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Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have now both secured the nomination of their respective parties.  Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s appeal of the $83,000,000 defamation judgment against him by a case brought by E. Jean Carroll has been denied.  Recall that E. Jean Carroll has claimed that Mr. Trump assaulted her in a dressing room in a New York department store, but does not remember if it happened in the 20th or 21st century.  Mr. Trump is also currently spending most of his time in a Manhattan courtroom fighting a case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg involving business records from 8 years ago.  This involves one of Mr. Trump’s employees annotating legal expenses as “legal expenses”; the expenses in question are related to payments made to Stephanie Clifford for a non-disclosure agreement through Mr. Trump’s lawyer Mr. Cohen. 

This segment will address the strategy likely to be employed by the traditional media in the 2024 election cycle.  We all know the mainstream media is mostly a Democratic Party operation.  But it is important to remember that the Democratic Party regards the media merely as collection of mental midgets helpful to the cause of the socialist revolution.  The Democratic Party knows that the use of mental midgets only works if the midgets can repeat the propaganda with a clear conscience.  In other words, the members of the media must be confident that they are doing the right thing promoting the Democratic Party’s daily talking points.  It is necessary therefore to have a suitably trained media establishment.  They are in fact conditioned to be oidaphobic, from the Greek phobia (meaning fear), and oida (meaning knowledge or understanding). The media is afraid to know too much: if the mental midgets knew the facts, they could not in good conscience promote the socialist propaganda.  The specific tactics can be illustrated by three corny old jokes.  

First: what is the difference between a “doll” and an “action figure”?  The answer of course is that there is no difference; they are both dolls, but some are called action figures in order to induce boys to play with dolls.  So we have boys play with dolls instead of pursuing baseball, skateboards, and riding bikes.  The tactic: pretend that two identical things are actually different; “boys with dolls”.

Second: How many legs does a dog have if we agree to count the tail as a leg?  The answer of course is that dogs have four legs; calling the tail a leg does not make it so.  The tactic: pretend that two different things are actually identical; “fifth leg on a dog”.

Third: When does a Baptist fail to recognize another Baptist?  The answer is: when both are in the liquor store.  The same is true of Mormons and Moslems, not to mention Catholics at the abortion clinic.  The tactic: don’t see the obvious if it conflicts with the narrative; “Baptists in the liquor store”.

By using these three tactics carefully, the mainstream media can in good conscience perform on behalf of the Democratic Party.  The oidaphobic mental midgets do not want to know too much, and are knowingly unwilling to see the obvious. See how simple?  A few examples should suffice.

We saw during the Rodney King riots of 2020 that ANTIFA and BLM burned down buildings and shut down entire areas of large cities.  But the media referred to these as “mostly peaceful protests”.  We are now seeing large-scale anti-Israel protests where Jewish people are openly attacked on the Ivy League campuses similar to what happened on campuses in Germany in the 1930’s.  But the modern anti-Jewish activism is referred to as “peaceful protests”. Baptists in the liquor store.

The media continues to promote electric vehicles as a partial cure for “man-made climate change”.  But they have to re-charged, which requires electricity, which comes from central power plants (after line losses), which is generated there by burning oil, coal, and natural gas.  No local emissions at the car but more central emissions at the power plant.  Boys with dolls.

Speaking of climate change, the media is fond of telling us that “the science is settled”.  Anyone who claims science is settled knows nothing about science.  Henry Ford’s father told him that no machine would ever replace horses on the farm.  James Clerk Maxwell’s father told him that every conceivable invention had already been made.  There used to be a luminiferous aether until Michelson proved there wasn’t.  Light was once assumed continuous until Albert Einstein and Max Planck proved it was quantized.  You can be certain that the climate modelers of today do not have a complete model or even a complete theory. Even when they do formulate one, there will be a monumental task to obtain a sufficient amount of quality data necessary to input into the model. But the oidaphobic media doesn’t want to know too much.  Baptists in the liquor store.

