LA Slimes ^ | 04/06/11 | Peter Nicholas
Posted on Thursday, April 07, 2011 10:24:59 AM by freespirited
For much of President Obama's term, White House aides were convinced the main barrier to his reelection was the worrisome unemployment rate. But even as the economy bounces back, a new political obstacle has emerged: rising gas prices.
Trying to defuse the issue, the White House has arranged a slew of speeches and public events to reassure Americans that Obama has a plan for cutting gas prices.
On Wednesday, Obama flew to Pennsylvania — for a town-hall-style meeting devoted to energy. He travels Friday to Indiana, another important state on the election calendar, where he will appear at an event in Indianapolis also focused on high oil prices.
"It's on the minds of a lot of people right now because you're paying more at the pump. Anybody notice that?" Obama told workers at a wind turbine plant outside Philadelphia. "For a lot of people, money was already tight before gas prices started climbing."
Obama's attention to the issue comes amid new polling that has implications for the presidential race. With the economic recovery gaining momentum, fewer people say they are jittery about losing their job. But a growing percentage cites rising gas prices as a chief concern.
The Pew Research Center is coming out with a report this week showing a majority of Americans say gas prices have a "substantial impact" on their household financial condition.
"The bottom line is, unless gas prices go down, it puts the president in mortal peril," said Douglas Schoen, a former consultant to President Clinton. "Every American faces higher gas prices every day, so in a certain sense, it has the likelihood of being a more serious problem than the unemployment rate, because 9% are unemployed but 100% of the American people have to deal with the impact of rising fuel prices."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
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