As usual, Victor Davis Hanson is spot-on — depressingly so

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and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men ….

The Logic in All the Madness

The Biden administration's agendas may have fundamentally changed the country for decades, if not longer—and will require tough remedies that may be almost as unpopular as the wreckage they wrought.

Most Americans believe it is unhinged to deliberately destroy the border and allow 10 million illegal aliens to enter the country without background audits, means of support, any claims to legal residency, and definable skills. And worse still, why would federal authorities be ordered to release repeat violent felons who have gone on to commit horrendous crimes against American citizens?

Equally perplexing to most Americans is borrowing $1 trillion every 90 days and paying 5-5.5% interest on the near $36 trillion in ballooning national debt. Serving that debt at current interest exceeds the size of the annual defense budget and may soon top $1 trillion in interest costs, or more than 13% of the budget.

Why would the United States suspend military aid to Israel as it tries to destroy the Hamas architects of the October 7 massacres? Why would it lift sanctions on a terrorist Iran? Why would it suppress Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack on the Jewish homeland? Why would it prevent Israel from stockpiling key munitions as it prepares to deal with the existential threats posed by Hezbollah?

Why would the Biden administration cancel key pipeline projects and put vast swaths of federal lands rich in oil and gas off limits to production, even as it further drains the strategic petroleum reserve? Why not pump rather than drain our own oil from strategic stockpiles?

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Nihilism only explains so much. A better explanation is that the Biden administration and its handlers knew that there was a good chance that most of their policies would prove unpopular and might even jeopardize Biden’s reelection.

But they also were confident the changes were of such magnitude that the United States would either become—in the infamous phrase of Barack Obama—“fundamentally transformed” or force the next Republican administration to adopt such tough medicine that it would prove untenable politically and the malady would still prove mostly impossible to undo.

After all, how would a Trump administration deal with 10 million illegal aliens who entered the US without audit or legality? Where are they? How would they be found and deported? How many court suits in blue-jurisdictions before blue judges would have to be overcome?

The country has become accultured to a nonexistent border. And so, the left assumes, it would be expensive and difficult to finish the wall, to stop catch and release, to insist refugee status must be obtained before entry, and to deport what is likely now 20-30 million illegal aliens in toto. In other words, the Biden administration may sigh, “Our work is done. Whatever you think about our illegal methods, we forever changed the idea of immigration and the demographics of the country.”

All presidents—Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden—have run deficits and vastly increased the debt since the Bill Clinton-Newt Gingrich compromises that resulted in a temporary period of balanced budgets. But in the case of Biden, there was no need to keep up the multitrillion-dollar deficits, especially as interest rates on the national debt tripled and the service costs now approach $1 trillion per year.

Biden, after all, inherited a recovering economy, flush with post-COVID-19 lockdown stimulatory dollars, pent-up consumer demand, and ossified supply chains. And then he stupidly poured gasoline on the explosive mix by dousing the country with even more federal spending. Now we have the worst of both worlds: high interest rates and nearly $36 trillion to service.

But in the leftist mind, it was worth it, given that left-wing constituencies received vast expansions of entitlements that will be hard to prune back. And unprecedentedly vast debt at levels like our current burden of 123% of annual GDP prove unsustainable. And the historic correctives are brutal: 1) major cuts in entitlements and redistributive spending programs; 2) tax hikes at a time when state, local, federal, and gas, sales, and property taxes—and other “fees”—already take over half the income of most middle-class Americans; 3) hyper-inflation to pay back what is owed with cheap funny money, with the added leftist fillip that those who have dollars lose wealth and those who don’t gain greater access to them; 4) renunciation of debt. We already saw in the Obama era that liberal bureaucrats and courts often reversed the orders of creditors in bankruptcy hearings. When debt becomes unsustainable, historically arise cries of “Why should the poor suffer more when the rich already have enough money and don’t really need to be paid back?”; and 5) efforts to “confiscate” private wealth by giving, in exchange, government “credits.” For example, there have already been floated ideas that 401Ks could be absorbed into the insolvent Social Security system for credit in government benefits.

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The Biden administration sought to curb oil and gas production—save for brief periods before the midterm and reelection campaigns, when it drained the strategic petroleum reserve. The point was to acculturate the public to high gasoline prices, to make inefficient solar/wind/EVs projects competitive against artificially costly fossil fuels, and to institutionalize policies that will make it difficult to reopen closed fields, to reboot federal oilfield leasing, and to dismantle costly subsidies for inefficient green fuels.

That Americans paid hundreds of billions of dollars more for their fuels under Biden, that the auto industry is stuck with vast inventories of money-losing electric vehicles that the public does not want, and that the entire economy has been shackled by counterproductive green mandates were considered worth the cost of alienating the public.

