Gas price panic now a political tool for Republicans

NEWS AND OPINION:

The Republican Party has become downright nimble when it comes to the gas price crisis. Americans of every political persuasion are intensely interested in the escalating price of gasoline and its dire effect on their wallets.

Republicans have quickly and efficiently blamed the whole thing on President Biden and the Democrats. This could come in very handy during an election year — and the GOP claims are vigorous.

“Under Joe Biden, families are paying more for gas than ever before. After killing American energy independence, Biden is turning to our adversaries abroad for America’s energy needs. American families are feeling the pain at the pump, and Biden and the Democrats do not care and are making it worse,” said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel in a statement.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Berg added that “Democrats are incredibly out of touch with the American public and are offering no solutions to bring down record gas prices.”

Those are just two of many recent comments.

Meanwhile, the average price per gallon as of Tuesday is $4.63 according to GasBuddy.com, an industry source that tracks the national trends. It is predicted to top $4.85 in the next two weeks. The highest price of all can be found in the Mission District of San Francisco, where it’s $6.23 a gallon.

THE MEDIA’S GAS ATTACK

Plenty of people think the news media is full of hot air. In recent days, however, the journalism world has been full of gas — gas-based stories that is.

“Record gas prices feel like a slap in the face, and there’s more to come,” noted CBS News on Tuesday.

“Record-breaking gas prices could be here to stay — here’s what a gallon might cost you this summer,” warned CNBC.

“Gas prices aren’t really at record high,” said Yahoo Finance.

This is just the beginning, though. In a new analysis released Tuesday, Media Whip — a meticulous industry source that tracks print, digital and broadcast coverage — reveals the scope of that coverage.

“In the last month, there have been more than 63,000 articles written about gas and oil prices,” the organization said in an analysis Tuesday — also noting that the coverage also has sparked 6.6 million social media interactions on the subject since Feb. 5.

‘STAY AND FIGHT’

A battle on U.S. homeland would bring out the fight in most Americans, says a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. Republicans very well could lead the charge, according to the findings.

“As the world witnesses what is happening to Ukraine, Americans were asked what they would do if they were in the same position as Ukrainians are now: stay and fight or leave the country? A majority (55%) say they would stay and fight, while 38% say they would leave the country. Republicans say 68-25% and independents say 57-36% they would stay and fight, while Democrats say 40-52% they would leave the country,” the poll analysis said.

On a related question, 79% would support a U.S. military response should Russian President Vladimir Putin go beyond Ukraine and attack a NATO country.

And what about anxiety levels as the situation continues?

The poll also found that 49% of the respondents said the attack on Ukraine has contributed to their anxiety; 41% of Republicans, 47% of independents and 61% of Democrats agreed.

The poll of 1,374 U.S. adults was conducted March 4-6.

IVY COVERED HALLS

The culture war continues on campus.

“Female” is now an unacceptable term in this day and age — at least according to an editorial in the Hawk Newspaper, a student publication at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

“There are many ways our everyday language diminishes the presence of women. For example, women will often be called ‘females,’ which is particularly problematic since this is generally used to preface negative attributes about women. It is a way to strip women of their personhood, generalize them and reduce them to a biological name,” the editorial advised.

“Language in general is marred by gender stereotypes and the traditional binary understanding of what gender is. We recognize that language is complicated as is gender identity and the systemic underpinnings of sexism in our society. We recognize that small phrases like these may seem trivial in our everyday conversations. However, it’s crucial to be mindful of how we speak,” the editorial said.

The example was first cited by the College Fix, a student-written publication that placed the editorial under an appropriate category heading titled “Language Police.”

FOXIFIED

Fox News Channel continues to dominate the entire cable realm, drawing an average primetime audience of 3.6 million viewers during the week of Feb. 28-March 6.

During that time period, the network aired 85 of the top 100 cable telecasts, defeating such non-news rivals as ESPN, the Food Network and HGTV.

Meanwhile, Fox News also bested CNN and MSNBC combined, which had average nightly audience of 1.8 million and 1.7 million, respectively.

Fox News coverage of President Biden’s State of the Union address, meanwhile, enjoyed an audience of 7.2 million. The network’s coverage of the Republican response from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds drew 6 million.

POLL DU JOUR

• 30% of U.S. voters “strongly agree” that President Biden is too liberal; 53% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 12% of Democrats agree.

• 15% of voters overall “somewhat agree” he is too liberal; 18% of Republicans, 14% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.

• 18% overall “somewhat disagree” that he is too liberal; 8% of Republicans, 18% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.

• 20% overall “strongly disagree” that he is too liberal; 11% of Republicans, 14% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.

• 17% overall don’t know or have no opinion; 10% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 15% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A Politico/Morning Consult poll of 2,005 registered U.S. voters conducted March 4-6.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.