Once upon time, it was all so simple. The 2022 battle lines for the Democrats and the GOP were clearly drawn. For the Democrats, highlight all of their accomplishments in the first 2 years of Biden’s tenure, less than it should be thanks to pendejo traitors like Manchin and Sinema, and point out all the things they want to do in the next two years. Also beg for more Democratic Senators to neuter the Boobsey Twins. For the GOP it was to deny Biden and the Democrats any substantive accomplishments to make Biden look weak, call them far right leftists, and ask for power as a check on an out of control regime.
But then it all fell apart for the GOP. Because Biden got the gift that just keeps on giving. Ukraine. Thanks to Putin’s stupidity and incompetence, to the rest of the world Ukraine is now David, the Bad News Bears, the 1969 NY Mets, the Mighty Ducks, and the pre 2016 Chicago Cubs. They are the world’s underdog darlings. Of course Biden will bellow his support for Ukraine from the bully pulpit, and back it up with the actions his administration has already taken, and there’s nothing that the GOP can do about it.
But there’s another golden nugget for Biden in there, and that’s the part that the Republicans hate. Biden ran for President as a candidate that could bridge the gaps in a fractured congress, and get things done in a bipartisan fashion. And he’s had some success. Not as much as he’d like, but it is what it is in a 50-50 Senate with two turncoat bastards.
Except it isn’t. As Russia’s invasion into Ukraine stalled, and Ukrainian hearts, along with everybody else’s soared, there was a change here at home. Before Biden could even open his mouth, bipartisan groups in both the House and the Senate were dueling with each for who could levy more sanctions on Russia, and give Ukraine more support. Biden wants $10 billion in military and humanitarian aid? Fuck that! says congress. Quit being such a cheap ass Mr President! They’ll pass $20 billion in a heartbeat. Biden wants to ban oil imports from Russia into the United States? Fine. And while they’re at it they’ll ban postcards from Russia just to make a point. Optics wise, one of Biden’s best moments of the SOTU was when he acknowledged the Ukrainian Ambassador, his wife’s guest in the gallery, and the entire chamber stood as one in a thundering standing ovation. Like it or not the image was unmistakable. Republicans were rising in support of their President in support of the Ukraine. They knew it was coming, but it was bitter wormwood on their tongues.
Every time Biden hits the road, along with Harris and any other surrogate, they should of course trumpet their support for Ukraine. And every time a bipartisan congress passes Ukraine support bills, or sanctions Russia, Biden can take to the podium, and proudly proclaim each and every one of those measures as proof of his ability to unlock the gridlock in congress, work across the aisle, and get things done. The GOP will hate it, but there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Because the only thing worse right now that handing Biden a victory is being seen as being Pro Putin, not Anti Ukrainian. That would be deadly, given current US sentiment. Game, Set, and Match.
The one potential fly in the ointment could be a big one. Right now a majority of Americans are ok with shutting off Russian oil and dealing with increased prices at the pump but that’s misleading. Irresponsible reporting, helped along by some in the GOP suggest (correctly I believe) that Americans will in fact be willing to put up with an extra ten cents or so a gallon.
Or so.
How much higher per gallon will people tolerate? My guess is that even twenty-five or thirty cents a gallon and support will fade and fast. It’s downright fucking irresponsible to suggest gas prices would only be that much. Projections are for a barrel of crude to climb to $175 at a minimum and that means prices at the pump will jump at least a dollar a gallon in a heartbeat and climb to a two dollar or more a gallon awfully quickly. That will have enormous impact beyond what you or I pay when we fill up. The extra transportation costs will affect deliveries of all kinds of stuff and the ripple effects will be wide and significant.
IF this war can be over with Russian capitulation by summer and things can get worked out to add back Russian oil to world markets & bring down the price of crude below a hundred bucks again it will STILL be at least a couple of months before those greedy fucks at oil companies start passing along the savings. Think about how many times in the last fifty years you’ve seen a spike in crude oil prices and if not that very day then the next day prices at the pump jumped up. Then think about the weeks, and sometimes months after prices go down before prices at the pump return to where they were.
