The problem is that for many voters, Obama's more detailed, nuanced, long-term message on energy is harder to wrap their heads around than the GOP's short, simple idea that more drilling equals lower prices.
High prices aren't his fault -- they're set on a global market, influenced by Middle Eastern unrest and growing demand in China; there's no quick fix, no silver bullet; the solutions are long-term and complex -- conservation, drilling, renewable energy; and his Republican opponents who promise quick fixes through drilling are making false promises.
Domestic oil production has soared under his watch. The U.S. is producing more oil than at any time in the last eight years, and now imports less than half its oil from foreign countries, for the first time in eight years.
Economists, however, point out that Obama is by and large correct. The price of gasoline is indeed set by the price of oil on the global market, which no president can control.
It's possible, however, that Obama may be in for some oil relief.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the price of gasoline is expected to peak at a national average of $4.02 for a gallon of regular in May, and then slowly decline through the rest of the year -- barring, of course, outside events such as a conflict in Iran.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...eeks-to-reassure-voters-on-gas-prices/254591/
