Biden’s Presidency

[Rodius]

This is a pretty hypocritical framing of the story from Biden and co.

How anyone can think that minors in cages is okay is beyond me.
This is a outrage that is doubly worse because the US pretends to set the standards of global behaviour and are super critical of other countries (especially China) who do the same exactly bloody thing.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-cages/fact-check-photos-of-children-in-cages-dont-show-migrant-kids-in-u-s-idUSKBN24117B

THank you for the article.
Yes, there are images of artists highlighting how the US put kids into cages and they were used as if they were real.

Oddly enough, a link within the article your shared has this......
https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/dhs-secretary-grilled-over-cages-id522680112

In short, the people in the video are talking about how the US is putting kids into cages.
Go figure......

[nadir]

Gosh, I wish I had a tenth of GG’s perception & articulation to respond to Biden’s cabinet members’ platitudes with *very* ugly truths condensed in a very short Twitter. GG remains being one of the few free and ballsy journalists out there and that’s why he is so hated and vilified, and why we should decisively support people like him.

He’s on the tight rope... being the target from liberals and their cancel-culture mobs to dangerous Bolsonaro mafia elements... if I was a believer I’d pray for his well-being.

[nadir]

This is Biden’s way of calling an entire country “a sh*thole”.
This was tweeted by the US Embassy Haiti a couple of days ago.

(BTW is he starting to get an orange tan too?)

[LeftyLarry]

This is a pretty hypocritical framing of the story from Biden and co.

How anyone can think that minors in cages is okay is beyond me.
This is a outrage that is doubly worse because the US pretends to set the standards of global behaviour and are super critical of other countries (especially China) who do the same exactly bloody thing.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-cages/fact-check-photos-of-children-in-cages-dont-show-migrant-kids-in-u-s-idUSKBN24117B

THank you for the article.
Yes, there are images of artists highlighting how the US put kids into cages and they were used as if they were real.

Oddly enough, a link within the article your shared has this......
https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/dhs-secretary-grilled-over-cages-id522680112

In short, the people in the video are talking about how the US is putting kids into cages.
Go figure......

I’m unclear, are these kids in the cages, the same ones who are being giving schooling with in person teachers during Covid , while American kids are being taught remotely on computers or are those different kids in cages?

https://nypost.com/2021/03/30/migrant-kids-get-in-person-school-while-kids-are-on-spring-break/

[Ranman99]

https://haitiantimes.com/2021/03/24/dont-come-us-embassy-tells-haitians-in-puzzling-tweets/

Read more.

[NevB]

Yes promises are easy this though is still more than expected ?

President Biden will commit the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit. Some 40 world leaders, including from China and Russia, will address the conference.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/us/biden-earth-day-climate-summit

[The Walrus]

Yes promises are easy this though is still more than expected ?

President Biden will commit the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit. Some 40 world leaders, including from China and Russia, will address the conference.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/us/biden-earth-day-climate-summit

We shall see if the talk is accompanied by anything substantive.

[nadir]

Yes promises are easy this though is still more than expected ?

President Biden will commit the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit. Some 40 world leaders, including from China and Russia, will address the conference.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/us/biden-earth-day-climate-summit

We shall see if the talk is accompanied by anything substantive.

It shouldn’t be so difficult, with ambitious plans in place, to even cut them by 80%. Just use a 0.1% of arid, low environmental value desert lands in the US for solar panels and aggressively subsidize electric vehicles.

A pity the oil industry will be lobbying to slow down this transition, and so much tax money goes to Defense... and so and so and so.

Biden loves empty promises and platitudes, I’ll believe it when I see a plan with the right specific actions.

[Tom_Mazanec]

Biden loves empty promises and platitudes, I’ll believe it when I see a plan with the right specific actions.

Plans are cheap. I'll believe it when I see the plan implemented.

[The Walrus]

Yes promises are easy this though is still more than expected ?

