Biden knows who's responsible for inflation: someone else

Remember when a President blaming others was "unbelievable" to Joe and "we deserve better from our commander in chief?"  Good times.  In a Wall Street Journal article allegedly written by Biden, he blames the Fed Chairman, Congress, Putin, and anybody but Joe Biden for runaway inflation.  CNN Business: "Joe Biden wants to show he's in charge of inflation ... while showing someone else is in charge."

President Joe Biden will meet with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Tuesday in a kind of performative politics that will almost certainly do nothing to help Americans better afford everyday items.

And, let's be honest, it'll probably do nothing for Biden's poll numbers, either, because Biden's desired outcomes from the the meeting are contradictory:

• He wants to show Americans that he's taking action on inflation.
• He wants to deflect responsibility and make clear that the other guy is in charge. 

That's the ego-driven motivation of Biden's latest gaslighting: he's setting up the excuses and pre-criminations for what is shaping up to be an epic repudiation in the midterms.  Because Joe Biden can't fail, he can only be failed by other people and circumstances beyond his control.

The Supreme Court mole hunt

Legal Insurrection: "Abortion-Leak Mole Hunt Intensifies At Supreme Court, Law Clerks Reportedly Targeted."

We're not talking about hundreds of potential suspects here: I think each justice gets six clerks so you're looking at a couple dozen potential leakers.  I have to believe that - collectively - they know who did it.  Stuff like that can't stay secret for long. 

A guide to Critical Race Theory

I thought this video was great and wanted to share:

Everything's going swimmingly

Breitbart: "Food inflation jumps to 41-year high."

I went to a local restaurant last night and there was a sign out front saying: "Yeah, so, some of the prices may be higher than what's listed on the menu."

So there's that.

The libertarian viewpoint on Uvalde

...is the same as everybody else's.  Reason: "While Dying Children Called 911 for Help, 19 Uvalde Police Waited in the Hallway. For 45 Minutes."

The public is still learning the truth of what actually happened on Tuesday. But based on what is currently known, it is hard to imagine a more appalling response from law enforcement. In fact, the word appalling doesn't even do this calamity justice. The police failed so completely, so utterly, so pathologically during those key 45 minutes—undoubtedly the longest 45 minutes of the fourth-graders' lives—that one wonders how such failure is even possible.

It's starting to feel like Uvalde is going to be a watershed moment for the way American citizens view the police force.  You're going to start to see more signs like this:

Gimme my money, Oberlin

Legal Insurrection: "Oops – Gibson’s Bakery Seeks To Execute On $36 Million Appeal Bond Since Oberlin College Failed To Obtain Stay Of Appeals Court Mandate - Motion filed in trial court today: “If Defendants wanted to stay execution of the mandate of the Ninth District Court of Appeals, they were required to seek that stay in the Ohio Supreme Court. They did not. Plaintiffs are entitled to judgment on the surety bond"

Get woke, go broke.

It gets worse

Hot Air: "BORTAC agents who were told not to enter the school waited 30 minutes and then went in anyway."  

Prediction: you're going to start to see a lot more of those schools with signs outside indicating everybody inside is armed.

One hour

Red State: "New Details of the Police Response to Uvalde Shooting Paint an Incredibly Disturbing Picture."

We should reserve judgement until all the details come out but the police spokesman sure was evasive in his press conference today.

Extra - From Instapundit. 

You can tell when it became a real crisis

Ace: "FDA's Top Official Will Acknowledge They Did Not Even Begin Discussing For the Impending Baby Formula Crisis Until Mid-February-- and Did Nothing About It Until the Last Several Weeks."

Let's see: Afghanistan, inflation, and hungry babies.  The only thing left to do is form a puppy-kicking club at this point. 

The one time we needed Mushmouth to be ambiguous

Twitchy: "White House grabs a mop for another cleanup in aisle Biden (this time about Taiwan)."