The left knows that neither Alvin Bragg, E. Jean Carroll, Letitia James, Jack Smith, nor Fani Willis would have gone to court against Donald Trump if he was either a leftist or had bowed out of the 2024 presidential race. They know no one has been tried on such pseudo-charges, and no one will again be so charged after Trump. And they accept that no republic can long survive if the opposition party seeks to remove the names of its political opponents from the ballot.

But they also know that the left has now established a valuable precedent: oppose woke progressivism, and one will either become bankrupted by indictments or land before a blue-city jury eager to nullify evidence to ensure the accused is jailed and broke.

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The Biden years did the country great damage and rendered Biden himself one of the most unpopular incumbent presidents in American history. But his agendas may have fundamentally changed the country for decades, if not longer—and will require tough remedies that may be almost as unpopular as the wreckage they wrought.

 

Overpriced and offereing no commission? How could a genius marketing strategy like that possibly fail?

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When bank-owned property at 3 Finney Knoll (link goes to original bank listing) was put on the market in January ‘23 its listing agent set the price of the half-finished project at a very low $725,000 in the hope of stirring up interest and triggering a price war.

That number did generate interest among potential buyers, and two of my own readers were among them. We came, we looked, and with brother Gideon concurring, I advised them against making an offer (advice neither needed; these were experienced people) because there were sure to be higher bids, and the property wasn’t worth more than its asking price, given its history: A local neer-do-well builder had purchased the old 1840 wreck on the parcel in 2006, and attempted to tack on an entirely new house to the existing structure. Money and will ran out before the job was half-done, and, eventually title passed to the lender. There could be no assurance that what had been done had been done properly and well, and a buyer could find himself mired in a money pit with no bottom. Danger, Will Robinson!

I estimated that the top dollar for a finished home here, jammed up against Balducci’s parking lot, was probably around $2.9 to, maybe, $3 million. Gideon was more optimistic, but I think even his number topped out at $3.2. So our buyers passed, and the listing agent sold the place to his own client for $1.125.

Fast forward to this past March, when the same agent listed the now-finished project for $3.999 million with the bold admonition, “Do not let this one get away!” and offered no — zero — commission to cooperating agents. Gideon and I shared a quiet chuckle — nay, a hearty guffaw — at the temerity of an agent grossly overpricing his listing and asking other agents to sell it for him, not for anything as louche as merenbmonetary compensation, but for the challenge of it all, and the experience to be gained in the process.

As it turned out, no buyer’s agent accepted that challenge, so the agent eventually shaved a bit off the price — still above market — and grudgingly offered a 2% commission; that hasn’t worked either, and Friday the listing was cancelled. It will surely be back, but will it return with a different broker, or at least a more realistic price? Stay tuned.

The most recent listing has been removed from the Internet, but here’s it’s MLS data sheet:

home delivery? the balducci deli clerk will just toss your cold cuts over the hedge

Nothing's so persuasive as a lesbian hysteric running around a golf course to effect social change

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Give them credit: they name themselves Extinction Now”, which is exactly what would happen if their demand to stop burning all fossil fuels by 2030 were met. I just hope they’ll be the first to go, and leave me time to enjoy their demise.

We already knew this

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Another 'Conspiracy Theory' Turns Out to Be True: Welfare Offices Hand Out Voter Registration to Illegals

It sure is strange how so many supposed 'conspiracy theories' turn out to be true. The gas stove ban that wasn't happening, until it was (unless you're special, like Kamala Harris) comes to mind.

At the beginning of May, the Biden-Harris campaign mocked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for introducing legislation that would prohibit illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections. It wasn't necessary, the campaign said, because it's already against the law for illegal immigrants to vote in federal elections. The AP dutifully carried water for the administration too, saying illegals voting in federal elections was merely a 'Right-wing talking point.'

Well, guess what? Welfare offices across the country are handing out voter registration forms to illegal immigrants.

That thing the media and the Biden-Harris campaign swore was illegal and wasn't happening.

From the NY Post:

Welfare offices and other agencies in 49 US states are providing voter registration forms to migrants without requiring proof of citizenship, leading Republicans and conservatives to call for swift federal action to stop the handouts.

Every state but Arizona — which recently passed a law barring the practice on state but not federal forms — gives applicants for either welfare benefits, driver’s licenses, or in some cases, mail-in ballots voter registration forms without demanding proof of citizenship.

There is currently no requirement on federal voting forms to provide proof of US citizenship, though it is illegal to falsely claim one is a citizen or for a non-citizen to cast a ballot in a federal election.

But millions of migrants with humanitarian parole, refugee or asylum status are eligible for benefits that would bring them to the offices where voter registration takes place.

