Mitt Romney Attacks Obama On Gas Prices In New Hampshire: ‘People Are Hurting’
EmailABC News’ Michael Falcone and Gregory Simmons report:
MANCHESTER, N.H. — At a busy gas station here where motorists were filling their tanks with nearly $4 a gallon gasoline, likely Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to deliver the message that the Obama administration was doing too little to bring prices down.
“People are hurting, gasoline’s expensive and the policies of this administration that have focused solely on green technologies are not keeping the cost of gasoline down,” Romney said at Hillsborough Gas and Repair.
Romney, who was scheduled to speak later Friday night at a major Republican cattle call in New Hampshire along with a handful of other possible 2012 presidential candidates, hopped out of an aide’s Ford Escape and filled up the tank.
The bill, which Romney paid with a credit card, came to $38.52 at the station where the price of a regular gallon of gas was $3.93.
“We’re sending almost a half a trillion dollars a year outside this country, buying energy from other nations and we could be on a track to instead become energy secure, energy independent ourselves,” Romney said, adding that the U.S. should take steps to develop domestic oil resources as well as renewable energy sources.
Romney moved from gas pump to gas pump, asking local residents how long they commute to work each day, how many times a week they visit a gas station, and how high prices have affected their everyday lives.
Manchester physician Don Rainone, a father of four who was filling up the tank of his blue Chevy Trailblazer, said that the rising cost of fuel “affects everything.”
“My daughter just got her license and she says, ‘dad, how am I going to put gas in the car?’” Rainone told Romney. “What job is going to pay enough” to buy a tank of fuel, Rainone asked, adding, “if she can get a job.”
“The reason for these prices is because we have not kept our supply in line with our demand,” Romney said.
And Rainone, 49, seemed convinced. He said he voted for Romney in the 2008 New Hampshire primary and was inclined to do so again in 2012, assuming Romney, who recently launched a presidential exploratory committee, officially jumps into the race.
“I’d vote for him again,” Rainone said. “We need a competent, courageous leader.”
Friday night’s event in Manchester, organized by the conservative group, Americans For Prosperity, marks the first time that Romney, who owns a home in this crucial early primary state, will participate in a multi-candidate forum this year.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and businessman Herman Cain will all be on hand for the “Presidential Summit on Spending and Job Creation."
When asked by reporters whether he planned to participate in next week's first GOP primary debate in South Carolina, Romney replied: “Stay tuned.”
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Maybe Mitty should ask darth Cheney why he let his oil executive buddies deregulate oil prices. That would get him a lot farther than blaming President Obama!
Posted by: Gary | April 29, 2011, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
what a clown this mitt romney is. he talks out of two sides of his mouth.what an opportunitist – damn clown
Posted by: jack black | April 29, 2011, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm
The Democrats have been demonizing not just the oil companies but oil itself for years. The Obama energy policy is to do absolutely nothing to become more energy independant. He likes to pretend that solar and wind will be able to power our cars. He even commented in 08 that he welcomed higher gas prices to discourage people from driving so much. Oil exploration needs to go into full swing as does development of our virtually unlimited natural-gas supply. And I find it interesting that Obamas reaction is to launch an investigation on price gouging when yet over 50% of every dollar per gallon of gas goes to the federal government.
Posted by: SVB | April 29, 2011, 8:07 pm 8:07 pm
It is sort of cute to listen to people talking about the 4 billion in subsidies the oil companies receive. Don’t get me wrong I think everyone should pony up and pay a share and that includes the 50% of Americans who pay none and all subsidies to everyone should end.
But to put 4 billion into perspective; we are BORROWING 188 million dollars and hour-not spending, BORROWING. What are we spending is anyones guess but it is rumored to be double what we are borrowing.
If we were producing all the oil we use it might be one thing to pay 4 bucks for a gallon, especially if the money were being used for good paying jobs, to develope alternative fuels and the taxes used for the common good.
But as we know it is not. A 3 legged cockroach need not worry about becoming extinct from oil drilling as long as this President is in office.
Posted by: david | April 29, 2011, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm
It amazes me how many people still have no clue that the Fed is primarily to blame for rising oil prices (as well as central banks throughout the world).
Quick lesson in basic economics:
When you print massive amounts of money (i.e. trillions of dollars) out of thin air, you lower the value of each dollar in circulation. You now have more dollars chasing the same amount of goods, which causes prices to increase.
None of these politicians (save for Ron Paul) have a damned clue what is going on. Wake the F up people.
Posted by: John | April 29, 2011, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
Mitt Romney was pretty quiet the last time gas was $4.00 a gallon in 2008. That because the republican administration was in charge so it was A-ok than.