The United States has maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" for over half a century.  Joe Biden unraveled this policy so he could be the tough guy he always imagines himself to be. 

TIL John Fetterman is a racist

The Corner has the lowdown on the Senate candidate from Pennsylvania: "Who Among Us Has Not Chased Down an Unarmed Black Jogger with a Shotgun?"

Fetterman heard gunshots and assumed this innocent jogger must have had something to do with it.  It would be bad sport, sniffs the New York Times, to hold this incident against the candidate.

It was a huge mistake

The Atlantic: "Kids Are Far, Far Behind in School."

Starting in the spring of 2020, school boards and superintendents across the country faced a dreadful choice: Keep classrooms open and risk more COVID-19 deaths, or close schools and sacrifice children’s learning. In the name of safety, many districts shut down for long periods. But researchers are now learning that the closures came at a stiff price—a large decline in children’s achievement overall and a historic widening in achievement gaps by race and economic status.

The achievement loss is far greater than most educators and parents seem to realize. The only question now is whether state and local governments will recognize the magnitude of the educational damage and make students whole.

We gave in to hysterics and the teachers unions over the scientists and the kids paid the price.  Now a million of them have disappeared off the public rolls, signalling a new relation with public education.

BLM = Buy large mansions

NY Post: "Anti-cop pols yawn as slay spike hits black Americans hardest." 

Grasping at straws

Reason: "Banning 'Unconscionable Excessive' Gas Prices Is Risky Economic Nonsense - Democrats are trying to inject a political solution into an economic problem." 

Failing up

The Corner: "House Republicans Were Right to Vote against More FDA Funding."

Long story short: this legislation does nothing to help the baby formula shortage and instead was a payoff to the FDA for failing to do its job. 

RIP Ministry of Truth

We barely knew ye.  Reason: "Nina Jankowicz's Faulty Record, Not Her Critics, Doomed the Disinformation Board" - "And The Washington Post's wildly one-sided account of Jankowicz's fall was an exercise in government PR."

I have a theory: the Left finally figured out that the standards they set today might turn around on them in the future.  OK, well, I stole this from Bill Maher:

Then, Maher pointed out the inevitable way such an expansion of power will eventually be used against liberals and progressives. 

“Who do you think is going to be the Truth Czar in 2025?” he asked, implying that it may very well be a Republican appointee if the GOP wins the White House. 

In this observation, Maher makes an insight so often ignored by partisans on either side, who pursue short-term goals in ways that erode their own causes in the long term. For another example, look no further than the Democrats abolishing the filibuster for lower-court judicial nominees and then having Republicans under Trump go on to abolish it for Supreme Court nominees, too, enabling the appointment of more conservative justices. 

That was awesome.  Thanks, Harry Reid!

The Left hates free speech, continuing saga

Red State: "Chuck Schumer Makes a Cowardly Move After Tucker Carlson Calls His Bluff."

I've said this before but the Left loves to pontificate from the stage of "Hamilton" when they know there is zero chance of a rebuttal.  Same with Chuck Schumer.  Here was an epic chance to go right into the devil's den, but Chuck declined, because running away from debate is what they do.

I said publicly that I could beat up Floyd Mayweather. He called and challenged me to a fight. I’m declining. Floyd Mayweather needs to stop resorting to violence. https://t.co/jElhwCDBlx

— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) May 17, 2022

"This isn't a classroom, ma'am!"

Daily Caller: "Mom Reads Aloud Purported Assignment Given To Daughter. School Board Cuts Her Mic Because It’s Too Obscene." 

Yeah, that's what they do

Hot Air: "Man, liberals are desperate to blame the GOP for gas prices." 

I guess we're all George Wallace again

Ace: "Surly, Cranky Dementia Patient Announces He's Done Being Polite."

Uh-oh, it looks like Joe Biden's unity effort has faltered and now - only now - he's going to say that Republicans want to put you in chains, and that they want Jim Crow 2.0, and they're happy when kids don't have insulin.  

