China Prepares To Choke Off America’s Rare Metal Supply

Energy News Beat

China will tighten reporting controls on strategic rare earth elements, according to its Commerce Ministry, in a move that could choke off America’s supply of critical minerals used in the production of electric cars and missiles.

The ministry said on Tuesday that exporters of rare earth elements would need to report their shipment orders, although no limitations were announced at the time. The government did not publicly specific which minerals would be subject to the new reporting requirement.

The decision is being viewed as a message to Washington about Beijing’s potential to target specific industries as a response to the U.S.’s own restrictions on high-end semiconductors.

The decision also comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is slated to travel to San Francisco next week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden and attend a reception with U.S. corporate elites.

Rare earth elements are a group of 17 minerals that, although abundant, are challenging to extract and process for use in cutting-edge technologies, from new electric vehicles and solar panels to microchips used by the defense industry.

China is the biggest producer of rare earth elements, having mastered extraction and processing. The new reporting requirement was a common practice, its Commerce Ministry said of the policy move.

“The establishment of an import and export statistical survey and reporting mechanism for certain bulk products is an internationally accepted practice. Statistics on the import and export of goods helps us to grasp the incomings and outgoings of bulk products in a timely manner in order to examine trends,” said He Yadong, a ministry spokesperson.

The new reporting requirement is an update to the commodity reporting regulations published in 2022 by China’s statistics bureau and will last two years starting from October 31.

China currently accounts for 60 percent of the world’s rare earth extraction and 87 percent of processing, according to analysis by the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

Rare metals aren’t the only items on Beijing’s growing list of strategic targets; the Commerce Ministry has also asked importers of iron ore, copper ore concentrate and potash fertilizer to report their orders.

In July, China imposed export restrictions on two rare earth minerals—gallium and germanium—which are crucial for semiconductor manufacturing. The decision was seen as a counterblow to Washington’s controls on China’s access to high-end computer chips.

However, experts have questioned the presumption that China could hurt the United States with rare earth restrictions.

“We have a hard time seeing how China could slap rare earth restrictions on consumer goods—goods that are produced inside China and are increasingly consumed globally—and not shoot itself in the economic foot in the process,” John LaForge, head of real asset strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said in a 2019 research report.

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The Globalist Vision: “15 Minute” Prison Cities And The End Of Private Property

Energy News Beat

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,

As a general rule I find that whenever the public scrutinizes any particular agenda being promoted by governments and globalists their first response is to act indignant, much like a narcissist would do when they are up to no good and they get caught.

“How dare you” question their intentions and suggest they might be nefarious.

How dare you suggest they are anything other than loving and benevolent.

Our “leaders” have only ever wanted the best for us, right?

They only want our lives to become safer, more comfortable and more convenient – This is what truly motivates your average elitist, right?

Obviously history tells us a far different story, and it boggles my mind when anyone tries to argue that things are different today compared to 100 years ago, 300 years ago, or 1000 years ago. There is nothing new under the sun. There will always be tyrants attempting to gain more and more power and those tyrants will always lie to the public, claiming they are good people with our best interests at heart.

When that doesn’t work and the citizenry remains skeptical, the tyrants go on the attack, accusing the public of “conspiracy theory.” This is meant to mock and shame free thinkers into silence – You don’t want to stand out, right? Why risk being ostracized from society? Why risk becoming a meme?

This tactic is rooted in the notion that the corporate media and government officials represent the mainstream, and therefore they represent the majority, and the majority represents reality.  None of this is true or relevant, of course. Only facts matter. Sophistry is meaningless. Opinions are meaningless. The truth should be the goal, and if it’s not someone’s goal then they must be a purveyor of lies and should not be taken seriously. There are only two paths to take, there is no in-between.

I will admit there is some value to the “conspiracy theory” accusation because whenever the establishment uses it, it’s a sure sign that you are too close to the target and they are getting nervous. They could simply try to outline any evidence they might have to prove that your position is wrong, but they don’t really do that. Instead of debating your arguments and evidence, they try to undermine you as a valid critic and inoculate the public against your ideas before people ever get a chance to hear them. This is the behavior of villains, not benevolent and caring leaders.

I mention this dynamic because there is one agenda above all others that is aggressively defended by the establishment media, and anyone who remotely questions it is automatically persecuted as a “conspiracy nut” or “denier.” I am of course talking about the climate change agenda.

I have thoroughly debunked the idea of man-made climate change in previous articles and I won’t be spending time on that here.

Instead, I want to examine the end goal of climate change policies – The ultimate solution, which is NOT to save the planet, but to dominate the populace.

The names used for the climate change “reset” vary, but it is often referred to by globalists and the UN as Agenda 2030 or Sustainable Development Goals.  These programs wear a facade of environmentalism but they are ALL rooted in economics.  That is to say, all climate change efforts exist to destroy industry and trade and establish a government/corporate partnership to dominate production.  Climate change is a Trojan Horse to introduce authoritarianism.

I believe one of the most important aspects of Agenda 2030 for globalists is something called the “15 Minute City”; a project which involves hundreds of city mayors from across the US, Europe and Asia working closely with groups like the World Economic Forum. Any mention of this idea in a negative light and the media erupts with anger as well as mockery as if it’s not a real issue worthy of debate.

The establishment paints an interesting picture of 15 Minute Cities – A Utopian future in which everything you need is only a short walk away and private transportation is superfluous (or banned). You might even live in mega-complex, much like a giant mall where you also work. You could spend months within one square mile of space, never having to leave for anything.

It’s no mistake that this idea was pushed hard during the pandemic lockdowns. The public was awash in fear propaganda over a virus with a 99.8% survival rate and that fear made the unthinkable idea of staying at home all the time suddenly thinkable. Media pundits continue to call the connection between covid lockdowns and climate lockdowns a conspiracy theory, but the idea is openly admitted in UN and WEF white papers.

Some people argue that most cities are already “15 Minute Cities” with necessities all within walking distance of their homes. These folks don’t understand what a 15 Minute City really is. As numerous establishment descriptions of the project note, it’s not just about convenience or close access, it’s about changing every aspect of our current philosophy of living. It’s not about gaining amenities, it’s about making an array of sacrifices in order to appease the gods of carbon emissions.

The 15 Minute City is more like a recipe, containing every single ingredient of the climate change and covid lockdown agendas in a single comprehensive Orwellian vision. It includes removing motor vehicles, removing private transportation and roads, smart city and AI monitoring of each person’s electricity usage, monitoring of product consumption and “carbon footprint”, biometric surveillance within a compact and stacked urban landscape, the cashless society concept, equity and inclusion cultism, population control, etc.

It is the culmination, the end game; a massive prison with no bars. A place where you are conditioned to grow accustomed to artificial limitations on privacy, no civil liberties, no private property, and no work options or mobility. You are tied to the land and the land is owned by the state (or corporation). If you want a historic comparison, the closest I can find is the feudal system of Medieval Europe.

Within these cities you are a labor mechanism, nothing more. You will never be allowed to own your own property and thus own your own labor. Everything you have is given to you by the state and can be taken away by the state if you defy them. You might be able to leave the village or community you are tied to for a time, but this will change with increasing restrictions on the public’s movement according to the dictates of climate ideology.

As long as you are productive and submissive you will be give the things you need to survive, but never to thrive. In the case of a technocratic feudal system you would not have any guarantees that the state would need your services. At least in feudal Europe a peasant was seen as valuable resource because of limited population.  In a world where many people are considered “population excess”, you could easily be replaced and booted out of the city to starve and die.

