American Politics

[MarquisdeSade1]

I notice none of the self-proclaimed Bothsiders who have apparently convinced themselves and no one else that they "look for truth in all directions" and are not "partisan" have neglected to quote fellow pro-Repub Bothsider Bill Maher this week now that he managed to sprinkle a few Repub-bashing points into his usual Dem-bashing "Don't bother to vote for Dems" weekly Republican Party Campaign Hour on HBO.

This is his rare slam on Repubs since he typically equates some loony fringe liberal going nowhere hokum like "Defund the Police" or the nearly non-existent "CRT" with the hard working Dems in Congress and the WH who have produced the only positive American economic legislation, jobs creation and results of the past almost 100 years and none of the Great Repub Crashes and Recessions..

Biden Presidency Mimics 'Weekend at Bernie's'.

Voters are coming to realize they've been had.

By Daniel Oliver.

April 4, 2022.

Something's happening. "The game's afoot," as Sherlock Holmes would say. Why are all the lefty media outlets now suddenly covering the Hunter Biden laptop story as if it were just another news item—as if they hadn't spent 20 months telling us it was "Russian disinformation"? A story they got woke ex-intelligence gurus (with the greatest of ease) to pronounce a Russian plot to get Donald Trump reelected?

Now it's ho-hum: cloudy, with patches of rain and gusty winds, followed by sun, and the laptop shows that Hunter Biden is a pervert and a crook, and his father probably is, too; but expect warmer weather tomorrow.

Roger Kimball, writing in American Greatness, suggested the shift in coverage was the opening gambit to purge Biden and Harris, by the Praetorian Guard in the deep state. In contrast, however, I argued that scenario was far-fetched: too complicated and too time-consuming. If it were done, then 'twere well it were done quickly, I. E. , it would have to be done before the Republicans likely take back the House of Representatives. Otherwise, they would prevent the Democrats from approving even a left-leaning substitute for president and vice president.

Readers disagreed, and my email was rife with plots and subplots showing how the Democrats will dispose of Biden and Harris—as so much unrecyclable trash.

Harris has to go first because if they push Biden under the bus, she becomes president. There are two suggested methods: the buyout and the kick-out. In option one, "they" find a cushy job for her—president of a think tank or some other charity, at $700,000 a year, guaranteed for five years (so long as she behaves?—ha! And an absurd $1 million book deal.

Would she take it? She knows—everyone knows—she's reached the end of her political career. She's a loser's loser. To resign would be humiliating, of course—and far worse than Nixon's resignation: he had his supporters (and still does); he was incredibly intelligent (as anyone who knew him knows), and his "guilt" was only cooked up by a partisan mob, which never forgave him for nailing their darling, Alger Hiss. Harris, de l'autre seeôté, is widely thought to be too stupid not only to serve as vice president but even to know the meaning of de l'autre seeôté—or how to look it up. Resigning is better than the alternative.

And that alternative is, "they" release some dirt on Harris (a lateral pass to the New York Times). She's been in Democratic politics for a long time, and it is fair to take "judicial notice" that there's probably dirt aplenty just lying around to be used when necessary; in fact, a whole bag full: law school irregularities, grotesque incompetence as a prosecutor, etc. And if there isn't enough, they'll simply make it up. Harris is toast—even if it's whole grain, made from flour grown organically on an nonmechanized sustainable farm, and warmed in a solar-powered toaster.

But what about Old Joe? Again, there are two ways out: the door and the window. Dr. Jill Biden must know he's. . . Gone. (Of course, she might not know: she's not a medical doctor, remember.) Still, even though she's woke, she may not be (actually, could not be!) as stupid as her husband. Biden can resign, with dignity—whatever smidgeon of dignity he has left. And perhaps get a deal for light treatment for his crooked son Hunter.

Or "they" can invoke the 25th Amendment and force him out. How humiliating!—but only to someone who can recognize that it's humiliating.

Some details: When "they" force Harris out, they make a deal with the Democrats in Congress to install a moderate Democrat who might be successful at wooing back some Democratic voters who are scurrying away from the party like cockroaches in the kitchen when the lights go on. He (yes, it will be a man, and a white one, too—they can't take any chances) will say he has no interest in running for president in 2024. Then he becomes president when Dr. Biden takes her husband on that last Amtrak ride to Wilmington. Then the Democrats pick another conventional low-key man or woman to be vice president. Cue the national anthem (in English).

