”

Legacy journalists used the same cover-up strategy for inflation, which just hit a new 40-year-high of 7.9 percent. CBS News did a special “investigation” that found “corporate greed is also a major factor” in rising prices. Not supply disruptions, a massive spike in labor costs, job openings, gas prices and inflation.

Or when Times economist and columnist Paul Krugman insisted he was still on “Team Transitory” and that inflation wouldn’t keep going up. Even he backed off that ridiculous claim by December.

At least some on the left are getting their wish. The gas price spike will make it harder for people to drive their carbon-fueled vehicles and even inflation has its silly supporters. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Karl Smith cheered higher inflation in October, claiming, “America Needs Higher, Longer-Lasting Inflation.” He must be a happy camper.

The rest of us have to eat, drive, pay rent and mortgages and, in theory, spend money on legacy news media and newspapers. I bet I know what’s getting cut out of most family budgets this year.

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