Obama Will Try to Blunt Attacks on Gas Prices A year ago, shortly after he won an extension of the payroll-tax cut from Congress, oil prices began rising, effectively taking away some of the economic benefit from the extension. In recent weeks, the pattern has repeated itself. On Thursday, Mr. Obama is traveling to Florida to explain his energy policy and try to blunt some of the Republican attacks over the recent rise in gas prices. With job growth having accelerated in recent months, gas prices have become a centerpiece of Republican criticisms of Mr. Obama's record, from Congressional leaders and presidential candidates. The recent rise in oil prices stems largely from Iran's threats to disrupt the global oil trade and from fears that Israel may attack Iran to disrupt its nuclear program. The price of a barrel of domestic oil closed at $106.28 on Wednesday, up from a recent low of $75.67 in early October. Similarly, the average price of a gallon of regular gas has jumped to $3.61 this week, from $3.26 at the end of last year. Forecasters say that gas prices are likely to continue rising in coming weeks, to catch up with the rise in oil prices. Republicans have criticized Mr. Obama for not taking more steps to expand domestic energy production, and his speech is expected to contain his fullest response to date. The recent price increase is still not large enough to have a enormous effect on the economy, forecasters say. If oil prices remain roughly where they are, they are likely to raise the unemployment rate by about 0.2 percentage points by the end of this year, compared with where it otherwise would have been, according to research by the Energy Information Administration. But even 0.2 percentage points could affect whether Americans feel as if the economy were making significant progress, an issue that typically plays a large role in affecting voters" decisions. And more trouble in Iran could obviously cause oil prices to rise further. If the economic estimates are correct, a sustained rise in oil prices would reduce the effect of extending the payroll-tax cut. Without the extension, taxes this year would have risen $921 this year for the average taxpayer, according to the Tax Policy Center in Washington. Mr. Obama signed an extension of the tax cut, through the end of this year, on Wednesday, after Congressional Republicans dropped their objections last week. Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Obama's speech Thursday afternoon "would make reference to the rise in oil prices that we're experiencing right now and the anxiety that that creates and the impact that has on American families trying to make ends meet." When Mr. Obama took office, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was less than $2, thanks largely to the drop in demand caused by the financial crisis. It rose to nearly $4 last May, having accelerated after the Arab Spring disrupted supplies. The price then fell for most of the rest of 2011.