In 2016 the World Economic Forum published a document titled ‘Welcome To 2030. I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy, And Life Has Never Been Better.’ The article was meant to promote a concept called the “sharing economy” which was first publicly fielded to the press at Davos.  The article describes a “hypothetical” future in which a communistic system has ended all private property in the name of saving the planet from climate change. The benefits? Well, like all communistic systems, the big lie is that you will get to work less and most things will be free. This is how collectivist ideals have been sold to the populace for generations and it NEVER works the way the establishment claims.

The WEF has been promoting the sharing economy for years, but when it went mainstream and was widely criticized as dystopian, the media once again flipped the “conspiracy theory” switch and attacked anyone exposing the implications.

Multiple platforms published the article in 2016 but many have since taken it down (Forbes appears to have erased their published copy, for example). They are pretending as if the agenda never existed, probably because the article contains some revealing admissions, including a hint at the 15 Minute City concept. From the article:

My biggest concern is all the people who do not live in our city. Those we lost on the way. Those who decided that it became too much, all this technology. Those who felt obsolete and useless when robots and AI took over big parts of our jobs. Those who got upset with the political system and turned against it. They live different kind of lives outside of the city. Some have formed little self-supplying communities. Others just stayed in the empty and abandoned houses in small 19th century villages.

Once in awhile I get annoyed about the fact that I have no real privacy. Nowhere I can go and not be registered. I know that, somewhere, everything I do, think and dream of is recorded. I just hope that nobody will use it against me”

In other words, the globalists imagine a future were the malcontent free thinkers and people replaced by AI are outcasts, scratching and scraping out a meaningless existence in the wastelands of the old world. To stay in the bosom of the new world you will be required to give up all freedom, even freedom of thought. Keep in mind, this article is supposed to be a “positive” promotion of the shared economy and 15 Minute-related cities. Yet, this excerpt sounds more like a threat.

It’s important to understand that these compact cities will not be designed for your comfort.  They will not be designed so that you can have all the amenities you have today closer to your fingertips while also providing “sustainability.” That’s how the globalists try to sell it, but that’s not what it will be. Rather, these cities will be designed to better CONTROL you, so that you can be forced to make the sacrifices they say are necessary for sustainability to be possible.

They are erroneously billed as “decentralized communities,” but they are the exact opposite – They are utterly centralized, like a hamster cage where you are the pet.  The core philosophy behind them is dependency.  If you live in a place which is specifically constructed to eliminate your ability to provide for yourself, then you are a slave.  Though, to be sure, even slavery can be made to look noble if people are convinced that their chains are necessary for the good of the planet.

*  *  *

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Ukraine aid cut from GOP-backed stopgap funding bill

Energy News Beat

The legislation, which is aimed at preventing a November 17 government shutdown, is not backed by the White House

Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a new stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown that does not include money for aid to Ukraine or Israel. Johnson had earlier insisted that the issue of assisting Kiev should be discussed separately, with many other Republicans reluctant to continue funding the embattled country.

The two-step temporary spending proposal, also known as a continuing resolution, was rolled out on Saturday. It would extend funding for some government agencies until January 19 and for some others until February 2. The plan came out just a week before a looming shutdown deadline on November 17 that could leave many US civilian workers and military personnel without pay.

Johnson remarked that the stop gap measure would “place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories” and “stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess.”

He also argued that separating the bill from the supplemental funding debates puts the GOP “in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our southern border.”

The White House, however, was quick to dismiss the proposal as “extreme,” with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre describing it as “a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns.”

Last month, the administration of US President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve a massive $106 billion assistance package for Ukraine and Israel that also would have provided money for the southern US border. However, the GOP opposed the measure, with Johnson signaling that his party wanted to “bifurcate” the issues of Israel and Ukraine.

In this vein, the GOP-controlled House earlier this month passed a stand-alone $14.3 billion bill to help Israel in the fight against the Palestinian armed group Hamas, but it was later blocked by Democrats in the Senate.

Many Republicans have long been critical of providing assistance to Ukraine, rebuking President Joe Biden over what they believe is a lack of clear strategic goals and accountability. The US leader has consistently said that Washington intends to support Kiev in its fight against Moscow for “as long as it takes.”

