By Philip Wegmann for RealClearPolitics
Growing inflation concerns, violence in the Middle East and gas stations sans gas: Republicans love the script the news cycle just handed them because it feels like an easy, low-budget summer reboot.
They are desperate to cast Joe Biden as Jimmy Carter, and they point to a cyber-blocked fuel pipeline as the clearest evidence yet of a nation losing ground.
Of course, the president rejects the portrayal. “We’re going to get through this as we always do: as Americans, and we’re going to do it together,” Biden promised Thursday at the White House, “and it’s going to be quick.”
Though a gallon of gas is going for more than $3 nationally, he said the shortages caused by the hack of the 5,500-mile Colonial Pipeline would be temporary.
RELATED: By Any Objective Standard, The Biden Presidency Is An Unmitigated Disaster
His message to consumers, some of whom started hoarding gasoline in everything from jerrycans to Tupperware over the weekend, was simple: “Don’t panic.” Fuel was flowing again by the time Biden spoke, and he said his administration expects “the situation to begin to improve by the weekend and into early next week.”
His message to gas station owners? “Do not — I repeat, do not — try to take advantage of consumers” by price gouging.
A ransomware attack coming out of Russia cut off the conduit, which snakes through the South and up the Eastern Seaboard to the New York metro area, for five days and sent prices soaring, forcing consumers in some states into long lines.
The administration responded quickly with emergency measures that allowed states to waive EPA requirements and use non-compliant fuel, and eased regulations to allow swifter transportation of gas by rail and road, and even temporarily suspended the Jones Act, which requires that ships moving goods – in this case fuel — between U.S. ports be owned and operated by domestic companies.
Biden reported that the assessment of the intelligence community was that “the Russian government was involved in this attack.” He added that “we do have strong reason to believe that the criminals who did the attack are living in Russia.”
He pledged to hold the Kremlin accountable for criminal activity that occurred within that nation’s borders.
The president also tried to flip the script — from crisis to a story about the need to advance his legislative agenda: “Let me say,” he said wrapping up his prepared remarks, “that this event is providing an urgent reminder of why we need to harden our infrastructure and make it more resilient against all threats, natural and manmade.”
The brief energy crisis came to an apparent close not because of federal action, however, but because Colonial gave in to the hackers’ demands. Asked about the company’s decision to pay a $5 million ransom to the group DarkSide, Biden replied, “I have no comment on that.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated later in the briefing room that the administration does not condone caving to hackers: “It continues to be the position of the federal government that it is not in the interests of the private sector for companies to pay ransom because it incentivizes these actions.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have seized on the energy crisis to force a late-1970s comparison.
“Joe Biden is the new Jimmy Carter,” Republican Rep. Jim Jordan tweeted Tuesday morning, then added Thursday that “in four months, we’ve gone from energy independence to lines to get gas.”
“I see that everybody is comparing Joe Biden to Jimmy Carter. It would seem to me that is very unfair to Jimmy Carter,” former President Trump said in a mocking statement. “Jimmy mishandled crisis after crisis, but Biden has created crisis after crisis.”
Several attorneys general from Republican states argued that the Colonial shortage was made worse by the administration’s earlier decision to cancel construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The entire episode was evidence, Montana AG Austin Knudsen told RealClearPolitics, that more pipelines, not fewer, are needed.
“We’re in a full-out, Jimmy Carter gas shortage because of one pipeline,” Knudsen said. “I hope this wakes some people up in the White House. This is just silly.” (The Keystone pipeline was intended to convey crude oil, not gasoline, from Canada to Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipeline that runs to the Gulf Coast.)
Republicans have struggled to peg the president as inept or out of touch, at least so far. The nicknames Trump gave him, including “Sleepy Joe” and “Hidin’ Biden,” never really stuck, and the president’s approval ratings remain in positive territory.
They hope the Carter comparison sticks long after oil starts flowing, however. An anemic April jobs report and inflation fears, they believe, bolster that case.
Even some Democrats are sounding the alarm about the rising costs of goods ranging from a pack of cigarettes to a new car.
RELATED: GOP Senator Kennedy Demands Biden Stop ‘Honking Like A Goose’ And Solve Our Issues
“Policymakers at the Fed and in the [White House] need to recognize that the risk of a Vietnam inflation scenario is now greater than the deflation risks on which they were originally focused,” former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said on CNN.
