Thursday, February 18, 2021

THE BIDEN DEPRESSION..... EXCEPT FOR HIS CRONY BILLIONAIRES AND THOSE WHO LIVE ON WALL STREET!

 


Americas’ financial desperation can be seen in the soaring demand for food assistance. AP Photo/John Minchillo

Americans still need a lifeline despite trillions in coronavirus aid

As Congress prepares another injection of COVID-19 aid for businesses and individuals, there’s been debate about whether it’s necessary on top of the US$3.5 trillion spent so far.

President Joe Biden had initially hoped to get bipartisan support for his $1.9 trillion proposal, but the only counteroffer from Republicans was a $600 billion bill, with many in the GOP suggesting more money wasn’t needed. And some economists have expressed concern that giving Americans too much right now could overheat the economy.

We are public opinion scholars at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In cooperation with our partners at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and National Public Radio, we conducted a survey in July and August of last year to try to understand how the first round of aid had affected American families in need. What we found shocked us then and feels relevant now as the government negotiates its next steps.

Despite trillions of dollars in government assistance, about two-thirds of families that suffered job losses or reduced wages during the pandemic still reported facing serious financial hardship.

Transparent, research-based, written by experts – and always free.

Many people were struggling – and still are – just to pay for basic necessities, like food and rent.

The first round of pandemic aid

Congress passed most of the initial relief in March, including direct payments to qualifying families, expanded unemployment benefits and loans to small businesses that turned into grants if they kept workers on their payroll.

By July 1, when we began our survey, most Americans entitled to a direct check should have received it, and unemployed adults were still receiving supplemental aid of $600 a week on top of state benefits.

We wanted to understand the financial burdens experienced by American families that were economically harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. And we wanted to see whether the government aid was helping the people who needed it most.

Using a nationally representative, randomized survey design, we contacted 3,454 adults and asked them about the financial problems facing their households. We focused on the 46% who said they or other adults in their household either lost a job, had to close a business, were furloughed or had their wages or hours reduced since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. We published our findings in the economic affairs journal Challenge in January.

Serious financial problems

While it seems like a no-brainer that Americans weren’t ready for the unexpected employment disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was surprising to us that federal aid and charitable assistance seemed to be doing so little to support the people it was intended to help.

We found that the aid didn’t put much of a dent in the financial problems faced by families earning less than $100,000, whether because relief was delayed or wasn’t spent, the amount wasn’t adequate or the funds never made it to the intended recipients.

Among households with employment or wage losses during the pandemic, 87% of those earning less than $30,000 a year and 68% of those earning $30,000 to $99,999 told us they were still facing serious financial problems. And more than half of households in these income brackets reported they had already used up all or most of their savings – or they didn’t have savings to begin with. That share jumped to over three-quarters for people with incomes under $30,000.

Savings take years or decades to accumulate, so it’s likely these households are in even worse trouble now. What’s more, significantly less aid has been provided from the federal government since we conducted our survey.

Many Americans still need a lifeboat

Our findings suggest there is a definite need for further government aid on a large scale for tens of millions of families.

A useful way to think about this is how the government provides relief after a natural disaster. In disasters, cash payments are often sent directly to those in need, like lifeboats launched to rescue people at risk of drowning.

And in fact, the pandemic has been an economic disaster for some – particularly low-income and Black and Latino households – more than others. They still need a lifeboat to get them through the storm.

[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]

MEXIFORNIA IN MELTDOWN - GAVIN NEWSOM GETS CAUGHT SUCKING OFF BRIBES - HE WAS TAUGHT BY THE OLD WHORE DIANNE FEINSTEIN

 

California Republican Assemblyman Calls for Corruption Investigation Into Newsom

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California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) / Getty Images

California state assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R.) called for a corruption investigation into Governor Gavin Newsom's (D.) management of public contracts awarded during the coronavirus pandemic to companies that contributed to his reelection campaign.