Meanwhile, the White House has recently warned that money in existing programs for Ukraine is running out, while urging Congress to approve new funding to send “an important message” to the world.

 

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Moody’s turns negative on US credit rating, draws Washington ire

Energy News Beat

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Moody’s on Friday lowered its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to “negative” from “stable” citing large fiscal deficits and a decline in debt affordability, a move that drew immediate criticism from President Joe Biden’s administration.

The move follows a rating downgrade of the sovereign by another ratings agency, Fitch, this year, which came after months of political brinkmanship around the U.S. debt ceiling.

Federal spending and political polarization have been a rising concern for investors, contributing to a selloff that took U.S. government bond prices to their lowest levels in 16 years.

“It is hard to disagree with the rationale, with no reasonable expectation for fiscal consolidation any time soon,” said Christopher Hodge, chief economist for the U.S. at Natixis. “Deficits will remain large … and as interest costs take up a larger share of the budget, the debt burden will continue to grow.”

The ratings agency said in a statement that “continued political polarization” in Congress raises the risk that lawmakers will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability.”

“Any type of significant policy response that we might be able to see to this declining fiscal strength probably wouldn’t happen until 2025 because of the reality of the political calendar next year,” William Foster, a senior vice president at Moody’s, told Reuters in an interview.

Republicans, who control the U.S. House of Representatives, expect to release a stopgap spending measure on Saturday aimed at averting a partial government shutdown by keeping federal agencies open when current funding expires next Friday.

Moody’s is the last of the three major rating agencies to maintain a top rating for the U.S. government. Fitch changed its rating from triple-A to AA+ in August, joining S&P which has had an AA+ rating since 2011.

While it changed its outlook, indicating a downgrade is possible over the medium term, Moody’s affirmed its long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at ‘Aaa’ citing U.S. credit and economic strengths.

Immediately after the Moody’s release, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the change was “yet another consequence of congressional Republican extremism and dysfunction.”

“While the statement by Moody’s maintains the United States’ Aaa rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook. The American economy remains strong, and Treasury securities are the world’s preeminent safe and liquid asset,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

Adeyemo said the Biden administration had demonstrated its commitment to fiscal sustainability, including through over $1 trillion in deficit reduction measures included in a June agreement struck with Congress on raising the U.S. debt limit, and Biden’s proposal to reduce the deficit by nearly $2.5 trillion over the next decade.

Treasury yields have soared this year on expectations the Federal Reserve will keep monetary policy tight, as well as on U.S.-focused fiscal concerns.

The sharp rise in Treasury yields “has increased pre-existing pressure on US debt affordability,” Moody’s said.

A Moody’s downgrade could exacerbate fiscal concerns, but investors have said they are skeptical it would have a material impact on the U.S. bond market, seen as a safe haven because of its depth and liquidity.

However, “it is a reminder that the clock is ticking and the markets are moving closer and closer to understanding that we could go into another period of drama that could lead ultimately to the government shutting down,” said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist at LPL Financial.

Moody’s decision also comes as Biden, who is seeking reelection in 2024, has seen his support fall sharply in the polls. A New York Times/Siena poll released on Sunday showed him trailing former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, in five of six battleground states: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden was ahead of Trump in Wisconsin. The outcome in those six states will help determine who wins the presidential election.

The Moody’s move will also heap pressure on congressional Republicans to advance funding legislation to avert a partial government shutdown.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has spent days in talks with members of his slim 221-212 Republican majority about several stopgap measures, said Moody’s decision underscored the failure of what he called Biden’s “reckless spending agenda.”

“Our $33.6 trillion debt is unsustainable and poses a danger to our national security and economy,” he said in a statement. “We will fight to get our finances in order.”

The House and the Democratic-led Senate must agree on a vehicle that Biden can sign into law before current funding expires on Nov. 17.

