Republicans used to be the party of free markets. Now, whenever something gets too expensive, you’re more likely to hear a Republican cry “price gouging” than explain how a market works. They regularly sound less like defenders of capitalism and more like members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
For over a year, Republicans have warned about the rise of socialism, pointing to young voters embracing it and socialist politicians winning office. Many have blamed lack of education. But that explanation only goes so far when people on our own side, who are supposed to know better, reach for the same arguments. How are we supposed to fight socialism when Republicans keep lending it credibility?
Another example has emerged in the aftermath of the midterm elections, accusations that oil companies had gouged consumers during the Iran War. The supposed proof? Their record profits. Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett was front and center on Tuesday, accusing oil companies of ripping off Americans. Put those same words in Bernie Sanders’s mouth, and few would notice any difference.
🚨 WOW! Rep. Tim Burchett just unloaded saying BIG OIL is RIPPING AMERICANS OFF using the Iran war "It allowed BIG OIL to RIP US OFF because they made RECORD profits." "I got some of those profit reports, they are ASTOUNDING." Please make this man senator, Governor-elect Blackburn HE SPEAKS FOR THE PEOPLE ‼️
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 10, 2026
"I think we’ve allowed Big Oil to rip us off because they made record profits," Rep. Burchett said in response to a question about the Iran War's effect on Republicans in the midterm elections. "You all need to dig in. I got some of those profit reports and they are…they’re astounding. They’re atrocious.”
Now it is absolutely true that oil companies have made record profits. But price gouging is far from the reason.
BIG: More than 50 large US oil and gas companies earned over $130 billion from April through September, nearly three times their profit a year earlier. Refiners gained most as war damage to plants in the Middle East and Russia tightened fuel supply. https://t.co/3sGWz3Piqf
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 30, 2026
As I have explained many times before, start with supply and demand. Free markets encourage abundance; socialism too often produces shortages. Why? Because in a free market, when a product’s supply dwindles, its price rises, encouraging consumers to conserve and producers to supply more. Yes, that hurts consumers, but it is also a useful mechanism for ensuring that people can purchase gas when they need it. If we did what politicians wanted and forced prices to stay the same, or even lowered them, despite shrinking supplies, we would risk turning expensive gas into unavailable gas.
Now, as for why profits increased. Disruptions to Middle Eastern production, refining, and shipping have left buyers around the world looking for other suppliers. And the crude oil making its way through the Strait of Hormuz still has to be refined before it can be used as gasoline or diesel. The problem is not just getting oil out of the Middle East, it is also getting usable fuel to the customers who depend on it.
That has effectively handed American oil companies a much wider market. Buyers who previously relied on Middle Eastern suppliers now need alternatives, giving American companies an opportunity to refine and sell more fuel around the world. This is no secret, either. President Trump has proudly boasted this year that the United States now leads the world in oil exports.
Yes, they are pursuing their own bottom line, but supplying those customers also helps ease the shortage and keep prices from rising even further.
And once the Iran war ends and Middle Eastern supplies return to normal, consumers could benefit from the increased production the shortage encouraged. If American companies keep that additional supply flowing as Middle Eastern producers return, more oil would be competing for buyers around the world, putting heavy downward pressure on prices. That could mean not just relief from wartime gas prices, but potentially cheaper fuel than before the conflict.
But of course, even with all that said, it is far easier to grasp one simple claim: “Oil companies made more money, and you suffered because of it.”
What does that framing tell the average American? That the company’s gain came at their expense. It encourages people to see businesses as caring only about themselves, contributing nothing useful while profiting from everyone else’s pain. Once you accept that premise, socialism’s promises become easier to believe. That is how you move a population toward voting for socialism, not by explaining its policies, but by teaching people to see one person's gain as proof that capitalism is working against them.
The greatest danger in the fight against the DSA is not the DSA itself. It is the willingness of those who claim to oppose it to use its arguments for their own political ends. When Republicans turn complicated economic realities into unjustified accusations of wrongdoing, they lend credibility to the worldview they claim to reject, and help persuade more Americans to support socialism.