Eleven million (or 23, or 30, take your best guess) illegal aliens are now in the country. They already count when apportioning seats in Congress, so the more of them cluster in Democrat states, the more Democrat congressmen are spawned. Now they can vote, and with the increasingly-likely success of the effort to effectively eliminate the electoral college (if you weren’t aware, CT is among the states, all Democrat, that have signed the National Popular Popular Vote Interstate Compact), the future looks bleak. Trump’s vow of a “massive deportation”, by the way, is pretty much hot air: most countries, having rid themselves of their surplus population won’t take them back, and we can’t deport illegals to their home countries if they won’t be admitted. Which, of course, has been the plan all along.

Looks like he’ll fit in perfectly with the current White House staff — Ride 'em, cowboy! (UPDATED)

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White House promotes Biden official who compared police to slave patrols, wants to abolish ICE

Tyler Cherry is now serving as the associate communications director at the White House

In past tweets, Cherry has called for abolishing ICE and likened modern policing to slave patrols

Tyler Cherry was promoted last week as an associate communications director at the White House, after more than three years at the Department of Interior working for Secretary Deb Haaland [as the Department’s principal deputy communications director and senior spokesperson]. The promotion brought renewed attention to some of Cherry’s past incendiary posts. 

"After more than three years at Interior working for Secretary Deb Haaland, Cherry started last week as an associate communications director at the White House," Politico reported this week.

Tyler Cherry sparked controversy last year after social media posts surfaced in which he blasted law enforcement and promoted "Russiagate."

"Praying for #Baltimore, but praying even harder for an end to a capitalistic police state motivated by explicit and implicit racial biases," Cherry posted in 2015 amid riots that were sparked following the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man, in police custody in Baltimore.

"Apt (sic.) time to recall that the modern day police system is a direct evolution of slave patrols and lynch mobs," he stated in a separate post months later.

In 2018, Cherry called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Homeland Security Department agency tasked with preventing cross-border crime and illegal immigration, to be abolished. 

Cherry was also posting support for "Palestine" on social media in 2014 during the Gaza War in which Palestinian forces, led by the radical Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas, launched hundreds of rockets into Israel, sparking a forceful Israeli response that involved airstrikes and a ground invasion.

I’m more upset that this communist, race-baiting, open border advocate has been collecting a salary at the Department of the Interior for the past three years; it’s a good illustration of who Biden’s handlers brought in to run the government during their (single, I hope) term.

Mr. Cherry’s friend, senate staffer Aidan Maese-Czepopski is no longer employed by his boss, MD Senator Ben Cardin (D), but I’m sure he remembers him with fondness, as do we all. Here’s Aidan in action in a Senate hearing room last December:

UPDATE: The Free Beacon named Czepopski a “Man of the year” last December, and their announcement of that award is pretty damn funny. Writing credit was given to its entire staff, and, judging from the avalanche of bad puns, I can imagine the fun they had collaborating on its composition; I suspect beer was involved.

December 29, 2023

When we envision the United States Senate in all its majesty—the Great Triumvirate of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun—we picture distinguished gentlemen waxing eloquently from the floor of the main chamber, what the late senator Robert Byrd referred to as "hallowed ground." But it's in the committee rooms where the sausage gets made—and it's often not pretty. For it is here that senators pound out legislation, launch intrusive probes, and try to sneak in backdoor amendments all while climbing that greasy pole.

And woe to the Senate staffers who behind the scenes work tirelessly round the clock. One, in particular, was getting slammed at work. His name is Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who worked on Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin's (D.) staff. On one occasion, Maese-Czeropski and an unidentified male companion entered the Judiciary Room (possibly through a rear entrance) and engaged in what can only be described as a late-night cramming session. We know this because they took a video of themselves, which then got posted online. Needless to say, it was a real eye-opener.

Now there is a twist to this story: Maese-Czeropski also turns out to be the staffer who confronted Ohio Republican Max Miller to say, "Free Palestine," according to the Jewish congressman. But that, in itself, was not the firing offense. What eventually got Maese-Czeropski canned, we are to presume, was his indiscretion in using a Senate hearing room to ram through his own legislation—rather than, say, some storage space deep in the murky bowels of the Hart Office Building.

We could go on, but you get the thrust of it. Not to mention the irony: Had Maese-Czeropski engaged in such activity in Gaza, Hamas would have torn him apart. (No, not in that way.)

So for his cheeky behavior that will likely leave an indelible stain on the U.S. Senate and make that most magisterial of deliberative bodies the butt of jokes for years to come, we crown Aidan Maese-Czeropski as Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year.

No surprise here

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alternative mode of transportation

Poll: Nearly Half of US EV Owners Regret Purchase

Nearly half of American owners of electric cars want to switch back to traditional cars powered by internal combustion engines, according to a consumer survey released by McKinsey and Co. earlier this month.

The consulting firm surveyed consumers in multiple countries: the U.S., China, Germany, Norway, Australia, France, Italy, Japan and Brazil. Between all of those countries, 29% of electric car owners want to return to driving internal combustion cars, with 46% of surveyed American electric car owners wanting to do so.

