That special quality could be a lot of different things, but it's not going to be a politician carefully shaping his message around the goal of getting elected. That's so unappetizing.
But listening to "The Daily," I heard some snippets of Biden's podcast, specifically his interview with Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and they were talking about — I think they were talking about — the very subject I was just saying I wanted to hear more talk about. Here's what I wrote 3 days ago:
Why aren't people saying that when we emerge in phases from this lockdown — as we must, or we face economic doom — we should not attempt to go back to everything that we were doing before but go forward into some livable, workable form of the Green New Deal?I know how to listen to the Biden podcast with Inslee, but I'm not motivated to the point where I'm going to do that, partly because I value my time and hate to give a speaker control over it and partly because as a blogger, I need text. But I will read, because I can scan it at my own speed, and because I can copy and paste. I don't have to do my own transcription to write about it. So where is the transcript?! I can see one transcript at Joe Biden's podcast page — it happens to be with Ron Klain — but I can't find the Inslee transcription.
Shouldn't the Democrats be saying this? Where's Joe Biden?
Did Biden embrace a Green New Deal approach to emergence from the lockdown? I can't believe I'm supposed to slog through a podcast to understand. So frustrating!
Posts
143 comments:
You're supposed to read / listen to these things so we don't have to. That was the deal.
Everything about Biden is frustrating.
Most folks would like to get back to normal, screw the GND.
You could use the Rogan time to listen to other podcasts.
Rogan and what's his name - googles - Ben Shiparo are unlistenable. Just to name two who are supposed to be popular for no reason I can imagine.
It's sort of a TED talk quality.
Ben Domenech has the best voice in podcasting hands down. The Federalist Radio Hour used to be Monday through Friday, but it's more three days a week now. I listen to every episode.
"embrace a Green New Deal approach to emergence from the lockdown?"
So we are clear, aren't we, that prog shutdowns now serve prog political purposes, not "health"--if they every did.
"Because of the lockdown, Biden can't do any of the conventional campaign activities..." You could have left off the first four words. Or changed to "Because his brain is soft as cream cheese..."
I can't listen to Ben Shapiro. I don't know how people do it. Same with Jonah Goldberg. Two of the most annoying voices in podcasting. I don't think Rogan is as bad of a voice as either of them.
I like Shapiro's interviews. I don't think they're podcasts though. He mainly let's the other person talk without interruption.
Biden is on both sides. Join the ropeline and find out.
First, however, we can marvel how leftist and faux-leftist pols secure family wealth with insider private-y server-y deals with nations like Russia, China and Ukraine.
I'd be morbidly curious about how a supposed Green New Deal advocate would attempt to make some sort of argument around the restarting of the economy. Right now it seems like we've just added another 6 trillion to our debt. So I guess what's another 30 trillion? It's all pretend money anyway I guess, we just keep prining. That's worked pretty well for other countries in the past right?
Better not say that somebody should put a stick of dynamite in his mouth to wake him up. The dude has Secret Service protection.
Also, was that really a stick of dynamite in the cartoons, or an exploding cigar, a practical joke you don't see much nowadays? Or maybe somebody was just happy to see someone?
Biden’s podcast is the best any Democrat can hope for concerning his campaign. Once he gets out in those bright spotlights, it will be disastrous.
Yahoo News headlined the sexual harassment charges against Biden this morning, so I think your pounding on the drums has been heard, professor.
Yahoo News is stridently TDS.
The Dems are testing the waters on dumping Biden.
embrace a Green New Deal approach to emergence from the lockdown?
I wonder what that means to you, Professor? What does that look like?
What things were stopped by the lockdown that should never restart? And how do you do that?
GND is bullshit. The fact that they even consider cattle emissions is just one tell. Unless those cows are eating fossil fuels, the carbon they emit is already cycling. Once upon a time, it was recognized that biodiesel (which was actually the original diesel fuel) was better than petroleum-based diesel because the carbon from plants was already cycling. Assuming you believe in AGW.
A "workable" form of the Green New Deal would be so unlike the proposed Green New Deal that it makes no sense to pretend we should be talking about some kind of workable form of it.
Joe Biden can't campaign right now, but he has no need to. There will be plenty of time in the fall for a proper campaign. What he should be doing now is war gaming with his staff how to reassert his relevance when the time comes and highlight his strengths, whatever they may be.
Given how little he seems to be doing now, hopefully, for him, that is exactly what he's doing.
At Peace Plaza East, we’ve built a brutalist green skyscraper with gardens on the outside. Your own ecopodment. 1,200 calories of daily bug-paste. Make honey for the hive. Buzzzzzzzz....
There’s nothing new about this deal. It will make you green with envy.
Namaste.
The fact that they even consider cattle emissions is just one tell
We solved the bison fart problem. Excelsior.
Biden is lucky that there is no one listening (or reading a transcript).
Imagine diagramming Joe's sentences.
White bodies, yellow bodies, brown and black bodies, all juxtaposed in the space of HUD approved living quarters. A new Monorail. Collective work projects. Earthsong in The Human Pagoda.
