DeSantis describes plan to beat Biden's inflation crisis
On September 21, Florida's Republican governor and presidential hopeful - Ron DeSantis - appeared on ABC news to share some of the key elements of his campaign strategy. As was previously suggested by DeSantis, a key focus of his presidential campaign would appear to be to tackle the rising cost-of-living.
Key within that strategy it would appear, is to bring down the cost of gasoline to a target level of $2 per gallon.
On September 22, DeSantis summarized his intended policy on Twitter, suggesting that a key part of his campaign strategy would be not just to help combat the cost-of-living crisis, but also to renew America's energy independence. As he put it:
"Under the Biden Administration, American families have experienced the worst inflation in decades. How do we tackle these prices? One way is to lower gas prices by reigniting American energy dominance. Our goal is $2 in 2025."
DeSantis slams Biden's announcement on oil
The promise of $2 gasoline could become a key theme of the DeSantis campaign over the coming months, and while it represents a promise yet to be delivered, it at least gives insight into his focus.
Earlier in the month, he had appeared on Fox News and given his opinion on a recent announcement by Democratic President Joe Biden that his administration would be suspending all new oil drilling operations in Alaska. Predictably, DeSantis' perspective - reinforced by his recently shared policy - is that America should instead be sstriving for energy dominance, drilling for more oil to remain independent of the control of other oil producing nations
The announcement by President Joe Biden wasn't well-received by many in the GOP, who were triggered into ranting about the relative threat posed by global warming and climate change. The fact that it was oil leases granted by the one-term former president Donald Trump, made the news all the harder for many MAGA-Republicans to accept.
DeSantis is driven to drop the price of gas
The cost of gasoline in the Sunshine State reached record levels during the pandemic, and climbed above $4 per gallon. The cost of fuel for cars is just one part of the cost-of-living crisis though, and while the rate of inflation is steadily decreasing, it's still at a relatively high rate of 3.67% compared to a long-term average of 3.28%.
Back in 2022, Ron DeSantis coined the term Bidenflation when the rate of inflation had topped 9%. His criticism of President Biden was echoed by Florida Senator Rick Scott who challenged Biden to "wake up or resign" over the state of the economy. It is clear that while the economy would appear to be recovering to some extent, that Americans are still struggling to make their financial ends meet.
Whether gas at $2 per gallon will be enough to help Americans to make financial ends meet, remains to be seen. What's more, is that the promise of cheaper gas by 2025 may not be enough to persuade voters to opt for DeSantis as the Republican candidate when they are struggling now. Time will tell.
Do you think that Ron DeSantis could win the Republican candidacy with the promise of $2 gas? Is it wise for America to increase oil consumption as DeSantis has suggested? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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