This surprised the consulting firm, cutting against received wisdom about people’s switch to electric.

The survey asked owners about the primary reason leading them to want to switch back. The responses were the same ones we've been hearing about ever since the EV mandates began rolling out. The largest percentage cited a lack of charging infrastructure. Nearly as many said that the vehicles are too expensive to purchase and maintain. Others said that planning long trips was too difficult or that they were unable to recharge their vehicles at home.

Current economic conditions both in the United States and abroad are also impacting people's decisions when it comes to whether or not to purchase an EV. Everything is too expensive for many people these days, including vehicles and electric utility costs. (Not to mention food and everything else.) Driving up their costs further just for the privilege of having an EV simply isn't an option. A significant percentage of the drivers who were surveyed said that they planned to "downgrade" to a less expensive vehicle when making their next purchase regardless of which type of car they currently own.

Of course, in some countries, owners have learned to set charging worries aside

The stars come out; who?

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Spoiler alert: It didn’t work

Fox News is out with an opinion piece questioning the wisdom of Biden’s dependence on aging Hollywood celebrities’ to fund and promote his campaign ( “Celebs shower Biden with campaign cash, but could undercut 'Scranton Joe' image”). I make no pretense of being current with modern culture — in fact, I’m clueless — but I look at the “celebrities” endorsing the man and recognize fewer than half their names. In that respect, I’m probably closer to an unemployed steelworker in Pittsburgh than are the Democrat campaign managers who are running Ol’ Dendables’ reelection bid, in that neither that steelworker nor I is going to look up from the morning media blast and say to himself, “Oh, I see that Lin-Manuel Miranda and Shonda Rhimes are endorsing Biden; I guess I’ll vote for him, too.”

Biden’s website declares that “2024 will be a choice between two very different economic visions for America: Donald Trump, who sees the world from his country club at Mar-a-Lago, and President Biden, who sees the world from kitchen tables in Scranton.”

Here’s who Biden promises will be joining ordinary Americans at their kitchen tables:

  • Sara Bareilles, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt

  • Jimmy Kimmel,George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, Jack Black, Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn and Mindy Kaling

  • James Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes, Lenny Kravitz, Wendell Pierce; and

  • Political hacks Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff.

  • Andre Braugher, Ryan O’Neal, Norman Lear, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, David Crosby, Jeff Beck, Sinead O’Connor, Pee-Wee Herman, Jimmy Buffett, Lisa Marie Presley

Pretty unimpressive, except for that last group; if they show up, I might be persuaded.

waiting for joe

How badly does the administrative branch of government want to bury Musk? Here are just a few examples.

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You didn’t know that we’ve added a fourth branch of government to round out the three our racist, white supremacist founders established? Oh, you poor, nieve citizen, you.

Political Insider:

When Elon Musk purchased Twitter, the Biden administration was none too pleased. Mainstream media was also apoplectic with this purchase, rightly concerned that the free speech absolutist at the helm would allow counter voices on the platform, making it exponentially harder to drive the national narrative.

When asked if Mr. Musk’s purchase and the man himself should be investigated, President Joe Biden said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to “look into” Elon Musk, and when pressed about how that could be done, President Biden said:

“There’s a lot of ways.”

And indeed there are.

  1. Department of Justice (DOJ) pursuing criminal charges on alleged undisclosed personal benefits related to Tesla

  2. DOJ Civil Rights Division suit against SpaceX for alleged employment discrimination against foreigners

  3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) demands X to turn over all internal communications related to Elon Musk

  4. FTC requesting X turn over a list of journalists who had access to X’s records

  5. Securities and Exchange Commission investigating Tesla for “forward-looking” statement regarding self-driving software

    US Fish and Wildlife Service reviewing alleged environmental damage caused by SpaceX rockets

The EPA, Fish and Wildlife, “The Office of Commercial Space Transportation” (who knew?)and the FAA (?!) have repeatedly stalled Space X’s program by demanding environmental impact studies for both the Texas and Florida launch sites, approving them, and then revising their requirements and ordering new ones. Just this past May 13, the FAA issued a new demand for new environmental statements for the already-approved launch site on Cape Canaveral; the site has served that purpose for literally decades, but why not another study? Why not another delay to give Boeing a chance to catch up?

Here’s one, possibly the most ridiculous example of what’s going on:

SpaceX had to capture a seal, put headphones on it, and play the sounds of sonic booms, then, presumably, ask it to show on the doll where the rocket hurt it. The feds wanted to know if seals were suffering PTSD or immediate harm from sounds of rocket launches. Why just seals? Whales and pufferfish have feelings, too. 

According to Musk, the seal population has increased around the launch zone, so maybe the sonic booms are a boon to seal sex.