The Patriot Post® · Biden Isn't Fueling Anyone With His Useless Agenda
Joe Biden wants to be FDR, but he may have to settle for Jimmy Carter. The eerie echoes of those days are starting to replay in a lot of Americans’ minds as they watch the world unravel — almost overnight. By nightfall Tuesday, the lines for gas up and down the east coast were so long that the traffic jams spilled onto the main streets. People everywhere raced to fill up tanks and whatever else they could hold, as panic spread. Along the southern border, the state of emergency hit a fever pitch when the surge hit a two-decade high. In Israel, Arab terrorists are on the verge of “full-scale war.” Prices are skyrocketing, inflation is shooting fear throughout the market, and what is the president’s response? “This is progress.”
Five days after saying America is moving in the “right direction,” Biden’s team is scrambling to put out fires that they seem completely unprepared to confront. The bad news has only compounded since last Friday, when the dismal jobs report started to confirm what we all suspected: this White House’s radical approach isn’t working. After four months of acting on their pet LGBT and climate change projects, the administration is alarmingly out of its depth in the current global meltdown. The president seems dazed by the situations spiraling out of control under his watch — and many worry these catastrophes will only get worse.
Since the Colonial Pipeline was hacked over the weekend, governors like Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) have been furious with the administration’s non-response. Stations up and down the seaboard are running out of fuel, and all the administration has managed to say about the cyberattack is “Do not fill plastic bags with gasoline.” “The Biden administration needs to take this seriously,” DeSantis argued. “Their initial response is, ‘Oh, this is a private pipeline,’ and just shrug their shoulders. This is important infrastructure for our country, and it could impact our economy greatly if they don’t respond.” Despite prices climbing 10-20 cents a gallon since Saturday, Mr. Biden, who campaigned on closing down the oil industry, seems unconcerned.
His team has been just as indifferent about the border, where the numbers continue to be a jaw-dropping indictment of this administration’s policy. According to the data released Tuesday, 178,622 illegal immigrants tried to cross into the country in April — the highest one-month total in two decades. That’s not “seasonable migration,” NRO’s Jim Geraghty points out, rebutting the president’s earlier claim. Anyone who tries to suggest that months of record-breaking numbers are nothing out of the ordinary is selling a “load of bull,” he argues. “These are cold, hard numbers which prove that Biden’s assessment of the situation in late March was completely wrong.”
Twenty governors are now banding together to demand action immediately. “The crisis is too big to ignore and is now spilling over the border states into all of our states,” they said in a letter to President Biden. “We have neither the resources nor the obligation to solve the federal government’s problem and foot the bill for the consequences of this administration’s misguided actions.”
Americans are even less reassured about the economy, as the sticker-shock over everything from eggs to lumber points to leaner days ahead. The worker shortage is already hitting employers hard, but now, to spread the pain around, the country is experiencing the single largest price increase on consumer goods since 2008. Inflation, even liberal media outlets warn, is “accelerating at its fastest pace in more than 12 years.” And yet, none of that seems to deter Biden from his $4 trillion dollars in new projects. If they pass, taxpayers will be looking at $10 trillion dollars in new spending in about a year.
This country is staring down crises in energy, the economy, the job market, Middle East, and the border, and what is this administration doing? Opening more transgender restrooms. Not that anyone should be surprised. This is, after all, what Joe Biden said he would do. And most extremists (including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.) would agree, he’s been remarkably efficient at it. Of the 43 executive orders he’s signed since January, only a handful deal with something other than his extreme social agenda for the environment, race, gender, sexuality, health care, courts, the military, or education. On everything else, Biden struggles to look even mildly competent. The world is literally on fire, and this administration can’t even decide whether vaccinated people should wear masks.
Evil preys on weakness — and that’s what this president is projecting to our enemies all around the globe. If something doesn’t change, and soon, America won’t be the only one who suffers. Israel, our allies, the persecuted, they’re all in jeopardy under an administration as feeble and misguided at this one. “At the end of the day, every bully on the planet feels emboldened,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said soberly. “… I’ve never seen so much deterioration of our national security in such a short period of time, as I do right now. On multiple fronts, America is weaker, and the world is more dangerous. And I blame Joe Biden.”
Originally published here.
‘A Battle for the Future of Israel’
The sirens are a common sound in Israel, but this was no ordinary attack. Since Monday night, rockets have rained down with frightening frequency on the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system, as children scream and cry from bomb shelters across Israel’s border towns. The sky has been “on fire,” the locals have said in the scant moments when cell service works. It is the heaviest fighting between the Jewish nation and Gaza terror groups in years — and to the horror of people around the world, it shows no signs of stopping.
“Israel is under attack,” the Israel Defense Forces declared as more than 1,000 bombs have been launched toward Tel Aviv — temporarily suspending air travel and creating chaos throughout the country. Tensions have been high for weeks, because of a fiery land dispute that’s sparked riots, violence, and unrest for days across Jerusalem. Hamas promised the largest missile strike ever in retaliation — a threat the Palestinians are still carrying out with a vengeance.
