Here's a shocker. Drudge Report posted a completely inaccurate headline.
If you went to Drudge Report at any point today (and we're not suggesting you should), you would have seen this headline:
"POLL: 77% Say Gas Most Important Factor in the Election...”
Wow. That's a lot of voters saying gas is the "most important" issue in the election. A whopping 77%! Certain doom for President Obama's re-election chances, right? Where did Matt Drudge find this explosive information?
The link takes you to a story published by WCCO-TV in Minnesota. Sure enough, the CBS affiliate reported the same information Drudge is highlighting:
“Last night, CBS News exit polls found 77 percent of those voting in seven Super Tuesday states say rising gas prices were the most important factor in their vote.” [ed. note: emphasis ours]
Hmm. Those exit polls numbers are vastly different from the NBC News exit poll results.
Voters from seven Super Tuesday states were asked by NBC News how they would rate the importance of gas prices.
Only 8% said gas prices are the "most important" factor in their vote.
On the other hand, 69% said gas prices are one of several important factors.
Put those together and you get 77% who said gas prices had some level of importance in how they voted. Not "most important."
The Ed Show contacted WCCO to ask about the discrepancy. They have since corrected the report.
Drudge Report? Not so much. The site still hasn't changed the original headline.
-Brendan McDonald, Segment Producer
Leave a Comment:
Ed's probably right. Americans have "some concern" about gas prices. I wouldn't worry about it.
sniff sniff- is that Keystone I am smelling?
Is rush or Glen playing in your house? I would suggest you check right wing sources for that stench.
Flint Resources are reporting that they will pay less than $70 a barrel for North
Dakota light sweet crude. Are they not one of the biggest , if not the biggest
buyer of crude oil in North Dakota. Now the mineral owners aren't making much
money, but if Flint is buying at $70 and selling at $106 plus, who are the ones
running the price. These are the Koch Brothers if my research is correct. I am
by no means well versed on this. Help in figuring this out would be welcome.
Anyone from either side pleas feel free to comment.
Dee- be careful. Your side is committing itself to the argument that "speculators" are the ones profiting. You're saying it is mere capitalism. You will be kicked out of the Democratic Party if you keep it up.
I personally believe that the gas issue will be the most important issue to come up if the prices do continue to climb. I think that if gas goes up $1 from now thats an extra $16 per week out of my pocket for my car and $20 for my wife's new 2012 van. That is $36 a week or $1800 a year that will come out of our pocket. That is alot of money.
Oil speculators and your need to thank the Koch Brother.
Oil speculators???? I thought Dodd-Frank authorized Team Obama to write regs controlling speculators? Obama signed it over two years ago. Are you saying that after he was authorized to regulate them, he has not acted?
Listening to Rush Limbaugh is listening to "dead air"
Ah, Matt Drudge, the little Reptilian toady. Of course he would print that.
Regarding the double-standard issue: The difference, people, is that Maher is a comedian, and ANYTHING he says can be presumed to be A JOKE. Rush Limbaugh IS NOT A COMEDIAN!! In any matter, HE WAS NOT JOKING when he attacked Ms. Fluke! His vile remarks were a product of HATE and ANGER towards this woman SIMPLY because she DARED to testify before Congress! Penny Nance and 'Concerned Women for America' (obviously right-wing WACKO broads, a la Palin and Bachmann) are BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE!! Go peddle your Ann Coulteresque/Fox News misinformation somewhere ELSE!!
Politicians are fair game, not private citizens. Secondly, Rush spent 9 hours bashing this young female, not a 2 minute "joke. It became clear, Rush never listened to her testimony and decided to just be vile, despiccable and disgusting on his own accord.
How could he wake up in the morning wanting to denigrate a young female he doesn't know? Is this not a picture of a man with an unstable mind set? It's like a hawk preying on field mice (easy prey). He's just hungry for attention, he picked the wrong target. Someone, please help this man. He's sick.
so then how would one describe Ed's calling that Ingrahmm woman a slut? a compliment? i looked and i havent seen nightly reports on ed from msnbc about that malfunction.. Ed's not looking out for women is he..he's using the same excuse about rush and republicans with rush's comment...seems pretty double-standardish or a lack of any other news
bill,
ed posted his apology on this site on wed. or thur. night. listen to it, and read what he says. he took all the responsibility himself, and did not say that he was "stooping" to the repub level. he did NOT say he got caught up in the "absurd" moment with absurdity. he offered NO excuses. he just apologized immediately.
he did the right thing for calling her a "media slut". which has much different implications than the "slut" that limbaugh was tossing around for 9 hours over three days.
