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A new survey finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans are not fooled by the Biden administration’s explanation for sustained high gas prices.
President Joe Biden and members of his administration have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for the spike in gasoline and diesel fuel prices, calling it the “Putin Price Spike.”
And while fuel prices did spike somewhat in the days after Putin invaded, pump prices began rising steadily shortly after Biden took office and began implementing policies aimed at curbing fossil fuel exploration and use.
But, according to a new Monmouth University survey, the vast majority of Americans don’t buy that excuse, according to the Washington Examiner:
American voters have a two-word answer for President Joe Biden’s spin that high gas prices are war-mongering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fault: C’mon man.
By more than a three-to-one margin, a majority of likely voters said that higher prices are Biden’s fault, the result of failed energy policies.
“Who bears the responsibility for higher fuel prices?” asked Rasmussen Reports.
- Biden 51%
- Putin 15%
- Oil companies 26%
“The average price of a gallon of gasoline, which was $2.20 in November 2020, rose to $3.50 by November 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and is now $4.21,” the polling firm noted.
“Sixty-one percent think Biden has not done enough to stop the rising price of gasoline, home heating oil, and other petroleum products, while just 27% believe Biden has done enough,” said Rasmussen.
Biden bear the most responsibility, over Putin and oil companies for rising fuel prices.
BY PARTY:
All – 51%
Rep – 76%
Dem – 24%
Ind – 54%https://t.co/gWq2811Whm#GasPrice #bidenpricehike #Putin pic.twitter.com/aKLxeszazB— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) April 27, 2022
High gas and fuel prices are a large part of why Democrats are suffering in political surveys in recent months and why Biden’s job approval ratings have tanked (along with those of Vice President Kamala Harris): Inflation is harming American families and they are angry about it.
“Rasmussen found that a sky-high 84% believe that higher fuel prices are a serious problem. Of those, 61% called it a very serious problem,” the Examiner added.
“And it’s bipartisan: 77% of Democrats said higher prices are a serious problem.”
The consistently bad job approval ratings posted by Biden and Harris have Democratic strategists in panic mode ahead of the fall 2022 midterms.
“It’s bad,” an anonymous Democratic strategist told The Hill late last month. “You have an energy crisis that’s paralyzing and inflation is at a 40-year high and we’re heading into a recession. The problem is simple. The American people have lost confidence in him.”
“Everyone needs to come to terms with the reality that we’re going to get slaughtered in November,” the strategist reportedly continued. “That’s a fact. His polling has gotten worse, not better. It’s indicative of the fact that people have lost confidence in his leadership. There’s nothing they’re going to be able to do.”
Last week, CNN’s polling data chief, Harry Enten, broke down four polls that came out, including a Quinnipiac poll that had Biden at his worst number ever — 33 percent approval.
CNN host John Berman asked how Biden compared to President Donald Trump at the same point in his term.
Enten showed that Trump had an average job approval rating of 42 percent at this point in his presidency.
At the same point in his presidency, Biden is at 41 percent despite getting almost endless positive coverage from the mainstream media.
“This is a really, really, really bad number,” Enten declared.
With the midterms fast approaching, Joe Biden's approval rating is showing that Democrats are in a lot of trouble.
"This is a really, really, really bad number."
More from @CNN pic.twitter.com/v6FspnaNe9
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) April 15, 2022
Bill Galston, Chair of the Brookings Institutions governance study program and former domestic policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton, said, “unless and until inflation comes down appreciably, that there’s going to be a ceiling on his job approval that’s a lot lower than the White House wants it to be.”
And Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones said, “high gas prices are one of the biggest anchors on presidential approval.”
What’s more, Democrats are losing key constituencies as well.
Historically a solid Democratic Party constituency, black support for Biden has tanked more than 30 points since he took office, per the Washington Examiner:
The new Marquette University Law School survey found a 32% cratering of black support for Biden, who now enjoys just a 56% approval rating among African Americans, among the worst ever for a modern Democratic president.
By comparison, the same survey less than a year ago found his support among black people at 88%.
The drop was so noticeable that the school mentioned it in their headline on the survey, which put Biden’s overall approval rate from American adults at 46%, among his best in recent surveys.
“Since July 2021, Biden’s job approval among whites has gone from 50% to 40%. Among Blacks, it has gone from 88% to 56%. Among Hispanics, it’s gone from 56% to 51%. @pollsandvotes points to the decline among Blacks as particularly striking. #mulawpoll,” the college noted in a tweet.
Since July 2021, Biden job approval among whites has gone from 50% to 40%. Among Blacks, it has gone from 88% to 56%. Among Hispanics, it’s gone from 56% to 51%. @pollsandvotes points to the decline among Blacks as particularly striking. #mulawpoll
— MULawPoll (@MULawPoll) March 31, 2022