The horizon fades ever and forever when we move.
It seems to me Biden could do a lot more if he wanted to. Any of the Networks or lib cable shows would be happy to give him regular air time. I'm sure they'd work with him so he could do interviews and so forth from his home.
But he doesn't want to do that. Better to let people imagine him than see him?
"Biden's frustrating campaign by podcast."
A real campaign would be so much less frustrating -- for us deplorables, eager as we are, deplorably, to ridicule Slow Joe.
The original New Deal required a great depression. What will the GND require?
There are definitely those who believe the shutdown lockdown was a dry run for New Green Deal. Myself included. But I think it backfired.
There are a LOT of pissed off people simmering/boiling so, no, not gonna happen. There’ll be protests and a bigger push back now. We don’t want scarcity of toilet paper and empty food shelves like Venezuela. Or Cuba. Hey at least Cuba has a great education system /sarc.
There’ll be some hard core libs who change some of their ways, but the celebs and so called leaders (and most of the left honestly) really don’t think the rules apply to them anyway. So they’ll get no traction. Unless there’s just an offset tax they can pay that the plebs can’t afford (like the carbon offsets they claim they pay to someone so they can fly their private jets).
Like I said, rules don’t apply to them.
Because of the lockdown, Biden can't do any of the conventional campaign activities
serious question:
Does ANYBODY think that Jo Biden could (or Should) do any of the conventional campaign activities?
Just like Hilary polled worse, the more she campaigned; i think the more people actually See the decrepit, demented, senile old fool... The worse for Jo Biden
He needs to ONLY do scripted, edited, shot and reshot, videos. NOTHING Live!
I suspect Biden's podcast problem is that he is surrounded by people telling him how great it is.
The Dems have the Amazing Mr Biden in hiding.He is the single worst candidate in political history. They would be better off nominating Romney.
Yes the smart thing to do is to go back to our old comfortable ways of profligate pollution and eating and consuming because unless we continue useful eating, the Davos billionaires will have their vig reduced.
"I wonder what that means to you, Professor? What does that look like?
What things were stopped by the lockdown that should never restart? And how do you do that?"
I'm thinking mostly of the use of fossil fuel to travel by plane and by car, including the commuting to work. Maybe get more people working from home. Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure.
It took me a while to get used to Shapiro, and when he gets on a tear regarding Israel I tend to get a little bored (even though I agree with him) - but I like the fact that he presents long excerpts rather than tiny inflammatory soundbites. And as mentioned above, good interviews are good - he is all about letting the guest have the mike (in contrast to, say, the vaunted Terri Gross, to whom I can no longer listen on my best day).
My husband listens to Mark Levin - now there's a voice for silent films.
"I don't think Rogan is as bad of a voice as either of them."
You have to watch, not listen to Rogan. I think a lot of the fun in his work is the reactions, etc. of the guests. The visual part is key.
Biden's mouth is self-exploding-- no TNT required
...and Hillary/DNC is waiting ready with the anvil
Earn your degree in Science and Art advocacy in just 6 months. You’ll be writing real journalism and hobnobbing with the Human Pagoda elite in no time flat.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
I shouldn't have written it that way. We've already cut back. Now the question is going forward — emerging — and we should do that with careful consciousness. What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?
If the Dems toss out Biden, that would be the second consecutive campaign in which they tossed out the primary results and rigged the nomination.
What does that tell you about the party?
I'm thinking mostly of the use of fossil fuel to travel by plane and by car, including the commuting to work. Maybe get more people working from home. Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure.
So what form would that be in terms of legislation? For example, would you be in favor of legislation that mandates the amount of non essential air travel an American citizen is allowed per year?
Why doesn't Joe Biden do interviews or take questions from voters?
Because he can't. He might fall asleep during the interview.
The reemergence is a great opportunity. Where is the vision and the intelligence? Is Biden hiding out in his basement or are he and his people working on something that can genuinely benefit us?
The reemergence is a great opportunity. Where is the vision and the intelligence?
An opportunity to toss out market capitalism and do top down social and economic engineering?
A market capitalist system works on individual choices in the marketplace, not on egghead visions and expert intelligence.
I thought you said you weren't a Marxist.
"I'm thinking mostly of the use of fossil fuel to travel by plane and by car, including the commuting to work. Maybe get more people working from home. Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
You don't need a Green New Deal to do those things. If you're opposed to travel by plane and car, don't do it. If working from home is important to you, find that kind of a job.
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that nude eel in your hand?
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that nude eel in your hand?
Yeah.
I'm goin' down to sniff my old lady
You know I caught her global warmin' with another man.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
Our host reminds me of my next project:
I'm going to get really active about shaming people for their internet use. Did you know the carbon footprint of the internet is about that of commercial aviation? That every time you connect your computer to the internet, you should think of a hairdryer firing up somewhere else? Do we all need to be here doing this, after all?
