For American consumers worried about the cost of living, this week brought another round of discouraging news: Not only is inflation climbing overall, but gasoline prices reached their highest level in four years.
Consumers, however, weren’t the only ones who were bothered. Republican officials, feeling political headwinds and increasingly anxious about the midterm elections, quickly realized that rising prices created yet another challenge for them, leaving the party to figure out what to say to dissatisfied voters.
For obvious reasons, prominent GOP voters couldn’t just tell the truth — rising gas prices are the direct result of President Donald Trump launching an unnecessary war in Iran — so leading Republicans settled on three remarkable tactics.
1. Rewrite the recent past. On Thursday morning, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise appeared on CNBC and tried to argue that gas prices are lower now than they were in 2024. “People will remember that two years ago, we were paying almost $6 a gallon for gas,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Right now, it’s $3.”
The problem with Scalise’s pitch was that he didn’t appear to have any idea what he was talking about. Gas prices weren’t anywhere close to $6 a gallon two years ago, and gas prices are well above $3 a gallon now. The House GOP leader asked people to “remember” a version of reality that did not, and does not, exist. It led Scott Horton of Harper’s Magazine to note, “The GOP campaign this fall will depend entirely on misremembering recent history.”
Scalise went on to insist that Republicans “are lowering inflation,” despite the inconvenient fact that inflation is getting worse, not better.
2. Rewrite the present. While it was jarring to see the House majority leader describe a made-up version of the recent past to a national television audience, it was arguably worse to see Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina appear on Fox Business around the same time and tell viewers, “Gas prices continue to come down.”
No, they don’t.
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Chart: Carson Elm-Picard / MS NOW; Source: AAA
As the longtime GOP lawmaker, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, really ought to know, his description turned reality on its head.
3. Express relative indifference. On Thursday night, Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida appeared on CNN and said, “It’s terrible that we have higher gas prices … but it’s worth it to me.”
Scott, it’s worth noting for context, is one of Congress’ wealthiest members, with a net worth of more than a half-billion dollars.
It’s not altogether clear whether party officials have pushed talking points to their members, offering guidance on what to say about one of the issues foremost on the mind of many American consumers. But as the war in Iran enters its third month, and prices at the pump reach a four-year high, it appears Republicans have nothing persuasive, honest or even coherent to say on the subject.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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