Kiley proposed Tuesday that state authorities probe Newsom’s role in alleged influence-peddling by corporations, many of which were able to receive no-bid contracts from the California government because of the state of emergency declared in response to the pandemic.

Reporting by local outlets indicates Newsom’s government issued contracts and other opportunities to at least half a dozen companies that made major donations to Newsom’s reelection campaign. The contracts offered by the state range from $2 million to $1 billion. 

Companies that received no-bid contracts include large donors in the health care industry. Blue Shield of California has given Newsom more than $300,000 since 2018 and won a $15 million contract from the state government. UnitedHealth has contributed more than $200,000 to Newsom’s political efforts since 2018 and won multiple no-bid contracts totaling more than $400 million.

The president of BYD, a Chinese manufacturer, donated $40,000 to Newsom and received more than $1 billion from California to produce N95 and surgical masks. BYD ultimately failed to complete its contract on time and had to return $247 million in public funds.

Kiley slammed Newsom’s coronavirus management as a strategy to aid "special interest allies" over working Californians.

"This governor has repeatedly used extraordinary emergency powers to reward special interest allies as millions of Californians have paid the price," Kiley said. "It's hard to imagine a worse betrayal of the public trust."

Scrutiny over Newsom's management of the pandemic comes as the governor faces a recall effort led by Republican politicians and conservative activists. Roughly half-a-million Californians have reportedly signed a recall petition against Newsom, with 1.5 million signatures required to force a special election. The movement gained enough steam in recent weeks to merit a response from the Biden administration. White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted last week that President Joe Biden opposes any recall effort against Newsom and shares "a commitment to a range of issues" with the governor.

California Republicans, including former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and former gubernatorial candidate John Cox, have lined up to challenge Newsom in a potential recall election, which would take place later this year if the signature campaign is successful.

REPUBLICANS TALK $15 MIN WAGE BUT NOT FOR JOE BIDEN'S 40 MILLION ILLEGALS


This week, Biden is expected to roll out his amnesty plan with elected Democrats. Simultaneously, as a result of economic lockdowns spurred by the Chinese coronavirus crisis, about 17.1 million Americans are out of work but all of whom want full-time jobs.

Bloodbath? The Looming Democratic Civil War on the Minimum Wage

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Posted: Feb 18, 2021 6:00 AM
Bloodbath? The Looming Democratic Civil War on the Minimum Wage

Source: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

It's either going to be civil war or not much of a fight at all. It all depends on how much Chuck Schumer wants to avoid a primary challenge from the progressive Left. The fight to increase the minimum wage is front-and-center now that the second Trump impeachment trial is over. Democrats plan to use reconciliation to pass a massive $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, which might include a minimum wage hike. Democrats cannot afford to lose a single vote. Well, so far, they’ve lost two, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ). At this point, it’s dead in the water. Will this measure get 60 votes going through the regular legislative process? Maybe. Senate Republicans have offered a bill of their own that increases the minimum wage to $15, but it’s only for American citizens. It contains measures to ensure businesses don’t hire illegal aliens, so that’s not going anywhere. I do think there might be enough votes to increase the minimum wage, but the politicking will begin here, and once again there will be theatrics. 

Progressives supposedly want the phased-in approach, which was widely mocked when first proposed, but hey—I guess it’s better than nothing. There’s also another issue of the Senate parliamentarian refusing to sign off on the minimum wage increase for reconciliation as it’s wholly unrelated to matters of the budget, though the Senate can ignore the ruling. Sinema and Manchin just became the center of the universe, and open warfare among Democrats over the minimum wage could erupt (via WSJ):

Democrats are bracing for an internal battle over raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, as they grappled with the political and procedural constraints on reaching a long-held goal of the party’s progressive wing.

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan proposes to do by 2025, faces opposition from some Democratic lawmakers and parliamentary hurdles. Democrats cannot afford to lose a single vote in the 50-50 Senate on the relief package, which also calls for sending many Americans a $1,400 direct check, bolstering federal unemployment aid, and offering funds for vaccine distribution and testing.