Perhaps. And a scandal? Huge.

But the real scandal (whether or not they dump Biden) is how the Democrats and the media got us into this mess. They knew, everyone knew, Biden was incompetent and stupid (this has been well-documented for decades), corrupt, and senile. That's why they kept him largely out of the public eye during the campaign. They knew! There really is no arguing about what the Democrats who engineered the Biden candidacy knew.

The Democrats' perfidy must be trumpeted about: they played with the management of the United States of America as if they were playing Monopoly. That's bad enough in peacetime. Now we're in a war, perhaps a nascent World War III. These people have no shame. They care only about their own power. They saw "Weekend at Bernie's," and said, "We can do that!" And they did. They make us pine for simple corruption, simple backroom, cigar-smoking corruption: "I'll pay you a million from my slush fund; you pay my wife a million from yours."

Yes, something's happening. There's another game afoot. The public seems to be waking up to the Democrats' perfidy. Voters are coming to realize they've been had. The year-long dark night may be ending. Deo volente.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/04/b...nd-at-bernies/

[ScatManDoo]

And by the way. Only 3% of new cars sold in 2021. At this rate it is going to take 30 years to phase out gas cars.

You are a really poor reader.

I wrote 8% of US car sales in the United States in 2021 were electric vehicles.

Your "correction" was incorrect, since I was not commenting on worldwide vehicle sales.

The United States sold close to 18 million new vehicles in their best years, but only close to around 14 million vehicles during most recent years in the last 12 to 15 years.

Worldwide automobile production has ramped up to annually around 80 million vehicles currently.

So when Tesla delivered close to a million electric cars in year 2021, it was around 6-7% of US production, but only around 1% of worldwide car production.

The reason why worldwide EV production is around 3% is because China is growing a big expansion of electric vehicles, most of which can't meet current United States highways safety requirements.

Cut your 30 year estimate down to seven or eight years.

Oil & gas stocks will tumble well before that.

[Elvis 2008]

Firstly you have provided no evidence that Canada has the capacity to produce anymore oil than is currently being shipped.

Provide evidence? The oil is there. You just have to pay to go get it.

You clearly don't have any understanding of the requirements to finance large capital projects. Just because oil is $100 barrel now doesn't mean it will be in 5 years. History says it won't be.

History has jack shit to do with anything. Futures are the right to buy and sell a good at a given price. Oil producers can lock in the right to sell oil 5 years from now thereby mitigating the risk of fluctuating oil prices.

Here you go spouting off that you work in the oil industry and do not understand futures? Yeah, maybe you are an engineer but you do not get shit about oil finance.

Oil is a commodity, the price paid is related to its intrinsic value against alternative sources for that commodity. A refiner evaluates the value based on the price delivered to its gate.

Wrong again. Refiners do not evaluate shit. They pay the price that is dictated by oil traders in the USA and Europe.

The Keystone XL pipeline was a Canadian owned pipeline to benefit Canadian producers. Any savings in the transport of the oil gets pocketed by the pipeline owner and the producers. You really expect them to sell at a lower price to the refiners? So the pipeline has no impact on US prices only Canadian profits. It has no impact on the ability to deliver oil to the US market.

Wrong again. Oil is a global commodity. The more that is produced, the more supply goes up, and the more price goes down. It does not matter where the oil goes. As long as it goes to the world market, it will have an effect on price. Again, you do not get how oil is sold.

Iran has been selling plenty of oil to the Chinese as China does not care about US sanction. Venezuela has no spare capacity to ramp up production so I really don't see what your point is.

Wrong again. Look at the numbers. Iran and Venezuela have been crippled by US sanctions. The USA increased production so as to make up the amount that was taken off the market by Iran and Venezuela. Trump wanted Americans to have that money.

Now look at Biden. He has demonized American producers, talked about windfall profits tax, will not shut up about climate change, and is trying to work deals with Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia instead of supporting the American industry. All this climate change BS and we see what it was all about, hurting American oil producers. If Venezuela produces the oil, the carbon is still going to be spewed in the air.

Why the hell does Biden want oil from those countries and not Canada and the USA?