Mr. Trump is going to be prosecuted for having classified documents at Mara Lago as an ex-President who previously had declassification authority.  Mr. Biden had caches of classified documents in several places, some dating from the 1970’s, for which he had no declassification authority.  But it’s not a problem for Mr. Biden according to the oidaphobic media.  Boys with dolls.

HAMAS, the official military organization of Gaza, attacked and killed 1400 people in Israel 7 Oct 2023, including rape and hostage-taking. Israel’s IDF has taken action to neutralize HAMAS, which has led to some civilian casualties (as in every war).  But our oidaphobic media asserts that when HAMAS kills civilians deliberately, it’s a legitimate tactic; when the IDF does it accidentally, it’s definitely terrorism (and genocide).  Fifth leg on a dog.

There was a time not too long ago when genital mutilation was (correctly) ridiculed as an evil practiced only by primitive bongo-bangers in some obscure craptopia somewhere.  But now we have puberty blockers and surgeries practiced on minors that amount to the same thing, except the oidaphobic media calls it “gender care”.  Boys with dolls.

President Ronald Reagan (who ended the Cold War without firing a shot) was falsely called an “amiable dunce”; President George H. W. Bush (Bush 41) (who was a World War II fighter pilot) was falsely called a “wimp”; and Vice President Dan Quayle was ridiculed for his occasional misstatements.  That is fair enough and expected of a liberal media.  But President Joe Biden is actually all of these rolled into one raised to the tenth power; yet not a word from the oidaphobic media who are not the least bit interested.  Baptists in the liquor store.

The mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and the social media empires will continuously change definitions of words, change contexts, and ignore the obvious.  The people will fail to perceive it and vote accordingly … unless the Republicans find a backbone and figure out how to counter these Marxist tactics.

Four important events have occurred since the fifth installment (15 Feb 2024).  First, Governor Haley dropped out of the Republican primaries, and Mr. Trump has now secured the Republican nomination. Secondly, Mr. Biden has overcome the feeble opposition in the Democratic primaries, and is the presumptive Democratic nominee. Third, some of the charges against Mr. Trump in the Georgia RICO case have been dropped.  Fourth, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was forced to fire her longtime romantic interest (Mr. Nathan Wade) as special prosecutor in the Georgia RICO case against Mr. Trump, although she remains on the case. Judge Scott McAfee made it obvious to all that Fani Willis is untouchable as are all black females who get elected.

This segment will address how the traditional “chaos and confusion” tactic is likely to play out in the 2024 election cycle.  It is in fact one of the oldest political tricks: create a problem, blame someone else, and promise to fix it if re-elected.  Of course, it never gets fixed because the creation of the problem is a result of actual deliberate policy.  The Democratic Party has successfully used this tactic for decades against black people in the large urban areas.  Now it is time to expand it to everyone, using the combination of half-truths, outright lies, changes in the definition of words, and intensive propaganda.

6.1        Immigration

At least 10,000,000 illegal aliens have been released into the U. S. since Jan 2021, most of them on fraudulent asylum claims.  They have been “paroled”, implying that they have been subjected to some legal ruling.  But in fact no such thing has occurred; they have simply been given a date to appear sometime in the next 5 years.  These 10,000,000 have now become a financial burden on many major cities because the Democratic leaders of those cities regard homelessness and hunger a privilege reserved only for U. S. citizens (especially veterans).  So public expenses increase, paid for by the U. S. citizens who are not receiving free housing in 5-star hotels or room service therefrom.

The Democratic Party tactic here is simple.  First, claim that the border is more secure than ever after Mr. Trump’s disastrous policies, i.e., blame someone else. Second, claim that the illegal aliens are actually here legally because the rules and definitions used in the immigration laws have been re-interpreted. Therefore the illegal aliens are “undocumented future citizens”, and anyone who claims otherwise is a xenophobic racist.  See how simple it is to spread mass confusion?

