Yesterday, the political FDA approved Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients {LINK}.

Today, the political FDA approved Merck’s molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing {LINK}.

The White House has been under considerable criticism for their lack of preparedness for the latest COVID variant called Omicron.  The FDA has rushed both oral medications under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) process.

FDA Announcement – […]    Molnupiravir is not authorized for use in patients younger than 18 years of age because molnupiravir may affect bone and cartilage growth. It is not authorized for the pre-exposure or post-exposure prevention of COVID-19 or for initiation of treatment in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 because benefit of treatment has not been observed in people when treatment started after hospitalization due to COVID-19.

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Leftism is driven by committee advice; it’s how the echo-chambering communal groupthink works.

After the White House COVID “Winter of Death” messaging was ridiculed and ignored by almost everyone in the general public, the communications team quickly went back to the drawing board.  You can almost hear Ron Klain instructing the team to find ways to avoid the ‘Grinch team‘ labeling.

However, the ordinary emotional disposition of leftists and Democrats, writ large, is depressing, angry and negative, the result from a lifetime of blame casting.  The most valued skillset advancing the career of any professional leftist, is their ability to project victimhood.  If you do this long enough, it becomes the only thing you know how to do.  ‘Hang around a one-legged man long enough, and you will walk with a limp’.

As a direct result, the political left genuinely does not understand or experience joy, nor do they have a connection to the emotion of happiness. So, when the political left gets together in a focus group to discuss the urgent need to shift messaging from pessimism, which turns everyone off, they end up with recommendations like this:

Yes, White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, hired dancing nurses to come into the East Room to deliver a performance for the First Lady.  In the video below, the group sings about the joy of covid, the “winter of death”, and needing to spread a little Christmas cheer.

You might find the entire performance cringeworthy, because it is.  The messaging is ridiculous, odd and, well, just plain weird.  However, this is what happens when the narrative pendulum swings wildly amid the communications team.   The base of Biden supporters, ideological leftists, do not see the cringe, instead they see it as cute – but that’s because they have no connection to the actual emotion of Christmas joy.

What you end up with is this weird North Korean style performance of nurses dancing in unison and singing.  The expression on Jill Biden’s face is exactly the same look you might find on the face of Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo Jung.   To the White House, this is cute and fun; however, the look on the faces of the American audience is an uncomfortable grin.

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This post is another repeat, one I usually re-post every year. I’ve made a couple of updates to ages and gifts.

The Secret Sam was my favorite Christmas present as a child. I still have it, and I will keep it, or perhaps pass it on to a grandchild. Oh, how I was excited and hoping the year I asked for my own Secret Sam. My mother told me it was a boy’s toy, but I was never a Barbie doll girl.

That was my spy year, my year of intrepid adventures around the neighborhood. It was one of my last Christmases as a child, I think, wanting toys and dreaming of adventures. Not too many years later, perhaps even the next one, my Christmas gifts would be stereos and albums, bell bottom jeans and paisley print turtlenecks.

Perhaps that is why the memory of it is such a treasure to me.

This year my grandchildren will be blessed with the breathless anticipation of what might be under the tree Christmas morning. They will be late to bed, too excited to sleep easily, and early to rise, rushing to the living room in all the excitement and wonder a child can have.  (more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the JoeBama Administration and Presidency.

“This is no small thing, to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may be that our task is impossible. Yet, if we do not try then how will we know it can’t be done? And if we do not try, it most certainly won’t be done. The Founders’ Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, will be lost.”

“But I tell you this: We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.”

~ Mike Vanderboegh

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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Unfortunately, we really cannot rely on BLS data, Commerce data or general information from the mainstream media to get a pulse on what’s really going on with products and prices on Main Street USA.  Factually, your ground reports have consistently been the accurate reflection of what’s happening in the various states and regions around the country.

With that in mind, what’s the latest situation in your area with COVID rules, prices on stuff you buy every day, and the availability of products and/or services in your community?

Specifically, people would be interested to know what the climate is toward the COVID rules, regulations, masks etc. in your city, town, hamlet or local community?   How are things overall?

What’s the impact of inflation and supply chain disruptions like around you?  Gas prices, grocery prices, home heating or energy prices etc.?  Also, if you are having any difficulties finding products that you normally purchase?  What are your family, friends and neighbors saying about it.

In short, how are things around you this holiday season?   Use the comment section to provide an update on your general area.   Your ground reports are always insightful and provide a good & accurate sense of how things are going on Main Street.

#FJB

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I don’t mean kick up a cloud of dust here, but something is weird again.  Last week we spotlighted information provided by media about the U.S. vaccination rate being considerably overstated {Go Deep}.  In essence, the CDC data was being revised downward to correct prior rates of vaccination that were not accurate.

During an ABC interview today (segment below), Joe Biden told ABC News’ David Muir that as of right now, there are “200 million people fully vaccinated.”  WATCH (1 min):

Counting illegal aliens, there are roughly 350 million Americans right now [Census Data].  If 200 million Americans are vaccinated (60%), that means there are approximately 150 million Americans NOT vaccinated (40%).

During his speech yesterday, Joe Biden said: “Thanks to the progress on vaccinations this fall, we’ve gone from nearly 90 million adults in July who had not even started their vaccination process to fewer than 40 million today.” [LINK]

There’s a big difference between 150 million unvaccinated and “fewer than 40 million” unvaccinated.  Can you reconcile the difference?

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BREAKING TONIGHT – The Supreme Court has announced [LINK HERE and LINK HERE] it will hold a special hearing next month to consider challenges to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for large employers and a separate coronavirus vaccine mandate for health-care workers.

[Order 595 LINK]

Both vaccine mandates have been partially blocked from going into effect by lower courts after challenges from states, business and religious coalitions.

Justices Alito and Kavanaugh both received requests, both affirmed acceptance, and then both cases were consolidated by THE COURT.  The court will hear oral arguments for one hour on Friday January 7, 2022, just before the court begins regularly scheduled oral arguments. [SCOTUS Order Link]

Additionally, earlier today a Florida judge blocked the federal contractor mandate writing in part:

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Joe Biden went back to the White House stage set today (always weird) to read from his script and hold a broadcast zoom meeting with the supply chain and inflation ‘task force’ led by Brian Deese.  [Read Transcript Here]

The occupant of the White House proclaimed that gas prices have dropped ten cents, the port container backlog was almost fixed, and all the retail sales shelves are stocked for Christmas purchasing.   Smiles everyone, smiles.  [Excerpt Below]

♦ A couple of overall notes.  Biden is proclaiming a massive improvement in the port backlog in California.  However, a more careful review of the specifics from the ports themselves, via John Porcari, reveals this nuance: “The percentage of — the number of long-dwelling containers — the ones that have been there eight days or more — has been cut in half.”  The percentage of, the number of, 8+ day delayed containers has been reduced by 50% in the past two months.

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Ha, ha, ha…  breathe… ha, ha, ha… yer killin’ me.

Lyin’ Ted Cruz, perhaps the most inauthentic intentional stutterer in politics, thinks he’s going to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024 because he was the runner up in 2016.   No, seriously, he does. WATCH:

https://youtu.be/OH2lzAr9lnc

.

D’oh.  Grandma’s rule.

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