“Whatever was the case a few months ago, it should now be clear that overheating – not excess slack – is the dominant economic risk facing the U.S. over the next year or two.”
The White House insists it is monitoring the inflation situation closely. On Thursday, though, the administration had more positive news to tout, namely the end of a national annoyance. The Centers for Disease Control announced that it is no longer recommending that fully vaccinated individuals wear masks outdoors or indoors.
The new guidance was reason for celebration and the president set aside all the talk about pipelines and consumer prices when he made his remarks in the Rose Garden.
“You have endured all this,” Biden said. “When your country asked you to get vaccinated, you did. The American people stepped up. You did what I consider to be your patriotic duty. That’s how we have gotten to this day.”
Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.
Mark of a troll is repeating yourself. You think that RINOS are the GOP and while the party is corrupt with liberalism think on this, All of the House is primairly Democrat and it seems hald the Senate is RINO. Since it takes both houses to fund our bloated socal budged, tell me, which party is passing those funding measures and which dunderheaded president is signing those measures when they should be vetoed? YOU apparently like that as you don't seem to have any better ideas on how we should improve the situation. Mitch McConnell is just as bad as the current man in the White House. So, instead of complaints, whar are your ideas on fixing the problem?
Ir seems you fail to grasp the concept of fiscal responsability. You simply cannot spend yourself into a better economy.
CInsult to Jimmy carter
If the White House is monitoring the inflation situation like they are monitoring our southern border with criminals and drugs coming in, then we are in trouble.
WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO DEMAND IMPEACH BIDEN AND HARRIS!
WE THE PEOPLE (aka SILENT MAJORITY) we’ve had countless opportunities to fixed the nightmare of having Biden & Harris and sadly we chose to give the DEMOCRATS what they expected of us, to REMAIN SILENT! Thus, making us equally complicit in the fraud perpetrated against United States Americans!
Isn’t it time you actually did something, took action?
I urge everyone who reads this to PICK UP THE PHONE and call your REP AND SENATORS in DC and DEMAND IMMEDIATE IMPEACHMENT OF BIDEN AND HARRIS.
BIDEN is completely MENTALLY UNFIT FOR OFFICE! Biden is guilty of 18 U.S. Code §2381 TREASON, 18 U.S. Code §2382 SEDITION, 18 U.S. Code §2384 Seditious Conspiracy Crimes against Humanity and Subversive Activities.
HARRIS is guilty of violating 18 US Code §2381 Treason, 18 US Code §2382 Misprision of Treason, 18US Code §2383 Rebellion or Insurrection, 18 US Code §2384 Seditious Conspiracy and 18 US CODE §2385 Advocating Overthrow of Government!
Democrats want to legalize anarchy and ban law and order!
Copy and paste this info into an E-Mail and send to friends & family asking them to make the calls, then forward on to their friends asking them to make the calls & forward on! WE NEED TO MAKE THIS GO VIRAL!
Members of the House
202-224-3841
Members of the Senate
202-224-3121
TOLL FREE:
866-272-6622
Keep in mind: SILENCE = ACCEPTANCE
Biden is way worse than Carter.
I'd really like to hear from the American people unfiltered by media. I say this because I live in a liberal area and the preponderance of the citizens around me, liveral and conservative, are telling me the same thing and faulting Biden and his inept administration for our problems. Predominately theywant Biden "to go" and not as the nothinf sandwich that he is. You know things are really bad when liberals are complaining about the president they wanted.
Mr. Troll, what are your suggestions? I have seen none.
As usual, everyone pays more under Democrat rule! California, New York, Illinois, just to name a few, are failing states! And why? Democrats run them!
I, in my own opinion, believe that America is in a fatal death spiral to collapse to her knees if we the people don't find some spine and start standing up to these radicals and left wingers. If you think America is worth saving then let's hear from you all out there loud and clear! Do not continue to allow Joe Biden to destroy America! It is time that the American people are to be heard! Time to impeach President Biden for willfully and knowingly destroying America to date!!