Passing the buck

Joe Biden takes absolutely no responsibility for anything:

Fetch my fainting couch!

PJ Media: "AP Is Aghast That the GOP Would Use Biden's Failures as a Political Weapon. Aghast!" 

Can you imagine a political party pointing out the failure of an opposing politician?  What is this world coming to?

Just another day

Fox News: "National gas price average hits new record high at $4.45 per gallon." 

Biden's dementia runs deep

Because I like a cheap laugh, sometimes I read the transcripts from Joe Biden's public appearances.  The other night he appeared at a fundraiser and the speech is a farrago of lies, random thoughts, and mostly broken English.

The fact of the matter is, I’ve spent a lot of time with Xi Jinping — they tell me more than any other world leader has.  When he was vice president and I was vice president, I traveled 17,000 miles with him. 

This has been debunked multiple times but Joey just keeps repeating it.

I’ve had — I, obviously, will never name them, but I have — six of them have told me — senators I used to serve with; we served with; some of them you served with, Carol — said that, “You know, I agree with you on such and such a thing.  But if I vote for it, they’ll primary and I’ll lose my seat.”

Sure thing.  That happened.

What it’s about is that — you know, the Republicans say that, well, the things we did with the Recov- — with the legislation we passed is causing inflation.  

It wasn't just Republicans who said that.  Larry Summers famously said it a year ago.  He was right.

Well guess what?  The first year in office, we’ve reduced the deficit by $350 billion.  In fact — $350 billion — reduced the deficit. 

And it should have been a lot more.

(Cellphone rings.)

I know that’s Trump calling.  He always does this when I talk.  (Laughter.)

Living rent free in Joe's vacuous head.

We have to remember that we’re talking about a relatively small number of people who are the MAGA Republicans.  We may be talking about as much as one third of the electorate.

This is Biden's "deplorables" moment.

And what they say is — it’s really quite basic.  They’re making the point that what happens is that what they’re going to be — we’re going to increase taxes on 90 percent of the American public, people making a — excuse me, 70 percent of the American public — people making under $100,000 a year are going to have tax, because the notion is everybody should pay something. 

Another lie, debunked multiple times, and handed Three Pinocchios.

So, folks, we got a lot of work to do.  We got a lot of work.  I think we can pick up three Senate seats.  And I think we can increase our majority in the House...

Sure thing, Joe.

Think about it: where we are today, what we’re fighting over.  There are more restrictive efforts to restrict the right to vote today than there’d been in my whole political career.

Jim Crow 2.0 down in Georgia is so restrictive that early voting is only up 160%.

We’re making progress, but there’s going to be a way to go.  Our inflation rate is lower than almost any other nation — industrial nation in the world.

This is the first time Biden mentions inflation in his rambling speech and, true to form, it's another lie:

This man cannot remain in power.  He's too far gone.

And here's that inflation report

The media assures us the great news is that inflation is very slightly slowing its growth.

Ace: "April Inflation Continues at Torrid 8.3% Pace, Still the Highest in 40 Years, Which Leftwing Propaganda Media Spin as "Moderate"." 

Getting ahead of tomorrow's inflation report

The Corner: "Joe Biden’s Preemptive Inflation Spin." - "The monthly Consumer Price Index update release day is going to be a bad one for the administration, every month from now until the midterms — and probably some time after that, too. The only thing Joe Biden can do is get in front of it and insist that it’s everyone’s fault except his." 

Eighty-five percent

Reason: "Biden Brags About Falling Deficits, but the Federal Fiscal Situation Is Still 'Unsustainable'." - Under current policies, Social Security and Medicare will consume 85 percent of all federal tax revenue by 2050." 

The Disinformation Board is going to be busy

Charles Lipson: "Biden's Disinformation Board is a Gift to Republicans."

