Comments on: Manipulation of Gasoline Prices for the 2005 Election

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:40:39 +0000

Tano,

Okay, fine its a strawman, head on over and scold Professor James Hamilton for making the same strawman argument. Sheesh.

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:39:08 +0000

I notice that the Santa Claus theory still stands as more neatly explaining all the data than the theory that the GOP is somehow manipulating gas prices. Steve merely reinforces it with his point about seasonality...as in the Christmas season.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:27:43 +0000

Tano: Try a query on Google Blog Search for 'Bush gas prices election' (no quotes needed).

By: Tano

Tano — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:44:54 +0000

Steve,

My humor is fine thank you. What about your reading skills?

I understand perfectly what you are trying to show in the graphs. My point was about your claim that anyone is actually going around making the claim that BushHitlerMcHalliburtonChimpyWhatever is controlling the price of oil. Did you note my reference to "strawman argumentation"? Strawman means that you state a weak or unsupported premise, then knock it down. Your premise is that the left, or someone, is making this argument. Personally I have never seem the argument made, although I see lots of rightwingers working hard to knock it down.

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:38:18 +0000

Used to be that there was some sense that, if one were to make a strawman argument like this, that one would have to try to back it up with at least a link or two - to some obscure commenter on some obscure blog - who, it would be claimed, was the true and authenic voice of “THE LEFT” or “DA LIBRULS”. Standards seem to be slipping here. We dont get one stinkin’ link!

Apparently it hasn't dawned on Tano that there were no elections in 2005 and 2003, but during the year there was an election prices actually rose. Or to put it more simply, this post is a mockery of the conspiracy theorizing going on about manipulation of oil prices. The punchline, the data don't match the theory. A more serious implication of this post is that there is a reason for this kind of decline in oil prices. Us boring old econometric/statistical types call it seasonality.

When you have to explain the joke…

Right, which just goes to show that Tano has no sense of humor; something I long suspected.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:19:51 +0000

There is so many nut case conspiracies out there and people who thoughts are way out there that it is hard to know when someone is joking. Remember the “Bush blew up the WTC” and “the military sent a missile in the Pentagon” theories.

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 15:44:44 +0000

The data actually supports the theory that gas prices are controlled by Santa Claus who ensures that people are in a good mood for Christmas by lowering gas prices for December and then letting them rise for the rest of the year. Now prove the theory wrong.

By: charles austin

charles austin — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:33:39 +0000

When you have to explain the joke...

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:08:08 +0000

Typo 2005 not 3005.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:05:35 +0000

Election years were 2002 and 2004. The winners don’t take office until 2003 or 3005 but the elections take place in even years. So what does that say about the data.

By: Tano

Tano — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:58:19 +0000

Used to be that there was some sense that, if one were to make a strawman argument like this, that one would have to try to back it up with at least a link or two - to some obscure commenter on some obscure blog - who, it would be claimed, was the true and authenic voice of "THE LEFT" or "DA LIBRULS". Standards seem to be slipping here. We dont get one stinkin' link!

By: charles austin

charles austin — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:48:40 +0000

Well, of course he was trying to influence the Iraqi elections!

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:41:15 +0000

A devious plotter one minute and a chimp the next. I didn't realize that McHalliBushHitler was a schziod.

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:39:56 +0000

Fixed it, bad data entry on my part.

By: Dale B

Dale B — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:25:32 +0000

The year in the chart title and post text (2005) is inconsistent with the X axis label (06). I assume that the X axis label is wrong.