Infighting among House Republicans has led to flirtations with government shutdowns yet both parties have contributed to budget deficits.

Biden’s Democrats have backed a wide range of spending plans, while Republicans pushed through sharp tax cuts early in Donald Trump’s presidency that also fed the deficit. The total gross U.S. debt rose by about $7.9 trillion during Trump’s years in office. Neither party has seriously addressed the rising costs of the Social Security and Medicare programs that represent a significant slice of federal spending.

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US credit card debt hits historic high – data

Energy News Beat

US credit card debt continued to surge in July-September this year, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year increases, economists at the New York Federal Reserve bank said in a report this week.

According to their calculations, credit card balances increased by $48 billion (4.7%) from the previous three months and by $154 billion on an annual basis, the highest increase since records began in 1999. This brought the total outstanding credit card debt to a new record high of $1.08 trillion.

Meanwhile, mortgage balances also surged to $12.14 trillion, while student loan and auto loan balances rose to $1.6 trillion each.

Total household debt grew by $228 billion during the reporting period, largely due to credit cards and student loans, and reached $17.29 trillion.

Researchers noted that more and more households were having difficulty managing their debt amid persistently high inflation and rising interest rates. For instance, nearly 9.5% of credit card balances were more than 90 days delinquent in the reporting period, the report said, up from 8% in the second quarter.

“The increase in balances is consistent with strong nominal spending and real GDP growth over the same time frame. But credit card delinquencies continue to rise from their historical lows seen during the pandemic,” researchers from the New York Fed said in a statement that accompanied the data.

“The transition rate into delinquency remains below the pre-pandemic level for mortgages, which comprise the largest share of household debt, but auto loan and credit card delinquencies have surpassed pre-pandemic levels and continue to rise.” 


READ MORE:
Tough times ahead for US consumers – strategist

The researchers noted that the spike in households transitioning into delinquency was “surprising” given the relative stability of the US economy and labor market. While the trend could stem from changes in lending standards, it could also signal “real financial stress,” they concluded.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

 

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European country reveals nuclear energy plan

Energy News Beat

All reactors in Switzerland will remain operational so long as they’re deemed safe, Bloomberg reports
 

Switzerland intends to keep its nuclear power plants operational for longer than previously planned amid fears of electricity shortages, reflecting a trend among other European countries extending the use of atomic energy, Bloomberg reported this week, citing major Swiss utility companies.

The country has four nuclear reactors, which generate up to 40% of its electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. In 2017, Switzerland decided to phase out nuclear power but has not set a deadline for closing the plants, leaving it up to operators to run them, so long as they are deemed safe.

The energy crisis and concerns about securing stable electricity supply prompted Swiss companies to extend the lifespan of the reactors. Major utilities Axpo Holding and Alpiq Holding have already increased the planned use of their nuclear power plants to 60 years from a previous target of 50 years, which would see them running until about 2040, spokespeople for the companies told Bloomberg.

Alpiq is even considering an extension of as many as 80 years and is assessing how the move would affect safety, investments, and profitability, the outlet said.


READ MORE:
Germany’s Siemens reveals why it maintains nuclear ties with Russia

The decision mirrors a broader trend across the EU with France, Belgium and Finland also working on prolonging the lifespan of their reactors as they anticipate surging electricity demand amid insufficiency of renewable energy sources.

Germany, however, shut down its last nuclear power plants in April in favor of renewable energy, ending more than six decades of commercial nuclear energy use. The decision has led to electricity shortfalls and forced the EU’s largest economy to ramp up imports of electricity produced by French nuclear facilities and coal plants in the Czech Republic.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

 

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US debt interest bill tops $1 trillion a year – Bloomberg   

Energy News Beat

12 Nov, 2023 05:17

HomeBusiness News

The annual cost of government borrowing has doubled in the past 19 months

US interest payments on its national debt are estimated to have surged above $1 trillion on an annualized basis as of the end of October, according to a Bloomberg report this week.   