Now, it might seem hypocritical of me to be on the web shaming people for their internet use, but it's no different than flying to climate change conferences. My use of the internet is important. Yours is non-essential.
Humans are social creatures. You're calling for curtailing what makes humans human...
It would be a good start for lefties to stop the junkets for administrative types, jetting around the world to meet with other bureaucrats to tlk about what's working to control other people.
...and that what its always about. Not the sexual misconduct or the environment but controlling other people. It's what makes lefties lefties...
Whew!
You’ve blown me away, prof.
After all that insistence on how you’re really a capitalist, you just went all in on central command and control, and collectivist economic decision making.
So, you’re an all out Marxist. Thanks for clarifying.
It just took the “opportunity” of a crisis for you to take off the mask.
Half of the traffic here is soccer moms driving their babies to and from school so they don't have to ride a bus. And then buses too.
I'd bet most teachers would love to keep "teaching" from home because whee! no more "classroom management" problem.
But it's become painfully obvious that a large subset of students will do absolutely nothing and are tech illiterates. It's poverty, and trauma, you know.
Such students were socially promoted just for showing up before. What will happen to this group? And what about muh daycare?
If you don't know how to balance your fucking checkbook how are you going to get the big stuff right?
We are LIVING the Green New Deal, and nobody likes it. THIS is Utopia...get used to it.
Ms Althouse:
You don't understand, you are not supposed to understand. If you have nothing of substance to say you must "baffle 'em with BullS___".
Most of the internet carbon footprint consists of pornography, gaming and Netflix.
Little text things like this dont count.
Photosynthesis... scourge of mankind!
Nonessential business travel will probably be reduced after this is over, but there will be much anger if people can't take their annual vacation trips any more and celebs are still jetting off to Cannes and execs are still flying over to check up on and inspire their slaves in Guangzhou.
The green new deal is a political death sentence nationally, which is why Sleepy Joe is sleeping on it.
Especially after six weeks and counting of getting a taste of what it would actually be like with economic activity artificially depressed.
Not hard to understand at all.
"So what form would that be in terms of legislation? For example, would you be in favor of legislation that mandates the amount of non essential air travel an American citizen is allowed per year?"
Sorry, I'm not a policy wonk. I want to see the Democrats make an offer — a real offer and stake the election on it.
Personally, I don't like to see a lot of legislation controlling people. I'd prefer cultural change — with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other.
I certainly wouldn't impose quotas or any sort of concept of "essentialness."
I think this re-emergence gives a huge pivot opportunity for Trump rather than Biden. Place environmental compliance tariffs on All imports that are manufactured using low environmental pollution standards subject to on-site inspection and testing by American professionals that the exporter has to pay for.
Require all immigration quotas to be determined based on the carbon footprint Delta that would result.
Maybe develop adequate skepticism about the idea that humans are changing the temperature of the planet through CO2? That would be a better use of your time. try reading Steve McIntyre's work on Michael Mann. Tough sledding for a law prof, but more fruitful than fretting over a non-existent problem.
Maybe develop adequate skepticism about the idea that humans are changing the temperature of the planet through CO2? That would be a better use of your time. try reading Steve McIntyre's work on Michael Mann. Tough sledding for a law prof, but more fruitful than fretting over a non-existent problem.
The only way any of this stuff works that you're dreaming of professor is a carbon tax.
sound and fury, signifying nothing (told by a biden)
"After all that insistence on how you’re really a capitalist..."
What insistence? You're just imagining things about me. I don't blog about capitalism versus socialism. That's your thing.
"The reemergence is a great opportunity."
Presumably many of Biden's handlers see it that way and will treat it that way after the election. That's not the face they want to present to the voters now, though. They're going to portray Biden as the return-to-normal incrementalist.
Slogan: "It'll be like not having a president at all!"
"working on something that can genuinely benefit us?"
Again, we see the roots of Althousian politics. Government exists to allow us to do things, rather than the other way around.
We (us over here) will re-emerge from lockdown with a bang, as soon as people will sell us airline tickets and trains and taxis and hotel rooms and restaurant meals.
We will do our level best to recover the economy of all of Europe as fast as possible, and we shall burn as much fuel as we can manage.
If just two can create a belle epoque, then we will try.
And I cannot believe Althouse believes a Green (sic) New (sic) Deal (sic) is a good idea.
By whom does Althouse believe her pension and promised retirement benefits would be paid?
Or the benefits of others who may not be as well situated?
Should the plan to reduce the number of people and increase government control be taken seriously?
No.
And not just no but fuck no.
" I'd prefer cultural change — with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other."
This will be the natural by-product of a pandemic. No legislation needed.
“... we should not attempt to go back to everything that we were doing before but go forward into some livable, workable form of the Green New Deal?“
The Green New Deal? Krikey! It was crazy then, but it’s not crazy now? Really? If I was into conspiracy theories, this idea is great fodder: Democrats using a crisis created by ChiComs to forward a crackpot AOC platform.
Democrats are looking more and more like ChiComs every day.
If Dems win the White House, they will install regulations and policies which will absolutely strangle the economy. Just like what happened under Obama. Remember the Dems and their media whores claiming the "New Normals" were 7-8% unemployment and GDP growth of 1%? Then Trump took office and showed the media whores were wrong and the Obama Admin was full of idiots.
Calling oneself a capitalist means that you support the Fiat money banksters who congregate in build-a-burger and davos the council on foreign relations and they control the Deep state.
What is fair and good for the coming generations?
Sounds like central planning to me.
"Personally, I don't like to see a lot of legislation controlling people."
Controlling people is what government does. If you're interested in cultural change, you're using the wrong tool.
What insistence? You're just imagining things about me. I don't blog about capitalism versus socialism. That's your thing.
Well, then, your husband's insistence.
Feminism is an offshoot of Marxism. So, I've always basically had you in that camp.
That New Woman, New Man thing you keep harping on is a Bolshevik obsession.
Feminism is an evil Bolshevik ideology.
"What is fair and good for the coming generations?"
Now you ask.
What is fair and good for the coming generations is not burdening them with trillions of dollars in debt, not madly reducing economic growth, not shutting down education to somehow protect old and sick people.
Of course, nobody actually gives a damn, except insofar as "coming generations" can be used as a tool to justify the next insane project. "It's for the children!"
pipe down creosote (I used it for Pritzker, but it fits
Howard: "go back to our old comfortable ways of profligate pollution . . .?"
What pollution? American's air and water are cleaner and purer than they have ever been since the dawn of the industrial revolution. (And I'm referring to pre-Covid.)
Referring to that state of affairs as "profligate pollution" can really only mean that you think we should go back to pre-industrial life.
No thanks.
The Democratic party is making a mistake here. Biden is not an eloquent speaker and he doesn't have the gift of longer oratory. Why not rely on the media and local party structures to communicate the Democratic message to the voters (i.e., "Orange man is bad"). Isn't less Joe the answer? But if Biden wants to be a part of the campaign, why not use Zoom to "visit the living rooms" of average Americans? A casual conversation with Joe. Nothing too strenuous.
Anne-I-am. Steve McIntyre completely agrees with the ipcc and their policy recommendations. That is a completely separate issue from the hockey stick which is in fact bullshit.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
"Personally, I don't like to see a lot of legislation controlling people. I'd prefer cultural change — with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other. "
I don't understand the meme, but I think you're talking about an army of Karens.
You got to give it to her fellows... That tiny skinny old retired lady sure knows how to troll you people. Thank God for social distancing otherwise you people would be infecting hundreds with all the spit that is flying out of your mouth
"The reemergence is a great opportunity. Where is the vision and the intelligence? Is Biden hiding out in his basement or are he and his people working on something that can genuinely benefit us?"
You're looking for vision and intelligence from Joe Biden or his people?
Oy vey......
So, your only departure from Marxism is your belief in freedom of speech, professor.
That makes you a Menshevik.
I suggest you take a long look at what the Bolsheviks eventually do to the Mensheviks.
It's an illusion on your part to think that this time the result will be different.
"Personally, I don't like to see a lot of legislation controlling people."
Then why are you looking to the democrats to do it?
I'm not being snarky. The President and Congress do legislation.
Biden reaching out to a niche candidate, like Inslee who has the personality of a turnip, isn't a good look,
"Calling oneself a capitalist means that you support the Fiat money banksters who congregate in build-a-burger and davos the council on foreign relations and they control the Deep state."
This may be true, but socialism is the all-time shittiest alternative.
Sing it with me:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
"What is fair and good for the coming generations?"
Doesn't the Democratic party support the right to prevent coming generations?
Biden is smart to show as little of himself as possible, excepting the occasional softball interview. He will lay low until September, when he can present himself as the man to right all of Trump's wrongs. After all, we will still have mass unemployment, and nobody knows what the product shortages are going to be. Maybe food, which can upend a society pretty quickly.
Biden can say: I would have done this, and this, and this, and we wouldn't be in this pickle. If you think this won't work, consider the catchphrase of the coming campaign: "Joe Biden saw this coming like a freight train!"
"The only way any of this stuff works that you're dreaming of professor is a carbon tax."
Yeah, Prohibition or taxation are the only available methods that I can see.
I don't blog about capitalism versus socialism.
Yes, you do. Feminism is Marxism.
Howard said...
Yes the smart thing to do is to go back to our old comfortable ways of profligate pollution and eating and consuming because unless we continue useful eating, the Davos billionaires will have their vig reduced.
Is anyone here is insisting that people "go back to their old comfortable ways," or that some personal re-think is necessarily a bad thing.
Just a return the freedom to do so or not do so in such degree as by their own choosing, not someone else's.
"What is fair and good for the coming generations?"
To crush your enemies
See them driven before you
And to hear the lamentation
Of their women
Oh wait..
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
Actually, we're planning to increase our travel for pleasure: to enjoy ourselves, to stimulate the economy, to let service workers know we care, and as our own little act of rebellion against neopuritanism.
"with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other"
Indeed. I am already trying to influence people to resist further insanity, and to become more conscientious about selfish behavior that serves old people now but harms the coming generations. Helping!
Is Biden hiding out in his basement or are he and his people working on something that can genuinely benefit us?
If they have something plausible, they're doing a fine job of keeping it a secret to date.
“Sorry, I'm not a policy wonk. I want to see the Democrats make an offer — a real offer and stake the election on it.”
So, Professor, what is it about the Democrat Party you still don’t understand?
Democrats deal in generalizations and lies. They don’t stake elections on anything concrete. When they lie they rely on the media to cover for them. Go back to the early 2000s. “I was for Bush’s war before I was against it” “Marriage is between a man and a woman.” “The great threat to the nation is illegal immigration.” “Abortion should be safe, legal and rare.” Etc. So it is with moral relativists.
Here is their only offer: We will provide you with the opportunity to vote against Trump and the Republicans and we and our allies in the leftmedia will continue to pursue one-Party rule.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
I shouldn't have written it that way. We've already cut back. Now the question is going forward — emerging — and we should do that with careful consciousness. What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?
I'm willing to start with this. Let's start by banning private jets for celebrities\politicians. They can travel commercial like the rest of us cattle. No first class upgrades for them either, they can live with coach travel. Think about how many more seats they could fit on the plane by eliminating all those unnecessary large seats and bars, etc.
"Because of the lockdown, Biden can't do any of the conventional campaign activities..."
Neither can Trump.
How they choose to deal with it is a test of their leadership.
An actual test. Not the kind they have during most political campaigns.
Any of these podcasts offering predictions on how the world may change Professor? I'd be interested in your predictions and your readers' too.
What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?
If Marx were alive in 2020, that's what he'd be Tweeting.
This is probably the best thing that could have happened to Biden. It allows him to hide his excessive weaknesses.
I doubt the deep state forces that control the democrat party are going to pull Biden.
Not after all those endorsements...
Biden is the left's puppet.
Althouse>>Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure.<<
Rather facile from someone who has expressed disdain for, or puzzlement over, those who travel abroad for pleasure. (No, I don't have the quotes.)
I propose that we cut back immensely on road trips to far off national parks for pleasure.
They were designed with a religion brain area, and that religion brain area just gotta be used for something.
"We need a powerful, wise, benevolent leader to be in charge of all this."
How about God?
"No, not God! Someone else. Someone from Scranton."
Sorry, I'm not a policy wonk. I want to see the Democrats make an offer — a real offer and stake the election on it.
According to Axios, Biden is a Green New Deal Supporter.
Here is his Climate Policy page.
Part of it is economic justice:
And, Joe Biden will ensure that clean economy jobs are good jobs. We must ensure jobs created as part of the clean energy revolution offer good wages, benefits, and worker protections. Toward this end, President Biden will defend workers’ rights to form unions and collectively bargain in these emerging and growing industries; pursue new partnerships with community colleges, unions, and the private sector to develop programs to train all of America’s workforce to tap into the growing clean energy economy; incorporate skills training into infrastructure investment planning by engaging state and local communities; and reinvigorate and repurpose AmeriCorps for sustainability, so that every American can participate in the clean energy economy. These efforts will be worker-centered and driven in collaboration with the communities they will affect.
and there is also the Railroad revolution:
Spark the second great railroad revolution. Two centuries ago, the first great railroad expansion drove our industrial revolution. Today, the U.S. is lagging behind Europe and China in rail safety and speed. Biden will develop a plan to ensure that America has the cleanest, safest, and fastest rail system in the world – for both passengers and freight.
With respect to passenger rail: He’ll start by putting the Northeast Corridor on higher speeds and shrinking the travel time from D.C. to New York by half – and build in conjunction with it a new, safer Hudson River Tunnel. He will make progress toward the completion of the California High Speed Rail project. He will expand the Northeast Corridor to the fast-growing South. Across the Midwest and the Great West, he will begin the construction of an end-to-end high speed rail system that will connect the coasts, unlocking new, affordable access for every American.
Althouse, what do you think of a rail road revolution in response to flying and driving as climate change drivers?
"What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?"
Oh gosh, these questions barely scratch the surface of what one can consider as soon as one accepts the premise that both human society and the future are under our control.
But you left out the most important one: "Who decides?"
When we get to summer, and into next year, and when we realize how huge the federal budget deficit has grown, the electorate will become much more in favor of pro-growth policies and politicians, and the green new deal proposals will wither and die. In addition, all of the extravagent social programs that sounded good in January (free health care, free college, forgiven loans) will be laughed out of court. I expect that taxes will increase, and especially taxes on the super rich will increase (so this part of the pre-pandemic left program will re-emerge with broad support).
Althouse must be starting to realize that it was the people who were pushing the GND who never expected these restrictions to apply to them at all. That’s why they preach about the climate but gather in Davos and other locales in their private jets. The UN never needed to do all that travel. The Greens didn’t need to but that was their MO: scold you while sucking down all the resources they can like AlGore. Like stone Steyrr who made all his money building COAL-fired plants in China and using their money to pose as a green here and run for president denying you the things he’s accumulated.
IT WAS ALWAYS A SCAM.
Their game was to let China and India keep polluting so we can claim a “global crisis” even though we took the initiative and cleaned up OUR environment. The GND was just their latest attempt to impose a Global Order on the rest of us where the same bad faith internationalist actors slowly enslave us to a “universal law” America wouldn’t get to vote on.
GND = USSR = Mao = UN it’s all the same utopian bullshit. But this time it’s wrapped in environmentalism instead of workers rights. Beats me why this is attractive to Althouse. How many times do you let these utopian Imagine-singing hucksters get your attention?
What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?
Fair enough. Let's have Biden and the Democrats make the case for why a Green New Deal would benefit everyone more than it hurts them. Then let's examine their case and see if it holds up.
They'd have to start by convincing most of us that there is in fact a climate crisis. Or enough of a climate crisis to warrant big changes.
Then they'd have to present the steps, laws, rules, regulations, taxes and organizational changes needed to effect their solution. I wouldn't insist they present every detail, at least not initially. But their proposal would have to summarize the high points.
I don't think Biden or any other Democrat will ever make a concrete proposal. I believe the Green New Deal is a hollow initiative. I think Biden "supports" the GND as a way to engage the enviro-marxists, similar to how Republicans have strung fiscal conservatives along by "supporting" a balanced budget.
If GND were a real initiative, Democrats would already have the concrete proposal. Instead we get the Sanders/Ocasio-Cortez types and their ridiculous bans on cows and automobiles. A real proposal would be something like Congress increasing the federal gasoline tax, or the FAA blocking new flight routes. If Biden suggested anything like that, he'd be crushed in November.
And more fundamentally, GND is about convincing a majority of Americans that there is in fact a climate crisis (might be possible), and that a centrally planned economy is the long-term solution.
I don't believe Biden (or any Democrat) will be able to make either of those cases.
Here are some helpful suggestions on how "we" could nudge people to behave the way "we" want them to.
Include environmental piety in the Social Credit Score
Shaming/Shunning
Businesses could make employment and promotions contingent on candidates being able to demonstrate an environmentally sensitive history i.e. what kind of car candidate drives and how many miles per year, how much travel candidate has indulged in, etc.
Colleges and Universities could require information on applicant's environmental history.
A new Green New Deal? Sure.
Live in close quarters.
Movement by crowded mass transit.
Medicare for all with health care rationing.
Economy trashed.
Massive transfer of money to cronies.
Skyrocketing Federal debt.
Hella way to exit a pandemic. What's not to like?
Althouse, "Is Biden hiding out in his basement or are he and his people working on something that can genuinely benefit us?"
Begley: He's hiding out in his basement because it allows him to limit his interactions with voters and the press. It would expose his senility.
Benefit us? The whole premise of the modern Dem party is to fuck over American citizens unless you are part of the Rainbow Coalition. Blacks, however, are beginning to figure out that they've been dumped for illegal aliens.
The Green New Deal would deindustrialize America - for a very marginal benefit in 2100 - and allow China to really run the world. CAGW is scam.
Ann, you ought to apply your considerable brain power to the scam that is CAGW.
Biden can't do any of the conventional campaign activities, and his main idea seems to be this podcast. But is anyone listening?
Biden should be thankful that NO ONE is listening or watching. If they were, they would run away to the hills to get away from him.
Well, this is one of the biggest problems we’ve seen with the Coronavirus response. As you’ve said, Mr. Vice-President, the Coronavirus isn’t Donald Trump’s fault, but how we responded to it is, and there’s no issue that illustrates that more than this testing fiasco. Donald Trump didn’t take the steps needed to get the testing in place. As a result compared to almost every other developed nation, we’re behind on getting people tested.
The transcript posted is interesting. Basically, Ron Klain (whoever he is) attacks Trump by stating a negative opinion as a fact, and then Biden responds to it. See above. Trump is responsible for the "testing fiasco" - except he wasn't. And we're not behind every country - we're ahead.
Ann Althouse said...
Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure.
Yes, put more people on subways and trains and buses.
We’ll have to wait until Biden’s handlers name a VP to find out what the policy plans will be. Joe can’t plan beyond his next nap.
I'd prefer cultural change — with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other.
Education leading to a Great Leap Forward.
Maybe get more people working from home. Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure.
"If more people were like me, everything would be better."
What is fair and good for the coming generations?
Freedom. Same as it ever was.
Well, we all know now what a state-directed economy looks like, don't we?
The GND eventually means reduction of human population. Professor, how .any billions must die to achieve satisfaction by environmentalists?
It always, always comes to genocide with leftists. Always.
Subways versus cars.
From a green new deal perspective subways are good and cars are bad. Although I have some doubt whether this is really true, or how much it is true, if we look into the CO2 consequences and include the differing uses of subways and cars. Or in other words what cars do that subways can't do that has to be made up for somehow.
But regardless of the actual facts, green new deal proponents perceive cars as bad and subways as good.
Yet from a lockdown perspective, cars are not so bad and subways should be hugely bad. As in specifically possibly something like a third of all Covid-19 cases in New York came from subways.
Now ninety-nine measures out of a hundred taken in the name of the lockdown had marginal impact on the Wuhan Lab Bat Coronavirus death count, but two really mattered:
a) shutting down the subways;
b) not sending Covid-19 patients to nursing homes.
New York of course managed to get both wrong.
But the point I'm trying to get at here is why don't people who both believe in the Green New Deal and the lockdown feel a conflict on the use of subways?
Does Biden believe that pandering in this way will get him elected; are people that naive and vapid?
Ann Althouse said...
The reemergence is a great opportunity.
Opportunity for what?
Judging by your focus, you seem to be talking about global warming. The biggest obstacle you'll face in trying to get public support is that there is no problem you are trying to solve.
"But the point I'm trying to get at here is why don't people who both believe in the Green New Deal and the lockdown feel a conflict on the use of subways?"
The GND and the lockdown are both about control. And so are subways. So- no conflict.
"I want to see the Democrats make an offer — a real offer and stake the election on it."
-- It would be nice to get that, but I imagine it'll more be of a "we have to pass the bill to see what's in it" sort of offer.
The problem with Biden is not that he doesn't have a "podcast" voice. It's that he only intermittently has a functioning brain and is not in a position to get into anything interesting with his "guests." So, he doesn't get into anything interesting.
As long as the consensus polls show him ahead, nothing will change.
Of course, he is ahead by less than Clinton was ahead in 2016, and the "shy Trump" voters are probably even more numerous than last time given all the disapproval that has been thrown at them, but never mind all that. The same group of people who blew it in 2016 are perfectly capable of learning nothing and blowing it in 2020.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
This basically IS the lockdown. So instead of coming out of the lockdown we would extend it. A hell of a lot of people would be out of work for a long time.
“From a green new deal perspective subways are good and cars are bad. Although I have some doubt whether this is really true, or how much it is true, if we look into the CO2 consequences and include the differing uses of subways and cars. Or in other words what cars do that subways can't do that has to be made up for somehow.”
Cars let people social distance much better. Subways are horrible in this regard. If disease were never an issue, subways would be fine. Ok, until the homeless make them their homes. But the other aspect is that subways allow people to live and work more densely. Cities have always been more healthy. They just turn into death traps when normal levels of sickness turn into an epidemic.
And, no, overall, mass transit is not better for CO2 emissions (assuming that CO2 emissions are bad, which is highly debatable). You just displace the CO2 emissions a bit. The purpose of dense urbanization for statists, socialists, and communists has nothing to do with CO2, except to serve as a convenient excuse for the clueless, but rather has everything to do with control. Nothing more.
The purpose of dense urbanization for statists, socialists, and communists has nothing to do with CO2, except to serve as a convenient excuse for the clueless, but rather has everything to do with control. Nothing more.
Hear, hear. It's a bit disturbing to hear people who allege they are libertarian sound like statists.
I am disappointed to learn that Ducey, Governor of Arizona, has decided to hold the state hostage another 15 days. If the Democrats, by using the excuse of the virus, can kill the economy until November, they might just be able to win the election. If they are successful, and I am no longer certain they will lose, we will see another Great Depression.
Micheal K
Sorry to be off topic. But...How is your daughter dealing with the exposure of evidence documenting the corruption of the FBI, and, the lack of a single FBI line agent coming forward to defend justice? I for one no longer buy the notions this is a few at the top. This corruption runs through the entire FBI.
"Howard: "go back to our old comfortable ways of profligate pollution . . .?"'
I don't believe Howard really believes this.
We've cut carbon emissions since leaving the Paris Accords.
Blogger iowan2 said...
Micheal K
Sorry to be off topic. But...How is your daughter dealing with the exposure of evidence documenting the corruption of the FBI, and, the lack of a single FBI line agent coming forward to defend justice?
Ignoring it, of course. She and her mother are sequestered in CA so I haven't seen her since Christmas. "Working from home" of course.
I've sent her a few articles but get no reply.
Seriously, I cannot understand how people like Althouse imagine their lifestyles are supported. What sort of economic magic, or voodoo if you prefer, does that class of people think provides the leisure to think deeply?
Standing in the backs of giants and imagining you're tall. Only explanation I can see.
Howard: "You got to give it to her fellows... That tiny skinny old retired lady sure knows how to troll you people. Thank God for social distancing otherwise you people would be infecting hundreds with all the spit that is flying out of your mouth"
NYC just today decided maybe it was a good time to clean their subway cars, which were never shut down.
Central Park has remained open throughout this event.
