Photo: Getty Images
Biden’s Plan to Do “That”, Trump Endorsements & Hurricane Forecasting - Top 3 Takeaways – May 25th, 2022
- It’s all part of the plan. President Biden’s been called a gaffe machine by some. A puppet of sorts by others. You need look no further than the President’s most recent trip to Asia to find examples which potentially support both notions. When President Biden answered a reporter’s question regarding whether the US would militarily defend Taiwan, he simply said: Yes, it's what we promised. The President didn’t seem confused or unclear when delivering that answer but immediately thereafter the White House staff once again “clarified” that the position remains one in which the US would provide Taiwan with military equipment as opposed to militarily standing with them. Just a slight distinction, isn’t it? And could it be that Biden’s position is different than that of whoever is behind the teleprompter to borrow an Elon Musk analogy? But aside from matters of what could be World War III, there was another statement made before he mercifully (if you’re the White House staff), made his way back to D.C. In yet another press conference, this one a joint affair with Japan’s Prime Minister, he had this to say when addressing gas prices here at home. Quoting Biden: When it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over. Hmm, much like the declarative statement on Taiwanese-Chinese affairs, that projects clarity. God willing, when it's over, the world will be less reliant on fossil fuels? Does that sound as though this may be intentional to you? Does that sound like a president that’s concerned with your plight or relishing the opportunity for what you might call a “Great Reset”, as articulated by the World Economic Forum – which incidentally is currently taking place in Davos. And is it not consistent with Biden’s day one priority of taking executive action to kill the Keystone XL Pipeline and his week one agenda of banning energy harvesting on 2.46 billion acres of land while cranking up regulations on all others? I haven’t seen the “White House”, or puppet master, as the case may be, “clarify” that comment. So, all of this really does appear to be all part of the plan. Whoever's it may be. So yes, Biden did do that. Intentionally. But hey, it's so much better to no longer be energy and baby formula independent. This is so much better than paying $2 for gas and finding baby formula on store shelves...because there’s still no-Trump tweets. Right? Speaking of Trump...
- Where and when Trump endorsements matter. Much will be made of Trump’s unsuccessful endorsement of David Perdue over incumbent Governor Brian Kemp in Georgia. But there’s much less to the story than meets the eye or grabs a headline...though there is a potential lesson to be learned by Trump about when it makes sense to get involved. There aren’t two Republican politicians in the state of Georgia better known than Brian Kemp, the incumbent Governor and David Perdue – a US Senator as recently as fourteen months ago. When your opinion is already formed about a politician, do you really care about an outside opinion – even if it’s Donald Trump’s? Going against Kemp was always a losing battle. He has a net positive approval rating of 9-points in Georgia right now. That’s across voters of all political stripes let alone Republicans. If you have someone you like who’s already doing the job, why would you oust them to bring in someone else? Especially when that someone else lost their last election? Trump endorsements matter when people he can influence haven’t made up their minds. This race wasn’t that. His endorsements don’t matter any less today than they did yesterday, but he should learn when and where his endorsements matter – regardless of what he thought Kemp should have done differently in 2020’s election (which was what this really was all about for him anyway).
- What really mattered in NOAA’s hurricane forecast. By now you’ve heard the Hurricane season forecasts from AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, Colorado St. University and your neighbors. Yes, it’s NOAA’s “official” forecast, no it's not really any different than what you’ve heard. And while I could once again debate the scientific merits of continuing to call seasons like the one that’s projected “above average” when in reality, better technology is simply leading to more storms being named (making all recent seasons appear to be “above average” even when they’re historically not). What really mattered is what won’t gain headlines today. The enhancements in technology which will again be applied this year. Among the improvements are enhancements in intensity forecasting, rainfall outlook, storm surge and storm track. Given the noticeable improvements in recent years, it’s notable there’s more for this season. That’s what really mattered in NOAA’s hurricane forecast.