We the American people have gotten to where we are today with everything America had going for it with President Trump at the helm, is now caving in on us because once again we the people were very greedy and gullible. We listened to Sleepy Joe Biden feed us all full line of BullS… about how he was going to transform America into the new green machine almost immediately and all of America would be jumping for joy. We all would live happily ever after as he turned our country into a nightmare and upside down. Why do we listen to the Democrats every time they get a taste of power they immediately go into a search and destroy mission on our Country and against it's people? Are we ever going to learn from our unpleasant way of life under the Democrat Presidents and the radical Democrats and how they purposely tare America to pieces while in office? They divide the people with their lies and corruption! America is coming apart right now before our eyes just in 4 months time under Joe Biden! Think about it people! Think about what has happened just since Biden took office! Do you call all of what Biden has developed into chaos across the country improvement? Did we the people throw what was to be probably one of the greatest President the country has ever had under the bus for Joe Biden? No, I don't think the people did! The Presidency was stolen from Trump by fraudulent activities for Joe Biden. America is now paying the price for allowing it all to happen! Wake up America!!
and how do you think it got that way? Congress surely isn't helping. But we have never been in the black as far back as the 1790s. We borrowed from France to fight England. But with us handing out money to other foreign governments like tic tacs, we will never see the black. And who votes to send those monies to other countries? … Congress. See, big, wide circle here. So, maybe I do understand a little about how and where the money goes. You're not as smart as people tell you.
I'm afraid when we do "wake" you, we'll all be a bunch of socialists, picking through garbage cans for dinner, like they're doing down in socialist Venezuela…
I think even Jimmy Carter is shaking his head over Biden…and he knows what being an ineffective President is all about!
Barack Obama and when will the old folks on the SCOTUS decide to make a decision on "Constitutionality of Obamacare" …?
That case was heard just 5 & 2/3 moths ago..
Are they having trouble with decisions due to Alzheimers …?
Dead in the head, Fred Trump junior ; what does this ranting delusional garbage mean ? ———-> ["Just don't Impeach ONLY mr. Biden, Impeach The Whole Far Left Side Of The United States Of American Political Equation, Who were Infiltrated And Compromised By The Communistic Chinese And Socialistic Russian Dictatorial Governments Dark Money."]
Do you have problems with dissociation from reality, on a regular basis ….?
HEAR! HEAR!
Just don't Impeach ONLY mr. Biden, Impeach The Whole Far Left Side Of The United States Of American Political Equation, Who were Infiltrated And Compromised By The Communistic Chinese And Socialistic Russian Dictatorial Governments Dark Money, They Are The Infamously Rich And Power Hungry Warmongers! They Also Warned That #45 Would Get The USA Into Another War, Which #45 Did NOT Happen, And The Rest Of The Whole World Was Quieter, Except In The Far Left US Political Equation's Governed USA's Big Cities, Where Those Domestic Terrorist Groups, That Mr. Jerry Nadler Called Were ONLY MYTHS, Which They Aren't, But The Real McCoy, The Dangerous, Deadly Violent, Destructive And Marxist BLM And Facist ANTIFA, of the likes Of Those ANARCHISTS That Assassinated Ex-US President McKinley On Sept. 6th, 1901 AD, Of That Years Worlds Fair In The North East, USA! Look It All Up On Either Google It Or In Those Old US History Books Or Books That Told The Honest Truth About World History, Back To Ceasar, And I Am NOT Talking About That Named Salad NEITHER!!!
You really have zero idea of the government spending and taxes with totally insufficient tax revenues to pay for Congress spending.
Year 2020 , Congress $$' sent out of the bankrupt Treasury was $12 trillion ..
Tax revenues collected to cover FY 2021 spending will be $3.7 trillion…
So these tax rate setup baloney charades are just SEVENTY PER CENT short of providing adequate "pay in tax revenues for what Congress is spending"…
The Mitch McConnell approved GOP majority spending for regular government liability responsibilities was just $8 trillion , FY 2021 and then the two Covid-19 pandemic disaster "Socialism payouts" of $2 trillion twice.
GOP has proved they are incompetent and will never do as they claim :
a) small government b) fiscal responsibility …
GET RID of everyone in Congress right now and start over …!!
How long have you existed in delusional fantasies land separate from reality ..?
You really have zero idea of the government spending and taxes with totally insufficient tax revenues to pay for Congress spending.
Year 2020 , Congress $$' sent out of the bankrupt Treasury was $12 trillion ..
