The fracking fracas during last night’s debate was a bizarro reversed version of 2012’s Candy Crowley incident
For a while in 2012 I became semi-obsessed with what Candy Crowley and Obama did to Romney during the second 2012 presidential debate. I analyzed it and posted about it several times. Here’s an excerpt:
Note also Obama’s affect when Romney questions him as to whether he really means to assert that he called it an act of terror the day after the attack. The camera zooms in on Obama as the president says to Romney “Please proceed, Governor,” and then cuts away just after the fleeting ghost of a faint smile crosses Obama’s face (mostly in his eyes; it occurs at about 1:22). It is at that point that Obama summarily orders Crowley to “check the transcript” (no “please” for Obama), and she immediately answers that Obama did say it that way. Not only do we know that assertion is false, but she didn’t even seem to have time to check any transcript between Obama’s request and her answer.
So, to recap: Obama made a false claim (that he had called Benghazi an act of terror the day after the attack), Romney challenged him, Obama told the moderator to “check the transcript,” and she asserted that Obama was correct (without her actually checking a transcript, but just by waving some papers around).
Last night, here’s how the fracking exchange went:
“We’re going to have the greatest economy in the world,” Trump said. “But if you want to kill the economy, get rid of your oil industry. And what about fracking? Now we have to ask him about fracking.”
“I have never said I oppose fracking,” Biden claimed.
“You said it on tape,” Trump fired back.
“I—show the tape, put it on your website,” Biden yelled. “The fact of the matter is he’s flat lying.”
Within a matter of moments, Trump’s team tweeted out a video of Biden making the remarks.
Last night, the moderator didn’t jump in to correct Biden, and of course we wouldn’t expect her to do so, since Biden is the Democrat. But Biden responded to Trump by saying the equivalent of “get the transcript,” and here’s Trump’s tweet with the video:
Here you go @JoeBiden! pic.twitter.com/UBqPJT85Pt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2020
It’s also instructive to see the way this is now being spun by the left – that what Joe really had meant each time he said he would ban fracking was to ban it just on federal lands, or over a very long period of time, or whatever they think might soften what he said and how he lied about it.
In this case, the debate moderator Welker didn’t ask the question and didn’t participate in the exchange, unlike Crowley in 2012. In 2020, it was Trump who brought up the issue and Trump who provided the evidence in real time.
I have never understood the idea of banning Fracking to stop the use of oil and natural gas in the US. It seems to me that those that oppose Fracking think that oil is only used for infernal combustion engines. Do they not know all the uses of oil in so many industries?
As to natural gas usage for electric generation they are not willing to go to Nuclear energy because they fear it. I understand that several places have, or want to, ban the usage of NG in the home. I don’t believe that is a good solution either.
We are the new Weimar.
Any thinking is OK, no matter how nutty, preposterous or evil it is.
We have a senile clown running for president; you need any more proof?
A new Adolf awaits in the wings.
What the H is the point of a so-called debate when over 50 (fifty) million paper votes have already been cast? The dead really cannot vote yet again, after the debate, can they?
Lyn Hargrove:
Invest in cow dung futures and night soil distribution carts. Scarcity and famine are not hard to forecast. Bring back the past for a bright new sustainable future!
“The dead really cannot vote yet again, after the debate, can they?”
They can and did in Duval County TX. Does Lyndon Johnsons name ring a bell.
The Democrats desire to get rid of oil and gas is a huge deal. Because it can’ be done. At least not until they find some sort of storage medium (batteries will not suffice) to make up for the intermittency of wind and solar. Nuclear would help, but the Greens won’t go down that road. So, it’s a pipe dream, but that won’t stop them from trying to make energy much more expensive and to stop drilling and fracking in this country. They keep saying they are going to produce many jobs from “clean energy.” Until they discover some way to store energy to make up for intermittency of wind and solar, I envision vast energy factories with thousands of people pedaling bicycles attached to generators that will create the back up electric source needed. Yeah, I’m kidding, but the Greens are just crazy enough to try something like that.
Relaxed regulations on the oil industry has allowed us to become energy independent for the first time since 1957. Being energy independent has allowed us to be less subject to manipulation by the Middle East oil sheikdoms. IMO, it has been a big factor in the success of Trump’s diplomacy in the Middle East.
Very glad that Trump was able to get Joe on the record as being anti-oil and gas. In the oil and gas producing states (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio) this will be of interest to many voters.
I have long long long wanted Trump to be ready with quick access video of prior politician quotes – just for this kind of show.
Notice Biden called Trump a liar, which the Dem media so often do. But Trump showed him, and the limited few watching, and the large number then reading about it, that Biden is a liar and the Trump was telling the truth.
