The Biden Presidency is underway.

[Tortilla]

@Menzo

Things around the world are getting back to “normal.” That means a lot more people driving around, which drives oil prices up. The market for oil is global, not just the US.

There’s also been enough time for the oil price manipulators, err I mean cartels and big players in the futures market, to adapt to pandemic era levels of demand and get the prices back where they want them.

[lordkosc]

Sadly US crude production has not returned to normal or at least 2020 levels.

@Tortilla

There’s also been enough time for the oil price manipulators, err I mean cartels and big players in the futures market, to adapt to pandemic era levels of demand and get the prices back where they want them.

Also this. :)

[Menzo]

@lordkosc

Sadly US crude production has not returned to normal or at least 2020 levels.

Definitely a contributing factor, but as far as I know US oil producers sell to whomever the highest bidder is around the world - it’s not like they reserve it for American oil refiners. But it definitely adds to the total supply, which drives prices down at least some.

[legowarrior]

I heard the answer to this question on Make me Smart a few days ago.

Part of the reason that gas prices are up are because of lower production in Russia. So, who is to blame? Putin.

[RichVR]

@legowarrior

Part of the reason that gas prices are up are because of lower production in Russia.

Cite please?

[Thrag]

Hmm, I wonder why that is?

Analysis: Americans are not hearing Joe Biden right now

[legowarrior]

Why are gas prices so high? And who is to blame? - Poynter

Honestly, Google and/Bing are very useful.

But, it’s nice to know that the Team at Marketplace usually does a good job fact checking before making statements.

Honestly, if you aren’t already a fan of Make Me Smart, or the rest of the Marketplace Radio/Podcast line up, do yourself a favor and subscribe. What they do on NPR is only the tip of the iceberg.

Oh, and the actual text from the episode is right here.

Make-Me-Smart-November-3-2021-transcript.pdf

And the podcast in general.

Podcast: Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly

[Timex]

@Tortilla

Last week it was “Biden administration struggling with inflation” type headlines and now it’s “Biden administration struggling with VP.”

But this is in fact stuff that is actually happening.

[Tortilla]

@Timex

But this is in fact stuff that is actually happening.

I feel you may have missed my point.

[Alstein]

I fully suspect Biden is ok with blame being put on the VP, I’m convinced Biden has a low opinion of Harris and is setting her up to fail.

[Tortilla]

@Thrag

Hmm, I wonder why that is?

Excellent example of what I was talking about. Thanks for sharing that.

I’m honestly puzzled that there seems to have been a collective media decision to focus only on negatives and smear an administration that appears to be doing a decent job with a tricky situation. Maybe negative stories get more eyeballs? I’m not surprised when Fox News or similar does this, because that’s their MO, but in the last few weeks I’ve noticed the Washington Post, NYT, and CNN jumping on this bandwagon as well which is really surprising to me.

[Gordon_Cameron]

Can’t it be chalked up to mainstream media’s usual desperation to not appear liberally biased?

[Calelari]

That and Murc’s Law, I suspect. Also a bit of “it could never happen here (the institutions held! [ed: /rolleyes]) therefore it isn’t happening” blindness.

I continue to be amazed by suggestions on this board that the Democrats just need to message harder without also suggesting a Constitutional method of getting the media to cooperate.

[inactive_user]

@Calelari

suggestions on this board that the Democrats just need to message harder without also

I could be credibly accused of this recently, in a certain light, and I’ll just say that I think that this is a huge complex problem that I think is going to take a lot of strategies and different approaches working in tandem to move the needle.

[Strollen]

@BennyProfane

Honestly, in how many administrations has the VP does anything but fuck all? Mostly they do ribbon cutting and show up for things the President can’t be bothered to attend. Why in the hell Harris should be any different is beyond me.

She is a black woman, which makes her a pioneer. As the old joke goes, you know how you can spot a pioneer? they are the ones with arrows in their backs.

[scottagibson]

@BennyProfane

Honestly, in how many administrations has the VP does anything but fuck all? Mostly they do ribbon cutting and show up for things the President can’t be bothered to attend. Why in the hell Harris should be any different is beyond me.

Any VP worth their salt would be out there inventing the internet right now.

[Alstein]

You message angrier, and go around the media. Throw red meat to the base. Basically , do what the Republicans do. Hell, start calling it the conservative media if you have to.

The only way we’ll stop those bastards is by getting the rest of America to outright hate them the way those bastards hate everything good about America.

[scottagibson]

There is a lot of money to be made by being a communications strategy consultant to the Democratic Party, and you should go get some of that sweet sweet cash.

[Calelari]

“Go around the media” is really just handwaving the problem.

Firing up the base isn’t really the issue, either, although it would help. The issue with the base is it being inefficiently distributed under the extant electoral system. (Relevant: the (D) side has ~40 million more people voting for them over the (R) side in the Senate and a bare “majority”.) Hence why it takes a 5-7 point voting advantage to pull “barely wins” at the national level.

The GOP spent decades building up a media ecosystem to support an alternate reality. Do we have decades to spare in which to do that?

1. Steal underpants
2. ???
3. Profit!

[Gordon_Cameron]

Sure, it’ll pass the time while we dodge rifle wielding plutocrats and adapt to a globally warmed wasteland.