Biden Said Gas Prices Too High for Average 'Joey' in 2008 Debate

During the 2008 vice presidential debate against Sarah Palin, Joe Biden told an anecdote about someone at his local gas station who did not have enough money to fill up his gas tank because gas prices ($3.17 on average for regular) were too high then.

Biden said at that time, “I was recently at my local gas station and asked a guy named Joey Danco. I said, ‘Joey, how much did it cost to fill your tank?’ You know what his answer was? He said, ‘I don’t know, Joe. I never have enough money to do it.'”

Four after President Obama took office, according to CNS News, gas prices are demonstrably higher:

At the time (Oct. 2008), the average cost of a gallon of regular was $3.17 – and only $1.93/gallon when Obama took office in January of 2009 – according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Today, AAA estimates that a gallon of regular costs about $3.82 (Oct. 9), while the latest BLS report says it cost $3.71/gallon in August.

And in California, gas prices are nearing an average of $4.70 a gallon. Gov. Jerry Brown is taking emergency steps to try to bring down prices, which analysts have said could go up to $4.85 a gallon on average.