Former President Donald J. Trump had his motto “Make America Great Again (MAGA).” President Joe Biden has the knock-off “Building a Better America (BABA).”
BABA sounds similar to MAGA, but like most phony imitations, Biden’s plan for America relies on foreign goods and services. Similar to the effect that off-shoring American manufacturing to places such as China had on consumer products, BABA has resulted in — to put it bluntly — crappy solutions that fall apart under the slightest bit of pressure.
This is true in nearly every sector of his administration, but perhaps most noticeably with America’s energy independence, or lack thereof.
During Trump’s term, he envisioned a country where we relied on our own natural resources. America was a prosperous, energy-rich nation. In 2019, America produced and exported more oil than at any time since the 50s.
Under Biden, it is clear that America is reliant on foreign nations for our fossil fuel needs.
After campaigning and governing on ending the American oil industry as we know it, Biden reportedly begged OPEC+ to increase its oil supply in July. Despite a fistbump and smile for the Saudi crowned prince, OPEC+ announced Wednesday that it would soon start cutting two million barrels of oil.
What did Biden do in response? His team went into scramble mode, and the only immediate solution they could think of was tapping even more oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Biden has been using America’s emergency supply to keep the price of gasoline artificially “low” since November 2021.
That’s what BABA gets; here’s what MAGA got you when dealing with OPEC+.
In 2020, Trump was able to convince OPEC+ to cut oil production when it threatened to ramp it up, thus creating dangerously low gas prices that could have tanked the economy during the pandemic. Trump told Saudi Arabia he would take away key military aid if they dared to do so. They didn’t.
Here’s how the Left-leaning Reuters relayed the story:
The threat to upend a 75-year strategic alliance, which has not been previously reported, was central to the U.S. pressure campaign that led to a landmark global deal to slash oil supply as demand collapsed in the coronavirus pandemic – scoring a diplomatic victory for the White House.
Now, America’s oil reserve is at record low levels. OPEC+ is eating Biden’s lunch.
There actually is another course of action Ol’ Joe is trying.
Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm once laughed at the idea of producing more American oil, so Biden has apparently decided to do the next best thing he could think of.
Perhaps in anticipation of OPEC+ failing him, his team released two Venezuelan prisoners during an exchange last week. Now, he is reportedly preparing to kowtow to the Maduro regime in the Latin American country even more.
Rather than incentivize increasing domestic oil supply, the current administration is reportedly preparing to relax sanctions so that Chevron can tap into La Tierra de Gracia’s land, thus enriching Venezuela’s socialist regime in the process.
No Bueno. All BABA.
There are other instances where BABA has failed. America is still relying on allies to send in air supplies of baby formula, for example.
Yet as winter and midterms approach, the area where BABA’s disastrous results most hurt Americans is clearly at the tank and in heating their homes. BABA might be a cheap imitator of MAGA, but the end product sure is expensive.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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