I note that gasoline in my part of the country is now under $2.40 a gallon. As the price of a gallon has dropped almost 60 cents everyone is breathing a sigh of relief except opponents of the president and those who have to run against incumbents in congress.
For these people, particularly Democrats, falling gas prices are terrible news. Never mind that cheaper gas means a heavy burden is lifted from the backs of the poor, the fact is that the Democrats don't want the price of gas to come down for two reasons:
First, many of them believe that keeping the price high cuts consumption which in turn has several salutary effects. The less gasoline that's burned the less greenhouse emissions we dump into the air, the more we conserve a precious resource, and the less wealth that flows to the Middle East and thence into the pockets of terrorists.
Second, cheaper gas redounds to Mr. Bush's political benefit, and that is a painful blow to Democrats. Already his approval numbers appear to be responding to the drop in the cost of a tank of petrol.
Rasmussen has the President's approval rating, as it stood prior to his Monday night speech and the 9/11 observances, up to 47% which is not only a good trend for the President but also good for Republicans running for congress this year.
Astonishingly, from a liberal point of view, falling gas prices are good for both Republicans and the poor. Now that seems an unlikely juxtaposition, one that would doubtless cause many Democrats some cognitive dissonance. It'd be fun to listen to Democrats explain to advocates for the poor why higher fuel prices are more important than the economic well-being of those who can't afford to buy heating oil and gasoline.
