The medical community has continued to say the Omicron variant, to the extent there is such a thing, is akin to a traditional head cold.  Symptoms include sniffling, sneezing, coughing and a stuffy head.  However, that said, the Omicron is also being used as a justification for shutting down human activity.

One way to look at the motives of Omicron as a tool to control behavior, is a method to stop travel, work, transportation services and other economic activity that involves the use of gasoline.  In essence, Omicron becomes a tool to target the demand side of higher gas prices.  If the proles would just stay home and lock down, then demand for energy would slow, and the citizens would not notice the negative effects of energy policy.

Enter Joe Biden today, to tell everyone the Omicron variant will fill up the hospitals with the unvaccinated and unboosted during a time when the winter cold and flu season generally does the same.  The White House fear mongering is in direct proportion to the drop in White House approval ratings. WATCH:

BIDEN – […] “Omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would’ve otherwise done and as is happening in Europe. But it’s here now, and it’s spreading, and it’s going to increase.  For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm.” (read more)

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First things first… If the governor responsible for organizing the state response to a massive crisis is still incapable of controlling his emotions, and cries in front of the media five days after the damage, I guarantee you he/she is a Democrat.  I don’t mean to be brutal or insensitive about it, but the emotional inability of effeminate Democrat Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is embarrassing to watch.   Cowboy the f**k up, and get on with the job.

That said, it is obvious the White House political communications team are not planning to let a crisis go to waste.  The opportunity provided by the devastating tornadoes that tore through Kentucky, is an opportunity for Biden to rebrand himself and attempt to get his collapsed polling numbers to reverse.

That’s the reason for the heavily engineered presser yesterday, and that’s the reason for the federal response.  On the positive side, the flood of help is good for Kentucky; however, cynically that benefit is mostly possible because the Biden White House is desperate and needs positive PR.

Traditionally, when there’s a FEMA-level crisis in a red state or region, and Democrats are in the White House, the federal response is weak.  It’s just how they roll.  However, fortunately for Kentucky, this time the crisis coincides with the White House occupant desperately needing to rehabilitate his image. And it’s a Democrat governor holding office over a Red state, so the White House producers, script writers and narrative directors have massive latitude.

It was smart of Ron Klain to send Jill Biden to Wisconsin on the same day he sent Joe to Kentucky.  After a few words from Klain to coordinate with the CNN crew, Kate Bennett delivered the conflated article brilliantly for the Google search engines.   It now looks like the faux-President visited Wisconsin [ SEE FOR YOURSELF, read it carefully ]. Obviously he didn’t, but when you know the intent is to manipulate and give the illusion that he did, well, the way Kate Bennett constructed the outline is brilliant.

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Folks, this story is not from The Onion or any version of sarcastic media.  This is very real.

To meet the compliance standards of the Paris Climate Accords and the subsequent treaty that all EU nations agreed to, they must reduce carbon emissions in freight and transit systems.  They have spent thousands of hours pouring over possible solutions and will begin the test phase next month.

Bloomberg News – At the start of next year, the Ville de Bordeaux, a 154-meter-long ship that moves aircraft components for Airbus SE, will unfurl a 500 square meter kite on journeys across the Atlantic Ocean. It will undergo six months of trials and tests before full deployment.

While the industry has come up with multiple decarbonization initiatives, it is struggling to keep pace with goals set out under the Paris Agreement on climate. There’s also pressure on shipping lines from large customers who are pressing to make their own supply chains less polluting. (read more)

Yes my friends, the extremely well educated scientists, physicists, climatologists, sustainability engineers and cross functional decarbonization problem solvers for the planetary saving climate justice agenda, have invented…. wait for it….

….Sailboats!

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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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West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin appears to be done with the badgering and pressure over the Build Back Better legislation.

Politico reports the discussions between Senator Manchin and the White House are at a stalemate, with the White House saying “things are going poorly.”  Meanwhile, the New York Post is reporting that Manchin finally exploded on communist stenographers who have been continually hounding him for the past two months.

Senator Joe Manchin on Wednesday angrily shouted at reporters to go away — telling one, “You are bulls–t!” and “I’m done!” after he was peppered with questions about his reluctance to support President Biden’s mammoth social spending bill.