If you did all these things, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has, you would be committing political malpractice. You would be mocking the Constitution's fundamental protection of free speech, encoded in the First Amendment. Although a few ideologues might applaud you, you would hear only groans from moderate Democrats running for reelection. This ill-conceived board would lash them, at their peril, to a high-profile effort to monitor private speech, conducted by a very unpopular administration. That's dangerous constitutionally and incompetent politically.

The Ministry of Truth is going to have to deal with Biden's debunked and repeated lies. 

Here in the People's Republic of MA

Jeff Jacoby: "Boston's ignominious record of disrespecting free speech." - "For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the phrase "banned in Boston" evoked the right-wing Puritanism of the city's political leadership. Today Boston and Massachusetts are left-wing bastions, yet the willingness to stifle unpopular expression persists." 

But enough about the Biden administration

Politico's National Security Daily: "'It’s stupid, it’s unnecessary'." - “It’s stupid, it’s unnecessary. There’s no upside, only downside,” a European official told us. “It looks like the Americans are trying to take credit for what the Ukrainians are doing.” 

Oh that's (D)ifferent

Shot: "Psaki Dodges Question Asking If White House Condemns SCOTUS Leak"

Chaser: "Report: Biden "livid" at leaks about U.S. intel assistance to Ukraine." 

Homina homina homina

Hot Air: "The View guest host to Warren: I paid off my student loans. Where's my reimbursement?"

Twitchy: "View guest Elizabeth Warren short-circuits when Lindsey Granger asks her about reimbursement for people who paid off their student loans."

She pulled the same deflection to every question on CNN also and they let her get away with it.  Just once, I'd like to see a journalist say: "Answer my question."

Again this is a party governed by the opinions of 30% of Twitter. They tweet out catchy slogans and then when questioned about it, they just melt. https://t.co/Url3WP4zNd

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 6, 2022

So, World War 3 it is

Hot Air: "Great: Yes, of course we helped sink Russia's Black Sea flagship, U.S. officials admit."

“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.” - Sun Tzu

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power." - Joe Biden, expressing his personal opinion

Kneeling for that black gold

Hot Air: "Desperation II, Saudi Boogaloo: Biden sends CIA chief to make nice with MBS."

This, however, reeks of desperation. Biden desperately needs more oil production in order to get prices lower in the US for the political survival of his party. He’s still hostage to the hardline progressives in his party, who erupted in outrage when Biden attempted to slightly loosen restrictions on production and exploration he hastily imposed at the start of his term. Biden tried to call on MBS to get Saudi Arabia to increase production at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, only to get very publicly snubbed by one of our key strategic partners in the Middle East.

Let's see: we have the SPR release, the E15 ploy, and now the Saudi supplication.  Anything - anything at all - except boosting domestic production of oil.

Liz on the warpath

Red State: "Elizabeth Warren Has Hysterical Breakdown Over Roe v. Wade Leak."

It’s hard to believe at this point, but there was a time when Sen. Elizabeth Warren wasn’t absolutely insane.

Liz resorts to these overwrought hysterics for the cameras, putting on the matinee show for the suckers.  But Liz has no plan.  She has nothing to offer except her quavering voice and cheap theatrics.

Believe me, I've seen this show before.

"This cheesy ploy is not working anymore"

 Townhall: "Liberal Corporations Are Confused and Scared Because Conservatives Now Fight Back."

The Left is on tilt, as they say in poker.  Nothing is working for them.

I question the timing

National Review: "Tulsi Gabbard Suggests Obama Devised Biden’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ Disinformation Board."

Former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard implied that former President Barack Obama devised the formation of President Biden’s recently announced Disinformation Governance Board, which critics have likened to the “Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s 1984. 

“Biden is just a front man,” Gabbard tweeted Sunday. “Obama, April 21: social media censors ‘don’t go far enough,’ so the government needs to step in to do the job. Six days later, Homeland Security rolls out the ‘Ministry of Truth’ (aka Disinformation Governance Board).”

In other news, we've always been at war with East Asia.