Leaders from Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Benjamin Netanyahu say every option is on the table. We will restore order “with an iron fist if necessary, with all necessary force and with all necessary authority,” they say, adding, “Israel is not preparing for a ceasefire. Only when we achieve complete quiet can we talk about calm,” Gantz told reporters as he looked at some of the decimated areas in Ashkelon. “We will not listen to moral preaching from any organization or institution regarding our right and duty to protect the citizens of Israel.”
Tuesday night on “Washington Watch,” we talked to CBN’s Middle East bureau chief, Chris Mitchell, live from Israel about the current situation — which he called “very tense, as you can expect.” Ninety percent of the rockets, they estimate, were struck down by the Iron Dome, but many have gotten through, he said. “[Some] have been killed… Many people right now are in bomb shelters down south, and schools will be closed in southern Israel. As you said, Israeli prime minister just came out with a statement saying this campaign could take a long time. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that the plan is to set back these terror groups for years… So it’s a very, very bitter campaign right now. I haven’t seen anything quite like this in a long time.”
Adding to the anxiety, the terror groups and Palestinians have become more precise with the kind of rockets they’re using — changing their trajectory and other tactics to get past Israel’s missile defense. Also, Chris pointed out, “the number of rockets can sometimes overwhelm the… system. Earlier today, people have been posting videos on Facebook, just incredible sites. It almost looked like ‘Star Wars’ or the Fourth of July celebration with the rockets going up one way, the Iron Dome intercepting them in the other. And this is really that kind of battle in the skies. But it’s also a battle over the future of Israel.”
But if these Palestinian forces have figured out to evade the Iron Dome, then obviously, they’re getting help from someone. Chris believes the most likely suspect is Iran. “Iran has been helping Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is a Shiite group as well. So the help is coming from Iran, probably the technology, some of the material that they would use as well.”
On Tuesday, the White House called for “co-existence” in the region. “We believe Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity and prosperity,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said after agreeing that Israel has a “legitimate right to defend itself.” Meanwhile, former President Trump, who authored an unprecedented peace deal in the region, is appalled at the lack of outspoken support for Israel. “Under Biden, the world is getting more violent and more unstable because Biden’s weakness and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies…” he insisted. “America must always stand with Israel and make clear that the Palestinians must end the violence, terror, and rocket attacks.”
For now, men and women of faith around the world — including FRC — continue to pray for Israel’s protection. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’ For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’” (Psalm 122:6-8)
Originally published here.
Senate: Fit to Be Tied on Democrats’ Voting Bill
Nine hours into a hearing on the Democrats’ election takeover bill, the Senate Rules Committee finally proceeded to a vote to pass the bill out of committee. It took so long because Republicans were busy offering amendments to draw attention to the outrageous provision of the horrible bill. It even included a religious test to prevent people of faith from serving on the independent redistricting commissions the bill would establish in every state.
Despite the Left’s ferocious effort, the Corrupt Politicians Act failed to win a majority in a 9-9 party-line vote. But the Senate Democrats’ top priority, S. 1, is not dead quite yet. “This is not the last you will hear, in fact, this is the beginning, as Senator Schumer will, under his rights, be able to bring the bill to the floor,” said Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). “We look forward to working with all our colleagues to advance this bill.” Under the power-sharing agreement drawn up in the 50-50 Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has the right to bring the bill up for a floor vote, even though it failed to pass out of committee.
However, the Democrats’ federal takeover of elections may not fare any better on the Senate floor. They narrowly passed the House version of the bill 220-210. Under the Senate’s filibuster rules, the bill would need 60 votes to close debate, meaning every Democrat and ten Republicans would have to support it. But it may fail to even reach 50 votes, as Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has insisted that any voting overhaul measure ought to be bipartisan. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated that would never happen on the Democrats’ current bill. “Our democracy is not in crisis, and we aren’t going to let one party take over our democracy under the false pretense of saving it,” he said.
Despite Democrats’ nonstop allegations of race-based voter suppression, the last election saw a record 160 million ballots cast, McConnell noted. Their deceptively titled “For the People Act” (H.R. 1/S. 1) would unconstitutionally wrest control of elections from the states and remove safeguards that prevent cheating. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, “This legislation strikes down virtually every voter integrity law adopted at the state level.” Yet, after the bill barely passed the House and failed in its Senate committee, Democrats are as committed as ever to ramming the bill through. Somehow, the irony of ignoring the will of the people, and overriding the rule of the people, in the name of the people, is completely lost on them.
Meanwhile, states across the country continue to codify commonsense election safeguards. In the most recent example, Arizona Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill Tuesday to continuously refresh the voter rolls by not automatically sending absentee ballots to voters who had not voted by mail in the last two elections. Arizona’s current practices automatically send absentee ballots to more than 70 percent of its voters.
The Left paraded out the usual unfounded smears. A Time magazine reporter editorialized that the bill amounted to “voting restrictions under the guise of ‘election integrity.’” Democrats complained fewer voters would automatically receive a mail-in ballot, although more Arizonans voted by mail in 2020 than were on the list to automatically receive a mail-in ballot. State Rep. Raquel Teran (D) implied that Latinos would lose their “voice in our democratic process,” although there are other ways to vote in Arizona — and even to vote by mail. With the radical Left calling the shots in the Democratic party, it’s no surprise they are so disconnected from what Americans want, and from reality.
Originally published here.
This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.