Another View -- Mike Biundo: Where is Shaheen's gas price outrage now?

the union leader ^ | July 27. 2014 7:36PM | MIKE BIUNDO

[sopwith]

SIX YEARS AGO, Jeanne Shaheen was quick to attack then-Sen. John Sununu on the cost of gasoline. This was a time when New Hampshire consumers were paying around $4 a gallon. In television ads and on the stump, Shaheen argued that the senator deserved blame for not doing more to bring prices down.

Her supporters even held protests at his offices to highlight her position. One of her supporters went so far as to dress up as a gas pump to follow Sen. Sununu around at events claiming he wasn’t doing enough to “help the middle-class” deal with fuel prices. A creative way to highlight an issue? Possibly. Completely hypocritical in hindsight when reflecting on her first term? Absolutely.

Despite their outrage in 2008, these same Shaheen supporters are nowhere to be found in 2014 despite gas prices currently climbing to $3.90 per gallon in some parts of our state. While they were quick to criticize former Sen. Sununu, they haven’t been demonstrating outside Sen. Shaheen’s offices or following her around in costumes at her events. If the issue is that her supporters have misplaced their gas pump outfit over the years, I would be happy to provide them with a new one, but I doubt that’s the case.

Sen. Shaheen is not much better than her supporters when it comes to hypocrisy on the issue. Now that she is in Washington, you don’t hear her talking much about how those on Capitol Hill are letting down New Hampshire families with their inaction to reduce fuel costs. Her press conferences in front of gas stations are long gone. Her expensive commercials are a thing of the past. Her scripted talking points and incessant blaming have faded from memory. However, with Granite Staters becoming increasingly tired of higher costs at the pump, they deserve answers as to why she has gone silent on such an important issue.

You really can’t blame Sen. Shaheen for going into hiding with the record she has, but it is important to point out that six years ago last week, Jeanne Shaheen released an ambitious (although misguided) plan to lower gas prices. Considering this anniversary and her incessant finger pointing years ago, it is only fair to remind her that we are in no better shape now than we were when she insisted $4-a-gallon gasoline was Sen. Sununu’s fault.

In typical liberal fashion, her plan singled out “Big Oil” and promised that she would fight to decrease our dependency on foreign fuel sources. Yet, when given the opportunity to do something about it over the past six years, she opposed projects such as the popular Keystone Pipeline and has refused to support legislation that would expand drilling for new oil within the United States and along the Continental Shelf. She was even caught at a recent event in Portsmouth saying that she would support an increase in the federal gas tax.

Almost everyone agrees that we would be better off by reducing our dependency on Middle Eastern oil. However, what Sen. Shaheen fails to realize is that an all-of-the-above plan to do that must include increasing our domestic exploration.

Let me give her another tip. While this should go without saying, if she still wants to decrease gas prices, then she might want to reconsider her belief that hiking that federal gas tax is a good idea.

While we shouldn’t have expected much from Jeanne Shaheen considering her puddle-deep proposal when she was on the stump, it is a shame that she wasted her entire first term in the U.S. Senate doing nothing to reduce gas prices for her constituents. Six years ago she was quick to attack a former U.S. senator for what she called a lack of action to reduce gas prices. What does she have to say for herself, considering we are in the same position today regardless of her tenure on Capitol Hill?

In all seriousness, perhaps it is time for Sen. Shaheen’s supporters to finally break out the gas pump costume. If they still have it, but don’t want to wear it to shed light on her inaction, there are several Granite Staters who are fed up with paying more at the pump. I assure them that there are many of us who would like to use it to remind Sen Shaheen of their frustration with her in 2014.

Mike Biundo of Manchester is a partner and cofounder at RightOn Strategies.

[Gay State Conservative]

At every campaign stop she makes some member of The Great Unwashed (folks like us) should ask her how it feels to be exempt from OsmamaObamaCare.

[Usagi_yo]

The price of diesel is low, lower than high octane premium. I’ve never seen diesel so low as compared to regular gas. What this exactly means I don’t know. But I suspect it’s because gas is being artificially kept high.

[Fido969]

Another lying liberal. Why doesn’t the public see through these phonies?

[BitWielder1]

Bush is not in office so it's no longer an issue.

[econjack]

...she opposed projects such as the popular Keystone Pipeline and has refused to support legislation that would expand drilling for new oil within the United States and along the Continental Shelf. She was even caught at a recent event in Portsmouth saying that she would support an increase in the federal gas tax.

She, and a lot of other idiots in Washington, think every voter blames gas prices on "Big Oil". Alas, it appears that most of the voting public has the IQ of a brick. They applaud Obozo for blocking the Keystone pipeline, same for off shore oil leases, hidden taxes on coal production, and a host of other stupid policies coming from him and the EPA, but then they bitch about high prices. If brains were dynamite, most of the public couldn't blow its nose. Somehow, the public needs to be educated that Big business is what made this the most prosperous country in the world...until Washington decided it could "guide" the country better than the Free Market could. The market makes a billion decisions per second and the libs in Washington haven't been able to decide on a written budget for the past five years. People need to throw the bums out...quickly.

[j. earl carter]

What with the (unreported) runaway inflation, $4 in ‘08 is probably more like $7 today. So, cheer up, $3.90/gallon isn’t such a bad deal./sarc

[Red Badger]

OR
Diesel is in low demand because there are fewer big rigs on the road carrying goods around the country.....................

[Yorlik803]

Back in the 80s, diesel was cheaper than gas. That’s when GM tried to covert their gas engines to diesel. Darn things burned oil and ran like crap.

[Usagi_yo]

My Irish friends tell me that American Diesel has too much sulfur. I like the fact that Diesel Engines are 500,000 mile engines.

[Yorlik803]

A well maintained Diesel will last longer than anything. They are real workhorses. Had them in Ambulances and they will idle til hell freezes over without over heating

[GOPJ]

bump to the top

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The price of diesel is low, lower than high octane premium . . . What this exactly means I don’t know. But I suspect it’s because gas is being artificially kept high.

3 posted on July 28, 2014 at 7:55:21 AM EDT by Usagi_yo

OR
Diesel is in low demand because there are fewer big rigs on the road carrying goods around the country.....................

And/or, the threat of a switch from oil to LNG for big rigs could be having an effect.

I’ve never seen diesel so low as compared to regular gas.

I remember when diesel oil was price-competitive with Regular. But I think back then the diesel oil had higher sulfur content . . .

[Usagi_yo]

Well as a frequent driver on I85, I95 I can tell you, there aren’t less trucks on the road.

And just as an aside, for those that want a good indicator on how the economy is going, watch the lumber companies and spa manufacturers. I remember during the heyday of Reagan I noticed seeing many finished lumber trucks on the road and flat beds carrying pre-made Jacuzzi’s. Then again during Clinton’s boom.