President Biden will commit the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit. Some 40 world leaders, including from China and Russia, will address the conference.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/us/biden-earth-day-climate-summit

We shall see if the talk is accompanied by anything substantive.

It shouldn’t be so difficult, with ambitious plans in place, to even cut them by 80%. Just use a 0.1% of arid, low environmental value desert lands in the US for solar panels and aggressively subsidize electric vehicles.

A pity the oil industry will be lobbying to slow down this transition, and so much tax money goes to Defense... and so and so and so.

Biden loves empty promises and platitudes, I’ll believe it when I see a plan with the right specific actions.

Even if those proposals were to be implemented, it would take several years before EV production could replace IC vehicles.  Then, the average lifetime of a current vehicle is 12 years, so it would be another decade before EVs dominate the roads.  With aggressive plans, we may be able to make an almost entirely green electric grid, but what about heating?  That is predominantly natural gas, with some wood, coal and propane sprinkled throughout?

[nadir]

Yes promises are easy this though is still more than expected ?

President Biden will commit the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit. Some 40 world leaders, including from China and Russia, will address the conference.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/us/biden-earth-day-climate-summit

We shall see if the talk is accompanied by anything substantive.

It shouldn’t be so difficult, with ambitious plans in place, to even cut them by 80%. Just use a 0.1% of arid, low environmental value desert lands in the US for solar panels and aggressively subsidize electric vehicles.

A pity the oil industry will be lobbying to slow down this transition, and so much tax money goes to Defense... and so and so and so.

Biden loves empty promises and platitudes, I’ll believe it when I see a plan with the right specific actions.

Even if those proposals were to be implemented, it would take several years before EV production could replace IC vehicles.  Then, the average lifetime of a current vehicle is 12 years, so it would be another decade before EVs dominate the roads.  With aggressive plans, we may be able to make an almost entirely green electric grid, but what about heating?  That is predominantly natural gas, with some wood, coal and propane sprinkled throughout?

Electric heating is a pretty easy technology to transition to.
But I agree with you in that the implementation would take much longer than what I implied. I guess more reason to expedite very specific and aggressive policies...

[NevB]

This is the Biden Presidency



He covers many topics, hopefully he can continue to deliver.

Also noticed at 1:08:40 he talks to Bernie after his speach. It looks much more a warm meeting of allies than adversaries.

[sidd]

Hedges at scheerpost is sceptical:

"Biden is the epitome of the empty, amoral creature produced by our system of legalized bribery. "

"The grinding machinery of predatory capitalism, and the sadism that defines it, will poison the society as mercilessly under Biden as it did when Donald Trump was conducting his Twitter presidency."

"The only way out for most Americans is to serve, as Biden does, the sadistic machine."

"Corporate capitalism, which has perverted the values of American society to commodify its every aspect, including human beings and the natural world, insists that the dictates of the market should govern our existence, a belief infused with sadism. "

"We will extract ourselves from this culture of sadism the way the dispossessed extracted themselves from the stranglehold of crony capitalism during the Great Depression, by organizing, protesting and disrupting the system until the ruling elites are forced to grant a measure of social and economic justice."

" It is a game of fear. And until we make them afraid, until a terrified Joe Biden and the oligarchs he serves look out on a sea of pitchforks, we will not blunt the culture of sadism they have engineered."

https://scheerpost.com/2021/05/03/hedges-dont-be-fooled-by-joe-biden/

sidd

[nadir]

This is relevant here, Biden being “good’ole” Biden:

[nadir]

Guess what:

https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=q05&recipdetail=A&sortorder=U&mem=Y&cycle=2020

[Fractious]

Joe doesn't know he's alive.   Watch him walk a few steps.   

[NevB]

This is relevant here, Biden being “good’ole” Biden:

You need to check this. It was Trump last year that vetoed a UN peace proposal.