6.2        Crime

It was the Democratic Party that led the charge to de-fund the police while ridiculing them for being overzealous and racist.  It was the Democratic Party that engineered the reduced limitations on robbery, partly eliminated bail requirements, and initiated new rules of engagement that reduce effective policing.  Surprise, surprise, surprise: the criminal element (correctly) recognized these as incentives to commit more crimes.  So crime has increased.  Meanwhile, some crime statistics are down because the public has become inured to it; why report crimes if the police cannot or will not do anything about it owing to the three circumstances above?  The crime situation has gotten bad enough that some places (New York City) are using the National Guard to monitor the subway system.

The Democratic Party tactic here is straightforward: portray the chaos as normal.  First, claim the crime is down because the statistics say so.  Second, claim that the crime that does exist is due to the dereliction of duty on the part of the police.  Therefore, the crime policies are working, but more needs to be done: a) further reduction in the police forces; and b) additional relaxation of bail rules. Anyone who says otherwise is advocating for a fascist police state.

6.3        The Economy

The policies of the Biden administration have affected the economy in several ways.  First, the increased money supply (through deficit spending and issue of U. S. debt) has led to an inflationary cycle.  Secondly, the energy policies have led to an increase in fuel prices, which flows down into all other prices.  The Federal Reserve has done what it can to reduce the rate of inflation by reducing the demand for money, which is accomplished with high interest rates.  Every economist knows the prices lead wages: prices increase faster than wages in an inflationary cycle.  The net result of these is that many people are using credit cards to fund their daily expenses, and are taking second and third jobs to keep pace with the rising cost of living. The increased costs to businesses have also suppressed the natural job growth in a healthy economy.  Meanwhile, the stock market generally has done well because stock prices tend to emulate inflation with a 12 to 18-month time lag. 

The Democratic Party will have no trouble maximizing confusion about the economy with a combination of half-truths and outright lies.  First, the number of new jobs has increased and the official unemployment rate is low, but the other half of the story is that people are taking second and third part-time jobs to maintain their standard of living.  In fact, the total jobs in the U. S. did not recover from pre-pandemic levels until Jul 2022.  Second, use the tactic of large per-month job gains, and admit the other half by quietly revising them downward months later.  The Democrats will then proceed to cast blame.  First, brag about the stock market gains while claiming that those rich investors should be paying more in taxes. Second, admit that rents and mortgage payments are higher, while carefully omitting the role of higher interest rates; then claim that those are both due to greedy landlord and predatory banking practices.  Close the deal by pointing to “new jobs”, statistically low unemployment rates, and the declining inflation rate as proof that the economy is the strongest in human history. Anyone who says otherwise is a greedy capitalist with no empathy for the poor.

6.4        Education

The public schools have been invaded by Marxist theologians that have perpetuated Critical Race Theory, the Transgender Movement, the “1619 Project” and “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”.   All of these are methods of indoctrination in the newest Marxist theories: a) all white people are racists; b) America is inherently flawed and deserving of destruction; c) physical biology is subject to opinion; and d) qualifications are based on race and sex alone  All of these serve to reduce actual education in the traditional subjects.  The teachers unions and many school boards have claimed that parents have no input as to what is being taught in the schools.  Parents have been investigated by federal agencies and accused of terrorism simply for objecting to these subjects in the public schools.  The problem is that many parents cannot afford to send their children to private schools, and are stuck with whatever the public schools offer.  The school boards are caught in the middle between voters (by whom they are elected), parents (for whom they attempt to serve), and the teachers unions (from whom they take orders).  The result is chaos in the public education system, which benefits the Democratic Party.

