Interesting graph

[{GD}Independent]

This graph pits President Bush's popularity agains the price of gasoline. They've graphed the *inverse* gas price to make the graph easier to read -- basically, it shows that when gas is high, Bush is low, and vice versa. Incredible how closely the two lines track one another!

 

[discoMIME]

That's fascinating... Are they any "real" explanations for it? Or are Bush voters happy when they can pay much money for gas? o0

[Alexa]

You may want to reread the explanation Indie gave and check out the graph with eyes open, MrWalker. Not awake, we are?

[[FF5]Knix]

You may want to reread the explanation Indie gave and check out the graph with eyes open, MrWalker. Not awake, we are?

 

 

LIke Yoda you speak.

 

Good find GDI.

 

[[TNT] Sonic Goo]

So... anyone want to speculate on correlation or causation?

 

/not me

[{GD}Independent]

Sonic Goo' date='Apr 20 2006, 02:30 PM' post='52955']

So... anyone want to speculate on correlation or causation?

 

/not me

 

 

I think it's obvious! People (in the States, anyway) always tend (and almost always in error) to give way too much credit to their president when things go well or poorly. These gas prices are really starting to have an impact (my wife and I have spent $500 per month on gas the last 2 months). Even though OPEC has a *much* larger say in the price of a gallon of gas than any other contributing factor, the public takes out it's anger (or rewards for its pleasure, during good times) on the nation's leadership. The most visibie symbol of the USA's leadership is President Bush, and he's bearing the brunt of the current unhappiness with the ridiculous gas prices.

 

Another thought -- gas prices tend to spike during uncertain times -- (think Hurricaine Katrina or Crazy Ahmadinejad's most recent ruckus). When that's the case, the public has twice as much reason to be (mistakenly) angry with their leader.

[Alexa]

Knix' date='Apr 20 2006, 08:16 PM' post='52953']

LIke Yoda you speak.

Understand you I do not!

 

Independent' date='Apr 20 2006, 09:04 PM' post='52958']

(my wife and I have spent $500 per month on gas the last 2 months).

1) Sell your jet fighter

2) Use mouthwash to gargle, it's much cheaper!

[{GD}Independent]

1) Sell your jet fighter

2) Use mouthwash to gargle, it's much cheaper!

 

 

OMG! I can't thank you enough!

 

Until I've recovered from my injury, I can't drive my little car that gets 36 mpg (hard to operate a clutch with a casted foot!). I'm stuck driving our big 4X4 which gets considerably fewer mpg. I drive 200+ miles per week for work. Sucks to be me!

[Belladonna]

Ack, forgot about your injury. How're you doing, Inde?

 

Love the graph. I heard about it on the radio and hoped to see it, so you saved me from searching. I've often wondered why the President always gets blamed when gas prices go up. It happens every summer when demand rises, how is it that everyone forgets that? Eh, no matter how high they get we're still going on vacation this summer, driving a huge van from Pittsburgh to Mount Rushmore then down to Moab, Utah then back home again. It'll cost us a lot of $$ for gas, but I refuse to skip the vacation over it. Seems like it's only people like my parents that moan about the gas prices and stay home, which is fine with me, I don't need them driving down to visit me anyway.

[daybreak]

While I generally take statistics like these with a grain of salt, I've suspected this correlation for a very long time. Whether or not Bush is partly to blame for high gas prices is irrelevant to me, this shows me what Americans actually care about. It's not the controversy over the war, the president's religious views, the economy, or any other reason one might have to be displeased with the president...it's his supposed complicity with high gas prices. If oil prices stay high, this could be the deciding factor in the next few elections. I suppose I'll take what I can get, but at the end of the day, my cynicism has deepened considerably.

[{GD}Independent]

Ack, forgot about your injury. How're you doing, Inde?

 

Love the graph. I heard about it on the radio and hoped to see it, so you saved me from searching. I've often wondered why the President always gets blamed when gas prices go up. It happens every summer when demand rises, how is it that everyone forgets that? Eh, no matter how high they get we're still going on vacation this summer, driving a huge van from Pittsburgh to Mount Rushmore then down to Moab, Utah then back home again. It'll cost us a lot of $$ for gas, but I refuse to skip the vacation over it. Seems like it's only people like my parents that moan about the gas prices and stay home, which is fine with me, I don't need them driving down to visit me anyway.

 

I had to have another surgery a couple of weeks ago. I should be in a walking boot in one week. Getting sick of the wheelchair! 14 weeks! But, hey -- it's giving me a whole new perspective on life!

 

Make sure you drive through the Badlands! Most beautiful place I've ever seen.

 

Yeah, we're going from Michigan to Florida and hauling a 26' camper. It'll cost us about $500 in gas round trip. Oh well. I figure if the prices keep going up, maybe the environmentalist whackos will let us drill for our own oil for a change?