“I’m not negotiating with any of you, OK?” the West Virginia Democrat said as reporters followed him around Capitol Hill. 

Eventually Manchin added, raising his voice: “You guys, let me go. This is bulls–t. You are bulls–t! OK? I’m done! I’m done! God Almighty.” (link)

The communist guerillas never relent, they just modify their attack angles to keep pushing forward.

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To me, this is just jaw-dropping.  The Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made statements today akin to saying the emperor is wearing a beautiful coat.  I can share examples, but to really encapsulate the issues, it’s actually easier to start by sharing a chart he presented when discussing inflation.

Do you notice anything missing in this chart?   Look at it carefully.

If you look at it and say: “hey, where’s the actual 2021 data he is talking about“, give yourself a cookie.

The guy is talking about the issue of 2021 inflation and expressing his empathy that inflation is running “far ahead” of the federal reserve projections.  Yet, the graphic Powell uses doesn’t even show the 2021 rate of inflation that he is expressing his concern about.

Why wouldn’t the graphic show the rate of inflation for 2021?   Well, take one look at what the graph would look like, and you realize immediately why he would not want to put it in front of people.

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Apparently living amid a city that is fraught with crime is comfortable for a lot of people in San Francisco, at least according to one of the most leftist Mayors in the nation.  You know things are bad when the Mayor of San Francisco, who ran on a platform to remove cops from the streets, starts shouting about the “bull**it that has destroyed the city”, and proclaiming that rampant lawlessness needs to stop.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed delivered a statement yesterday that is the exact opposition of her social program message from the past few years.  Apparently, the rise in random gangs of looters destroying the city and organized retail theft has become problematic for the politicians who hold power over the city.

Quite a remarkable shift in position, however, the transparency of motive is clear.  Breed’s faux anger and conveniently new frustration over the crime surge in the city were on full display at her noon news conference where she changed the rules of the safari park.   WATCH:

Democrats are worried about how their anti-police position has brought the criminal chickens home to roost.  Politically, Democrats -writ large- are trying to distance themselves from the crime their policies have created.  National polls show voters are correctly attributing the rise in crime to Democrats.  Thus, they need to change direction quickly.

SAN FRANCISCO – After months of viral videos showing deteriorating conditions on the streets of San Francisco, including smash-and-grab robberies and open-air drug use, the city’s mayor has moved to implement a new public safety approach to curb criminal behavior. Her move could signal a recognition by the Democratic establishment that crime may prove a potent issue in upcoming elections.

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WILDWOOD, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a legislative proposal that will give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination.

The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory. Today’s proposal builds on actions Governor DeSantis has already taken to ban Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 project in Florida’s schools. For more information about the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, click here.

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The Commerce Department November retail sales data was release today [DATA HERE] – [DETAIL pdf HERE].  The top line issue is a shocking drop in retail sales for November in key categories that align with previous discussion of inflation spending priorities for all U.S. consumers.

Before getting to the data, one point is critical to remember.  The commerce department sales figures are based on dollars spent. This point is important, because the items being purchased have inflation within them.  When prices are higher due to inflation, sales figures should be higher due to higher prices.  Ex. If there is an 8% increase in retail price, but only a 4% increase in retail sales, that means less stuff is being sold.  [Less units sold at a higher price gives the illusion of an increase in sales.]

Despite the start of the traditional holiday sales and shopping period, the total sales growth in November was 0.3% over October [Column A].  Factoring in inflation during the same month to month comparison at 0.9%, you can tell that overall in November there was a drop in units sold across the total of retail sales outlets.

A drop in sales at a time when holiday shopping should be taking place is concerning.  However, the sales reality aligns with the employment data last week showing a drop of 20,000 workers in the retail sector for November.  Put them together, and the picture shows retailers did not need employees, because consumers are not spending.

If we look deeper into the November sales figures, we can see that a contraction in discretionary spending is the primary issue. Electronics (-4.6%), Department Stores (-5.4%) and even online sales at ZERO.  We can also see a direct correlation in comparative inflation impact within the sales data for November 2021 when compared to November 2020 [Column B].

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