[PVMonger]

Can you explain why 70% of the people say they were better off under Trump presidency rather than Biden presidency? Can you explain to everyone why $6 gas is better than $2 gas for the average family? Can you explain why 8% inflation is better than 0% inflation for the average family? Can you explain why open borders with illegals and drugs pouring into our country is better for average families? Can you explain higher crime in our cities is better than lower crime for average families? Can you explain why poverty is better than prosperity for the average family? Those are the differences between Trump and Biden. I need you to explain how this is better for the average family.

You and CaliGuy suffer from the same perverted "post hoc ergo propter hoc" thinking.

If inflation and higher gasoline prices were happening solely in the USA, then you might have a point. But they aren't. Every country is suffering from inflation and high gasoline prices so Biden isn't to blame. Except in the tiny minds of Republicans.

If the southern border were really open, there wouldn't be any migrant camps in Mexico. But there are plenty so the border isn't open.

Red states have a higher crime rates than blue states. I guess supporting the Orange Buffoon didn't really mean tough crime.

Red states have higher poverty rates than blue states. I guess voting Republican means we'll all be poor.

These are the difference between President Biden and the one-term, twice-impeached, fake-POTUS former guy.

[PVMonger]

Exactly. Biden is trying to kill domestic oil companies and buy from Venezuela and Iran.

Then do us all a favor and cite a source, any source, that says that the US (at some point in time) never imported a single drop of foreign oil.

I will wait. Patiently.

[Cali Guy]

All those brokerage clients of CaliGuy / Canada that were allegedly talked into oil and gas stocks a year ago need to think good and hard about when to take their profits.

Because that industry's demand has already enjoyed its peak, which came three years ago.

World-wide oil transport and sales were at a daily record of 26.6 billion barrels in year 2019.

That pace went down to 23 point something billion daily in year 2020 as the pandemic closed up some activity and commuting.

Now that we are getting back to pre-pandemic levels, worldwide consumption levels are now at 25.2 to 25.3 billion daily barrels (who needs more pipelines? HaHaHa).

In the United States in 2021 I think around 8% of new car sales were electric vehicles. With many many many more big company sellers in 2022 could we reach 20% this year?.

My clients are smarter than you. Most financial institutions have oil stocks at a buy right now so no smart investor is going to put a sell on their stock. Most dividends are paid in April so absolutely worst time to sell. My clients have a financial plan and it isn't anything you would understand.

And by the way. Only 3% of new cars sold in 2021. At this rate it is going to take 30 years to phase out gas cars.

Yes we need more pipelines. Yes we need more oil. Right now. We either produce it and control our pricing or we buy from our enemies and pay the price. Unfortunately we have stupidity right now with Biden and we are paying the price. Hopefully in November we can reduce some of the stupidity and make Biden a lame duck president.

For the good of all Americans.

[Canada]

You and Canada are the two biggest fools on the boards. You repeatedly lie about the situation in the oil market and every time your lies are exposed you change your tunes and then 2 weeks later rattle off the same lies again. Now you think $75 oil is ok which will mean a pump price of between $3 - 4 when only a couple of days you were bemoaning the fact that pump prices were $2. So you admit oil prices under Trump were unsustainable and caused massive harm to the industry by causing over 600 bankruptcies and hundreds of billions of losses.

Canadian production is not going to significantly increase. A price of $75 a barrel does not warrant an investment in new Canadian oil production because their breakeven cash cost is $50 and that doesn't even pay for interest and depreciation. The Canadian Government understands that their oil industry has no future which is why they pumping money into battery factories and lithium and rare earth mining and processing.

The reality is clearly that US oil producers don't want to increase production. They are all focussing on profits and dividends. As Devon energy blurted out the have a big bank of leases to drill but they are happy with the status quo. Even though there is more than 1 mbpd of spare pipeline capacity noone is rushing to install more because everyone in the industry knows that the long term prospects for oil is for reduced demand so better to maximise profit now and don't spend money on assets that will end up with low utililisation. Basically all the smart money is doing the exact opposite to what you are advocating and all you can do is cry about Biden.