MBS is balking at increasing Saudi production to make up for the shortfall from Russia already and it’s causing pain for consumers around the world. I do see where Biden is exploring talk with Venezuela to perhaps ease sanctions in return for ramping up their own production. Which of course will cause the GOP howler monkeys to screech at rock concert decibal levels and fling shit everywhere.
Our parents generation would have grumbled but WOULD have born the burden, which is a helluva lot less than the burdens they actually bore during WWII. Gas was only one of a whole host of items rationed (sugar, vegetables and meat, even wool and leather and there was so much more on the list) back then.
I’d like to believe we’d suck it up and pay an extra two or even three dollars a gallon but I don’t think there’s a chance in hell we as a country would put up with it. The GOP knows this which is why they are pushing for the banning of Russian oil and they already are setting the stage with their “ten cents or so” rhetoric knowing it will be far more than that. They are also surely preparing a coordinated line of attack for the fall over gas prices going as high as they know would happen if the ban is enacted as part of sanctions. No one should think for a second they won’t be prepared to spin their vote in favor of that particular sanction – the will be prepared with a “it should have only been ten, maybe twenty cents a gallon but BIDEN’S “incompetence” is why you’re getting hammered” campaign. And we both know that shit will “play in Peoria.”
I’ve got a feeling the Saudis WILL increase their output but probably not until after Russia’s little “vacation” in Ukraine is over. Right now, there’s no real incentive for Saudi Arabia to up its output (or, frankly, any of OPEC) while the world’s seeing this war. The Saudis haven’t really had any problem raising production when it caused oil prices to drop significantly, especially if the increased production hurt Iran and/or Russia. But, right now, I don’t see the Saudis viewing any upside to their ramping up production until the war’s done.
On the other hand, if the Saudis can squeeze out some concessions on some other front that really boosts them (in whatever way), they might very well open the pipes.
One thing I wish the Administration would do is demand all US oil companies tell exactly how much oil they have (and how much they’re expecting in tankers in the next 30 days–there have GOT to be a number of oil tankers in transit between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico–and other US ports) before they’re allowed to hike prices any further. (A gas station I occasionally use was reading $3.799 when I passed by on my way to work Sunday around 2:45 pm; when I was heading home around 11:45 pm, the price was up to $3.899. Heading to work yesterday afternoon–Monday–around 4:15 pm, the price had gone up again to $3.999. When I came home from work around 1:40 am this morning–Tuesday–it was still at $3.999. I won’t really pass by it again until around 7:15 am Wednesday–I’ve got to pass it when I go get an oil change–so I’m hoping it doesn’t go up too much more. On the plus side, around here, we haven’t seen prices this high since the summer of 2008 when the gas got up to around $4.50 a gallon for about a week or so before it *slowly* started coming down–although it “magically” dropped by roughly half before the election. It seemed like it doubled in price in the course of about a month to six weeks but then took twice that long to come back down to where it had started.)
What excuse will Biden give when gas hits new price highs and prices on other resources skyrocket because of his embrace of Ukrainian Neo-fascists?
Remembering Biden’s embrace of the Iraq war and the part he played in the destruction of Libya, both being aggressive wars and crimes against humanity.
Propagandists will never mention Ukrainian crimes against humanity. No mention of kids killed in the bombing of civilians by Ukraine that killed 66 kids although there is a monument to their deaths:
It’s the lies of pro war, corporate parrots that are complicit in ginning up support for these wars of aggression that will come back to bite the US in the ass.
(Moderator’s Note – link removed)
No excuse. It’s putin & trump’s war. It’s price gouging by the oil companies. Their profits are soaring. In fact, the corporations, who pay no taxes, are collectively price gouging. Don’t let the fascist party off the hook who could have convicted this traitor twice, & HAVE NEVER VOTED FOR THE COMMON GOOD.
Always count on the left for lies and incompetance