Record gas prices: Journalists, celebrities offer ‘tone deaf’ opinions on oil,

Journalists, pundits and liberal celebrities alike have offered an onslaught of energy takes as the Russia-Ukraine crisis unfolds and surging gas prices cause pain at the pump for average Americans.

Americans are experiencing the highest gas prices since the 2007-09 financial crisis, with the national gas price average reaching more than $4 per gallon – the highest average to date, according to AAA. To combat the shocking price increase, many have echoed White House talking points lecturing Americans to buy more electric cars. Other liberal pundits have insisted Americans should simply eliminate oil dependence altogether without offering a viable alternative. 

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As a result, NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck said “few stories will do a better job of exposing the almost impenetrable bubble of the far-left and their celebrity pals” than coverage of gas prices and energy costs that is currently dominating the news cycle. 

“It’s not just tone deaf, but demeaning and insulting for them to almost celebrate the lack of adequate oil supply and sky-high prices at the pump,” Houck told Fox News Digital. “Contrary to their worldview, working men and women aren’t able to have the funds to foot the bill for a Telsa or electric car or accountant to find them the massive tax breaks. No matter what they say, viewers will see right through these smug pleas to ‘go green.'”

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Signage with fuel prices at a Shell gas station in Hercules, California, U.S., on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. jumped above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2008 in a clear sign of the energy inflation that hurt consumers since Russia invaded Ukraine.
(Getty Images)

‘A lot of talk’

On Tuesday, MSNBC’s Katy Tur responded to President Biden banning Russian oil by pondering aloud why we simply don’t “go green” and ditch the need to foreign oil to truly hurt the Kremlin. 

“We only use about 8%. Again, our allies would need to get involved, because so much of Europe is dependent on Russian oil,” Tur responded. “It’s also something that Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut brought up today was this just exposes how insane it is that we rely — we rely on energy from authoritarian leaders, and we are not self-reliant on our own energy. A lot of talk about why we don’t go green.”

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Americans are experiencing the highest gas prices since the 2008 financial crisis, with the national gas price average reaching more than $4 per gallon. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

On the same episode of “Katy Tur Reports,” NPR’s Roben Farzad suggested this crisis was in part due to Americans not learning any “lessons” from the high gas prices of 2008, by continuing to buy large trucks instead of electric vehicles. 

“Look around you, Katy. Everybody is driving a big pickup truck, SUVs, gigantic SUVs are back in vogue. We talk a big game, but this happens time and time again to the U.S. consumer,” he griped, adding that he didn’t want to come across as “some blue checkmark lecturing people in a time of pain.”

Farzad also faulted consumers for complaining about gas prices.

“Time and time again, the United States consumer is saying, ‘Well, I’m in pain. What can we do?’ And we seemingly take the easy answer out every time,” he told Tur.

“Time and time again, the United States consumer is saying, ‘Well, I’m in pain. What can we do?’ And we seemingly take the easy answer out every time.”

— Roben Farzad, NPR

The conversations on MSNBC came the day after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday said the American people stand to benefit from having more electric vehicles on the road but failed to elaborate on how they could become more affordable. While touting the benefits of clean transportation, Buttigieg remarked that Americans from “rural to suburban to urban communities can all benefit from the gas savings of driving an EV.” 

Although the cost of electric vehicles has come down in recent years, they still remain out of reach for millions of Americans, with an average price hovering around $50,000. 

Colbert slammed as ‘elitist’

CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert apparently got Buttigieg’s memo, but was widely slammed for remarks made Tuesday on “The Late Show.”

“Today the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high over $4 per gallon. OK, that stings, but a clean conscience is worth a buck or two. It’s important. It’s important. I’m willing to pay $4 a gallon. Hell, I’ll pay $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla,” Colbert said.  

His comments were criticized as “elitist” coming from a comedian earning $15 million a year. 

CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert joked that he would pay $15 per…