Currently the administration is working on the issue.

https://truthout.org/articles/biden-admin-reportedly-blocking-un-cease-fire-statement-as-israel-bombards-gaza/

According to Reuters, which cited anonymous diplomats and sources familiar with the Biden administration’s strategy, the United States is “delaying” the U.N. Security Council’s “efforts to issue a public statement on escalating tensions between Israel and the Palestinians because it could be harmful to behind-the-scenes efforts to end the violence.”

One source told the outlet that the U.S. is “actively engaged in diplomacy behind the scenes with all parties to achieve a cease-fire,” but the official did not specify how a U.N. Security Council joint statement — which must be agreed to by consensus — would undermine those talks.

It's premature to say the US is blocking UN action, Israel's is probably the last thing they wanted to have to deal with. There are many people on both sides who blindly support Israel the difference now is that some with a less biased view may be getting a hearing.

I don't expect miracles from Biden, the next few weeks will give us a better idea of their thinking.



 

[nadir]

Aaron Mate’s interpretation of recent WH tweet

[morganism]

https://newconsensus.com/files/building-back-better-without-the-senate.pdf

[The Walrus]

If Tuesday's limited election results area any harbinger for what is to come next year, the midterms could change the balance of power in Washington.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/03/politics/election-2021-takeaways/index.html

[Freegrass]

Manchin clashes with fellow Democrats over fossil fuel demands

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is insisting that natural gas be allowed to have a central role in President Biden’s clean energy agenda, which puts him on a collision course with Democratic lawmakers who worry he will have the power to water down what they see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address climate change.

Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pushing to have sole jurisdiction in the Senate over the $150 billion Clean Electricity Performance Program, which would provide grants to utilities that increase their share of clean energy sources.

He is flexing his muscle by calling for natural gas to be part of Biden’s clean energy solution even though the House Energy and Commerce Committee specifically excluded natural gas from the clean energy program by defining clean energy as having a carbon intensity of less than 0.10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour.

Asked by The Hill on Thursday whether he would insist on natural gas being part of Biden’s clean energy standard, Manchin said “it has to be.”

“I’m all for all of the above, I’m all for clean energy, but I’m also for producing the amount of energy that we need to make sure that we have reliability and I’m concerned about that,” he said.

Manchin also confirmed what he has communicated to colleagues in recent weeks that he does not think that utilities should be pressured to purchase electricity generated from natural gas produced with carbon capture technology.

“I’d love to have carbon capture — we don’t have the technology because we haven’t really gotten to that point and it’s so darn expensive that it makes it almost improbable,” he added.

That is setting off alarm bells among Democratic senators who want to enact energy reforms that bend the curve of projected global warming down to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a goal set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Read more...

[LeftyLarry]

Manchin clashes with fellow Democrats over fossil fuel demands

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is insisting that natural gas be allowed to have a central role in President Biden’s clean energy agenda, which puts him on a collision course with Democratic lawmakers who worry he will have the power to water down what they see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address climate change.

Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pushing to have sole jurisdiction in the Senate over the $150 billion Clean Electricity Performance Program, which would provide grants to utilities that increase their share of clean energy sources.

He is flexing his muscle by calling for natural gas to be part of Biden’s clean energy solution even though the House Energy and Commerce Committee specifically excluded natural gas from the clean energy program by defining clean energy as having a carbon intensity of less than 0.10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour.

Asked by The Hill on Thursday whether he would insist on natural gas being part of Biden’s clean energy standard, Manchin said “it has to be.”

“I’m all for all of the above, I’m all for clean energy, but I’m also for producing the amount of energy that we need to make sure that we have reliability and I’m concerned about that,” he said.

Manchin also confirmed what he has communicated to colleagues in recent weeks that he does not think that utilities should be pressured to purchase electricity generated from natural gas produced with carbon capture technology.

“I’d love to have carbon capture — we don’t have the technology because we haven’t really gotten to that point and it’s so darn expensive that it makes it almost improbable,” he added.

That is setting off alarm bells among Democratic senators who want to enact energy reforms that bend the curve of projected global warming down to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a goal set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Read more...

Maybe Manchin comes to this forum and sees the trend now in the Arctic and say’s to himself, “ Gee, maybe the problem was a bit overrated, maybe the sun activity really was a big part of the problem, maybe the Chinese need to stop building Coal plants before we make America’s middle class poorer with $5 gasoline prices and 25% +  increases in their home heating bills .

I dunno, maybe common sense say’s we are doing a good job with carbon footprint in The U.S. and don’t need to go crazy when our competition is adding more co2 into the environment every day.
I mean U.S. is a declining power anyway, I read that here and China is taking over, why should China be allowed to pollute at even higher levels next year and the next ten years, while getting poorer America makes all the sacrifices as the ice continues to regrow.

[Freegrass]

Manchin clashes with fellow Democrats over fossil fuel demands

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is insisting that natural gas be allowed to have a central role in President Biden’s clean energy agenda, which puts him on a collision course with Democratic lawmakers who worry he will have the power to water down what they see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address climate change.

Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pushing to have sole jurisdiction in the Senate over the $150 billion Clean Electricity Performance Program, which would provide grants to utilities that increase their share of clean energy sources.

He is flexing his muscle by calling for natural gas to be part of Biden’s clean energy solution even though the House Energy and Commerce Committee specifically excluded natural gas from the clean energy program by defining clean energy as having a carbon intensity of less than 0.10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour.

Asked by The Hill on Thursday whether he would insist on natural gas being part of Biden’s clean energy standard, Manchin said “it has to be.”

“I’m all for all of the above, I’m all for clean energy, but I’m also for producing the amount of energy that we need to make sure that we have reliability and I’m concerned about that,” he said.

Manchin also confirmed what he has communicated to colleagues in recent weeks that he does not think that utilities should be pressured to purchase electricity generated from natural gas produced with carbon capture technology.

“I’d love to have carbon capture — we don’t have the technology because we haven’t really gotten to that point and it’s so darn expensive that it makes it almost improbable,” he added.

That is setting off alarm bells among Democratic senators who want to enact energy reforms that bend the curve of projected global warming down to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a goal set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Read more...

Maybe Manchin comes to this forum and sees the trend now in the Arctic and say’s to himself, “ Gee, maybe the problem was a bit overrated, maybe the sun activity really was a big part of the problem, maybe the Chinese need to stop building Coal plants before we make America’s middle class poorer with $5 gasoline prices and 25% +  increases in their home heating bills .

I dunno, maybe common sense say’s we are doing a good job with carbon footprint in The U.S. and don’t need to go crazy when our competition is adding more co2 into the environment every day.
I mean U.S. is a declining power anyway, I read that here and China is taking over, why should China be allowed to pollute at even higher levels next year and the next ten years, while getting poorer America makes all the sacrifices as the ice continues to regrow.

You do know that Americannot has 5% of the worlds population and uses more than 20% of the worlds oil, right?

Does Petrodollar ring a bell to you?

[LeftyLarry]

Manchin clashes with fellow Democrats over fossil fuel demands

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is insisting that natural gas be allowed to have a central role in President Biden’s clean energy agenda, which puts him on a collision course with Democratic lawmakers who worry he will have the power to water down what they see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address climate change.

Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pushing to have sole jurisdiction in the Senate over the $150 billion Clean Electricity Performance Program, which would provide grants to utilities that increase their share of clean energy sources.

He is flexing his muscle by calling for natural gas to be part of Biden’s clean energy solution even though the House Energy and Commerce Committee specifically excluded natural gas from the clean energy program by defining clean energy as having a carbon intensity of less than 0.10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour.

Asked by The Hill on Thursday whether he would insist on natural gas being part of Biden’s clean energy standard, Manchin said “it has to be.”

“I’m all for all of the above, I’m all for clean energy, but I’m also for producing the amount of energy that we need to make sure that we have reliability and I’m concerned about that,” he said.

Manchin also confirmed what he has communicated to colleagues in recent weeks that he does not think that utilities should be pressured to purchase electricity generated from natural gas produced with carbon capture technology.

“I’d love to have carbon capture — we don’t have the technology because we haven’t really gotten to that point and it’s so darn expensive that it makes it almost improbable,” he added.

That is setting off alarm bells among Democratic senators who want to enact energy reforms that bend the curve of projected global warming down to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a goal set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Read more...

Maybe Manchin comes to this forum and sees the trend now in the Arctic and say’s to himself, “ Gee, maybe the problem was a bit overrated, maybe the sun activity really was a big part of the problem, maybe the Chinese need to stop building Coal plants before we make America’s middle class poorer with $5 gasoline prices and 25% +  increases in their home heating bills .

I dunno, maybe common sense say’s we are doing a good job with carbon footprint in The U.S. and don’t need to go crazy when our competition is adding more co2 into the environment every day.
I mean U.S. is a declining power anyway, I read that here and China is taking over, why should China be allowed to pollute at even higher levels next year and the next ten years, while getting poorer America makes all the sacrifices as the ice continues to regrow.

You do know that Americannot has 5% of the worlds population and uses more than 20% of the worlds oil, right?

Does Petrodollar ring a bell to you?

America is a large country with a high standard of living , of course we use a lot of oil and will continue to do so.
As to Petrodollar , yea , it’s the money we now have to pay overseas thanks to the Biden administrations stupid actions.
The only answer to the problem is nuclear energy and since the same people who want to do away with oil ,don’t want NUKES, it’s a NIMBY issue, we will continue to use oil to heat and provide power.

Watch this, he actually knows a little about the problem.

https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shellenberger_why_renewables_can_t_save_the_planet/transcript?language=en

[nadir]

Let’s blame the advance of senility….

[gerontocrat]

Not a lot of support for Biden's pitch to be a leader on climate change? Hardly surprising as.........

The Biden administration has approved at least 3,091 new drilling permits on public lands at a rate of 223 permits a month, at a faster rate than the Trump administration.

In November, the US held the largest-ever auction of oil and gas drilling leases in Gulf of Mexico history, offering up more than 80m acres of seabed.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/28/greta-thunberg-joe-biden-climate-crisis-fight-leader

[Freegrass]

Not a lot of support for Biden's pitch to be a leader on climate change? Hardly surprising as.........

The Biden administration has approved at least 3,091 new drilling permits on public lands at a rate of 223 permits a month, at a faster rate than the Trump administration.

In November, the US held the largest-ever auction of oil and gas drilling leases in Gulf of Mexico history, offering up more than 80m acres of seabed.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/28/greta-thunberg-joe-biden-climate-crisis-fight-leader

Progressives won't vote for Biden next election, so we may get Trump again. Although I doubt very much that Trump will run again. My money is on Ron DeSantis as the next President of the Unruly States of Americannot. Let's Go Brandon!

[nadir]

An interesting article from The Guardian. Is the Biden Administration really following the Science or failing miserably at it?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/15/omicron-covid-joe-biden-administration

[The Walrus]

I do not think it helped that the Democratic Party sowed mistrust about the vaccines.  Is it ironic that they are now complaining that so many are hesitant?


https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/563771-guess-who-undermined-public-confidence-in-vaccines?amp

[nadir]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

[interstitial]

I do not think it helped that the Democratic Party sowed mistrust about the vaccines. 

??

[Freegrass]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

It's still Trumps fault, together with the republicans and anti-vaxxers who keep telling people not to get vaccinated. Biden is trying, but he can only do so much. As long as idiots don't get vaccinated, people will keep dying.

[The Walrus]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

It's still Trumps fault, together with the republicans and anti-vaxxers who keep telling people not to get vaccinated. Biden is trying, but he can only do so much. As long as idiots don't get vaccinated, people will keep dying.

How can it still be Trump’s fault.  Yes, he pushed the vaccine over other health precautions.  But the vaccine is widely available now.  Why not blame those who criticized the vaccine effort in 2020?  You seem to be giving Biden and the Democrats a free pass.

[Bruce Steele]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

It's still Trumps fault, together with the republicans and anti-vaxxers who keep telling people not to get vaccinated. Biden is trying, but he can only do so much. As long as idiots don't get vaccinated, people will keep dying.

Truth!

[LeftyLarry]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

It's still Trumps fault, together with the republicans and anti-vaxxers who keep telling people not to get vaccinated. Biden is trying, but he can only do so much. As long as idiots don't get vaccinated, people will keep dying.

Truth!

There are three types of people who are unvaccinated in this country:

1. people who no longer believe science is Independent and don’t trust the government and are protesting, at the risk of their lives by not taking the Vax.Many of these type are Conservative Republicans.

2. people in minority communities for a multiple of reasons but they vote Democrat

3.Crunchy people who don’t put anything they view as harmful in their bodies and use alternative medicines.They Vorea Democrat also.

If you look at the statistics of who is dying from Covid, it’s remarkably even, across the board.
About 60% of deaths have been to Caucasian’s and they make up 60% approx of the population.
The Other 40% of deaths have been to non- whites and I believe it’s a little far fetched to think most of those haven’t been democrats, since that’s how that group overwhelmingly votes.

Lastly, even the CDC is starting to admit that a huge percentage, like 40% of the people admitted to hospitals who are in those Statistics, came into the hospital for something non- related to Covid , like a broken arm, a heart attack, cancer treatment , etc.etc and were tested and were deemed to have Covid.
Sone of them even caught Covid in the hospitals and sone who died of Covid and were unvaccinated were too sick beforehand to even be offered the vaccine but are still unvaxed Covid deaths.

One of my sons, vaxed and boosted caught Covid along with his 5 year old and 8 year sons, not vaccinated (the 4 year old and wife didn’t catch it ). and all three were over it after 4 days, though my son still has a cough 10 days later.

[The Walrus]

Just how bad omicron wave is hitting the US compared to other countries (btw all of these other countries enjoy universal healthcare, just saying).

This must be Biden’s fault. It was Trump’s fault in 2020 so this is Biden’s fault. Right? Idiots?

It's still Trumps fault, together with the republicans and anti-vaxxers who keep telling people not to get vaccinated. Biden is trying, but he can only do so much. As long as idiots don't get vaccinated, people will keep dying.

Truth!

Seriously?  I am surprised at how little foreigners know about what is going on in the U.S.

[nadir]

One doesn’t have to dig very far to find reports on how disappointing the Biden administration record on climate is being so far. Even mainstream outlets echo this disappointment

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/year-bidens-climate-record-mix-progress-inconsistency/story?id=82354202

[interstitial]

One doesn’t have to dig very far to find reports on how disappointing the Biden administration record on climate is being so far. Even mainstream outlets echo this disappointment

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/year-bidens-climate-record-mix-progress-inconsistency/story?id=82354202

Biden is consistently doing a lot to fight climate change. The court ordered him to do oil and gas sales. He did but in a way that a legal challenge was easy to win and nullified the sales. Maintaining a majority of voters requires the continued support of moderates. As much as I would like to see more action on climate change I recognize that too extreme of actions erode the support of moderates. Biden was thwarted by Manchin on more moderate actions. Mostly Biden is limited to executive action. The EPA is acting on unlined coal ash disposal. FERC added rules to consider climate change and racial pollution injustice when considering new pipelines. BLM is adding pre approved sights for new renewable. Department of interior has pushed offshore wind farm site leases they have added a near term target of 30 GW. Since then more than that number of projects are in development.   New goals for EV charging stations have been set. Practically everything the Department of Energy is doing is focused on climate change. This includes many incubator projects and policy changes.

 Build back better failed but it had incentives to close fossil fuel and support renewable. It also had electric vehicle incentives, electric school busses and many other programs.

If you follow US news closely enough you will see Biden is steadily doing what can be done from his position to reduce emissions and hasten electrification. Mostly the press coverage is nit picking his policies. The right attacks because he does too much and the left attacks because he does not do enough. He is not perfect but he is pushing in the right direction and harder than any previous US president.

[Bruce Steele]

Thanks Interstitial, The center is so necessary and yet so difficult to achieve. And in my experience not appreciated by the people you are trying to represent.

[interstitial]

I do not think I am trying to represent them just talk to them. I do believe the more extreme positions are as damaging to progress as the opposition.

[The Walrus]

I do not think I am trying to represent them just talk to them. I do believe the more extreme positions are as damaging to progress as the opposition.

I agree.  I think the extremes care little for facts or the opinions of others.  They hold fast to their own beliefs as if they alone know the truth.

[nadir]

I do not think I am trying to represent them just talk to them. I do believe the more extreme positions are as damaging to progress as the opposition.

I just posted an article from abcnews.com
I could have resorted to other sources where criticism to Biden’s lack of decisiveness is fierce, but this forum being so full of old Clintonites, who never listen to anything that doesn’t come from mainstream media, I took the chance to share it here when I read it.

The center is not gonna set the world on course to reduce emissions. The center is corrupt and bought by corporations. And there’s no center in the US capitol. There is no real Left even, or at least no real opposition to corporate power.

Back to Biden, the word “hypocrisy” is often used about his positions on climate. See this article:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/climate-groups-slam-biden-administration-oil-auction-hypocritical/story?id=81139142

Yes he has taken some positive steps, but he is as submissive to power of oil companies and the “strategic” value of oil drilling and his predecessors were, so much as to auction drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico as “business as usual” just a few days after Glasgow conference, where he was demanding other countries to do their share. Hypocrisy.

Finally, it was revealed Biden was not legally bound by court to proceed with the auction. According to this article, he also had additional resources as President to stop them but chose not to (or nobody woke him up from his senile nap to tell him).

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/13/revealed-biden-administration-was-not-legally-bound-to-auction-gulf-drilling-rights

[oren]

Biden is beholden to the US citizens, as (mis)represented by the voting system and political structure of the country. In all honesty, his hands are mostly tied, and it appears he is trying harder than previous presidents to do what he can about the environment and AGW.
Should Biden go extreme, his very precarious sometimes-majority will surely be lost, and his re-election probabilty would drop to nil.

[nadir]

Biden is beholden to the US citizens, as (mis)represented by the voting system and political structure of the country. In all honesty, his hands are mostly tied, and it appears he is trying harder than previous presidents to do what he can about the environment and AGW.
Should Biden go extreme, his very precarious sometimes-majority will surely be lost, and his re-election probabilty would drop to nil.

Hands not tied in the oil drilling auction. the impression is clear, he used the ruling to expedite the auction and clean his hands when actually he could have chose to, at least, delay them. From article linked above:

The rapid staging of the lease sale was not required by the courts and could have instead been delayed by a proper federal review of climate and other environmental impacts according to Earthjustice, an environmental group that is suing to halt the leases before they come into effect in February.

And how it ended a few weeks ago: halting the drilling is now a BLOW to Biden, not a BLOW from Biden

https://grist.org/energy/in-blow-to-biden-administration-judge-halts-oil-and-gas-leases-in-gulf-of-mexico/

Grist reports that Biden has outpaced Trump in selling oil and gas permits on public lands.

But Biden gets another pass from “centrists”

[interstitial]

Hands not tied in the oil drilling auction. the impression is clear, he used the ruling to expedite the auction and clean his hands when actually he could have chose to, at least, delay them. From article linked above:

The rapid staging of the lease sale was not required by the courts and could have instead been delayed by a proper federal review of climate and other environmental impacts according to Earthjustice, an environmental group that is suing to halt the leases before they come into effect in February.