[…]

Using reconciliation comes with limitations, though, as Senate rules prevent Congress from using it to approve measures that aren’t directly related to the budget. The nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian hears arguments and rules on whether policy provisions are eligible to be passed under reconciliation. Some Democrats expect that the minimum-wage increase will not be eligible, while others push for its inclusion. Mr. Biden said earlier this month he expected the parliamentarian would rule the minimum-wage increase out of bounds.

[…]

A ruling by the parliamentarian either way will create a quandary for Democrats. If the parliamentarian says Democrats can raise the minimum wage through reconciliation, the party will have to forge a compromise between the lawmakers who favor the current $15 minimum wage proposal and those who oppose it.

If the parliamentarian rules against raising the minimum wage through reconciliation, Democrats will face calls from progressive lawmakers and activists to ignore the ruling. Under the chamber’s rules, the presiding officer of the Senate can disregard the parliamentarian’s advice—a step that would allow Democrats to dispense with the historical rules of the reconciliation process. When the vice president is breaking ties in the Senate, she presides over the chamber, though other lawmakers can also preside.

This seems like a very complicated process—and it is! Hence, why did we screw around and waste time on an impeachment effort that everyone saw as going nowhere? It never had the votes, and the charges were grade-A political overreach. Meanwhile, millions of working families are struggling and suffering in an economic purgatory over the Democrats’ COVID lockdown regime—and Congress decided to waste more time. Oh, and after impeachment was over—these guys decided to skip town. This is bound to be a mess, with lots of yelling. Democrats cannot govern. It’s like an episode of Hoarders. Democrats don’t know how to prioritize, get rid of the clutter, or understand how they got here. If I’m forced to make a prediction, I’d say that this minimum wage hike is dead in the water for COVID relief. It doesn’t have the votes on either front. Biden already said he would pursue a wage hike in a separate bill if the parliamentarian rules against it during the reconciliation process. This is about Democrats being scared of the ascendant and vocal progressive base which is watching closely here. Primary challenges could ensue, and no one knows that better than Mr. Schumer. 

Tom Cotton, Mitt Romney Plan Will Boost U.S. Wages, Mandate E-Verify

U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., left, speaks at a North Little Rock, Ark., news conference as former Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, right, listens Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. Romney endorsed Cotton in the race for U.S. Senate Thursday. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
AP Photo/Danny Johnston
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Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) are teaming up to introduce legislation that will boost Americans’ wages while punishing employers for illegal hiring.

Cotton and Romney announced on Tuesday that their legislation will raise the federal minimum wage gradually, over time, by having it increase with inflation. The minimum wage has not been raised in any way since 2009, when the cost of living was 20 percent lower.

Simultaneously, the Cotton-Romney plan would drastically increase protections for the United States labor market by requiring all employers to use the E-Verify system that protects American jobs for Americans and legal immigrants — barring the employment of illegal aliens whom working class Americans are often forced to compete against.

“We have an obligation to protect our workers and fellow citizens,” Cotton wrote in a statement online. “This common-sense proposal will give millions of Americans the raise they deserve.”

Romney, who has been a proponent of mandatory E-Verify, said the legislation is about protecting the nation’s workforce from unfair foreign competition and an increased cost of living.

For years, a wide majority of Americans have supported both gradual increases to the minimum wage and mandatory E-Verify to punish businesses for illegal hiring practices. In Florida, which voted twice for former President Trump, more than 60 percent of voters supported increasing the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by September 2026.

Mandatory E-Verify, likewise, has remained one of the most popular policy initiatives across racial, class, and party lines. Its biggest opponents have been the politically-connected donor class.

weekly survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows that more than 7-in-10 likely voters agree that mandatory E-Verify should become law to protect the U.S. workforce. This includes 74 percent of Hispanic likely voters. Less than 20 percent of likely voters oppose mandatory E-Verify.

Additionally, 65 percent of likely voters say it is better for employers to raise wages and try harder to recruit the 17.1 million Americans who are out of work rather than importing cheaper foreign workers. Another 61 percent of likely voters say the U.S. already has enough skilled talent in the domestic labor pool for employers to recruit from.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here

Joe Biden Recommits to Amnesty for Illegal Aliens as 17M Americans Are Jobless

US President Joe Biden holds a face mask as he participates in a CNN town hall at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 16, 2021. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
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President Joe Biden recommitted on Tuesday that he wants to pass an amnesty for 11 to 22 million illegal aliens living in the United States even as more than 17 million Americans remain jobless.

During a CNN town hall event with Anderson Cooper in Wisconsin, Biden said it is “essential” that any piece of legislation regarding immigration must include an amnesty for nearly all illegal aliens in the U.S.

The exchange went as follows:

COOPER: Just to be clear though … you do want a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants and that would be essential in any bill for you?

BIDEN: Well, yes. But, by the way, if you came along and said to me, “In the meantime we can work out a system whereby we’re going to” … for example, we used to allow refugees, 125,000 refugees into the United States on a yearly basis. It was as high as 250,000. Trump cut it 5,000.

Come with me … into Sierra Leone. Come with me into parts of Lebanon. Come with me around the world and see people piled up in camps, kids dying, no way out, refugees fleeing from persecution. We, the United States, used to do our part. We were part of that … “send me your huddled masses.”

If you had a refugee bill by itself, I’m not suggesting that, but … there are things I would deal by itself but not at the expense of saying I’m never going to do the other. There is a reasonable path to citizenship.

This week, Biden is expected to roll out his amnesty plan with elected Democrats. Simultaneously, as a result of economic lockdowns spurred by the Chinese coronavirus crisis, about 17.1 million Americans are out of work but all of whom want full-time jobs.

In his previously proposed amnesty plan, out late last month, Biden seeks to immediately provide green cards to millions of illegal aliens considered farmworkers, enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries.

The amnesty would provide all other illegal aliens with a fast-track to green cards and citizenship while driving up legal immigration by providing more visas to programs like the Diversity Visa Lottery and exempting family members of certain visa holders from current caps.

Already, the U.S. provides green cards to 1.2 million legal immigrants and 1.4 million temporary visas to foreign nationals every year. These arrivals are in addition to the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who turn up at the U.S.-Mexico border and are either released into the interior of the country or successfully cross without being detected by federal immigration officials.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here


THE DICTATORSHIP OF MITCH McCONNELL - HE IS IN BED WITH RED CHINA AS MUCH AS HUNTER BIDEN

 

Why does Kentucky keep electing Mitch McConnell?

There’s a complicated reason behind Sen. Mitch McConnell’s continued success in Kentucky but it boils down to three things: McConnell controls lots of money, he is willing to destroy any opposition including Republicans, and the local Republican political machine backs him.

Money is the main source of McConnell’s power, and this breaks down into three parts: First, he gets donations from the Chamber of Commerce wing of the Republican party. They use his power in the Senate to further their interests. The Chamber is invested in foreign trade and foreign trade means mostly China. These donations are used to fund the campaigns of like-minded Republicans for seats in Congress.

Second, he is adept at promoting foreign investments that bring business to the Chamber members who provide products and services. Kentucky is particularly involved in securing foreign investment and McConnell helps. It started with Japanese investments in the Toyota facility in Georgetown which showed how large manufacturing facilities can build local businesses. Because American automotive manufacturing is huge in Kentucky, foreign investment is also large. These smaller facilities feed parts to the large assembly plants.

Third, his power in the Senate gives him a special ability to bring good-paying jobs to Kentucky and the donors contribute to maintain the process. McConnell makes it known that he is the reason this happens in Kentucky and that this will end if he’s gone. That’s why employees in the factories and supplier businesses support him.

The second part of McConnell’s success is that he willingly destroys his political opposition. All candidates daring to run for a powerful political office in Kentucky must get McConnell’s approval or they will experience his wrath.

Theoretically, a nationalist Republican in the Trump mold would do well in Kentucky but overcoming the piles of McConnell-directed cash is a daunting task. The Kentucky Republican machine does what McConnell says because it wants to win. The machine will not support candidates whom McConnell does not support. Occasionally a good one like Senator Paul gets by, but they are the exception that proves the rule, and candidates outside of the McConnell sphere (think Matt Bevin) struggle.

McConnell also controls a lot of money for senatorial campaigns. The advertising that his group runs is brutal and often dishonest. They spend a lot of money to defeat candidates attempting to defeat a McConnell ally in the Republican primary.

The third aspect of McConnell’s success is the local Republican machine, although it’s also McConnell’s Achilles heel because it will abandon him if he stops delivering. The Republican machine has only one goal, winning, and they want wins throughout the state from magistrates to governor. They also want to win Senate and House seats and McConnell delivers those wins. Because of this success, the machine does what McConnell wants. They back his candidates and they shun the ones he shuns. In return, McConnell sends a bit of cash their way for local races.

The machine is the most important part of any political organization. It has the people on the ground getting out the vote, passing out yard signs, and getting small donations for local candidates. These people drive voter turnout and, in counties with a strong Republican machine, the candidates win. The machine’s drivers are your friends and neighbors on the committees and working phones.

The Republican machine’s workers are the backbone of the party and it is they who are the primary reason that the Republican party should not be abandoned. This infrastructure is critical to winning. It is in place and ready to go. The party can be rebuilt from the bottom.

This is an important time for Kentucky politics. This local Republican base wants victories, and they do not care who delivers the victories. This is why the local base is the weak link in McConnell’s stranglehold on Kentucky politics. They will abandon McConnell if he proves to be weak and other leaders can deliver a winning formula that carries local and state Republicans to victory.

McConnell knows that his ability to get money takes place in national politics that are dominated by global interests. That interests Kentucky’s rank-and-file voters when we get jobs as a result. Show us a national leader who can build employment in the state without bowing to the international business interests, and the local Republican machine will be behind him.

When it comes to the recent public spat between McConnell and Trump, Trump’s brand of nationalist politics directly opposes the McConnell internationalist brand. The fight is particularly dangerous for the people that McConnell has propped up.

If the Republican base starts to support Trump candidates, then McConnell loses power. The Republican base will support winners, and Trump and his candidates will be winners. McConnell will lose the base and the whole thing falls apart. Trump is winning this battle for the base and McConnell knows it.

JOE BIDEN'S AMERICA - BUT HIS CRONY BILLIONAIRES LOVE WHAT HE IS DOING

 

Transformation, Biden, And The Left

During Joe Biden’s campaign for president, he said he was going to transform the country. Was it clear what he meant by that? The mainstream media presented Biden as a moderate. However, moderates are not usually in the business of transforming. So, it would have been wise to ask the candidate what he meant.

Was Biden’s promised transformation merely a reprise of Obama’s change slogan? Was he just planning to roll back Trumpism and return to the Democrat priorities of the Obama years – healthcare, education, immigration, and the environment? Or…was he going to pack the court, pursue a Green New Deal, enact reparations for slavery, and abolish fracking, as conservative pundits warned?

Was Biden more sincere while assuring national audiences he was a kind and decent grandfatherly type who wants what’s best for everyone? Or were his true intentions on display when he was talking to supporters of Sanders and Sharpton, environmental lobbyists, gun control activists, and other leftist special interest groups?

We never got answers to these questions, largely because they weren’t asked. On the rare occasion that he was asked hard questions, he didn’t really answer them.

Now that Joe Biden is president, though, he has unveiled the hidden things of his transformational intentions. It has become clear that the Far Left is steering the president and the country away from anything resembling its founding, away from any moorings to common sense and basic decency.

For example, although Americans do not list transgender issues among their top ten concerns and it seems unlikely that it was ever a priority for Joe Biden before he began to show signs of cognitive deterioration, within the first hours of his administration he took an unpopular executive action allowing men to use the ladies’ room and to compete in women’s sports. Both things surely make the U.S. the laughingstock of the world. One wonders what the IOC would say if the USOC came to them with a plan to let American men compete in women’s events at the Olympics if they identify as women.

In other early actions, the Biden Administration clearly indicated its intention to open the border and to treat illegal immigrants like super-citizens, unaccountable to the law. It must leave international heads of state perplexed. America had clearly grown stronger under Trump’s immigration and border policies.

The nations of the world know that they need a free United States to bolster their economies, protect weaker countries, and provide a competitive alternative to the stagnancy and futility of socialism. Many international leaders have noted with grave concern the blatant, bewildering censorship of all that represents the considered and historically-informed opinions held by half of America. On top of that, there is a soviet-style movement to punish and degrade anyone who supports Trump. The rest of the world is not rejoicing at this.

For their part, Washington Republicans pose as Trump defenders, but in this virulent post-election political atmosphere, way too many of them have failed to take up the Trump voters’ cause. Worse yet, many seem to have formally joined the anti-Trump movement. Who would have guessed that seven Republican senators would join every Democrat in voting for Trump’s conviction on the weakest article of impeachment imaginable?

Perhaps career politicians on the right were secretly just as concerned as Democrats were when Trump took on the establishment, which he did on behalf of patriots who recognize that they are essentially being ruled by an oligarchy. In his inaugural address, President Trump made this remarkable pronouncement:

For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

For decades, Joe Biden has been the avatar of this dynamic. Trump went on to remind us that America belongs to its citizens and to proclaim that he was returning its governance back to them. He had no idea the measures the oligarchy would be willing to take to maintain their power.

When the oligarchs yelled, “You are not above the law,” at Donald Trump, well-informed people knew what they meant: “We are the ones who are above the law, not you. We will never be held accountable for our lawlessness and corruption, but no evidence will be needed to investigate and prosecute you for things that we do. And we will make sure you are not reelected, no matter how Machiavellian we must show ourselves to be.”

The press was in on the cover-up of Biden’s low character and leftist intentions while they sold us a decent centrist. There were many who warned that Biden and Harris would make a hasty charge toward leftist goals that have been in the “wacky column” for generations.

While the mainstream poured out visceral hatred for Trump at the expense of factual reportage, investigative journalists on the right used verifiable information to make their case. Now, there are many with buyer’s remorse with New Mexico serving as just one example. Will they begin to pursue information outside the mainstream?

Conservative journalists warned that Biden and the Democrats would pursue statehood for Washington, D.C. The mainstream either ignored or derided the claim, but now there are a record 38 sponsors in the Senate for the measure, which passed the House last year under the radar. Abolishing the filibuster can’t be far behind.

With regards to packing the Supreme Court, Biden dodged questions and said that voters don’t deserve to know his position. Only conservative journalists sounded the alarm. Now we know they were right: Biden has announced a commission to look into expanding the high court.

Biden assured Rust Belt states that he was not an enemy of their energy-driven economies. But he immediately canceled the Keystone Pipeline and Kamala Harris told coal miners they would be able to get a better job deactivating abandoned land mines once their jobs were gone.

Contrary to promises of centrism, we already have measures in congress for a federal takeover of elections (H.R.1) and for more gun control (H.R. 127).

We know now what kind of transformation Biden meant during the campaign: A radical, authoritarian transformation, one that provides a more meaningful division between rulers and subjects, as poetically symbolized by the hideous wall that Democrats erected around the capital.

Sometimes storm waters change the course of a river. This is a tempest. It will be a major undertaking to hold the banks of our constitutional republic.

Reese Daniels is a pseudonym.


World leaders wonder who is running America's foreign policy

With Kamala Harris taking calls from foreign leaders now, less than one month into the Joe Biden presidency, and Joe's spokesweasel Jen Psaki saying Joe won't be taking foreign visitors, it's pretty obvious that foreign leaders are wondering: who the heck is running America?  Why can't Joe come to the phone?  Is the Biden "transitional" presidency really a "regency"?

The signs of it are all over.  Here's a list of how bad it is, starting with America's allies:

Israel: After Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave Biden an early congratulatory call over the phone for his "victory," the locals are now wondering if the Biden administration is "ghosting" them.  Three weeks into his term, he's called practically everyone but Israel.  No calls to Bibi.  Israel's foreign policy establishment is ready to call it a "full blown snub."  And with open anti-Semites like Rep. Ilhan "all about the benjamins" Omar now promoted by Joe's Democrats to a top spot at the House committee on foreign affairs, there's reason to think there's something nasty going on.  They are indeed wondering who's running the show.  

Taiwan: Taiwan's leader, too, gave Biden an early congratulatory call and within days got a Chinese communist incursion into its airspace.  Biden threw out some tough words, but apparently nothing else, and obviously, the Taiwanese are concerned, even as they cross their fingers.  According to Wang Hao, a Taiwanese local commentator quoted by NPR:

WANG: I think that public opinion in Taiwan obviously is willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

RUWITCH: The benefit of the doubt for now at least. John Ruwitch, NPR News.

That isn't exactly a resounding vote of confidence, such as President Trump got, cited earlier in the report.

Saudi Arabia: No normal diplomacy — just diplomacy by digs and undercutting action is all the Saudis are seeing, and they're noticing.  Biden cut off aid to Yemen, which allows the Houthi rebels supported by Iran a field day and undercuts Saudi Arabia.  As for Saudi Arabia, Biden had called for making the Saudis "the pariah that they are" and vows to deal only with the kingdom's elderly retired King Salman instead of the desert kingdom's actual man on the job, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is not without missteps but certainly has made the country generally better, allowing women to drive and releasing prisoners, as well as taking significant steps to befriend Israel and check Iran.  No phone calls, of course.  Don't be surprised if he's puzzled at best.

Ukraine: Biden doesn't want to touch this one, and Ukraine's leaders are antsy.  According to The National Interest:

For weeks now, Zelenskyy has sent numerous private and public messages; call me! He desperately wants a phone call with the new president.

He isn't getting one, given young Hunter's ties with Burisma and the criminal probe presumably still happening around it.  Zekensky tried to get Biden's attention with a long interview with Axios, which, as a coincidence, is run by Evan Ryan, a Clinton Foundation deputy chair for "governance" and Axios co-founder.  She just happens to be secretary of state Tony Blinken's wife.  See how these things work?

Colombia: Lucky Colombia. After expending decades of blood and treasure on eradicating Marxist narco-terrorist cocaine kingpins and all their drug profits, Colombia learns that Joe Biden wants to end the "war on drugs."  Colombians tried the globalist approach with the election of its last president, Juan Manuel Santos, and reverted back to the nation's conservative norm with the election of Ivan Duque, who's moved heaven and earth to wipe out the cocaine crop.  Colombia can't get its phone calls returned, and that's weird stuff, given that Joe used to call the Colombian president all the time back when he was President Obama's vice president.  Colombia's cordial and conservative ambassador, Francisco Santos, is a former vice president, so all the more reason for Joe to talk to the Colombians.  But he won't.  And the signals that Colombia's getting are pretty nasty — Joe is ordering them around.  According to Colombia Reports:

A press release by Blinken's spokesperson Ned Price made it clear that US President Joe Biden's priorities would require major policy changes from his far-right Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque.

The secretary of state said the US government will help Bogota "as it extends the benefits of peace throughout the country" and ensures "the protection of human rights."

Good luck with that one — we know what these endless demands lead to.  Worse still, Biden will yank their drug-fighting aid and cut them off at the knees on the matter of Colombia's being flooded with Venezuelan refugees.  You bet they're wondering.

Now let's look at opponents and rivals in assorted hellholes:

China: China's leaders have been officious, quick to tell us what is best for us, sounding as though Biden's their dog and they're cracking the whip.  Stuff like this (emphasis mine) is what's coming out, according to the Associated Press:  

"I think after this very difficult and extraordinary time, both the Chinese and American people deserve a better future," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing. 

She said China and the U.S. need to relaunch cooperation in a number of areas. She particularly welcomed the new administration's decision to remain in the World Health Organization and return to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

"Many people of insight in the international community are looking forward to the early return of Sino-U.S. relations to the correct track in making due contributions to jointly address the major and urgent challenges facing the world today," Hua said.

The oppressors of Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and beyond are telling us what's best for us, being all concerned for the welfare of the American people, you see.  Compassionate bunch.  Anybody believe that one?  With Biden's son on their string as the Chinese professor said, and yet to "unwind" his big Chinese investment that has brought him party-favor diamonds, it sounds pretty fishy.

The Chicom officiousness continues with their idea of what "the correct track" is for U.S.-China relations, with just one country making that determination. you see.  It's not the one represented by Old Joe.  Meanwhile, their praise of America's entry to the WHO and the Paris climate agreement reeks of self-interest.  The WHO is completely controlled and corrupted by China, while Paris requires America to destroy its economy while China, the world's biggest polluter, sits on its hands.  Sounds like just the foreign policy that China wants.  Walking dog Biden seems awfully convenient.

Cuba: The military dictatorship in Havana is holding its cards tight to its vest, and a search for "Biden" in its most prominent state-controlled media turns up zero. It made a tight statement about how it "continues to believe in the possibility of a constructive bilateral relationship where our differences are respected" (pay no attention to those torture chamber) and continues to rave about the flimsy U.S. embargo, as well as extricating itself from charges that it engaged in sonic attacks on the U.S. embassy in Havana, something that suggests it wants Biden to re-open it. Granma spews amazing and grotesque lies about Cuba's dissidents (I read them so you don't have to, they are disgusting and can't be unread). They also rave a lot about NGOs and the king of them, George Soros' Open Society Foundation, coming for them, something that's a new one, but hopefully keeping them busy. Otherwise, a lot of radio silence, nothing about sucking up to Biden, several statement about support for China. Biden has sent signals about not going back to the Obama hog wallow that made Cuba's brutal regime so rich and happy, but there is said to be interest in returning the bucks to Cuba's military, which is what his lift of remittance restrictions will do. Lucky Cuba. Cuba, however, does have allies and proxies. One that appears to be in this category is a leftist NGO called "Cuba Study Group," which called on assessing the "effectiveness" of sanctions on Cuba's brutal military rulers, which appears to be an overture to lifting them, complete with helpful talking points. Another Cuba apologist is Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass). He's calling for prisoner swaps and is undoubtedly pleased, as are Cuba's rulers, at Biden's vow to shut down Guantanamo and bring the terrorists to U.S. soil, where leftist judges and prosecutors will find a way to let them out. It sounds like Cuba's letting its useful fools in the states take the lead.

Venezuela: For Venezuela's Marxist tyrants, they're hearing tough words and shouting their own insults back, but in reality, it's gravy time for them with Biden. Latest news is that with Biden shutting down U.S. energy pipeline construction, he's planning to make America dependent on foreign oil, and sure enough, that includes Venezuela. Surprise, surprise, the energy trade press is reporting that Biden is planning to lift the embargo on Venezuelan oil, put in there by President Trump. Millions of dollars to the Maduro dictatorship will flow. Sound fine for us? It's fine for them.

Iran: Like many of his foreign policy statements, Biden is all bluster and bee ess. Iran's mullahs, though, are looking for better times, with a pro-Iran writer writing in a column at Business Times that Biden's choice of personnel are more important, and his early decisions to move a U.S. aircraft carrier out of the Persian Gulf as well as cut off arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, made Biden's Iran policy "better than Biden makes it sound." Better for whom? You decide.

And there are plenty more of these mixed signals, all of which make world leaders, friendly and unfriendly, wonder who the heck is running things - Omar, Kamala, Biden, or the swamp?

All in all, this isn't the 'America's back' approach that Biden promised.