Can you explain why 70% of the people say they were better off under Trump presidency rather than Biden presidency? Can you explain to everyone why $6 gas is better than $2 gas for the average family? Can you explain why 8% inflation is better than 0% inflation for the average family? Can you explain why open borders with illegals and drugs pouring into our country is better for average families? Can you explain higher crime in our cities is better than lower crime for average families? Can you explain why poverty is better than prosperity for the average family? Those are the differences between Trump and Biden. I need you to explain how this is better for the average family.

[Canada]

No, you do not get it. If you have a 5 million BPD capacity, the most you can produce is 5 million BPD. That is what you are saying is going on. Is there 6 million BPD capacity possible in Canada? Sure. Your explanation about finance is 1000% wrong just using your own numbers. The oil companies cannot get financing? Shit, everywhere I turn the banks are throwing money at people the fed has produced so much of it. So you are telling me banks would rather lend to buy inflated real estate versus an oil company that can lock in $80 per barrel futures contracts and a $50 production cost? How dumb do you have to be to believe that?

We agree that pipelines are the cheapest way to pay to transport crude but for some reason you think cancelling the cheapest way to ship crude would not affect its price. Say what?

And pipelines are like highways. If you build them, houses pop up near them. You build the a cheap way to transport crude, and it will be used. And if you have lower costs, those typically are passed on to a consumer.

Exactly. Biden is trying to kill domestic oil companies and buy from Venezuela and Iran.

[MarquisdeSade1]

I notice none of the self-proclaimed Bothsiders who have apparently convinced themselves and no one else that they "look for truth in all directions" and are not "partisan" have neglected to quote fellow pro-Repub Bothsider Bill Maher this week now that he managed to sprinkle a few Repub-bashing points into his usual Dem-bashing "Don't bother to vote for Dems" weekly Republican Party Campaign Hour on HBO.

This is his rare slam on Repubs since he typically equates some loony fringe liberal going nowhere hokum like "Defund the Police" or the nearly non-existent "CRT" with the hard working Dems in Congress and the WH who have produced the only positive American economic legislation, jobs creation and results of the past almost 100 years and none of the Great Repub Crashes and Recessions.

https://youtu.be/U9MX37aA6lM

Naturally, that meant none of the blatantly Republican Party-supporting "Bothsiders" or supposedly "non partisans" had any interest in posting the above after they were quick to mention or post any ill-informed Dem-bashing he engages in on a weekly basis.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/05/laptop-dancing/

[PVMonger]

Real problem is obvious. Problem is Biden. High gas prices? The problem is Biden. Record inflation: problem is Biden. War in Ukraine: Problem is Biden. Open borders with criminals and drugs illegally coming into USA: Problem is Biden. You don't get it. The problem is Biden. We didn't have any of these problems under Trump presidency. That is a fact.

The biggest problem with this kind of thinking is that it is faulty. "Post hoc ergo propter hoc" thinking, really.

If inflation was confined to the USA, you might have a point. But inflation is worldwide and President Biden is not the cause of worldwide inflation.

If an increase in gasoline prices were confined to the USA, you might have a point. But gasoline prices are up everywhere in the world and President Biden is not the cause of high gasoline prices.

If the war in Ukraine was something that President Biden could have stopped, he would have. Ignoramuses believe that Putin didn't invade when the Orange Buffoon was president* because the Orange Buffoon was strong. False. Intelligent people know that Putin was simply waiting for Corporal Bone Spurs to get re-elected, pull out of NATO and defacto hand Ukraine to Putin. Republicans love to complain about Ukraine but no Republicans have bothered to enlighten the rest of us as to what they would have done.

See, that's the single largest Republican failing. Republicans love to complain about things but when it comes time for actual solutions, they throw up their hands and say, in effect, "Who knew that healthcare reform would be so hard".

The last part of your fallacious logic is that the southern border is open. It is not. President Biden has relaxed some restrictions but that is different from "opening the border". If the border was truly "open", there would be no migrant camps close to the border. But there are, so your logic is faulty.

Republicans have only three things that they rely on. First is faulty logic. Second is yelling "fake news" at every non-rightwingnut source. Third a penchant for complaining that Democrats continually mess things up but when Republicans get in power, they do nothing to fix the problems that they complained about in the first place.

