The Price of Oil and Votes

For John, BLUF:  The Current Administration is holding back ono foreign policy goals to lure voters in November.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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You'll Never Believe Who Biden Is Using Now to Buy Votes in November

Here is the referenced article from The Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Talks Tough on Russia and Iran—So Long as It Doesn’t Raise Gas Prices

From PJ Media, by Blogger Stephen Green, 26 June 2024, 2:30 PM.

Here is the lede plus five:

There's tension inside the Biden Cabal between White House officials who want to soft-pedal oil sanctions on nasty foreign producers like Putinist Russia and Islamist Iran and Treasury Department staffers who have a soul.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Biden "wants to keep gas prices stable ahead of the election by encouraging oil to flow into global markets," and if that means imposing "softer-than-expected sanctions on major oil producers" like two to nasties mentioned above, then so be it.

Oh, and also Venezuela. What's the big deal in appeasing a socialist basket case like Nicolás Maduro when you're already servicing Vladimir Putin and whoever is in charge of Iran since President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last month.

(Two cheers for gravity!)

An unnamed senior administration official told the WSJ, "The president has wanted to do everything that he could to make sure that American consumers have the lowest price possible at the pump, as it affects families’ daily lives."

Every dollar of oil revenue that goes into Caracas, Moscow, and Tehran's coffers is another dollar that can be spent propping up the socialist Maduro regime, prolonging the Russo-Ukraine War, or providing the missiles, guns, and ammo that Hamas uses to murder Jews.

So, we are allowing the opponents of peace and democracy to flourish so that the price of gas at the service station can be low in early November, for the election.  I am with Mr Green:

I don't mind paying a little extra for each gallon when it supports producers in this country, or producers in countries that aren't endstage socialist hellholes, warmongering neoimperialists, or Islamic terror states. I do mind paying a little extra when it's American producers getting shut down by overregulation.

There is more to be read.

Regards  —  Cliff

A Secret Insight

For John, BLUF:  The Biden Administration has been dooing almost everything in its power to weaken US Oil Production.  Why?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Did Biden Seal a 'Clandestine' Saudi Oil Deal to Manipulate Prices Ahead of the Midterms?

From PJ Media, by Reporter Ryan Ledendecker, 5 December 2022, 10:30 AM.

Here is the lede plus two:

Back in July, a seemingly desperate President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia on a high-stakes trip where he met the Saudi Royal family, including the controversial Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The president took a lot of heat for the trip for several reasons, including his scheduled meetup with the crown prince, who had previously signed off on the murder of WaPo journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  Biden was also criticized for appearing to use the trip to request help from a foreign nation on the oil production front, though the White House denied that was the case.

However, in a bombshell revelation this week, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who will soon lead the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, announced that his committee will investigate what he believes to be a “secret deal” with Saudi Arabia regarding increasing OPEC+ oil production to manipulate the U.S. energy market ahead of the 2022 midterms.

I find it fairly cynical to think that the Biden Administration would manipulate world oil markets for the purpose of winning Congressional races in a mid-term election  That would have been a very cynical move, one disrespectful of petroleum woorkers across the nation.

Calling for increased oil production around the world, in the face of perceived climate change makes no swnse, unless there are other humanitarian factors in plan.

I think the Biden Administration has stumbled onto a problem in the mid- to long-term.  I don't knoow what it is, but I would look at the coming winter and Europe's shortage of energy, given the War in Ukraine and the various embargoes ongoing around the world.  What if President Biden is trying to increase oil production around the world, with the US as the hidden backup, when all else fails?  That makes much more sense.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff