Bachmann pumps gas, blames Democrats for the high price

Posted at 12:20 PM on April 10, 2012 by Mark Zdechlik (12 Comments)
Filed under: Michele Bachmann

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was at the Fast Break Gas Station in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, Tuesday morning pumping fuel into several vehicles and highlighting the relatively high price of gas.

Bachmann told reporters that constituents who have been contacting her office are more concerned about gas prices than anything else right now.

"Just as recently as three and a half years ago, gasoline was $1.84 a gallon. We can get back down into this range again but we have to legalize American energy in order to be able to do that," Bachmann said.

Bachmann said Democrats are to blame for the high cost of fuel and that gas would be less expensive if congressional Democrats and the White House supported Republican moves to increase domestic drilling.

"We've sent it [drilling legislation] over to the Democrat-controlled Senate," said Bachmann. "And I wish that [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid would pick up that legislation, pass it and put in on President Obama's desk so we could bring down the price of gasoline."

Bachmann's focus on gas prices as she seeks reelection to Congress, harkens back of her GOP presidential campaign when she promised a return to $2 per gallon gas.

"It's a little bit silly," said Fred Rozell, retail pricing director at the Oil Price Information Center, of Bachmann's gas price rhetoric. "To say that President Obama's to blame for the price going up is kind of silly," said Rozell who noted that it was just as silly when Democrats were blaming Republican President George Bush for high gas prices.

Rozell said gas prices were low in early 2009 because of the dismal economy. "We had a financial collapse and that took the price of crude from almost $140 a barrel down to $30 a barrel," said Rozell who added that $2 per gallon gas had nothing to do with increased supplies. "It really was just the financial meltdown that brought the prices down."

As for today's high prices, Rozell says stepped-up global demand is to blame as is investor speculation amid growing concern about the political stability of the Middle East. Rozell also said gas prices are high now because of seasonal costs that come from refineries switching from winter to summer fuel blends. And he said some refinery closings in the northeast added to the problem.

Rozell predicted prices won't continue increasing much longer. "We expect them to peak relatively soon."

Rep. Bachmann is wrapping-up the second day or her two-day energy tour throughout Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. She is treating the tour as official congressional business, not a campaign swing.

Comments (12)

Once again, the idiocy of Michelle Bachmann is in full display. A woman with little or no understanding of the complexity of the world, of public policy, of the drivers of energy prices.

Posted by Curt Micka | April 10, 2012 1:14 PM

The fact that this nasty, ignorant Congresswoman is allowed to spew lies and misinformation about gas prices without a serious challenge from anyone is shameful. The fact that Bachmann's doing it while pumping gas for constituents is downright ridiculous. The press needs to run this dimwitted demagogue out of Minnesota and out of politics for good. Hasn't she embarrassed the State (and indeed this country) enough?

Posted by Isaac | April 10, 2012 1:21 PM

Looks like Michele has finally found a job that matches her skill set.

Posted by Dennis | April 10, 2012 1:39 PM

On March 22nd MPR ran an article saying that domestic drilling hasn't brought down gas prices in the past. Someone should show that to Michele.

Posted by nater | April 10, 2012 1:48 PM

She should be well-suited to pumping gas as she is certainly full of it! I wish she would do us a favor and move to Iowa. She is one of them after all as she made clear in her campaign.

Posted by John | April 10, 2012 2:42 PM

Why doesn't she introduce a bill in Congress to force prices lower, or to start an investigation into why prices are being kept at an inflated rate?... Oh wait... that's right... you actually have to be doing the job you were elected to do. Sorry

Posted by mk01 | April 10, 2012 2:42 PM

She also visited a biofuels company in Anoka, SarTec. Anyone else think that's newsworthy?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150941493734358&set=a.10150940986509358.545457.7658849357&type=3&theater

Posted by Melissa | April 10, 2012 4:35 PM

Congratulations to reporter Zdechlik for checking Bachmann's "blame game" contention about responsibility for high gas prices...

...checking her claims, by contacting an informed expert and reporting the result to the readers. Too many Minnesota reporters have allowed Bachmann to deceive voters about important issues--by failing to fact-check her very public and controversial claims with experts. Failure to fact-check Bachmann in day-to-day news reporting is unacceptable, given her now notorious record of distortion or actively misrepresentation.

So kudos to Zdechlik for this one.

Posted by Bill Prendergast | April 10, 2012 5:02 PM

Just because Bachmann says stuff doesn't mean reporters have to write it down.

Posted by Timothy | April 10, 2012 5:19 PM

Two oil energy experts just testified before a Congressional committee last week, that more than 60 cents of the price of gasoline was because of Wall Street speculators driving the price of oil up. It was on CSPAN and was very interesting to listen to! Too bad that our Minnesota "Mickey Mouse" didn't see it herself!

Posted by George | April 11, 2012 1:17 AM

I wonder how Mrs. Bachmann would feel about Fracking if she lived on property attached to a shale fracking mine? She should check into the effects of this type of mining on the surrounding fresh water supplies. Michele, please stop stating that you speak for the people of MN! You do NOT speak for me. Tell the truth and say you speak for the people who pay your way. Also I believe it has been stated that the rise in gas prices is due to Wall Street Speculation as a result of the financial issues in Europe and not the reasons Mrs. Bachmann proclaims.

Posted by ramb | April 11, 2012 12:05 PM

Obviously, Bachmann has not been educated in the basics of economics. My macroeconomics class teaches the very principles of supply and demand of oil and it does not match her irrational logic. Either economic educators are not truthful or Bachmann is just plain brilliant! I say, hit the books Bachmann or hang the rhetoric.

Posted by Economics student | April 13, 2012 3:05 PM

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