Tax revenues collected to cover FY 2021 spending will be $3.7 trillion…
So these tax rate setup baloney charades are just SEVENTY PER CENT short of providing adequate "pay in tax revenues for what Congress is spending"…
How long have you existed in delusional fantasies land separate from reality ..?
Notwithstanding how 'hypertensor' overwhelmed your comment with an empirical response, your self-confidence ("so much for the…[rejection] to liberal ideas…") based on one standing statistic is insufficient to support your suggestion. Also republicans are not struggling to determine the president's ineptness and his being disconnected; they (and anyone with reason) well know he's in poor condition for being in the most powerful position on earth.
Hysteria-tensive guy is right that in year 2020, Congress did spend $12 trillion over the course of the year…
The Mitch McConnell approved GOP majority spending for regular government liability responsibilities was just $8 trillion , FY 2021 and then the two Covid-19 pandemic disaster "Socialism payouts" of $2 trillion twice.
GOP has proved they are incompetent and will never do as they claim :
a) small government b) fiscal responsibility …
GET RID of everyone in Congress right now and start over …!!
YOU are right that in year 2020, Congress did spend $12 trillion over the course of the year…
The Mitch McConnell approved GOP majority spending for regular government liability responsibilities was just $8 trillion and then the two Covid-19 pandemic disaster "Socialism payouts" of $2 trillion twice.
GOP has proved they are incompetent and will never do as they claim :
a) small government b) fiscal responsibility …
GET RID of everyone in Congress right now and start over …!!
Say mr. biden sir, your criminal actions, makes you look like that Peanut Farmer Jimmy Carter 2.50, when you ILLEGALLY Cancel Cultured The Keystone XL Pipeline, and Ignorantly took up action against The USA's Middle East Ally "The State Of Israel: also, All Because Of "The Jihad Squad" = "Your Squad" alias "The Corrupt Quartet"!!!!!!!
NEVER, and apparently those that vote for these clowns never will wake up either, even though they are being used. and our children will pay dearly for the mistakes of the dems, over and over again.
Wake me when the democrats actually demonstrate true leadership or do anything RIGHT. So far, it is a bad, bad nightmare again.
You might be the smartest person out there. Thank you for sharing. However, I fear it will be on deaf ears since these people love to blame Trump for everything, even their broken marriages and pathetic lives.
Maybe YOU need more tax increase, not the rest of America. We already waste way too much of our taxes on pork that the individual Senators and Congressmen want for their state. We could be overrun with money if they didn't spend like drunken sailors on shore leave. So, go ahead and send in more money if you like, I'd rather they show fiscal responsibility.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This President makes Jimmy Carter look smart. And that didn't happen for years until Barak Obama got into office. See a pattern here, folks?
These Democrats keep trying the same "free stuff" policies that do not work and never will. When will they learn from the past??
What you are seeing, if your numbers are accurate, is the effect of massive deficit spending, a trillion dollars a month, authorized by Congress. Taxation can't possibly cover expenditures, if you go to irs.gov and study the numbers. It very quickly becomes self-defeating. Meanwhile, inflation and the cost of living are of course sharply up. The cost of gas is way up, and Biden has moved to make America dependent on foreign oil again, rather than using our vast fossil fuel resources to help develop energy alternatives. 210 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities, and a pandemic created by the partisan CDC for political purposes, have crippled the nation. If you can Google, you will find that the CDC for years has stated that masks do not protect against viruses. (Fauci said so, himself, then inexplicably reversed himself). They also changed the rules on how to count viral deaths with a March 24, 2020 directive that artificially increased the supposed death toll by over ten-fold. They could have just told retirees to stay home, and they knew that. To be fair, it's difficult becoming informed when everything you read in the media is shallow and often misleading or outright wrong. They are in the business to get your attention and make money, not to inform you. It took me a long time to see through the partisanship and fraud of Congress and the vapid shallowness and self-interest of the media. Break free!
[Republicans have struggled to peg the president as inept or out of touch, at least so far. The nicknames Trump gave him, including “Sleepy Joe” and “Hidin’ Biden,” never really stuck.]
Q1 of 2021 U.S. GDP of 6.4% and Q2 could be higher…. So much for the "Just say no" to liberal ideas crowd..!!
America needs TAX increases, not more tax cuts……!!!