BloggeRhythms

Daniel Halper @the weeklystandard.com writes today about the POTUS preparing for his final State of the Union Address, to be delivered on January 12, 2016.

In an email to supporters, the POTUS wrote: “I've got 12 months left to squeeze every ounce of change I can while I'm still in office. And that's what I intend to do.” He then went into detail regarding what he’s presenting as accomplishment, writing: “When we took office, we were losing nearly 750,000 jobs a month. But over the last 69 months, our businesses have created more than 13.7 million new jobs -- the longest streak of private-sector job growth on record -- and the unemployment rate is down to 5 percent.”

However, he may be living in an alternative world,. Because the facts present a completely different story, as compiled @scottstanzel.com: “The highest monthly unemployment rate during President George W. Bush’s two terms was 6.3 percent. The overall average monthly unemployment rate during his 8 years in office was 5.3 percent. The tax relief President Bush signed into law pulled America out of the recession he inherited in 2001 and spurred six years of uninterrupted economic growth and a record 52 straight months of job creation.” Job growth ended during Bush’s last two years in office, when Democrats took over Congress, no longer supporting him and his economic policies.

Furthermore, the unemployment rate is down to 5% because the formula used for reporting’s been changed to omit those out of work for more than 4 weeks. However, using the calculation same method as when “W” held office, the POTUS’s rate would be roughly double, coming to more than 9-10%. 

What’s even worse, though, is that the labor participation rate is presently 62.7%. That’s the lowest it’s been since the late 1970s when Jimmy Carter was president and the whole economy was dead as a doornail. While at the same time, due to the health care tax, a full work-week is currently 30 hours –a reduction of 25% in wages taken from workers pockets.

Thus, this part of the speech is the same as handing Republicans a loaded weapon and aiming it at himself and his party cohorts.

The next item in the address regards the health care tax, where the POTUS will say: “For the first time more than 90 percent of Americans are now covered, and more than 17 million people have gained health insurance under Obamacare. Insurance companies can't discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, or charge women more just for being women.”

However, with paying customers unable to afford the rising premiums, and the largest insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc., dropping out due to inability to afford the 85% of non-paying sign-ups, the programs actually headed for the scrap heap. 

And then comes his favorite topic, global-warming, where he says: “America is now leading by example on climate change. The Clean Power Plan will cut carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030. We've cut our oil imports by more than half, while doubling clean energy production from wind, solar, and geothermal -- creating steady sources of good jobs that can't be outsourced.” 

Yet, the nation’s oil imports have shrunk due to lower demand and new drilling methods, primarily fracking, which have significantly increased domestic production. 

But, aside from reduced oil importation, while clean energy itself sounds good, it’s usage and availability is actually dismal. What’s more, “doubling” production of alternative energy doesn’t really mean much when you start with an infinitesimal amount. Two times almost zero is still almost zero.

As far as the future's concerned, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates, “about 11% of world marketed energy consumption is from renewable energy sources (biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind) with a projection for 15% by 2040. 

Which means that, 25 years from now, if things go as planned for alternative sources, 85% of energy will still come from fossil fuels. 

And that sums up the heart of the POTUS’s presentation, which seems in contradiction to reality. It’s also remindful of another shady salesman, this one hustling men’s clothes who told his assistant, “Turn on the blue light, Cecil. The man wants a blue suit.” 

Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife. 

Former Virginia senator Jim Webb quit the Democratic presidential race on Oct. 20, amid low poll numbers and a minimal debate presence. However, he left open the possibility of running a different political guise. According to bloomberg.com, he: “Now he appears to be edging closer to making good on it.”  

In a lengthy condemnation on Facebook, Webb said, among other things that “Clinton should be called to account for her inept leadership that brought about the chaos in Libya.” That “came just days before the end of the year, which his team had previously told CNN would be reasonable time for them to make a decision about an independent bid.” 

Then: “On Saturday morning, Webb used Twitter and his Facebook page to attack Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for her handling of Libya during her time as secretary of state.” 

While Webb left the race due to insignificant poll numbers, an independent run presents a totally different kind of threat to Bill's wife. For example: A recent CNN poll, forecast tight races between herself and several Republican contenders in hypothetical match-ups for the general election.  

Which means Webb’s independent run could be critical, whereas, says bloomberg.com: “In a tight race, even a small base of support could make him a factor. Ralph Nader, for instance, famously won only small percentages of the vote in many states in the 2000 presidential election, yet that arguably helped tip the Electoral College vote to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, denying Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the winner of the popular vote, the presidency.” 

So, while Webb’s reemergence might pose significant problems for Bill’s wife, it also sustains the ongoing question: Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, Jerry Brown, and Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, are you guys reading this?   

That’s it for today folks. 

Adios