The calculations were based on US Treasury data, which discloses the government’s monthly outstanding debt balances and the average sum of interest it pays.   

The annualized cost of debt has doubled in the past 19 months as rising interest rates have made borrowing more expensive and represented 15.9% of the entire federal budget for fiscal year 2022 as of last month, the outlet said.  

“This high proportion of interest payments as a share of federal spending has precedent, as the portion before 2000 was over 14% in most years,” Bloomberg analysts wrote in a note.


READ MORE:
US credit rating downgraded to ‘negative’

“The challenge for the government is tempering mandatory spending and trying to reduce the need to issue more debt. That’s the reason we see interest payments climbing even though we forecast lower Treasury yields.”  

Concerns are mounting over US fiscal policy amid massive government borrowing and soaring interest payments on the debt pile, the outlet noted. The worsening dynamics already led Fitch Ratings agency to downgrade US government debt in August.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

 

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Dems Suffer Flashbacks As 2016 ‘Spoiler’ Jill Stein Announces White House Run

Energy News Beat

Democrats across the country are pacing their living rooms with clenched jaws and fists, as the woman they hold responsible for tipping the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump has announced she’s jumping into the 2024 race.  

Jill Stein, who previously ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2016 and 2012, announced her bid on Thursday. “With the war machine swallowing trillions of dollars as working people struggle to survive and the climate crisis accelerates, it’s time to offer voters a viable alternative to the bought-off politicians who have thrown them under the bus,” said Stein. “The ruling parties that got us into this mess aren’t getting us out.”

In a video promoting her latest Green Party candidacy, Stein took shots at both major parties, but many of her most pointed barbs were illustrated with headlines about the Democratic Party’s actions —  including references to “throwing competitors off the ballot, suppressing the base” and “rigging their primaries.”   

Stein is reviled by Democrats who think she took enough votes from Hillary Clinton in 2016 to allow Trump to win key battleground states and thus the election. Stein’s vote-counts in both Michigan and Wisconsin were larger than Trump’s margins of victory. 

In 2019, when the Russia Collusion hoax still had legs, Clinton went so far as to accuse Stein of working directly for Moscow. Discussing the 2020 field, Clinton first said the Russians were grooming Tulsi Gabbard. She continued, “That’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she’s also a Russian asset. Yes, she’s a Russian asset, I mean, totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate.”

In that same wacky spirit, following Stein’s announcement, many are rushing to social media to post a photo that’s supposed to be some sort of gasp-inducing, smoking-gun evidence of Stein’s status as a Russian agent. 

Stein’s campaign issued a statement disputing the photo’s implications:

“Jill Stein was invited to a 2015 media conference in Russia, which she attended at her own expense to spread a message of peace and diplomacy. At the Moscow conference, Dr. Stein gave a speech in which she criticized the excessive militarism of both Vladimir Putin and U.S. leaders.

At the dinner, she was seated with diplomats and office holders from various countries, including Michael Flynn, who had most recently served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under Obama. Putin sat at the table for a few minutes, during which he spoke only with his Russian-speaking companions. Dr. Stein publicized her experiences at the time via a press release and social media posts. The Senate Intelligence Committee later investigated the trip and found no wrongdoing whatsoever.” 

Against the backdrop of the proxy war in Ukraine and blank-check backing of Israel’s ruthless destruction of Gaza, Stein is certain to capture at least some progressive voters outraged with the Biden administration. However, as with 2016, the debate about Stein’s potential spoiler status rests on the extent to which those voters might simply stay home if Stein weren’t in the race — as opposed to making the effort to vote for the warmongering Biden. 

Stein’s announcement coincided with another blow to Democrats: On Thursday, centrist West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024, virtually guaranteeing the seat will flip to the Republican Party. Manchin also dropped strong hints that he’ll pursue a third-party White House run via the No Labels organization.  

