How much do you think the cost of fuel is the reason for * high negatives?

[WI_DEM]

I mean there are many reasons--Katrina, the war, the lies, Plame--but I believe that gas and home heating bills have been the major reason for Bush's record lows in the polls. If it begins to affect people's wallets they begin to pay attention. And gas prices are going to keep going up over the summer and we will be facing (some places already are) over $3.00 per gallon.

[Warpy]

1. One of the reasons stupid people voted for a stupid president

was that stupid hate radio hosts told them the Iraq war would eventually bring their gas prices under a buck a gallon again. So they voted for Stupid and bought that new SUV. On a longterm loan. Depreciated below resale as soon as they drove off the lot.

You bet the precipitous fall in his approval is due to the gas prices.

[radwriter0555]

2. There is no gas or oil shortage. It's just GOP profiteering. bush COULD

impose price caps... dick Nixon did.

But... there is no oil or gas shortage.

[INdemo]

8. Gas Prices ,simple reasoning..

Exon-Mobile had a profit of 30 billion last year..so assuming that gas average per gal is $2.75..does this mean if a gal of gas was half that or $1.37+ than their profit would still be 15 billion....

[radwriter0555]

9. And for some reason, $15 BILLION isn't enough.

Imagine that.

[shaniqua6392]

3. I do think that the gas prices are an important factor

in why public opinion is turning. That seems pretty sad, but true. The cost of gas, home heating, and groceries, etc. is starting to hurt tremendously. I hope people will go to the polls to show their dissatisfaction, but I am not sure. I think more bushies were upset after Katrina that the gas prices went up instead of being upset over the government turning a blind eye to the disaster. I have even heard some of them saying, "I thought once we took over Iraq that our gas prices would go way down!" What idiots. Did they actually think that the oil was going to pay for Bush's war and that we would be paying $1.00 a gallon for gas?? Sorry for the rant. But, I do think you are right about why people are beginning to pay attention.

[MADem]

4. I think that is the tip of the spear, certainly

It's the thing that is making people pay attention to other failures of leadership. It's reducing their disposable income, so when they go to the market, they notice that this or that item has gone up five, ten, twenty cents...and then, they need to lay blame. Who else is there to fault, really?

And then, to bolster their own argument that they finally start formulating, they start looking for other examples of incompetence.

And once they start looking, they realize they aren't hard at all to find!

[FloridaPat]

5. * keeps telling everyone the economy is good and things are great.

But people keep noticing little things like huge gas prices and the price of everything else going up If * is lying about the economy, then what else is he lying about? Expensive lesson.

[ninkasi]

7. Good point

The escalating prices are also happening at a time when Americans are nervous about job security. This administration actually praises out-sourcing, and people who have decent jobs worry that if their job is out-sourced, or given to an immigrant, they will lose their medical coverage, and face bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is now designed to protect creditors.

I hope that people will also wake up to the fact that the "CEO president" was also a failed CEO president. This time, though, Poppy can't get enough rich buddies to clean up Dubya's mess. People are also starting to pay attention to the vast chasm between the haves and the have nots, and they're getting pissed.

[Deja Q]

6. A big reason, yes.

But the internet isn't the only means of communication. And people are hearing the words.

Even if they are still republican, they will sure as hell take more time to look at their csndidates' pasts instead of listening to a bunch of feel-good words come 2006 and 2008. (trouble is, that doesn't make Dems look much better either...)

[Gregorian]

10. Considering the majority of people only care about what affects THEM,

I would say it accounts for a lot. And I find it sickening. (At $5 per gallon, it's still way way under it's true value. But this is not a discussion about that.)