Democrats joke about high gas prices

An Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Monday says that 9 in 10 Americans have been hit hard by skyrocketing gas prices and have had to adjust their lifestyle because of the high costs of gas.

That 10th person must be one of those well-to-do Barack Obama supporters. Or it might be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who gets to shuttle around the country on a taxpayer-paid airplane.

Democrats still don't get it about gas prices, which have risen 50 percent in the past six months.

Further proof that Democrats are clueless when it comes to the plight of working Americans comes in the form of a radio ad sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that makes a joke out of high gas prices.

The ad buy features a comedian imitating President Bush and joking about gas prices.

U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Pennsylvania Republican, issued a statement Monday saying the suffering of American families is not a laughing matter.

"Pennsylvania families' real pain and suffering over high gas prices isn't funny and isn't a joke," Gerlach said in a written statement. "The DCCC just doesn't get it - $4.00 gas is really hurting America's working families and political jokes like this won't hide their Party's inaction on this issue, or lower the price of gas. Bi-partisan solutions are needed, and needed now."

In a national radio address over the weekend, Gerlach noted that Democrat plans to raise taxes on oil companies will only raise gas prices for families even higher, since higher taxes get passed through to consumers, according to his campaign staff.

Gerlach stressed innovation, conservation, and most importantly, increasing our own domestic energy supply through safe off-shore drilling, says the Jim Gerlach for Congress Committee

Gerlach's press release also offers this stunning fact: Gas prices have increased 75% since Democrats took control of Congress, and the energy package referenced in the DCCC attack ad was the exact same one supported by Barack Obama and half of the Democratic leadership in the House in 2005. Democrats and Republicans need to come together in a bi-partisan effort to lower gas prices.

"My opponent opposes off-shore drilling and believes we need to tax consumers further," Gerlach said. "That 'head-in-the-sand' energy plan will push gas prices dramatically higher tomorrow and in years to come. At the end of the day, I think we can both agree that making jokes about gas prices during these tough times is inappropriate, and I call on my opponent to publicly condemn the DCCC ad."