Manchin and Stein are the latest in a wave of late-to-the-2024-party, wild-card entrants:

This summer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.announced that he was abandoning the rigged Democratic Party nomination process — which includes refusing to host debates — to run as an independent. A recent Quinnipiac poll found Kennedy leading among independents. His candidacy briefly had high appeal for many libertarians and progressives, before Kennedy startled them with a series of intensely pro-Israel statements that shattered his anti-war credentials. In October, Democratic Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips announced he was challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination. Phillips has voted in lockstep with the Biden agenda. The mega-millionaire Phillips’ campaign appears to be a call option on a scenario in which the clearly-declining Biden is finally deemed physically and/or mentally incapable of running again. 

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Dems Suffer Flashbacks As 2016 ‘Spoiler’ Jill Stein Announces White House Run

Energy News Beat

Democrats across the country are pacing their living rooms with clenched jaws and fists, as the woman they hold responsible for tipping the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump has announced she’s jumping into the 2024 race.  

Jill Stein, who previously ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2016 and 2012, announced her bid on Thursday. “With the war machine swallowing trillions of dollars as working people struggle to survive and the climate crisis accelerates, it’s time to offer voters a viable alternative to the bought-off politicians who have thrown them under the bus,” said Stein. “The ruling parties that got us into this mess aren’t getting us out.”

In a video promoting her latest Green Party candidacy, Stein took shots at both major parties, but many of her most pointed barbs were illustrated with headlines about the Democratic Party’s actions —  including references to “throwing competitors off the ballot, suppressing the base” and “rigging their primaries.”   

Stein is reviled by Democrats who think she took enough votes from Hillary Clinton in 2016 to allow Trump to win key battleground states and thus the election. Stein’s vote-counts in both Michigan and Wisconsin were larger than Trump’s margins of victory. 

In 2019, when the Russia Collusion hoax still had legs, Clinton went so far as to accuse Stein of working directly for Moscow. Discussing the 2020 field, Clinton first said the Russians were grooming Tulsi Gabbard. She continued, “That’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she’s also a Russian asset. Yes, she’s a Russian asset, I mean, totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate.”

In that same wacky spirit, following Stein’s announcement, many are rushing to social media to post a photo that’s supposed to be some sort of gasp-inducing, smoking-gun evidence of Stein’s status as a Russian agent. 

Stein’s campaign issued a statement disputing the photo’s implications:

“Jill Stein was invited to a 2015 media conference in Russia, which she attended at her own expense to spread a message of peace and diplomacy. At the Moscow conference, Dr. Stein gave a speech in which she criticized the excessive militarism of both Vladimir Putin and U.S. leaders.

At the dinner, she was seated with diplomats and office holders from various countries, including Michael Flynn, who had most recently served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under Obama. Putin sat at the table for a few minutes, during which he spoke only with his Russian-speaking companions. Dr. Stein publicized her experiences at the time via a press release and social media posts. The Senate Intelligence Committee later investigated the trip and found no wrongdoing whatsoever.” 

Against the backdrop of the proxy war in Ukraine and blank-check backing of Israel’s ruthless destruction of Gaza, Stein is certain to capture at least some progressive voters outraged with the Biden administration. However, as with 2016, the debate about Stein’s potential spoiler status rests on the extent to which those voters might simply stay home if Stein weren’t in the race — as opposed to making the effort to vote for the warmongering Biden. 

Stein’s announcement coincided with another blow to Democrats: On Thursday, centrist West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024, virtually guaranteeing the seat will flip to the Republican Party. Manchin also dropped strong hints that he’ll pursue a third-party White House run via the No Labels organization.  

Manchin and Stein are the latest in a wave of late-to-the-2024-party, wild-card entrants:

This summer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.announced that he was abandoning the rigged Democratic Party nomination process — which includes refusing to host debates — to run as an independent. A recent Quinnipiac poll found Kennedy leading among independents. His candidacy briefly had high appeal for many libertarians and progressives, before Kennedy startled them with a series of intensely pro-Israel statements that shattered his anti-war credentials. In October, Democratic Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips announced he was challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination. Phillips has voted in lockstep with the Biden agenda. The mega-millionaire Phillips’ campaign appears to be a call option on a scenario in which the clearly-declining Biden is finally deemed physically and/or mentally incapable of running again. 

