From left, Joe Biden and Pope Francis appear together in Rome.
Column By Mike Bibb
On his way to the international climate change shindig in Glasgow, Scotland, President Biden stopped off in Rome to visit the Pope.
In the process, he put on quite a motorized spectacle.
Typically, Joe’s never been one to resist an opportunity to blow his own horn. After all, he’s a fifty-year professional politician, performing overly exaggerated stunts for the media comes naturally.
Ironically, who could have imagined a global warming conference in Scotland would be preceded by a lengthy exhaust-spewing parade in Rome, led by the President of the United States?
Joe could. At the time, he probably thought it was a good idea since the climate change sing-a-long is mostly promoted by progressive liberals and Woke generation recruits who really believe oil wells and coal mines are the plagues of mankind. And maybe, a few profit-minded Wall Street opportunists. Joe’s new best friends.
Odd, they rarely mention natural gas and nuclear power as a cleaner and less costly viable option.
Gawky wind generators and acres of solar panels are the current rage. They’re everywhere, mounted on residential roofs or bolted to metal canopies in commercial parking lots.
Except in certain prestigious neighborhoods where their unsightly presence is not welcomed by influential residents and politically connected cronies.
Wind and solar are okay for the average citizen, but not whole-heartedly embraced by the more affluent members of society. They don’t need the tax breaks, utility buy-backs, government promotions, or other sales gimmicks.
And they certainly don’t need scenic sunsets obstructed by towers of steel windmills, disturbing their late evening tranquility – or property values.
However, it’s uncertain if any of Joe’s nearly 100 parade vehicles in Rome were powered by green energy. Actually, tried and proven diesel and 87 octane gasoline appeared to be the fuel of choice.
Presumably, U.S. Congressional Representative Alexandria (Sandy) Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) – a staunch “Go Green” proponent – disagreed with the president’s 85 car procession.
According to Sandy, we’re down to about 10 years of earthly life left unless we ban nearly everything requiring fossil fuels to operate, including Fords, Chevys, commercial planes, trains, cargo ships, residential heating oil, trucks, delivery vehicles, utility power plants, lawnmowers, Joe’s Air Force One and his heavily reinforced Cadillac limo, “The Beast.” Which goes nearly everywhere he goes.
Coincidentally, the media never mentions how the hundreds of climate delegates and support staff managed to make their way to these distant recurring conferences. I don’t believe they walked, took a cab, or back-stroked across the oceans. Most arrived by commercial and private aircraft propelled by aviation gas – a variant of the cursed fossil fuel.
Wind and solar are nice, but Joe didn’t reach Rome or Glasgow in a battery-powered Boeing 747. Several Mid-Atlantic stops would have been required to recharge, causing Joe to be late to the meetings.
Besides, if green energy is so great, why doesn’t one of the richest men on the planet, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, launch himself into the ionosphere with a wind generator propeller mounted atop his spaceship?
All this said, the reason for Joe’s big motorcade in Rome remains a little uncertain. Did he really need dozens and dozens of cars and trucks winding their way through the streets of Rome, or was he trying to upstage the Pope in his own backyard?
It’s no secret Biden, a Catholic, has been in hot water with the Catholic community because of his stated support of abortion. Several high-ranking Catholic officials in the United States have publicly stated they believe Joe should not receive communion.
Whatever the situation, Joe’s association with his church should be personal, not a public issue. Unfortunately, being in politics nearly his entire life makes privacy impossible. Coupled with instant media coverage, a person of celebrity – for better or worse – is usually immediately recognized.
However, Joe seems to amplify problems by intentionally disparaging opposing opinions. His increasingly political leftward socialist drift has many wondering why he continues to promote unpopular issues at the same time his approval rating is rapidly descending.
A recent NBC poll conducted Oct. 23-26, reported “71% of Americans – and even half of Democrats – say the country is headed in the wrong direction.” Which is an all-time low.
According to Democratic pollster Peter Hart “What people voted for (in the 2020 general election) was stability and calm, and what they got was instability and chaos.”
Little wonder members of Joe’s own political party are beginning to shy away from him. He doesn’t have the influence or public appeal he did only a year ago. His constant muddling of practically everything he becomes involved in has certainly tainted any positive reputation he may have once had.
Almost prophetically, former President Barack Obama previously warned of Biden’s ineptness when he remarked in Politico Magazine, Aug. 14, 2020 “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to (expletive deleted) things up.”
I guess he would know.
Maybe Joe’s visit with the Pope was to seek a special emergency blessing, as it may take divine intervention to extract Joe from the multiple messes he’s gotten himself into. Not sure if an 85-vehicle parade was impressive enough to do the trick.
What the heck? It was worth a try.
The opinion expressed in this editorial is that of the author.