I also think it would be good for a Trump website to have a big list of times Dem media called him a liar when he was telling the truth. But while I often read Trump’s tweets, I haven’t looked at his website.
And don’t like listening to his speeches. Far prefer transcripts.
Don’t worry about fracking and the new green Biden deal. His ties with China will be leverage to ensure the CCP complies to end Chinese fossil fuel consumption by 2035. Trust him, it’s Joe’s character on the line. 🙂
J.J. on October 23, 2020 at 6:22 pm said: “not until they find some sort of storage medium (batteries will not suffice)”
Just to clarify, I presume you mean unless and until some newer technology can make battery storage (or some other form) viable. Obviously a lot of smart people are looking at this, so who knows if or when a breakthrough might be found.
Any discussion of “climate change”, or energy policy that does not include the words “nuclear energy” and “thorium reactor” is not a serious discussion. Those elements may end up not being considered viable in future policy approaches, but technologies that have risks coupled with great benefits still end up making progress into our civilization — witness our use of automobiles even with 30K deaths or so per year on our roads.
R2L: “Any discussion of “climate change”, or energy policy that does not include the words “nuclear energy” and “thorium reactor” is not a serious discussion.”
Agreed. The fact that the U.S. Navy has been using nuclear power successfully and safely since 1954 is seldom remarked on, but should be. With proper operating skills and safety protocols in place it is a clean, reliable source of energy. Most people are unaware of this.
The Climate Change non-debate (Because the “science is settled.”) is a great disservice to the nation. For those who want to counter arguments about getting out of the Paris Climate Accords, here are some facts to bolster your argument that the expensive regulations put on us to reduce CO2 emissions would mean little in the grand scheme of things. Other nations are burning more coal and building more plants.
“Within the 28 European Union countries, there are 268 coal-fired power plants in operation, with 7 in construction and 8 in pre-construction.
Turkey has 29 plants in operation, with 2 in construction and 31 in preconstruction.
South Africa has 19 plants in operation, with 2 in construction and 5 in preconstruction.
India has 291 plants in operation, with 33 in construction and 41 in preconstruction.
Philippines has 21 plants in operation, with 8 in construction and 19 in preconstruction.
South Korea has 24 plants in operation, with 3 in construction and 1 in preconstruction.
Japan has 83 plants in operation, with 15 in construction and 5 in preconstruction.
China has 1032 plants in operation, with 126 in construction and 76 in preconstruction.
The countries listed have 1767 operational coal-fired power plants and a further 196 under construction, for a total of 1963.”
“In 2019 there were 241 small coal powered units across the United States[1] which generated an amount of electricity similar to that from renewable energy or nuclear power[2][3] but much less than natural gas. Installed capacity was about 236 GW.[4] Coal plants have been closing at a fast rate since the 2010s due to cheaper and cleaner natural gas.”
We are not building more coal fired plants. Most of them will be closed in another ten years. We are already the leading nation in reducing CO2 emissions. Our CO2 emissions:
“The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis – a fall of 140 Mt, or 2.9%, to 4.8 Gt,” The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported on Tuesday. “US emissions are now down almost 1 Gt from their peak in the year 2000, the largest absolute decline by any country over that period.”
It all means nothing to the Church of AGW.
J.J.
If you shut down the supply of natural gas (from fracking) after shutting down the coal plants what could possibly go wrong? Natural gas is now replacing coal for generating electricity. You wouldn’t want to intentionally hobble a whole economy?
Inconceivable, surely (don’t call me Shirley).
“I envision vast energy factories with thousands of people pedaling bicycles attached to generators that will create the back up electric source needed. Yeah, I’m kidding,” – J J
China wasn’t.
https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2019/08/spoons-are-in-aisle-9.html
Remember that “the left” is synonymous with “socialist” and all of the Democrats are leftists now.
“Do they not know all the uses of oil in so many industries?” – LYNN
Well, actually, probably not.
https://www.thenewneo.com/2020/10/23/in-the-leftist-twitter-crowds-haste-to-show-what-a-dummyhead-trump-is-they-demonstrate-their-own-combination-of-abysmal-ignorance-and-arrogance/#comment-2521188
It does sometimes amuse me to see the climate change, anti-oil activists with their designer-water in plastic bottles and bicycling along in their spandex shorts.
Wikipedia “Plastic” tries to be woke, but can’t quite pull it off.
It does have good pictures of all the things we will have to do without once Joe closes down the oil industries — Hillary only wanted to shutter the coal business.
More than you probably wanted to know, with more pictures:
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Polyester.html
https://context.capp.ca/articles/2019/feature_petroleum-in-real-life_pills
BTW, Spandex was created to replace rubber in women’s girdles.