The Democrat Party’s approach to education is simple: portray the chaos as unwarranted opposition to settled debate and then promise to resolve it.  First, maintain the fiction that parents are the problem, while claiming to be the only advocates for the children.  Second, ridicule anyone who prefers a return to the traditional role of schools (teaching basic subjects without the diversions) as an out-of-touch Neanderthal.  The promise is that the Democratic Party will lead the way to a greater understanding of parents’ concerns, and do what is necessary to alleviate them.  The Democrats will say it; the mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and the social media empires will continuously chant it, and the federal bureaucracy will confirm it.  The people will believe it and vote accordingly … unless the Republicans find a backbone and figure out how to counter this political propaganda.

Two important events have occurred since the fourth installment (26 Jan 2024).  First, Governor Haley lost to “none of the above” in the Nevada primary (which did not award electors) and Trump won the Nevada caucus (which did award electors). Secondly, Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report 5 Feb 2024 detailing Joe Biden’s theft and retention of classified documents between 1974 and 2017, but gave the excuse that Biden cannot be prosecuted because he is a nice old guy with a bad memory.  It should be obvious to all that the fix was in from the very beginning: the administrative state will always issue whatever whitewash is necessary to protect a Democrat.

In this fifth segment, I give some guesses regarding the approach that is likely to be taken by the administrative state in regard to the 2024 elections.  The main point is that the administrative state generally is led by Democrat operatives who desire bigger government with greater regulatory powers.  The administrative state most likely will conjure up anything against the Republicans and cover up anything that is inconvenient for the Democrats.  There will be false allegations that Republicans are being investigated for corruption, child molestation, wire fraud, tax fraud, etc.  It doesn’t matter that all are false; the point is to get the message out, endorsed by prominent current and former members of those organizations, as was done in 2020 with Hunter Biden’s laptop.  Anything to the contrary will be censored if possible and cited as “disinformation” as necessary.  

The general tactic is always the same: accuse, accuse, accuse until some of it sticks in the minds of the voters.  Here is a partial list of tactics that could be used by elements of the administrative state to further the cause of the Democratic candidates.  Keep in mind that the administrative state is mostly concerned with expanding its powers, and is opposed to anyone who is perceived as a threat to those powers

Department of Commerce

Bureau of Economic Analysis:

a. The working people are better off now than ever before in our history

b. The inflationary trend was due to Trump’s policies; it was Biden’s policies that ended it

c. Wages are growing faster now than they did under the Trump administration

Census Bureau:

a. Immigration is essential for American prosperity

b. Immigrants are a net benefit to the nation, especially after they are granted voting rights

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

a. The policies of the Republican will serve only to increase the rate at which the earth is drying out and heating up

b. It is the duty of the government to “encourage” people to save the planet by ending the fossil fuels that the Republicans love so much

Department of Defense

National Security Agency (NSA):

a. The Republican isolationist policy led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930’s, and we should not repeat that mistake

b. Trump’s policy of bankrupting Iran only made Iran more determined than ever to attack the U. S.; the wars in the Middle East are Trump’s doing

Defense Intelligence Agency:

a. Trump is involved in numerous conspiracies with foreign governments designed to turn America into a dictatorship

b. Trump is in turn allied with domestic white supremacy groups who will convince him to establish a Nazi-style dictatorship

Department of Education:

a. Republicans favor standardized tests only because they are written and graded by racists

b. Republicans want to go back to racial segregation of schools

c. Republicans want to end public education to guarantee a poorly educated and permanent economic underclass

d. Republicans want a system of guaranteeing taxpayer-funded education only for the upper classes

Department of Energy:

a. The Republicans are opposed to safe and economical wind and solar, and instead prefer either polluting fossil fuels or dangerous high-risk nuclear plants, both of which endanger the health of the poor, especially minorities

Department of Health and Human Services:

National Institute of Health:

a. Dr. Anthony Fauci is a national hero for his handling of COVID-19, and those who say otherwise are only undermining public health

b. The Democratic policies of lockdowns, masks, and mandatory vaccines during the pandemic saved humanity from the policies of the Republicans