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Dems Suffer Flashbacks As 2016 ‘Spoiler’ Jill Stein Announces White House Run

Energy News Beat

Democrats across the country are pacing their living rooms with clenched jaws and fists, as the woman they hold responsible for tipping the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump has announced she’s jumping into the 2024 race.  

Jill Stein, who previously ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2016 and 2012, announced her bid on Thursday. “With the war machine swallowing trillions of dollars as working people struggle to survive and the climate crisis accelerates, it’s time to offer voters a viable alternative to the bought-off politicians who have thrown them under the bus,” said Stein. “The ruling parties that got us into this mess aren’t getting us out.”

In a video promoting her latest Green Party candidacy, Stein took shots at both major parties, but many of her most pointed barbs were illustrated with headlines about the Democratic Party’s actions —  including references to “throwing competitors off the ballot, suppressing the base” and “rigging their primaries.”   

Stein is reviled by Democrats who think she took enough votes from Hillary Clinton in 2016 to allow Trump to win key battleground states and thus the election. Stein’s vote-counts in both Michigan and Wisconsin were larger than Trump’s margins of victory. 

In 2019, when the Russia Collusion hoax still had legs, Clinton went so far as to accuse Stein of working directly for Moscow. Discussing the 2020 field, Clinton first said the Russians were grooming Tulsi Gabbard. She continued, “That’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she’s also a Russian asset. Yes, she’s a Russian asset, I mean, totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate.”

In that same wacky spirit, following Stein’s announcement, many are rushing to social media to post a photo that’s supposed to be some sort of gasp-inducing, smoking-gun evidence of Stein’s status as a Russian agent. 

Stein’s campaign issued a statement disputing the photo’s implications:

“Jill Stein was invited to a 2015 media conference in Russia, which she attended at her own expense to spread a message of peace and diplomacy. At the Moscow conference, Dr. Stein gave a speech in which she criticized the excessive militarism of both Vladimir Putin and U.S. leaders.

At the dinner, she was seated with diplomats and office holders from various countries, including Michael Flynn, who had most recently served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under Obama. Putin sat at the table for a few minutes, during which he spoke only with his Russian-speaking companions. Dr. Stein publicized her experiences at the time via a press release and social media posts. The Senate Intelligence Committee later investigated the trip and found no wrongdoing whatsoever.” 

Against the backdrop of the proxy war in Ukraine and blank-check backing of Israel’s ruthless destruction of Gaza, Stein is certain to capture at least some progressive voters outraged with the Biden administration. However, as with 2016, the debate about Stein’s potential spoiler status rests on the extent to which those voters might simply stay home if Stein weren’t in the race — as opposed to making the effort to vote for the warmongering Biden. 

Stein’s announcement coincided with another blow to Democrats: On Thursday, centrist West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024, virtually guaranteeing the seat will flip to the Republican Party. Manchin also dropped strong hints that he’ll pursue a third-party White House run via the No Labels organization.  

Manchin and Stein are the latest in a wave of late-to-the-2024-party, wild-card entrants:

This summer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.announced that he was abandoning the rigged Democratic Party nomination process — which includes refusing to host debates — to run as an independent. A recent Quinnipiac poll found Kennedy leading among independents. His candidacy briefly had high appeal for many libertarians and progressives, before Kennedy startled them with a series of intensely pro-Israel statements that shattered his anti-war credentials. In October, Democratic Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips announced he was challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination. Phillips has voted in lockstep with the Biden agenda. The mega-millionaire Phillips’ campaign appears to be a call option on a scenario in which the clearly-declining Biden is finally deemed physically and/or mentally incapable of running again. 

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