Obama gets it totally wrong on oil production … again

Today, President Obama totally contradicted himself in the same paragraph, but it’s nothing new. He’s trying to claim we’re drilling a bunch of oil as compared to the past, but he’s refusing to tell you the full story, which is not that hard to understand.

Sorry Mr. President, you  can’t say we’re producing oil at a record pace and then in the next sentence change your mind and say we’re producing more oil “than at any time in the last eight years.” Both statements can not be true, they are absolutely mutually exclusive. From Obama’s remarks earlier today, with my emphasis in bold.

And again, I just want everybody to be clear — because sometimes, when you listen to the news and you listen to some of these other politicians, they seem a little bit confused about what I’m saying.  We are going to continue producing oil and gas at a record pace.  That’s got to be part of what we do.  We need energy to grow.  That’s why we’re producing more oil right now, here in America, than at any time in the last eight years — any time in the last eight years.  We’re opening up more land for oil exploration.  We’ve got more oil rigs operating.  There are more pipelines out there that are being approved.  I’ll be visiting one of those rigs and one of those pipelines this week.

I brought you some facts back on March 1, which the president did not obviously read. The president is the one who is warping history, and heaven forbid he actually speak the truth. He’s the one who is confused. Don’t let him get away with these half-truths … forward this via email and social media to your friends.

As it turns out, US oil production since 1985 has been on the decline. As a matter of fact, we are drilling – here in the United States – about 37 percent less crude oil than in 1985. In fairness, production actually did hit a 30 year low in 2008 where field production was about 1.81 billion barrels and it’s climbed to just under 2 billion barrels in 2010. 2010 is the last full year available at the EIA website for that statistic.

Read my previous post which – unlike the president’s statements – actually bring oil production facts to the table.

And don’t forget, he’s totally misleading the robots about oil scarcity too.

… head over to Hot Air and read Jazz Shaw’s post on the false-hoods Obama keeps regurgitating at campaign events. Shaw and John Merline over at Investors Business Daily squash the “we only have 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves” myth.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

29 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on March 21, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive…



  2. gillie28 on March 22, 2012 at 4:15 am

    Also, isn’t a great deal of the problem lack of refineries????



  3. Jeff S on March 22, 2012 at 8:09 am

    Whenever I hear “I just want everybody to be clear” statement coming fom zero, I know a whopper of a story(lie) is coming.?



    • Dimsdale on March 22, 2012 at 11:27 am

      If you repeat a lie often enough, the complicit media will make it become the “truth”……



  4. Dimsdale on March 22, 2012 at 11:33 am

    The funniest thing is watching ?bama beat the “Flat Earther” line to death in a lame attempt to denigrate the position of Republicans on this topic.
    ?
    Coming from the head of the new “Know Nothing” party, it is even funnier!? 😉



  5. sammy22 on March 22, 2012 at 11:42 am

    According to a study commissioned by the AP, US oil production has increased 15% since Feb. 2009 and the current production level is the same level as it was in 2003.



    • Dimsdale on March 22, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      I wonder how much of that is due to drilling on private and state lands in the Dakotas??



  6. JBS on March 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    We deserve better than the Zer?!
    He lies and twists the facts with every statement he makes.
    ?bama seems to be totally incapable of speaking the truth. He would probably choke if he ever told the truth.



  7. sammy22 on March 22, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    Does knowing where the oil is being produced change the overall figures?



    • Steve M on March 23, 2012 at 10:19 am

      Take the time to go read the data tables from the EIA. Representing “official” government figures about what’s happening. When I reference US oil production, it is US oil production. US Field Production of Crude Oil. Obama twists figures and leaves out DECADES of information exclusively for political reasons.?



    • Lynn on March 23, 2012 at 3:56 pm

      It’s nice to see your face instead of the eagle. Or are you another Steve M? Twilight Zone Music



    • Dimsdale on March 23, 2012 at 10:55 am

      It does if it is under the influence of ?bama and the federal gov’t or not.? If all the drilling is done by means not under his control (or interference, more precisely), how can he claim credit for it?



