A new Web video from the Republican National Committee (RNC) uses the president's rendition of "Sweet Home Chicago" earlier this week to argue that President Obama has America “singin' the blues" about increasing gas prices.
The 15-second spot features a graph of gas prices since President Obama took office overlaid atop video of the president singing at a White House cultural event Tuesday with blues and rock legends B.B. King and Mick Jagger.
Onscreen text then derides "rising energy costs" and a "failed energy policy."
“When President Obama moved into the White House three years ago, the national average of gas was $1.85 per gallon. Today, the average price of gas has risen to an astonishing $3.59 per gallon and is showing no signs of a decline,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a statement.
“Unfortunately for America, Barack Obama has had us all singin’ the blues with rising energy costs and failed energy policy. His recent rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline denied thousands of Americans jobs in addition to an affordable, secure energy source. In November, Americans will be able to send the president and his failed policies into retirement, where he will be able to sing the blues all day.”
The president is headed to Florida on Thursday for an address where he is expected to discuss high prices, driven up by oil speculation and uncertainty in Iran and Syria.
"These prices are going up, and that tells you that there are other things beyond our control, like unrest in the Middle East or other factors like the growth of emerging countries such as China and India," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday.
Obama is expected to promote further fuel efficiency standards and argue for a greater mix of new energy sources, along with heralding increases in domestic oil and gas production.