It might be amusing, and sad, to see what the “fact checkers” did with Joe’s claim that Trump lied about Joe’s fracking statement.
That’s how a real leader should act, be their own moderator. This is why I upgraded him from Trum to Trump.
JJ…”Because it can’ be done. At least not until they find some sort of storage medium (batteries will not suffice) to make up for the intermittency of wind and solar.”
Batteries can provide perhaps 2-3 hours worth of storage at a cost level which is not totally insane, thereby shifting solar generation in the period of bright sunlight to serve air conditioning and other loads after the sun is low in the sky. But it is unrealistic to think that they can store enough energy to handle the phenomenon called ‘winter’, when there is not much sun and snow may cover the solar collectors for days on end. Gas-fired power generation capacity will need to be kept in place to handle most of the peak load (80%, at a guess) for the periods when the intermittent sources aren’t available. Fuel will be saved, but at the cost of vast capital outlays. Costs per kwh would go up considerably, with bad implications not only for household utility bills but for industrial competitiveness.
Whoops! “”Because it can’ be done. ” Should read, Because it CAN’T be done. The peepers aren’t working so well these days. 🙁
Just so about batteries, David. Elon Musk is working on it and he is a genius who has made some important breakthroughs. We’ll see if he can defy the laws of thermodynamics.
Some people are experimenting with storing excess solar and wind energy in vessels as air pressure. There are many problems with that approach, also. Why not go with what we know works – nuclear? Sigh!
Then their is the issue of how to power airplanes without jet fuel, which comes from oil.
What’s ironic to me is that 20 years ago, the problem was “Peak Oil.” Where were we going to get the oil products to keep our society moving? Now, it’s get rid of oil.
Global Warming“Climate Change” alarmists worried about CO2 need to support nuclear power or else they’re not serious about CO2 as a problem.In the meantime, floods and droughts & fires are all predictable consequences of “climates changing”, so there should be extra focus on reducing the human costs of such climate disasters. The CA wildfires, whether arson or natural, were made worse by human decisions influenced by “environmentalists”.
The decision to avoid burning underbrush to avoid massive wildfires was because of the environmentalists, mostly Dem supported and supporting Dems. Those who want better management of the environment, including fewer wildfires, less bad droughts, and less bad floods – such folk need to more correctly blame Dems who manage poorly.
A functioning market means we will never run out of oil, nor diamonds, nor gold. But prices will change. Oil could have become increasingly expensive, had it not been for fracking. At some point in the now-more-distant future, oil will go up in price again.
Maybe.
Unless we have more nukes, perhaps especially more safer thorium reactors.
I understand India is building some. Hope they’re successful.
I recall, from some time back, a link in a post that was a woman who is really into the “no oil” game, but otherwise showed signs of intelligence, who decided to show how easy it is to go without oil by going a day without. Great idea, maybe.
She then admitted that she hit a snag shortly after arising and starting to brush her teeth. Yeah, the handle and bristles are man-made using petrochemicals. The plan went down hill from there… and she hadn’t even got to where she was not going to drive to work.
The world is multi-dimensional chess and these people are still playing checkers.
It is interesting that the 2020 Democratic Platform mentions nuclear as an acceptable ‘zero-carbon’ solution. I don’t think they really believe it, certainly Biden didn’t mention it when talking about energy at the debate.
It is also interesting that the US and Poland have ‘agreed to cooperate’ on Poland’s nuclear program, which anticipates spending $40 billion on reactor construction over the next 20 years.
https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/us-back-nuclear-business-polish-cooperation-deal/
There is already a plan in place for Poland to acquire a small modular reactor (300MW) from the GE-Hitachi joint venture.
https://www.ft.com/content/f367c79a-f4da-11e9-a79c-bc9acae3b654
(paywalled link)
Another+Mike, that was a fun story. It sounds a bit like some of the films we used to see in school along the lines of showing the many roles this or that industry played in our daily lives.
Lynn, you have a good thought about the ignorance about plastics. In fact, I was wishing to myself a little after the debate why the President didn’t take that route and defeat the Marionette’s pretensions to knowledge. For example, he could have pointed out the pen that Joe was holding, the ink in said pen, the paints on the podium, etc. Ah, well – probably has somewhat to do with the comment in one of the other threads about Trump’s thinking and consequent speaking style.
Aesop, thanks for those links. Cumene! Wouldn’t have predicted that at all.
Philip – doing the research to support my off-the-cuff comments (or, more usually, amend them) before I post has greatly enhanced my education and fund of trivia.
Geothermal tapping. Magnetic engines. Navy s unclass fusion patent