And how it ended a few weeks ago: halting the drilling is now a BLOW to Biden, not a BLOW from Biden

https://grist.org/energy/in-blow-to-biden-administration-judge-halts-oil-and-gas-leases-in-gulf-of-mexico/

Grist reports that Biden has outpaced Trump in selling oil and gas permits on public lands.

But Biden gets another pass from “centrists”

The blow to Biden comment is optics. In politics they say optics are everything but that isn't true. I am more worried about actual impact. Biden delayed oil and gas sales until the court ordered him to have them. Maybe he could have fought harder to not hold the auctions but now republicans can't use that to blame him for high gas prices. If republicans can convince voters that the high fuel prices are primarily a result of Biden blocking fossil fuel projects the democrats will loose badly.  The sales were negated as if they never happened. Real impact the fossil fuel industry and geopolitics is rightly still at fault for excessively high prices and there are no new oil and gas leases on government land. Grist should report on how many of those leases are now valid it makes a huge difference when all of the Biden leases were thrown out and the trump leases are still valid.

[interstitial]

Besides I am more interested in all the actions he is taking to displace fossil fuel demand rather than blocking fossil fuel production. Until demand hits zero fossil fuels will be extracted somewhere in the world. I am less interested in playing whack a mole with production and more interested in displacing demand with cleaner alternatives.


US coal interests have been trying to build an export terminal on the US West coast for a more than a decade now. They have been thwarted at every turn. While I do not want a coal export on the West coast I do not think it has any impact on the demand for coal in Asia. Building new renewables in Asia does impact the demand for coal.

[nadir]

So you are arguing that Dems don’t block oil drilling so as to not *look* weak in times of energy price inflation, and so avoid GOP win elections, since Conservatives are bad because don’t block oil drilling.

BRILLIANT!!

Say that you are a Dem voter no matter what, position that I don’t share but I respect, and we’re done with the discussion earlier.

By the way, energy prices are skyrocketing because there’s a post-covid surge of energy demand and because there’s this thing over Ukraine, nothing to do with the amount of drilling which is as alive and healthy as has been in the last 20 years thanks to Bush, Obama, Trump and now Biden (back to Biden, his inflaming attitude about Ukraine has more to do with his loss of popularity at home than with anything else).

[SteveMDFP]

So you are arguing that Dems don’t block oil drilling so as to not *look* weak in times of energy price inflation, and so avoid GOP win elections, since Conservatives are bad because don’t block oil drilling.

BRILLIANT!!

Say that you are a Dem voter no matter what, position that I don’t share but I respect, and we’re done with the discussion earlier.

The US is firmly (I think unalterably) a two-party system.  Whether your politics are left or right, the available choices are inevitably a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

[nadir]

So you are arguing that Dems don’t block oil drilling so as to not *look* weak in times of energy price inflation, and so avoid GOP win elections, since Conservatives are bad because don’t block oil drilling.

BRILLIANT!!

Say that you are a Dem voter no matter what, position that I don’t share but I respect, and we’re done with the discussion earlier.

The US is firmly (I think unalterably) a two-party system.  Whether your politics are left or right, the available choices are inevitably a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

It shouldn’t be that way. But even more so to denounce that Administrations of both sides have kept the drilling impulse that W’s administration restarted now 20 years ago. It’s really sad, but all administrations have considered it a strategic necessity. Perhaps renewables have to become the only alternative from a capitalist point of view for drilling to stop. Anyway I digress.

[interstitial]

In the US there are Democrats Republicans and independents. If you want to get elected you have to rile up your base while appealing to more independents then the other side. So Biden has to address climate change without making things too inconvenient(read expensive) for people who do not care about the environment. In this case I do not believe the high price of oil was caused by the lack of US government auctions but this is exactly the sort of argument that can convince independents to vote for the other guy. The outcome of many US elections have been influenced by the price of gasoline. Largely this is because it has an outsized influence on most Americans disposable income.