( CNN ) -- Thanks to the circular firing squad nature of the 2012 Republican presidential primaries , it had begun to look as if President Obama would coast to re-election in November . But then came along high gas prices . The recent dramatic increase in gas prices could become the issue that slows the economy , stalls the recovery and sinks the president 's chances at a second term . As a Republican who recognizes President Obama 's great skill as campaigner-in-chief , I 'm shocked he has handled the issue so poorly . Even most of those who agree presidents ca n't do much to lower gas prices acknowledge they must be perceived as doing everything they can to ease the suffering . Sixty-five percent of Americans tell pollsters they disapprove of the president 's handling of gas prices . Average gas prices have reached $ 3.87 nationwide , the highest ever recorded in March . The prices are expected to go even higher as the summer driving season arrives . If President Obama ca n't change the perception that he ca n't do anything about it , he could find himself pumping his own gas after November . The international markets are unlikely to save him , given the current unrest in the Middle East and rising demand in China , India and elsewhere . Popular opinion -- and the U.S. economy -- could take a strong turn against him if the situation is not rectified by summer . Americans will not appreciate paying $ 5 per gallon or more on their vacations . Those in the battleground states of Florida , Ohio , Virginia , North Carolina , Nevada and Colorado could be particularly annoyed . They will come to see his energy policy -- calling oil `` the fuel of the past , '' and slowing the permit process for drilling in the Gulf -- as crafted to please his friends in the green movement . And while the president is set to begrudgingly fast track the southern portion of the XL Keystone pipeline , he does not appear to have bought into the merits of the entire project . President Obama can argue that changing his policies would not dramatically increase domestic oil supplies in the short run . While this is technically correct , Americans are unlikely to buy the argument . As economist Larry Kudlow and others have noted , speculators and traders , whom President Obama has blamed for the current crisis , respond to news of new energy exploration . For example , President George W. Bush confronted a similar problem with gas prices spiking during spring and summer 2008 . He responded by lifting an executive branch moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf regions in an effort to jump-start production , and high prices subsided by fall . President Obama seems to be leaning toward dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve , which may or may not work since that move does not actually increase production . And he has embarked on an American energy tour , highlighted by stops in three swing states , to convince voters he 's doing all he can . The Republican candidates , who seem never to miss an opportunity to take on the president , must seize this moment to push for an energy policy that would better serve the interests of the middle class . They should start a conversation now on how to avoid future gas price spikes . Domestic energy security is one of the nation 's most critical issues . President Obama 's own Energy Information Agency says we will need almost as much gasoline for transportation in 20 years as we consume today . The president is right that drilling alone will not satisfy our domestic needs . And he has supported an all-of-the-above approach . But his actions have n't completely matched his words . It truly must be all of the above . It must , as Newt Gingrich contends , tap into proven homegrown reserves in the High Plains , in Alaska , off both coasts and in the Rocky Mountains . It must include an all-of-the-above approach to technology as well -- including fracking , mapping and drilling -- and it must again involve building refineries . Such an approach can help drive down oil prices in the short term , boost domestic energy production , reduce dependence on unstable foreign sources , create jobs and provide new revenue streams for the government . It will be environmentally responsible because production of oil under U.S. environmental standards is among the strictest in the world . President Obama has pinned almost his entire re-election hopes on an economic recovery . If gas prices do n't retreat soon , Americans will cancel their vacations , the seasonal industries that depend on those vacations will wilt , consumer spending will slow and the administration 's hopes of showing concrete signs of an economic recovery by Election Day will fade . In that scenario , the president could find himself out of a job -- and it will be his own fault . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ford C. O'Connell .
Average gas price has reached $ 3.87 nationwide -- the highest ever recorded in March . Ford O'Connell : Increases in gas prices can hurt President Obama 's re-election chance . He says Republican candidates must seize the moment to push for a different energy policy . O'Connell : If President Obama does n't change his policies , he may lose his job in November .