[GDreams]

No, you do not get it. If you have a 5 million BPD capacity, the most you can produce is 5 million BPD. That is what you are saying is going on. Is there 6 million BPD capacity possible in Canada? Sure. Your explanation about finance is 1000% wrong just using your own numbers. The oil companies cannot get financing? Shit, everywhere I turn the banks are throwing money at people the fed has produced so much of it. So you are telling me banks would rather lend to buy inflated real estate versus an oil company that can lock in $80 per barrel futures contracts and a $50 production cost? How dumb do you have to be to believe that?

We agree that pipelines are the cheapest way to pay to transport crude but for some reason you think cancelling the cheapest way to ship crude would not affect its price. Say what?

And pipelines are like highways. If you build them, houses pop up near them. You build the a cheap way to transport crude, and it will be used. And if you have lower costs, those typically are passed on to a consumer.

Three words: windfall profits tax.

Eh, sorry, you failed to mention that Trump took a ton of Venezuelan and Iranian oil production off line and American producers filled the gap. For some fucked up purpose, Biden wants to reverse that. It has nothing to do with climate change. It has to do with taking money out of the pockets of American oil companies and giving it to Venezuela and Iran.

Firstly you have provided no evidence that Canada has the capacity to produce anymore oil than is currently being shipped. Maybe if you did I would pay some attention to what you have to say. You clearly don't have any understanding of the requirements to finance large capital projects. Just because oil is $100 barrel now doesn't mean it will be in 5 years. History says it won't be. Logic says when EVs dominate then it certainly will be a lot less. Banks are not going to invest in 25 - 30 year projects that may not have a viable market in 5 years. At least shale oil has a significant up front production profile that removes some risk and the amount of drilling can be scaled back, oil sands does not, once built it requires good market conditions to be economic over its life. But I'm not going to write an essay here for someone who clearly does not grasp economics or capital approval processes.

The fact you don't grasp the pipeline cost vs rail cost impact is a clear case of you complete lack of understanding of economics. Oil is a commodity, the price paid is related to its intrinsic value against alternative sources for that commodity. A refiner evaluates the value based on the price delivered to its gate. Canadian oil sells at a discount as it is harder to refine and has lower yields so its at an immediate disadvantage. The Keystone XL pipeline was a Canadian owned pipeline to benefit Canadian producers. Any savings in the transport of the oil gets pocketed by the pipeline owner and the producers. You really expect them to sell at a lower price to the refiners? So the pipeline has no impact on US prices only Canadian profits. It has no impact on the ability to deliver oil to the US market. Get it now!

Iran has been selling plenty of oil to the Chinese as China does not care about US sanction. Venezuela has no spare capacity to ramp up production so I really don't see what your point is.

[MarquisdeSade1]

Real problem is obvious. Problem is Biden. High gas prices? The problem is Biden. Record inflation: problem is Biden. War in Ukraine: Problem is Biden. Open borders with criminals and drugs illegally coming into USA: Problem is Biden. You don't get it. The problem is Biden. We didn't have any of these problems under Trump presidency. That is a fact.

https://www.newsmax.com/starparker/d...04/id/1064157/

[EihTooms]

I notice none of the self-proclaimed Bothsiders who have apparently convinced themselves and no one else that they "look for truth in all directions" and are not "partisan" have neglected to quote fellow pro-Repub Bothsider Bill Maher this week now that he managed to sprinkle a few Repub-bashing points into his usual Dem-bashing "Don't bother to vote for Dems" weekly Republican Party Campaign Hour on HBO.

This is his rare slam on Repubs since he typically equates some loony fringe liberal going nowhere hokum like "Defund the Police" or the nearly non-existent "CRT" with the hard working Dems in Congress and the WH who have produced the only positive American economic legislation, jobs creation and results of the past almost 100 years and none of the Great Repub Crashes and Recessions.

https://youtu.be/U9MX37aA6lM

Naturally, that meant none of the blatantly Republican Party-supporting "Bothsiders" or supposedly "non partisans" had any interest in posting the above after they were quick to mention or post any ill-informed Dem-bashing he engages in on a weekly basis.

[Elvis 2008]

You still don't get it. There is no problem delivering Canadian oil to US markets. Keeping saying the same thing that is demonstrably untrue does not win the argument. This oil isn't even going into the US market it is being exported. Canada by virtue of the type of oil it produces needs a hefty capital spend to lift production. No one wants to finance it because its the highest cost oil in the world and they have a requirement to reduce their greenhouse emissions which they will not be able to achieve. So the whole Keystone XL pipeline talk is irrelevant as there is no oil available to transport to the US above what is currently available.