And how does the Drudge Report cooking a stat (just like several other "fact sites" on both sides of the aisle) change the fact that gas prices are still rising? A gas station in downtown Los Angeles topped out at $6.19 for self-serve regular gas yesterday. Granted, the average in the Southern California area right now is running in the mid $4.30's. Still, tell me that prices can continue to rise like that without blow back. Blame is just like credit; it rises to the top. Who's sitting at the top in the Oval Office right now?
How soon they forget!
April 21, 2008—Gasoline prices jump to a record $3.50 a gallon in some parts of the U.S.
May 15, 2008— While many people were shocked at $3 a gallon, they were not prepared for what was about to happen as prices shot up to nearly $4 a gallon. Public hysteria sets in as consumers begin using Gas Buddy to find the lowest gas prices in town.
May 21, 2008—Oil price skyrockets to $130 a barrel. Holly cow!!!
June 9, 2008—Retail gas prices rise above $4 per gallon.
In the early summer of 2008, when the average price of a gallon of gas in the US topped $4, a wide variety of Fox News figures were quick to push a simple message: don't blame the Bush/Cheney administration.
That's just one spike, they also spiked several times before 08.... And I recall the Congress and the GOP leaders saying it was the "foreign regimes" that were the cause for the record-breaking prices.
It's sad how not only the Republicans have boycotted every effort for alternative energies, but also to see them lie and scare the public just so they can get another chance at draining the middle class dry with their destructive practices.
the clip of Bill O'Reilly saying "it's NOT Bush's FAULT gas is high" back in 2008 is PRICELESS.
don't these people KNOW they are RECORDED?
recorded yes...because MSNBC is that bored with their own broadcasting BS they have to watch other cable news to get their news.
bill,
apparently you are bored with fox, too.
at least you know to come to MSNBC to get the truth.
Thanks for keeping them honest. I voted Tuesday for Issues that related to our area ,and to stand with President Obama. My main focus is to stop the Republicans from gaining control to reak havoc on the middle class. Gas had nothing to do with my vote !!!!
Fear mongering, why am I not surprised? When the gas prices were even HIGHER under Bush's mediocre administration and the GOP 109th Congress, they sure didn't do a THING to bring them down, but now, it's of course Obama's fault.
What a bunch of opportunistic liars, and all because the GOP is desperate to once again destroy the country with their mediocre, fraudulent proposals.
Aren't gas prices based on global oil prices? If that's true then it has nothing to do with what Obama is or isn't doing, right?
I thought price increases happened when the crude oil market lowers their inventory. I also read somewhere that lowered inventory (and higher prices) usually happen in spring because the refineries shut down for maintenance during this time and do not run at full capacity.
I'm not aware of the President having any influence on this one way or the other, and I think you can put the argument of alternative energy aside. All of those technologies combined don't even begin to meet our consumption needs.
Another thing that you need to remember is that plastics are made from petroleum. I bet you can count 100 things in your home or office right now that have some sort of petroleum-based ingredient. There is nothing on the radar for this in the way of alternatives.
I personally feel it's a sign of inflation coming. The first thing to go up in price is fuel, then precious metals, then food.
Gas prices are high because "instability in the middle east"... and what do Republican morons like Mitt Romney do? They talk about bombing Iran.... Then you have McCain wanting to bomb Syria... Of course, war withdrawals for the GOP....
If anybody here has done anything to bring up the prices, that's the GOP and their worthless rhetoric.
I think military action in Syria and Iran is inevitable, unfortunately. I don't think it matters who gets elected in November. The only difference is going to be whether or not they call it a "war".
It's going to happen because we just can't mind our own business. We can't take a lesson from Russia and realize that our quest for empire will be our downfall.
Dear USA,
How's it going buddy? Hey, can you send over some of those bunker busters you have left over from Iraq? Iran has threatened us with a nuke and we need to strike them first.
