How Biden Broke OPEC

This is an amazing story, and almost no one is talking about it.  Fundamentally, between 2022 and 2024, President Biden took away OPEC's power to dictate global oil prices, and gave that power to the United States instead.

I'm having difficulty finding much mention of it in the U.S. media (there is a paywalled article in The Economist), other than this video segment from All in with Chris Hayes.

Basically, when oil prices were at record highs in 2022, Biden let the world know that the United States would do what it takes to drive prices down, including flooding the market with oil from our strategic petroleum reserve (SPR), a cache of millions of barrels of oil the U.S. government keeps on hand for emergencies.

He then proceeded to sell off 180 million barrels of crude oil at $95 a barrel.  This had three significant effects, all of which benefited the U.S.:

1. It brought in $17 billion in revenue to the U.S.
2. It drove down global oil prices by flooding the market with oil.
3. It put world markets on notice that the U.S. had the resources and resolve to push prices down, causing a further drop in oil prices.

And that's not all!

Two years later, when oil prices are lower and OPEC nations are increasing production, Biden is putting oil back into the SPR at lower prices.  In other words, he sold high, and now he's buying low.

And that's not all!

Since the U.S. has the capital to prop up oil markets, and keep global prices from bottoming out, this has helped domestic oil producers as well.

The net result of which is that OPEC is no longer calling the shots when it comes to world oil prices.  The United States is, and it's all thanks to Joe Biden.

Expand the Court

If the Democratic party were ever to pick up one of my suggestions and run with it, please let it be this one!  This is a reposting of a thread I originally posted on Bluesky.

Today, I'm going to show you something that you rarely see on social media: Someone admitting they were wrong.

Last week on Bluesky, @lolgop.bsky.social said that Biden should campaign on expanding the court, and I disagreed. But I was wrong. He should 100% campaign on expanding the court.

Name almost any issue with broad support. The conservative bloc on SCOTUS is the reason why it can't get implemented. Reproductive rights? Obviously not going to happen with this SCOTUS. We need to pass pro-choice legislation anyway, but that's not enough. And it's not just reproductive rights!

Legal folks can point out other issues better than I can, but just for a start --- There's the EPA. SCOTUS won't let it protect the environment.

Affirmative action? Not for you! And of course, it's fair to say that this court, like America generally, gives deference to White men over women and people of color.

This SCOTUS not only wants to decide what the EPA does, but OSHA as well. And not surprisingly, it wants to uphold the anti-science, anti-public health, anti-vaxx position held by the fascists.

As long as SCOTUS is deciding all public policy for the federal government, why not block Biden from fulfilling his campaign promise to forgive student loan debt (to Biden's credit, he has found creative ways around this adverse ruling)?

Mind you --- IANAL, but it's my understanding that when blocking administrative actions of the EPA, OSHA and student debt relief, the court is unconstitutionally overruling the black & white letter of the law.

And that's not the only way SCOTUS is exceeding its authority! It's hearing cases and handing down rulings to litigants who have no standing! SCOTUS is literally cherry-picking meritless cases, just so it can make policy!

And if cherry-picking cases isn't enough to get the rulings the fascists want, well hey --- they'll just lie about the facts of the case, like they did in Washington State to justify erasing the line between church and state.

Not satisfied with overruling executive agencies one at a time, SCOTUS is on the verge of simply declaring it has authority to approve or reject the actions of ALL executive agencies (this ruling hasn't happened yet, but is likely to).

Fixing gerrymandering? SCOTUS has ruled that only racially-based gerrymandering is bad. If one party has set up a gerrymander based not on race, but only on the goal of constructing a permanent legislative supermajority, SCOTUS has ruled that's okay.

To summarize: SCOTUS is locking America in to the fascist-approved position on:

• Reproductive rights
  

• The environment

• Worker safety

• Affirmative action

• Gerrymandering

And is on the verge of making all executive agency actions under its review. And there's almost certainly more I'm missing!

Like gun safety, for example! How have I not mentioned gun safety?!?

On top of this, add the outright corruption of the many of the court's conservative members.

• Kavanaugh: Sexual assault (the FBI purposely limited its investigation of him prior to his confirmation)

• Gorsuch: Financial impropriety

• Thomas: Don't get me started

All of this tees up SCOTUS as the perfect entity for Biden to campaign against. Want reproductive rights? Give me a Democratic House and Senate, and we'll deliver reproductive rights by expanding the court! Want (thing X)? Help me expand the court!

Right now, expanding the court isn't a winning campaign argument, because practically no voters even understand what that means. But if Biden and the Democrats educate them, I think 'Expand the Court' can not only be a winning message, but it can develop a MANDATE for real change!

EXPAND THE COURT!