Center for Disease Control:

a. The Republicans support high drug prices as engineered by “Big Pharma” that lead to suffering and death for the poor in order to favor their friends and financiers in the pharmaceutical business

b. The fentanyl problem is due to the Republican policy of letting “Big Pharma” do anything it wants to make money

c. Republicans will impose policies designed to persecute gays, lesbians, and transgender people, including forced sequestration in labor camps

d. Republicans want to abolish abortion nationwide, and impose mandatory life-without-parole for both women and doctors who receive and perform abortions

Department of Homeland Security

Customs and Border Protection:

a. The Southwest border with Mexico is the most secure in our history

b. Only racists oppose immigration

c. The Republicans are holding up legislation that would improve the immigration system

Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA):

a. FEMA is running out of money because the Republicans continue to advocate for energy policies that make adverse weather more likely and more frequent

b. The Republicans would abolish FEMA, since FEMA is essential to helping the poor and minorities during natural disasters

Department of Housing and Urban Development

a. The increase in rent is due to Republican policies that always benefit the landlords

b. The increase housing costs in general are due to high interest rates promoted by Republicans for the benefit of the banks (i.e., “Big Finance”)

c. Republicans are responsible for the policies that led to poverty of the inner cities, which has resulted in the high crime rates

Department of the Interior

a. Republicans are opposed to preserving nature; they would either pave over the national parks or hand them over to their real-estate developer allies

Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):

a. The “January 6th” investigation is expanding, and as many as 500,000 Republicans are under investigation for conspiracy to steal the 2020 election

b. Many Republican operatives are being investigated for money-laundering and spying for our national adversaries

c. White Republicans (especially Catholics and Baptists) are the major internal security threat, owing to their opposition to abortion rights

d. Republicans are funding and supporting anarchist groups such as ANTIFA and their associates

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE):

a. Only white racist Republicans think it is necessary for a citizen to own a gun; only the Democratic gun-control policies (regulation, prohibition, and excise taxes) can keep Americans safe

Department of Labor:

Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA):

a. Republicans are opposed to reasonable regulations designed to make workers safe

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):

a. Republican policies caused the Consumer Price Index to increase the fastest for the poor while suppressing their wages; thus a lower standard of living

b. Job creation and wage increases under Biden are the best it has been in our history

Department of State:

a. Russia attacked Ukraine as a result of a conspiracy between Trump and Putin

b. China is threatening Taiwan as a result of a conspiracy between Trump and Xi

c. North Korea has resumed testing missiles as a result of a conspiracy between Trump and Kim

d. HAMAS attacked Israel as a result of a conspiracy between Trump and unidentified terrorist groups in the Middle East

e. Iran continued to enrich uranium throughout Trump’s presidency but has stopped under Biden

f. Iran funded HAMAS, Hezbollah, and the Houthi’s using money provided to Iran during the Trump administration

Department of Transportation:

a. Republican policies are responsible for failing bridges and potholes

Department of the Treasury:

Office of Domestic Finance:

a. Republicans are responsible for: a) the high and growing national debt; b) high inflation; c) high interest rates; and d) decline in the regard for the U. S. dollar internationally

b. Republicans want to tax and regulate small businesses out of existence so as to reduce the competition faced by their large corporate friends

Internal Revenue Service:

a. Wealthy people in Republican States pay less in taxes than those in Democratic States because Republicans are greedy

b. Wealthy Republicans generally do not “pay their fair share”, but Democrats always do

c. A large number of Republican officeholders engage in questionable tax maneuvers that are currently being investigated

d. Republican low-tax policies injure the poor and middle class by depriving the government of revenue to assist them

Department of Veterans Affairs:

a. Republicans favor private health care for veterans to help “Big Pharma” and “Big Medical”, instead of the superior services provided by the VA

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

a. Republicans want to end affirmative action because they are afraid that “people of color” might succeed

Environmental Protection Agency:

a. Republican policies will: a) destroy the environment; b) make most of the U. S. uninhabitable; and c) lead to the extinction of many types of animals, starting with the polar bears and penguins. 

