There is a saying that goes: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". Is it possible that someone is trying to fool us a second time with high gasoline prices? Is it only coincidental that for two presidential election cycles now that gasoline prices have run up sharply in the months prior to the election?
In 2008, gasoline prices ran up before the election which, with absolutely no evidence to support their claim, the so called “mainstream media” (MSM), blamed on the Bush Administration. When the same prices went back down right around election time the same media was completely silent as the desired damage had already been done to the Republican election effort. There is little question that those several months of high gasoline prices, blamed as they were on the Republicans, contributed to the Democrats winning the White House and a majority in both houses of congress.
Again, now in 2012, we have gasoline prices moving sharply upward but this time several months earlier than before. Is this is just coincidental or are there other possibilities that should be considered? High gasoline prices put a significant strain on the entire economy and drain the personal finances of a lot of American voters and usually create significant dissatisfaction with whichever party is in power at the time. At first glance it would appear that current price increases would work against Mr. Obama and the Democrats in the upcoming election just they did against the Republicans in 2008. However, given that the current price run up is occurring some eight months before the election, what might the impact be if prices go back down prior to the election and, with the help of the MSM, Mr. Obama claims credit for their having done so?
Suppose that following several months of “pain at the pump” Mr. Obama was to deliver a speech in which he claims to have taken “bold steps” to bring down gasoline prices and save the economy. He could proclaim to have taken any number of actions such as resending his bans on drilling and the construction of the XL pipeline and couple that with his usual verbal assault on “greedy big oil”. Of course allowing more drilling and building a pipeline, though beneficial, are strictly long term as far as any effect they can have on gasoline prices and governmental attacks on the companies that produce gasoline simply increases their cost of doing business so is counterproductive with regards to lowering prices. However, then just suppose that almost immediately after his speech gasoline prices stop rising and actually begin to drop. Such an occurrence would of course be put the MSM into an absolute frenzy of slobbering praise proclaiming Obama’s brilliance and courage in saving the country and demanding his reelection. What would this do to Mr. Obama’s chances in November?
Of course the above scenario would only be possible if it is actually possible for gasoline prices to be intentionally manipulated and controlled by some individual or small group of individuals. The question must be asked, “Is that even possible and how could it be done”? Initially even considering such a scheme would seem preposterous and probably little more than the product of a conspiracy theorist’s fevered imagination. However, remember that this is the second presidential election cycle in which gasoline prices have spiked with no obvious supply or demand market pressures to explain their doing so. Also remember that the last time it happened it produced a significant political impact. The obvious question of course is; “Is anyone really capable of accomplishing such a price manipulation and what would be their motive for doing so”?
In the 2008 run up of gasoline prices it was reported that speculation in the futures market was the trigger that started and fueled the increase and that said speculation began in the London market before spreading worldwide. It is also well known that George Soros is a major player in various speculation markets including those in London. Mr. Soros has been referred to as "the man who broke the bank of England" from his very personally profitable speculation on the British Pound in 1992. This speculation ultimately cost the citizens of England billions of pounds. Before that his speculations in Thai and Malaysian currencies proved severely damaging economically to the people of both of those countries.
Is it possible for any individual like Mr. Soros to have such an effect on the world market for gasoline to actually manipulate its retail price for some period of time? If that same individual has proven capable of all but toppling national currencies one could guess that he might, indeed, have such power. Also, in all speculation markets it would appear that there are “leaders” and there are “followers” and a very small number of individuals like Mr. Soros definitely have the reputation of being such “leaders”. There are even certain investment “consultants” that claim to track the moves of people like Mr. Soros and sell the service of making such information immediately available to their clients. It is true that in all investment and speculation markets that there are many “followers” that attempt to follow the moves of the “leaders” hoping to profit by doing so. That, of course, does have the potential of multiplying the effect that any financial moves that a “leader” might make in a particular market. For example: if such a “leader” were to invest, say; $100 million in a particular market and 1000 “followers” then invest an average of $1 million each, the total impact on the market for that commodity would be $1.1 billion certainly driving up the price. Additional incremental investments by the same “leader” would, over a limited period of time, tend to maintain an upward pressure on the price if that commodity. Likely the reverse would occur much more quickly when the “leader” pulls out of the market with the result that prices would rapidly drop.
