I am utterly convinced that the major driver in politics is the price of gasoline

[Goodheart]

Most of Americans are just that short-sighted.

Prove me wrong.

[BlueTsunami2018]

1. That's a factor for sure.

But the prices for everything are really high right now. That’s a big problem.

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Correlated To Fuel

Shipping costs, warehousing costs, and production of food products are all influenced by fuel costs, especially the first.
So, consumer goods all have upward price pressure.
Sure, some goods may be more expensive to produce right now, (but most of the reported financial reasons are pretty flimsy), but the high fuel costs compound things.
Normally inflation doesn't include fuel cost for this very reason. Consumer prices are autocorrelated to fuel so economists like to leave that out. Actually, finding that degree of autocorrelation is pretty easy, so correcting figures for "double counting" isn't that hard. The economics community has been lazy & negligent in this area for decades.

[hamsterjill]

21. And shelves are bare in some stores.

That also factors in to this, including the argument as to gas prices. Costs more to move goods, etc.

Average working people see empty shelves and get scared, and they get mad.

[Elessar Zappa]

2. You could very well be right.

A lot of “swing” voters vote based on how their wallet’s doing.

[madville]

3. I would add the prices at the grocery store too

I don’t remember seeing grocery price increases like this in the last 40 years, especially on meat. That affects almost every person.

[Hoyt]

4. Although inflation has been deemed a non-issue by DUers, if prices are

up next year and in 2024, it will definitely be an issue that will help GOPers at the polls.

[Goodheart]

5. It's always an issue.

And most Americans are too economically illiterate to understand its causes, or the bigger picture.

[Hoyt]

8. According to DUers a month ago, talk of inflation was premature and spreading

right wing talking point.

Ask Jimmy Carter who gets blamed for inflation, even if it wasn’t his fault.

[spooky3]

12. Agree nt

[Buddy1]

25. Its an issue for me

Im struggling with increased prices on gas and food. How do we deem inflation as a non-issue?

[maxsolomon]

6. Gasoline and Inflation

It's been how long since we experienced real Inflation? 1991 was the last time the US had a rate over 4%.

There are 30 year olds who've never experienced it before.

The Finger of Blame must be pointed, despite most of it being beyond anyone's control, and Biden is in the way.

[Decoy of Fenris]

7. "The Economy" is almost always the driver of any given vote.

Without financial security and stability, you can't expect people to care about other more nuanced issues. You think someone who lives paycheck to paycheck with two jobs, struggling to find out what to eat next, gives a shit about wind-power or refugees or social justice? They're going to vote for what makes their lives easier.

It's just a political representation of the Hierarchy of Needs: People won't vote for anything that doesn't directly impact their current "Level" on the hierarchy. The worse the economy, the more "basic" the voter. Right now the economy's shit, inflation's bonkers, gas is through the roof and basic food and goods prices are spiked. That tends to happen regardless of party in charge. Unfortunately, Democrats are going to reap that particularly rotten harvest unless it gets addressed before 2022, I think.

[bearsfootball516]

10. It's highly visible, and impacts people's lives.

I drive past 5 gas stations every morning on my way to work, and 5 on my way home. That’s 10 times a day my eyes glance up at the prices and subconsciously I think “Wow, that’s high.”

I’m lucky to be in a position where it doesn’t impact me. But for tens of millions of low and middle income Americans, it hurts. I used to be in a spot where I only put enough gas in my tank to make it to the next payday. It was awful. And millions of Americans go through that every day.

And yes, I know that the President doesn’t have any control over gas prices. I’m just saying, I can understand the discomfort someone would feel over gas prices.

[Metaphorical]

11. Gas and Supply Chain

Irony is that things like ADP employment numbers right now are through the roof.

My anticipation is that once we get into the Spring, assuming we don't see another Delta-like variant emerge, most of the supply chain issues should resolve themselves pretty quickly. Oil prices are still lower than they were six years ago, and look to be topping out at around $80 bbl for WTI. We got used to seeing oil at $40-$50 bbl, but historically that's on the low end.

Still, the perception is that food and oil prices are high, and yes, people really are that short-sighted (and not just Americans), especially when corporate media is fanning the flames.

[qazplm135]

13. people care a lot less about issues

and a lot more about their general life.

[d_r]

14. It drives me nuts

That these people drive these gas guzzlers then turn around and cry about gas prices.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

15. Why high gas prices is good policy... tax the crap out of these gas guzzlers!!

[NickB79]

16. The irony is, the only way we'll reduce gas consumption is via higher cost

We've never voluntarily reduced our fuel consumption through conservation and purchasing fuel-efficient cars except when high prices at the pump convinced us to. Every time prices fall, Prius sales drop and truck sales spike.

And the only way we have a chance in hell of combating climate change is by lowering gas and diesel use.

BUT....

Politicians who even suggest we raise gas prices just a few cents to protect the environment get pilloried by voters, who end up electing the guys who don't give a fuck about the climate.

[ymetca]

17. Big Oil

always jacks the price of gasoline when their butts are on the hot-seat, which is normally when a Dem is in the White House.

Of course, when W was in charge, and gas was $8 a gallon, he just started a war to to take our minds off the subject. QED. Remember when the GOP was touting how we'd just take all that sweet Iraqi oil? Hmm.. what happened there?

Black Gold always has the ace-up-the-sleeve, especially when Winter is Coming and the fear of freezing to death can be used to "hone" voters' priorities.

Supply and demand ain't got nothin' on that cartel.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Supply & Demand

That's the trick. Big oil actually doesn't set prices as both raw material & refined product are sold through the commodities market. (Although, the fix is in on refined goods, due to the long ago agreed upon cost plus floor.)
But, OPEC & the oil giants pumping their own raw material can manipulate both supply & demand. So the prices, which are supposed to be independent of producers pricing, really aren't.
Geez, BP or Shell could decide to plan refinery turnarounds as the work with cheap crude, holding 10 days of low cost product, waiting for the markets to react to 2 refineries going down for 3 months.
That's hardly price independence.
The approval to allow refined goods to be commoditized (eliminating any incentive for refiners to compete on price) was to "protect" the consumer. Didn't work out that way, and most experts at the time accurately predicted this.

[Ron Green]

20. Let's Tell the Truth.

Gasoline is cheap, and always has been. That’s why we’ve built an unsustainable world on it.

And economic growth is no longer desirable, or even possible, on a dying planet. The 20th-Century bubble has burst, and only fools will continue to look to the stock market or the GDP for anything positive.

Until we get politicians who’ll tell these truths we are done for.

[Devil Child]

22. Short-sighted?

Most citizens of the US exist paycheck to paycheck so they do indeed care about gas prices and things like inflation. So yeah, short-sighted due to harsh necessities of life.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

23. Actually, the major driver in politics is the price of politics.

Prove me wrong.......

[Initech]

24. Even though gas prices are the product of conservative economics.

Yeah let's give oil companies free money and see what happens.

[onenote]

26. The data doesn't support that

In November 2000, the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.526 -- Bush elected.
Four years later, the price of gas was up to almost $2.00 - and Bush was re-elected
When Obama defeated McCain in 2008, the price was $2.24
Four years later, the price was almost $3.50 -- and Obama was re-elected
Despite the price of gas having fallen to $2.18 in November 2016, Trump was elected
And even though the price had fallen to $2.10 in November 2020, Trump lost.

If the price of gas was the "major driver" in politics, you wouldn't see those results.

[Goodheart]

27. Thank you. I stand corrected.

[JCMach1]

28. And FFS stop the IRS BS around election time