It would also be helpful if you earmarked 30 thousand or so US troops to come over here in the next twelve months when we get in over our heads messing with a country that has a real army. You can do that for us can't you, buuuuuudeee?
In return all we have is a smile and a handshake, and a promise that we're the glue holding together the middle east.
Love
Israel
Obama has done everything he can to drive the price up, his energy secretary said he has no plans to bring it down. Higher gas prices will make alternative fuels more attractive.
Higher gas prices will make you gas guzzling SUV drivers suffer! You are destroying the planet! Pay it and get over it! There is nothing you can do about it! Stop wining and take your medicine!
And then it started raining unicorns....
So, never consider alternative forms of energy, why? It's better to have the president kissing the Saudis in the cheek and selling his soul to them... AKA THE SHRUB!
I know Obama is pushing alternative energy, and I personally think that's OK except for the fact that he wants to federally fund companies that develop it.
We could all be driving electric cars in the next twelve months, and it will not diminish our need for petroleum and other fossil fuels enough to make a big difference.
Petroleum products are used in almost everything, and if we were to stop using them today we'd have a bigger problem than transportation. A huge number of medical supplies are made from plastic (petroleum.) The plastic to shrink wrap food is made from petroleum. Lacquers, varnishes, paints, the adhesives used to make sheetrock, formica... the list goes on and on and on. There is no alternative that I'm aware of that can replace all of that.
Got proof for that?
No?
Didn't think so.
Fail.
Creep- for crying out loud- you're just being lazy and goofy- I googled it and the first 5 hits was about the recent testimony in front of Congress where he is trying to back away from the statements he and Obama made: Here is the excerpt from his Congressional Testimony. At the end- he admits to making the statement:
"Chu was interviewed in September 2008 by the Wall Street Journal, which quoted from that interview the following December after Chu was named as a prospective energy secretary.
"Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe," the Journal reported Chu as saying. At the time, Chu was Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
Rep. John Scalise of Louisiana read that quote to Chu and asked him, "Did you say that?"
Chu responded by trying to talk about administration policy, but Scalise interrupted immediately, "You said it or you didn't, it's been attributed, it's not the first time you've heard this, because many people have asked if it's been attributed to you, and many people have asked you about it, and I've heard you confirm that you said it."
Chu eventually responded, "I said something similar."
Creep Fail
Remember this: when I worked for a major oil company for 10 years, I never got a bonus when gas prices were UP! Guess who did??? That's right and I mean big bonuses and big monthly payday checks. I rest my case!
Oreally when he defended gw's gas prices.....Boo Hoo
http://illuminate.newsvine.com/_news/2012/03/06/10588687-flashback-fox-news-on-gas-prices-in-2008-vs-fox-news-blaming-president-obama-in-2012?threadId=3362785&commentId=63108887
Last year, the price of U.S. Gasoline spiked, the five biggest oil companies took in a combined record of corporate profits of $137 billion. Don't forget about the corporate executives hedge their bets, etc. Stop blaming one individual...it's so sad.
Ed, I don't like the high price of Gas and I wish the Administration would push for our energy independents by seeking more oil here in and around the United States. My greatest fear is that if the price continues to go up, Obama will implement some type of Gas Relief Program in which the Tax Payers subsidies free gas vouchers for lets say Obama Supporters. If he did this he would ensure the recipients would vote for him, much like the recipients of his other Federal Give Away Programs. Housing subsidies, Food Stamps, Child Care subsidies, education subsidies, and now possibly Gasoline subsidies. Obama is really good at buying votes with Tax Dollars, ask the Unions who they support.
While the President may not be responsible for the rise in gas prices and the trickle up effect this will have on other consumerables like groceries, plastics, construction materials,etc this is the issue that may well decide the election. The average Joe doesn't care a whole lot about who pays how much for contraception, or whether 8.3% unemployment is too high (unless he is unemployed), deficit spending or if the rich aren't paying enough taxes. He feels the pain in his wallet when he goes to the pump and feels the pain increase as prices continue to rise. For those of you who weren't around or weren't driving during the Carter Presidency, gas lines and escalating prices (which would be a real bargain now) as well as 18% interest rates were two of the main reasons he was trounced by Reagan. It may not have been Carter's fault for the gas lines and price hikes but the public blamed him since they occurred under his watch. Similarly Mccain was not responsible for the housing bubble and wall street collapses but he was a Republican and those events ocuured under a Republican President's watch.
Those small minorities on the far left and right think the election will hinge on social issues, deficits and the like, but it often comes down to something that affects everyone like gas prices, and who says they have a plan, real or not, to lower them. Obama gives the impression that he is not concerned about the recent increases and does not plan to institute any measures such as tapping the SPR that might lower them. This one thing may indeed cost him the election is prices continue to rise. And while it may not be his fault, he is the President and gets credit for the good and blamed for the bad for what transpires on his watch.
True, people vote from their belly to a certain degree, but I still don't think gas prices are enough of an issue to make or break the election for either side.
When you look at the fuel prices, in spite of the volatility of the pricing in the short term they've been trending up for years anyway, regardless of who is president. Additionally we are not on par price wise with what Europe is paying for fuel, not even close. At 5 dollars a gallon average we're still getting a better deal than Europe.
As for Joe six pack, it's sad what you say but it's true, he only cares about parting with physical dollars and what their denominations are, and the price of things going up. He doesn't not realize that deficit spending and quantitative easements are devaluing his currency and pushing inflation even if he hangs on to it, or invests it somewhere for a modest return. It is a no win situation.
Sure. Teabaggers, conservatives and republicans are desperate. They've got nothing...nothing at all...that they can run on.
... except fumes...
then why are there only 10 states that have Obama above 50%???
President Barack Obama’s reelection efforts received a terrible blow today from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), with numbers showing a very grim and poor outlook on the future of America’s economy.
Though the official Department of Labor number shows that the unemployment rate dropped from 8.5% in December 2011 to 8.3% in January 2012, the CBO report states that, “The official unemployment rate excludes those individuals who would like to work but have not searched for a job in the past four weeks as well as those who are working part-time but would prefer full-time work; if those people were counted among the unemployed, the unemployment rate in January 2012 would have been about 15 percent.”
Let's not forget that those grim numbers only count people who are collecting unemployment too. If you add the number of people who have given up or have been cut off because they've been out of work past the 99 weeks (or whatever it is now) you can double those numbers easily.
Isn't it amazing no matter what is happening the answer for the GOP is it's Obama Fault. Oil speculators are making money by the barrels full ! No matter how many pipes, wells, fracking goes on it will go else where after all why would they give us a break if they can make killing somewhere else ! We are being taken to the cleaners and they need to get there lies straight. President Obama is not on Wall Street !
Pam- why are oil speculators still causing a concern. Congress gave Team Obama Dodd-Frank, and it authorized Team Obama to write regulations governing speculators, etc. Obama signed that in early 2010. In two full years, with every democrat blaming speculators for oil prices, and Obama's Team with the authority to write the regs- one hase to wonder what he is waiting for? Love to hear your thoughts.
Pam of course the GOP is going to blame Obama. Just like the Democrats want to blame everything on the previous administration. Same as it always has been. I don't know how anyone here can criticize the GOP for doing exactly what you guys are doing here by blaming them for everything.
The truth is that nobody from either side has any practical solution to the problems we're facing, not even Obama, in spite of what he says. If you read the transcripts of his addresses you will see he says absolutely nothing specific about fixing anything. It's all just a bunch of generalizations and Tony Robbins feel-good speak. The reason for that is because he doesn't have a clue how to deal with any of this and he hopes nobody will figure that out until next year when it's too late to vote him out.
It's just easier to whine and play the blame game than it is to actually come up with a real answer and deal with the issues. Just like the bickering at the GOP debate. None of those guys have any answers either.
I don't know about anyone else, but if I got kicked in the nads I would be yelling "OOH" not "WHO".
If Romney gets elected, I would expect the Democrats to blame him for everything that happens down the road too. Nothing changes and the wheel takes another turn.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/46680108#46674578
Ed, You were fast to point out the error in Fox New reports but you missed Obama's misleading statement. Obama compared apples to oranges when he said the US has only 2% of the world's oil reserves yet we use 20% of the world's oil supply. There is a significant difference between oil reserves and oil supplies. The amount of US oil reserves is insignificant when compared to the US oil supply.
I was wondering if you simply didn't catch Obama misleading the public or were you aware of it and decided not to call him on it because of your undying support for him. It seems hypocritical to call out Fox and give Obama a pass.