Posted by: Now you complain | April 29, 2011, 8:39 pm 8:39 pm
good grief- give it up Mitt- is this all you have to get people in your corner for a run for President? Get real-where were you when fuel was $4.00 a gallon in 2008? Dream on sweet cheeks! Our country is in the toilet and we have “W” to blame for a huge crap pile of it- war- ignoring the housing market crashing- jobs on the brink of extinction and generally not caring and you are going to be the “white knight” blaming President Obama for “everything”? You really need to get “your thinking hat on”
Posted by: Karla | April 29, 2011, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
So it was ok for Obama to blame the Republicans in 2008 for the gas prices but it’s not ok for Mitt Romney to blame Obama for the same problem. Speaking of hypocrisy!
Posted by: Dada | April 29, 2011, 10:07 pm 10:07 pm
Karla, W’s been gone for over 2 years. When he left gas was under $2. So how is it W’s fault now? Also, how many wars is Obama in now? 3? 1 MORE than W. Talk about getting a “thinking hat!” Bwahahahahahahaha!
Posted by: BK.70 | April 29, 2011, 11:15 pm 11:15 pm
John, it isn’t dollar inflation causing the sudden spike in gas prices or the prices of everything would be going up just as fast. It is simply greedy speculators driving the prices up, as they search for the next big way their money can grow. They over-price housing every 20 years or so, they run gold prices up too high and then they fall, this is just their latest focus, due to the problems in the mid-east that might limit gasoline and oil down the road.
Trading oil futures should be taken out of the commodities market altogether.
Posted by: Lydia | April 29, 2011, 11:30 pm 11:30 pm
Romney is clearly the most qualified for the job of President. He actually knows how the market works and has the experience and accomplishments to back it up. If you want to look at the issues and Romney’s so called “flip flops” check out Whyromney.com
ROMNEY 2012
Posted by: Will | April 29, 2011, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm
Did you know that President Obama knows how to pump his own gas! He can feel our pain!!
Posted by: Voice_Reason | April 30, 2011, 8:28 am 8:28 am
When President Bush left office the countries economy was in the toilet. It took President Obama to flush the toilet!!! Now the economy is going down the drain!
Posted by: Voice_Reason | April 30, 2011, 8:33 am 8:33 am
BK.70: You are correct that gas prices were under $2 a gallon but that was mostly because when the democrats took control of the house the prices dropped to that level. Isn’t it ironic that gas prices are going back up now that the republicans have control of the house again?? Also, when gas prices went over $3 a gallon your buddy Bush did and said nothing (he was too busy spending us in to an economic recession). At least President Obama is concerned enough to be addressing the issue.
Posted by: jas | April 30, 2011, 9:20 am 9:20 am
What a joke. Romney is a part of the GOP machine, that would charge us all, as much as they can get, to fill their own pockets!
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | April 30, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am
What’s really sad is how this country is sitting in the drivers seat of the handbasket and all we can well is “point and blame”, we better get unified soon….I can smell the Brimstone!!!!!
Posted by: JD Holley | April 30, 2011, 5:27 pm 5:27 pm
There are some commenters above who just don’t wand to admit what is true, America is getting into trouble with gas prices rising and not drilling for replenishment. Many supporters of the administration will go on to past politicians or other theories that exempt any energy policies that we may have for fault. I realize that voters in the Democrat fold and the the left love to distract from this problem. Mitt Romney is right to attack rising gas prices. To the doubters I will say the next step is $5.00/gal and I would check my time card.
Posted by: Jay Adler | April 30, 2011, 10:24 pm 10:24 pm
I read the news every day,and we are in a real mess.I also beleive Obama is a complete waste for this country.
Posted by: Raymond | April 30, 2011, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
yet over 50% of every dollar per gallon of gas goes to
the federal government.POSTED BY: SVB | APR 29,
2011 8:07:18 PM*********Where is your source of
information?????……..Just what I thought, pulled it out
of the air again!
Posted by: spacerook1 | May 1, 2011, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
yet over 50% of every dollar per gallon of gas goes to
the federal government.POSTED BY: SVB | APR 29,
2011 8:07:18 PM*********Where is your source of
information?????……..Just what I thought, pulled it out
of the air again!
It wasn’t pulled out of the air, but you did get the first letter right!
Posted by: gee | May 1, 2011, 9:19 pm 9:19 pm
The President does not have control over gas prices anymore than Congress does. Why are we giving money to an industry that is not in trouble or on the verge of collapse but making record profits. That is the question you need to be asking. You want lower gas prices than stop driving so much. We as consumers have more power over this than any elected official.
Posted by: Tony Siers | May 2, 2011, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
It’s no accident that we don’t tap our own oil in this country. The bureacracy and the political class long ago decided to take US oil production off the table. America WOULD HAVE BEEN too self-sufficient, and therefore, not tied down by global interdependence. If that had been the case, perhaps our votes at the ballot box would have led to a different result. But as it stands, policies don’t change regardless of who is in the Congress or White House.
Posted by: JTWilliams | May 3, 2011, 2:16 am 2:16 am