No, you do not get it. If you have a 5 million BPD capacity, the most you can produce is 5 million BPD. That is what you are saying is going on. Is there 6 million BPD capacity possible in Canada? Sure. Your explanation about finance is 1000% wrong just using your own numbers. The oil companies cannot get financing? Shit, everywhere I turn the banks are throwing money at people the fed has produced so much of it. So you are telling me banks would rather lend to buy inflated real estate versus an oil company that can lock in $80 per barrel futures contracts and a $50 production cost? How dumb do you have to be to believe that?

We agree that pipelines are the cheapest way to pay to transport crude but for some reason you think cancelling the cheapest way to ship crude would not affect its price. Say what?

And pipelines are like highways. If you build them, houses pop up near them. You build the a cheap way to transport crude, and it will be used. And if you have lower costs, those typically are passed on to a consumer.

If Biden is the problem why are 60% of companies providing guidance that they are focusing on profits and dividends and not on increasing production? Because more production leads to lower prices and they shoot themselves in the foot just like they did during trump when 600 companies went bankrupt.

Three words: windfall profits tax.

This was happening before Covid, Saudis tried to bankrupt the fracking industry and dropped the oil price to a level that few producers could make money. While it might produce cheap gas for a couple of years it was always unsustainable and the industry isn't going back to that cycle when the can have high share prices, exercise their options and get big bonuses. Its just convenient to whine about Biden to take the heat off themselves.

Eh, sorry, you failed to mention that Trump took a ton of Venezuelan and Iranian oil production off line and American producers filled the gap. For some fucked up purpose, Biden wants to reverse that. It has nothing to do with climate change. It has to do with taking money out of the pockets of American oil companies and giving it to Venezuela and Iran.

[EihTooms]

Real problem is obvious. Problem is Biden. High gas prices? The problem is Biden. Record inflation: problem is Biden. War in Ukraine: Problem is Biden. Open borders with criminals and drugs illegally coming into USA: Problem is Biden. You don't get it. The problem is Biden. We didn't have any of these problems under Trump presidency. That is a fact.

Below is the reason a new viral outbreak in a region of China was allowed to grow and spread unmonitored, unreported, not prevented and not responded to quickly and intelligently, why it spread and flourished into Trump's Pandemic, why a million Americans and millions more around the world were infected by it and died from it, why millions upon millions of Americans lost their jobs (not put on vacation) including "blacks, Hispanics, women and minorities", why international travel for business, tourism and sexual adventures was crippled perhaps forever, why global Supply Chains collapsed and why the world has experienced the resultant hyper-inflation and higher gas prices:

The former head of the CDC is seriously upset about Trumps public health cuts.
Tom Frieden says Trumps budget is unsafe at any level of enactment.
May 24, 2017

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...ic-health-cuts

Exclusive: U.S. slashed CDC staff inside China prior to coronavirus outbreak.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN21C3N5

Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronaviruses.
April 2, 2020

https://www.latimes.com/science/stor...uses-detection..

Joe Biden and his spectacularly successful distribution and administration of the vaccines that Trump spent almost the entire critical year of 2020 denying were needed and insisting anyone bothering to invent or take a vaccine for his Pandemic was wasting their time and Biden's recovery policies had zero to do with any of the Trump policies and stewardship that caused all of it except for the natural and unavoidable temporary inflation that will always accompany a Great Dem Recovery from the usual Great Repub Crash and Recession when millions of jobs are created, Americans have money in their pockets again, are driving to jobs again, spending and buying things again while the businesses and suppliers the Repub policies and stewardship destroyed are not yet up and running fully again.

The fact that you are capable of typing out words and sending them to a website to be posted suggests your are not so stupid as to not know those blatantly obvious truths. Which in turn suggests you are whole-heartedly in favor of more historically disastrous Repub policies and results like Trump's coming to pass over and over and over again for America rather than more historically successful Dem policies and results.

Why do you hate America, the world, economic boom times, jobs creation, international travel for business, tourism and sexual adventures so much and love Great Repub Crashes and Recessions, massive jobs destruction, and crippling international travel perhaps forever so much?