The establishment media on Wednesday adopted President Joe Biden’s strategy of blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for Americans’ pain at the pump.
While gas prices rose about one dollar before the run-up to the Ukrainian war, gas prices have increased about 70 cents since the invasion of Ukraine, yet the media rarely make that distinction. Instead, the media have taken the same tact as Biden, who has pinned the total of the all-time record gas prices on “Putin’s price hike.”
“It’s going to go up [gas prices], ” Biden said about the gas prices Tuesday. “Can’t do much right now. Russia is responsible,” he claimed.
Likewise, the often Democrat-allied media were quick to cite Putin for the soaring gas costs as a “counter-narrative strategy” to face “economic headaches sparked by highs inflation and persistent supply chain issues.”
Reuters penned the headline on Wednesday, “Biden’s political strategy on U.S. gas hikes? Blame it on Putin.” The story suggested Biden “is considering a variety of options to try to blunt the impact of high pump prices but is realistic about the pain to come.”
The Hill published the title Wednesday, “Democrats look for cover on rising gas prices,” and noted that “President Biden made the point of blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for the increase, calling it ‘Putin’s price hike.'”
“Democrats believe they have some political cover because of the bipartisan backlash to Russia,” the article continued.
Not everyone on Capitol Hill blames Putin for Biden’s soaring gas prices. Congressional Republicans were quick to note Biden’s displacement of the blame for the outrageous gas prices and denied the totality of the gas hike was a result of the Ukrainian war.
“I expect our Democratic friends will now try to blame the entire increase in prices on our efforts to punish Russia. But don’t be fooled,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday. “This was more than a year in the making.”
Yet Democrats have continued to insist the soaring gas prices are a result of Putin and Republicans’ unwillingness to face Putin.
“The notion that [Republicans] want to now come here and lecture us when Vladimir Putin is the one responsible if gas prices increase significantly here in America — Vladimir Putin — and they shouldn’t provide any aid and comfort to him,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.
Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) framing of the crisis sounded similar to Jeffries’s. “Well of course they’ll use any tool in the toolbox and one of them is to hold us accountable for any increase in cost of living.”
Gas prices are expected to increase in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, gas prices hit a record high for the third consecutive day. Rising nearly 60 cents in one week, the national average price of gas is $4.252, up more than seven cents overnight ($4.173) and 14 cents in two days ($4.104) – all record-setting prices.
Biden has refused to open up drilling on federal lands and has shut down the Keystone Pipeline. Biden maintains his domestic war on American energy has had no impact on the rising gas prices.
Shale companies have stated they are trying to produce as much energy as possible, but Biden’s supply chain woes and woke investors are hindering efforts.
“We have shortages of labor, sand and equipment, and it’s going to take a good 18 months just to ramp it up,” Scott Sheffield, chief executive of Pioneer Natural Resources Co. told the Wall Street Journal. “If it’s a long-term problem, U.S. shale can respond and help the world, but it’s going to take time and a lot of caveats.”
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