Democratic hypocrisy in criticizing President Trump for rising gas prices is the topic of my column this week. Please check out the full column at Newsmax (here), Reason (here), and the New York Sun (here).
Three other related points that didn't make it into the column:
•Though polls show President Trump is not particularly popular, it may be that Democratic congressional leaders such as Senator Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are even less popular. At least one poll indicates as much. Ordinarily, or at least in some cases (Bob Dole, Paul Ryan) Congressional leaders are presidential contenders. It's not an accident that no one is talking about either Mr. Schumer or Ms. Pelosi as a 2020 challenger to Mr. Trump. Some Democrats are trying to succeed in the 2018 midterm elections by nationalizing them and making them all about Mr. Trump. Republicans might counterprogram by making those elections about Mr. Schumer and Ms. Pelosi.
•Gas prices are to some extent also a story about the dollar. When gas costs more, another way of saying it is that a dollar buys less. I didn't get into that in my column, but it is worth keeping an eye on.
•Gas going to $3 a gallon from $2 a gallon is a big deal to a lot of everyday Americans. But it gets less attention from the "mainstream media" than it might otherwise, because a lot of those reporters and editors live in New York and Washington. Rather than filling up their gas tanks and driving to work, many of these journalists commute by bicycle, on foot, by subway, by bus, or by train, or even by Uber or taxi, where gas prices are obscured.