b. Republican environmental policies are invented by anti-science lunatics who deny that the climate is changing, and want only to reward their rich fossil-fuel friends with greater profits at the expense of the people, especially the poor

Central Intelligence Agency:

a. Republicans generally are stooges in the service of Putin, Xi, Maduro, and Kim

b. All those who have made negative reports about Biden or any other Democrat are being investigated as foreign agents

Federal Election Commission:

a. Many local Republican election officials are conspiring to steal the 2024 election by altering election rules without legislative action

b. Republicans are implementing ways to suppress the voters in Democratic areas

c. Republicans want to go to paper ballots because it is easier to stuff the ballot boxes than to alter voting machines

Federal Reserve

a. Republican policies always favor “Big Finance”, and if elected, Americans will have perpetual high interest rates

b. Republicans want to abolish the Federal Reserve and return the banking system to the “wild west”, where only Republicans and their friends will prosper

Social Security Administration:

a. The Republicans want to abolish Social Security (and Medicare and Medicaid) and force the elderly to beg on the streets for charity

Summary:

The administrative state bureaucrats and Democrats will say it; the mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and the social media empires will continuously chant it.  The people will believe it and vote accordingly … unless the Republicans find a backbone and figure out how to counter this political propaganda.

Since the third installment (16 Jan 2024), Governor DeSantis has left the Republican presidential campaign just prior to the New Hampshire primary; he endorsed Mr. Trump.  Governor Hutchinson ended his campaign immediately after the Iowa caucus. Their exit leaves Governor Nikki Haley as the main rival to Mr. Trump and she now has what she always wanted: a two-person race.  Mr. Trump defeated Governor Haley in the New Hampshire primary by a margin of 55 to 44.

This fourth installment discusses the Democratic Party’s approach to energy policy during the campaign.

The Biden administration adopted energy policies that reversed all of Trump’s policies.  Trump’s policy was overall energy independence via domestic production, which was achieved for the first time in 2019, accomplished partly by moderating regulation and partly by innovations in the energy industry. The U. S. has remained a net energy exporter since 2019; “energy” in this context including oil, natural gas, and refined products.  Biden’s first energy policy was to reverse Trump’s oil production policy: Biden decreased production by reducing the amount of federal land that could be leased; and also imposed greater regulations on private leases.  This initially caused a drop in supply and thus an increase in prices especially as the Wuhan virus faded.  That in turn had two effects.  First, the increase in oil prices made oil production very profitable for Russia, which permitted Russia to finance its war against Ukraine.  Secondly, Biden’s policy increased the domestic cost of energy, which increased the costs and prices of most consumer goods in the U. S.  This contributed to what is commonly called  “inflation” and the increase in the Consumer Price Index (cost of living), as shown previously in Part 3.

Domestic crude oil production has since increased even higher than pre-pandemic levels, owing to efforts made by the oil and gas industries.  Figure 4-1 shows the overall domestic crude oil production, imports, and exports for the period 2015 to 2022. 

Figure 4-1: Crude Oil Domestic Production, Imports, and Exports, 2015-2022

Biden’s second energy policy was to end construction of the various pipelines what would have brought Canadian oil to the U. S. and thus would have lowered prices. That has led to a stagnation in the oil imports from Canada (our friendly reliable neighbor), and has increased imports from other nations not-so-friendly.  Figure 4-2 shows a sample of how oil imports have changed in the past 9 years; notice that imports from Russia increased dramatically 2021, until the invasion of Ukraine.  Imports from Venezuela resumed in 2023 after a three-year hiatus; we have even begun to import oil from Iran (albeit a small amount).

