Armageddon And Oil: Show Notes, 10/7/22
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Biden’s Nuclear Armageddon
President Joe Biden absolutely let loose with his candid thoughts on a possible nuclear conflict with Russia, which he says could happen.
Speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “a guy I know fairly well” and the Russian leader was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”
Biden added, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” He suggested the threat from Putin is real “because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming.”
The thing is this: He said this to Democratic donors. It wasn’t a press conference. It wasn’t official policy. It was just… him. To his supporters.
The White House has already attempted to walk this back a bit.
The New York Times sure seemed shocked by his comments.
Mr. Biden’s references to Armageddon were highly unusual for any American president. Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, 60 years ago this month, occupants of the Oval Office have rarely spoken in such grim tones about the possible use of nuclear weapons, much less talked openly about off ramps.
But, what do you expect of someone who, according to Democrats, has been wrong on every major foreign policy issue over the last several decades?
Nobody F’s With Biden, Except OPEC+
The organization of oil-producing countries has decided to reduce production by 2 million barrels per day, in direct defiance of American pleas. Joe Biden was angry, calling the move “short-sighted,” and the Democrats have taken to accusing OPEC+ of colluding with Republicans to steal the midterm election (because words have no meaning anymore).
But this is a problem of Joe Biden’s own making. He personally insulted the Saudi Prince, crippled American production, and worked to appease Iran at the expense of every other Middle Eastern country. The price of oil and gas in the U.S. has already been on the rise, and with this, oil per barrel is on a fast rise. This could have been a non-issue had the Biden administration not decided to put its throat on the neck of the oil and gas industry. But now it’s too late to do much to impact what Americans are about to feel at the pump.
Why Vote For Bad Candidates?
With the Herschel Walker stuff getting worse, there are several folks on the right who are asking, well, the same questions they have been asking about Republicans and conservatives who supported Trump. Namely “Why vote for these bad people?” To conservatives, as I wrote in my column this morning, it’s really just math.
You may personally dislike these people, and you may think they lack the moral character to be a decent human being (much less a politician), but they have gotten their voters what they asked for. A vote for those Republicans, the calculation goes, is a vote against codifying Roe v. Wade. It is a vote against more of the Green New Deal. It is a vote against trillions in extra, unnecessary spending. It is a vote against censorship, against progressive social engineering, against eliminating the filibuster.
It's a vote for trying to secure the border, or at least pushing for it to be less open. It's a vote to fund the police.
Conservatives aren't corrupt and they aren't hypocrites. They have their list of what they want to see, and they know that voting against Walker, Hawley, Graham, etc. hurts that cause. Do Republicans need better candidates? Of course they do. And the Republican Party should be working hard to recruit better ones. Not just ones who can win, but ones who will vote the right way and represent what they actually believe.
Because of the lay of the political landscape, however, they are voting the best they can. They have made the calculation that the goals of the movement weigh more, and that is driving their vote.
Headlines Of The Day
Uvalde School District Suspends Entire Police Force (KPEL)
Sharon Osbourne Defends Kanye, Wants the Thousands She Gave Black Lives Matter Back (RedState)
New cars are finally back in stock — but Americans might not be able to afford them (CNBC)
Donald Trump PAC Jumps Into Ohio, Pennsylvania Senate Races (WSJ)
Jobs numbers likely to keep Fed in tightening mode (CNN)