  8. Tim-in-Alabama on March 22, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Obama’s out today taking credit for huge increases in oil drilling and saying everyone in Congress is to blame for his Solyndra and other corrupt solar company follies.



  9. ricbee on March 22, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Words have no meaning when they come out of Obama’s mouth. Everything he does is just a photo op.



  10. Dimsdale on March 23, 2012 at 11:20 am

    You know this is a huge concern for this adminstration: the lies increase exponentially with the concern about the well placed albatross around his neck.



  11. sammy22 on March 23, 2012 at 11:31 am

    @Steve: I read the tables again. They show that 2,073,124 for 2003 and 2,070,494 in 2011. I’d say that that’s about the same, which is what I said? above.? A reference to previous decades would be another story.



    • Dimsdale on March 23, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      How does that jibe with ?bama saying that we?re producing more oil ?than at any time in the last eight years.??
      ?
      And 15% of “not much” isn’t much at all.



  12. sammy22 on March 23, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    I believe that 2011-2003 equals 8. The US production in 2011 was 2,070,494,000 barrels, not quite “not much”.



    • Dimsdale on March 24, 2012 at 10:23 am

      And you stated above that “that’s about the same”.? To me, “about the same” and “not much” are pretty equivalent.? A 15% increase since a price driven low in 2009 to get back to 2003 levels isn’t saying anything more than the ballooning price of oil has made recovering otherwise unprofitable oil (due to regulatory hurdles and high wage costs) profitable again.? It is like Nobama claiming credit for declining fuel use in the country due to his “positive” green policies, when it is his economic fumbling that has made it difficult to afford to drive, both through higher fuel prices and high unemployment.? Of course we will use less fuel when people aren’t buying and businesses aren’t manufacturing/selling.
      ?
      That guy would try to take credit for the sun shining if he could find a way to pull it off!



  13. sammy22 on March 24, 2012 at 11:29 am

    Still having trouble with the 8 year statement, eh?



    • Dimsdale on March 24, 2012 at 10:57 pm

      Perhaps.? I am trying to reconcile your last production figure of over 2 billion barrels of crude production with your previous (and Steve’s chart) figures in the millions.? Could you clarify that and your earlier statements?



  14. Lynn on March 25, 2012 at 8:52 am

    Thanks Guys, A whole different way to play, “Head Games”by (are you ready?) Foreigner.
    Couldn’t resist!



    • Dimsdale on March 25, 2012 at 10:23 am

      😉



    • Dimsdale on March 25, 2012 at 8:17 pm

      Well, I don’t see how ? can make this statement be true with even a modicum of significance.? If you compared it to? 2008, then he could make the case, even though the cause is the lousy economic theory he is laboring under.? He probably thought saying “we are producing more oil than any time in the last three years” didn’t sound too convincing in the face of consumer unrest.? I guess he felt the need to exaggerate.? Or is it fabricate?
      ?
      Which means Steve is right.



  15. sammy22 on March 25, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    Dims, click on the link that Steve gave above, US Field Production of Crude Oil, and you’ll see the figure for 2011.



  16. Lynn on March 25, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    OK< I’ve stared at these figures until my eyes want to fall out. Sammy (2003) 2,073,453 – (2011) 2,070,494 = 2,959. So, in 2011, we are producing 2,959 LESS gal. How can President Obama be correct that we’re producing more oil. “than at any time in the last eight years. ” We were producing more oil in 2003. Forget the percentages, this is simple math. What am I missing? I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt.
    Unless, there is a trick of your words or his, I agree with Steve and Dims.
    ?
    ?



  17. sammy22 on March 25, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    You might try to count back from 2011.



  18. Lynn on March 25, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    I might, but the only way I can make the statement work is if I start from 2012.



  19. Dimsdale on March 26, 2012 at 7:23 am

    Sorry: my last post got attached to Lynn’s.



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