Opinion: With patience Obama’s energy policy will work
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the March 23, 2012, Reno Gazette-Journal.
It’s as predictable as the spring winds over the Sierra: Every couple of years, gas prices climb inexorably in the days before the summer driving season and the hand-wringing begins.
Just as predictably, the blame for the pain felt by drivers is laid at the doorstep of the White House.
Regardless of party, every president is blamed for the higher gas prices, though none is praised when those prices go down again, as they always do (though never quite as far down as the last time around).
It’s been that way since the first gas shortages hit the East Coast during the administration of President Richard Nixon nearly 40 years ago, and it was said that full tankers were waiting off the coast for prices to rise before they would offload their cargoes.
So, it’s no surprise that President Barack Obama is the latest to feel the political pressure.
Facing a difficult re-election campaign, the president came to Nevada to tout his “all of the above” energy policy, which is boosting the state’s economy by supporting its growing “green” energy industry. And, predictably, he was criticized for it.
It should go without saying that the president’s premise is the right one.