If the above analysis is at all valid it could be possible for someone like Mr. Soros to be able, over some limited period of time, to manipulate the price of a commodity such as gasoline influencing how much and how fast the price rises and how quickly it comes back down. It is also certainly possible that such a manipulation might involve very little risk to such an individual’s personal investment as he would be in the position of knowing, in advance, the precise timing of the movement in the price that he is controlling. This would, of course, allow him to be “first in, first out” thereby making an enormous profit while the “last in, last out” investors absorbed huge losses when the price of the commodity returned to its real market level.
What would be the motive for a very wealthy individual such as George Soros in masterminding and carrying out such a price manipulation in addition to potentially enormous profits? It is certainly well known that Mr. Soros spent many millions of dollars of his own money in getting Barack Obama elected to the presidency as well as numerous Democrats elected to both the House and Senate. He also continues to spend huge amounts on a wide variety of organizations all of which appear to exist for the purpose of increasing and solidifying his influence and control throughout this country if not the world. If David Horowitz and Richard Poe* are correct, Mr. Soros already “owns” the Democrat Party almost outright, and it has been speculated elsewhere that he “owns” the current president as well. Why has a man like Soros spent such enormous amounts of money to buy influence and power in a country he avowedly and publicly claims to hate?
Mr. Soros openly maintains that he wants to radically change America, and that he wishes to reduce significantly if not destroy outright America’s position as the world’s one remaining “superpower”. He has not minced words in proclaiming his desire to see the world under the control of some sort of “global authority” with the eventual elimination of the basic concept of independent and separate nations. Many of the actions that Mr. Obama and the Democrat Party have taken since his inauguration have definitely headed this country away from strength and prosperity. This could certainly be taken as an indication that Mr. Soros maintains a considerable influence over this president and his Party. Fortunately for America the task of reducing our country to second class status is far from finished. Mr. Soros desperately needs four more years with Mr. Obama in the White House and the Democrat Party in control of both houses of congress to continue implementing the drastic changes professes to desire.
If the scheme proposed herein to manipulate gasoline prices is actually possible and could assist as described in the Obama reelection effort, we can be quite certain that it would be used no matter the economic damage it may cause the country in the interim. If, for a number of weeks prior to the election, the MSM was provided the opportunity to incessantly claim that Mr. Obama had personally lowered gasoline prices and saved the economy, it could prove devastating to Republican chances. Some people can, indeed, be fooled twice, but can all of us? What, then, can be done to counter such a possible scheme or to blunt its effectiveness? Exposure of its possibility is really the only defense that is available at this time.
Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence currently available that could prove that someone might, indeed, be manipulating the world market for gasoline for political gain. However, simply raising the question might open eyes capable of uncovering evidence if it exists. For the present the only indication that such a scheme might be unfolding is the unexplained “coincidence” of gasoline prices rising in two successive presidential election years. If enough Americans can be convinced to simply question the possibility that gasoline prices are being manipulated for Mr. Obama’s political benefit it would go a long way toward exposing such a scheme if it does exist or, at the very least, blunting its effect on the upcoming election.
What can be done right now to get the message out that we are possibly being “duped” with the currently high and rising gasoline prices? If a sufficient number of Americans read this article and call it to the attention of others it has the potential if “going viral” on the internet and e-mail circuits. It would also be beneficial to get it in the hands of those involved in conservative “talk radio” in the hopes that one or more of those individuals might choose to cover the idea on their program(s). The important thing at this point is to raise the question that someone might well be trying to fool us for a second time.
