Hi, Shrewd!        Login  
Shrewd'm.com 
A merry & shrewd investing community
Best Of PoliticsBest OfAll BoardsThe Shrewd’m WeeklyLearn to InvestHow to Become Shrewd
Search
Shrewd'm.com Merry shrewd investors
Search
Best Of PoliticsBest OfAll BoardsThe Shrewd’m WeeklyLearn to InvestHow to Become Shrewd


The week's question
In December 2024, in the thread "Re: BRK: Why Not XOM?", BreckHutHigh asked the members: "What about the long road trips with kids?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
Answer this questionContinue to Shrewd'mThis note won't appear again
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
Unthreaded | Threaded | Whole Thread (52) |
Author: albaby1 SILVER
SHREWD
  😊 😞

Number: of 84358 
Subject: Re: Step one, complete
Date: 01/19/26 11:28 AM
Post New | Post Reply | Report Post | Recommend It!
No. of Recommendations: 6
Did the GOP want lower oil prices in 2008, or any time during the Bush junta?

None of that is relevant. Trump doesn't care what the GOP wanted during the Bush period. He doesn't care what "the GOP" wants today.

You have this thesis that Trump wants higher oil prices. That he is motivated, in some way, to create higher oil prices. In another thread, you suggested this was because the oil companies donated a lot to his campaign. But Trump wouldn't care about that - there's almost nothing in his history that suggests he's inclined to "pay off" past favors if they don't serve his current interests.

Regardless of whether you think Trump is motivated by traditional political concerns or just rank graft, he has absolutely no reason to seek out higher oil prices. Traditionally, higher oil prices are deeply unpopular with voters and serve as a drag on economic growth. Plenty of past administrations have been willing to have that happen in pursuit of other policy goals (like Bush with the Iraq invasion), but the consequence of higher oil prices is generally negative for their economic policy. And on graft, Trump has virtually no personal economic interests with oil companies - he's mostly on the real estate (and now crypto) side, concentrated on all sorts of transactions in the Middle East (and with Middle East governments), which interests would be harmed by a conflict with Iran and Iraq.

Again, I just don't see any plausible explanation for why this Administration would want oil prices to go up.

Post New | Post Reply | Report Post | Recommend It!
Print the post
Members reply directly to albaby1 here — and replies get answered. Reading is free; so is joining the conversation. Join Shrewd'm »
This community has written 84,309 posts about US Policy. The article-length ones it recommended most:
It's going to get worse · 33 recs · 2025
G’day Donny · 30 recs · 2026
Old Related Story · 28 recs · 2026
HCR is a national treasure · 27 recs · 2025
Fascism in America · 27 recs · 2025
Unthreaded | Threaded | Whole Thread (52) |


Announcements
US Policy FAQ
Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.

Best Of Politics | Best Of | Favourites & Replies | All Boards | Followed Shrewds | Open Questions | Moving a community