Fox News’ Eric Bolling Credits President Obama With Lowering Gas Prices!

Recently, I’ve done some reporting on an apparent correlation between President Obama‘s speech about oil speculators and a now-sixteen cent per gallon drop in gas prices. Eric Bolling, host of Fox News’ The Five and not the biggest fan of the Whizzite Hizzouse’s current occupant, shockingly has gone farther than I did, actually drawing a causal link between the President’s actions and the falling price of gas.

Bolling made this rather stunning endorsement over a series of tweets that didn’t seem intended to be generous:

@EricBolling: Any surprise @tommyxtopher would fail 2 mention Gov Palin & I suggested this 2 Obama 4 days prior!?(#PayingAtThePump)

He’s referencing the Magical Mystery Envelope that he and former Gov. Sarah Palin opened on his show the Friday before the President’s announcement. I responded:

@tommyxtopher: @ericbolling Have you done a segment on the correlation? Do you think there is one? I haven’t been keeping up on my The Five viewing.

Here’s where it gets a little ugly:

@EricBolling: @tommyxtopher Gov Palin & I specifically mention this:PayingThePump special FNC 4/14, Obama steals it on 4/17. You credit Obama on 5/7. WOW!

First of all, why does he feel the need to accuse the President of stealing? The idea of reining in oil speculators isn’t anything new, and it’s one that the President spoke about long before the magic envelope was opened, but he just assumes Obama stole it from a white man! (I kid! I kid!)

Joking aside, it’s delusional for Bolling to actually think that his envelope had anything to do with the President’s announcement, which he had spoken about many times before, but Bolling deserves credit for being right, and it is fair to ask what took the President so long.

But Bolling is incorrect, I did not credit President Obama with lowering gas prices. My two columns were about the media double-standard which unfairly blames the President when gas prices rise (unless the network is Fox News, and the president is Bush), yet fails to report a steep drop in gas prices that coincides with a presidential action.

That’s a double-standard that still exists, by the way, because even as Bolling credited the President with lowering gas prices, he did so only on Twitter, not on Fox News:

@tommyxtopher: @ericbolling I haven’t seen the segment, but are you now saying that’s why gas prices have dropped since POTUS’ remarks?

@ericbolling: @tommyxtopher Tommy, a full hour FNC special. Gov Palin & I presented Obama with our suggestions for lowering gas prices#researchTHENwrite

@tommyxtopher: @ericbolling Right, but I’m asking, are you saying that the drop in gas prices is the result of that?

@ericbolling: @tommyxtopher Obama used our idea word4word, so YES I am saying my idea to curb speculation is the genesis of gas price fall + nat gas rules

@tommyxtopher: @ericbolling If you’re going to do a segment on it, I would be happy to do a new post on it. Otherwise, I can add a note. Let me know.

@ericbolling: @tommyxtopher OMG are you married, cuz I pity your wife! We did the special Obama copied our idea prices are falling. Nothing 2 do w TheFive

I’m not sure whether to be flattered that Bolling asked if I was married, or offended by his bigoted assumption that I don’t have  husband, but the real takeaway is that he does credit the President’s actions on oil speculators with lowering gas prices, but refuses to report that on his TV show.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.