Gov Cuomo also cannot explain how his administration determined it would be super smart to shove infected elderly back into nursing and retirement homes.
Democrats in democrat controlled cities were encouraging everyone to come on out and party for Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras.
I'll bet there is some study out showing liberal spit is smarter than non-liberal spit.
iowan2: "Micheal K
Sorry to be off topic. But...How is your daughter dealing with the exposure of evidence documenting the corruption of the FBI, and, the lack of a single FBI line agent coming forward to defend justice? I for one no longer buy the notions this is a few at the top. This corruption runs through the entire FBI."
There were 40 FBI agents assigned to the Mueller team alone, not to mention the many other FBI agents assigned to the numerous other frame up operations and/or close to those who were.
We are talking hundreds upon hundreds of FBI agents happily participating in a transparent coup attempt and not a single one of them came forward as an official whistleblower....most likely because the Inspector Generals office was turned into a democrat campaign operation as well.
Just look what Boente/Yates did with getting the moron Sessions to recuse himself.
The only thing that allows the environment -please define it - to get better is disposable resources. If we lower the standard of living, we lower our ability to improve the world we experience.
There are no atheists in foxholes. (Just go with it.)
There are no environmentalists in shitholes.
Howard said: the hockey stick which is in fact bullshit.
Thanks for admitting the truth. But the hockey stick is needed by the ACGW crowd.
The problem for the ACGW crowd is that, without the hockey stick, there was a Little Ice Age, a Medieval warm period, a Roman warm period, and a Minoan warm period. All of these occurred without the increased industrial CO2 output we see now. If they occurred, then CO2 isn't the climate driver that they claim it is. Thus "global warming" caused by CO2 is not a problem. Mann published the hockey stick to remove those periods from the climate history. Without the hockey stick we are back to this climate history and it's not very friendly to the ACGW hypothesis - https://www.lunarplanner.com/SolarCycles-images/Climate-Timeline-10000yrs.png
This graph from Greenland ice cores also shows in fact temperatures have been falling for the last 3000 years and shows the bumps and dips by century similar to the one above. Greenland Ice cores show we are in a long term cooling period and current temperatures are well below previous warm periods - https://i1.wp.com/wattsupwiththat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/screenshot-2019-11-20-at-17.57.06.png?resize=700%2C457&ssl=1
So do you believe in science? If so, what should happen to Michael Mann after the "bullshit" hockey stick?
@ Freeman
Yes, his Sunday interviews are fine. But he has a daily podcast. Nope.
We offshored our pollution to Asia to help the billionaires grow bigger and more powerful and help to shrink the middle class. of course we improved our environment greatly here in the US but the number of potential sources is much much less than it was in the 60s. I spent the last 40 years cleaning up these messes from the past and putting controls on the sources that managed to survive globalization. So you're welcome. I'll also say You're welcome from the many colleagues of mine who died young of cancer being exposed to nasty chemicals so you and your children didn't have to.
I see in Biden's splatterbarf campaign document that "Biden will develop a plan..." Maybe that's what he's doing holed up in the basement - he's Developing a Plan. Or maybe if this is actually an important part of your worldview, you maybe should have already developed a plan?
That document was written by Captain Buzzword and his elves. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is our next president.
Ann Althouse said...
"...Personally, I don't like to see a lot of legislation controlling people. I'd prefer cultural change — with people becoming more conscientious and influencing each other."
Cue the "Is this trip necessary" posters and neighborhood car travel shaming.
Drago said
We are talking hundreds upon hundreds of FBI agents happily participating in a transparent coup attempt and not a single one of them came forward as an official whistleblower..
I saw an online opinion that FBI line agents feared for at least their jobs. An escalation to a similarly built frame up like Flynn, or their life.
Hyperbole or not, fear is keeping thousands of mouths shut. If this is the case, The FBI needs to be disbanded. It has become an agency without oversight. The FISA abuse is case in point. Wray, and Barr said they have put in protections and processes to make sure abuse doesn't happen again. But the existing proccesses failed, and no criminal charges are filed.
Mauna Loa has shown no effect of the drastic worldwide drop in carbon emissions on the measured CO2 content. The CO2 comes from the outgassing that occurs from the warmed oceans after 200 years of high solar radiation. The ice cores all show that CO2 increases after the warming not before.
Henry's Law disagrees, Elliot A.
"Cut back immensely on air travel for business and pleasure."
I shouldn't have written it that way. We've already cut back. Now the question is going forward — emerging — and we should do that with careful consciousness. What do we need? What is beneficial? What is fair and good for the coming generations?"
Ban air travel from other countries into the US. That should win over the environmentalists as well as the nationalists.
" I spent the last 40 years cleaning up these messes from the past and putting controls on the sources that managed to survive globalization. So you're welcome."
I'm so sad for you, why don't you award yourself a medal.
Henry's law? the amount of a dissolved gas is proportional to it's partial pressure? How does that inform us in this, man. Has sea level barometric pressure changed lately?
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