Figure 4-2: Oil Imports from Selected Nations, 2015-2023

Biden’s first two policies caused an overall increase in crude oil prices at a time when domestic demand was rising as the nation came out of the Democrat-inspired depression during the Wuhan virus pandemic.  Figure 4-3 shows the average price of crude oil between 2017 and 2023. The average price per barrel from Jan 2017 to Feb 2020 (i.e., the Trump administration prior to the Wuhan virus) was $60.67. The average price between Mar 2021 and Nov 2023 (i.e., the Biden administration after the Wuhan virus) was $84.04.  The resulting increase in oil prices proved beneficial to Russia; at $50 to $60 per barrel, Russia can break even; at $85 per barrel, he can afford to begin and continue the war in Ukraine.  Thus the Biden energy policy was an indirect cause of a foreign policy problem, which he has thus far failed to mitigate.

Figure 4-3: Average Crude Oil Price, $/Barrel, 2015-2023

Naturally the increase in crude oil prices increased the retail prices of gasoline and diesel, as shown on Figure 4-4.  Note that these are nationwide averages; a few States have very low excise taxes on fuels and some (such as New York and California) have very high taxes.  There was a time in the summer of 2022 when California residents were faced with gasoline prices upwards of $6.50 per gallon.

Figure 4-4: Average Retail Prices of Gasoline and Diesel, 2015-2023

Biden’s third policy was to deplete the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to mitigate the first two.  Figure 4-5 shows the status of the Strategic Oil Preserve between 2015 and 2023.  It does not appear that his reduction in the Reserve made much difference in the retail price of fuels.  Here we have a reduction in a supply reserved for emergencies that accomplished nothing.  The Biden administration has recently begun to replenish the SPR, but no schedule has been published to indicate when it will be back to the previous levels under Presidents Obama and Trump.

Biden’s fourth energy policy was to promote legislation to increase subsidies for electric cars in order to “save the planet”.  We are discovering the hard way that electric cars are not ready for prime time.  First, they are difficult to maintain and are less reliable in very hot and very cold climates (i.e., the desert Southwest in the summer, and the entire northern part of the U. S. in the winter).  Secondly, they generally cost more than gas-powered cars.  Third, it is difficult to travel long distances due to the scarcity of charging stations and the time required for a re-charge.  Fourth, an efficient home charging system may cost up to $3,000; an extra expense not necessary with gas cars.  Fifth, it is risky to buy a used EV because the remaining battery life cannot be accurately estimated.  The major auto manufacturers now realize that the public doesn’t want them regardless of the subsidies, and they are incurring large losses on production.  You can be certain that those car manufacturers will be bailed out for their losses, since they increased production at the instigation of the federal government.  Thus another expense for the taxpayers with no benefit realized. 

Figure 4-5: Volume of Strategic Oil Reserve, 2015-2023

So the Democratic Party’s plan for the election can be summarized in a few points. First, Biden will use every trick he can to subsidize gasoline, including another depletion of the Strategic Oil Reserve.  Biden can then falsely claim that “gas prices are down 30% since their peak in 2022”, conveniently ignoring the fact that the Biden administration’s policies caused them to increase from $2.25 per gallon to $5.00 per gallon in 2022.  Second, the increase in oil prices and retail gasoline will be blamed on “price-gouging” by the evil sinister oil companies, “corporate greed” in general, and the “COVID-19 emergency”.  Third, the continuing demand for gas cars and rejection of the electric vehicles will be blamed on those “insurrection-supporting” Republicans who selfishly refuse to give up their traditional (i.e., reliable) cars.  Fourth, the Democratic candidates will claim that all is well: domestic energy production has increased; that Democratic polices are “saving the planet,” and the price of gas is lower than its peak.  Thus the “catastrophe caused by Trump” has been mitigated by the superior policies of the Democrats; the “America First” movement was inherently wrong and it is now a bad memory.  Thus, the future looks better than ever as soon as Democrats secure the elections.  The Democrats will say it; the mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and the social media empires will continuously chant it, and the federal bureaucracy will confirm it.  The people will believe it and vote accordingly … unless the Republicans find a backbone and figure out how to counter this political propaganda.