Interesting Analysis at The Conservative Treehouse. I’m posting only a small portion.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered some rather strongly worded remarks in advance of the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg Germany. Reuters frames the Merkel statements as a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump.
(Reuters) German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to fight for free trade and press on with multilateral efforts to combat climate change at the G20 summit next week, challenging the “America First” policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a defiant speech to parliament a week before she will host a summit of the world’s top economic powers in Hamburg, the northern port city where she was born, Merkel did not mention Trump by name but said global problems could not be solved with protectionism and isolation. (read more)
However, seeking control is a reaction to fear. Ms. Merkel, the EU, and the larger multinational global interests therein, fear Trump… and for good reason, he’s winning.
President Trump has put a jaw-dropping U.S. energy platform solidly into place. You can learn more about them HERE and HERE. The announcements last week are tectonic in consequence though seemingly lost amid the chafe of media reporting over twitter spats.
Everything President Trump’s team does is connected to a bigger, much bigger, picture than most people are paying attention to. However, those who control the levers of multinational power are paying very close attention.
At it’s core and central elements ‘America-First’ is about prosperity and national security through the utilization of leveraged economic power. For four decades, as he built out his empire of holdings, every-single-day at every-single-opportunity, Donald Trump voiced vociferous frustration that politicians were allowing the U.S. to be controlled, lessened, weakened and robbed by multinational economic interests.
The historic fact of Trump’s decades-long position must be understood in order to understand the severity, consequence, deliberateness and thoughtfulness of his corrective plan of action. You cannot overemphasize how strong these positions are. Inasmuch as you inherently care for the guardianship of your child, likewise does Donald Trump view the United States with such a disposition of care, concern and stewardship.
In Trump’s mind, failure in his goal to reestablish American economic power, economic strength and economic dominance is no more an option than a mother failing to grasp the hand of her child walking amid edge of a sheer cliff. It just is. It will be. There is no alternative. Period.
While the rest of the chattering class have overlooked it, President Trump, Rick Perry, Steven Mnuchin, Wilbur Ross, Robert Lighthizer, Ryan Zinke and Scott Pruitt have already moved America past “energy independence”.
Stop. Realize what that sentence says.
America has already passed the goal of “energy independence”.
We are now beyond the previously optimistic goal of energy independence. It’s only been 5 months.
We ran past the goal of energy independence so fast, that no-body seemingly noticed it. It’s like a race car lapping the traffic and now positioning for the lead of the pack again. As the crowd watches the race and positioning, the jostling, they seemingly missed, or forgot, the fact the Trump car was so fast it’s already a full lap ahead of the current cars and now back in the pack attempting to lead by two laps.
Stunning.
President Trump’s economic team is now selling energy as an economic export product.
Now, just stop for a moment and contemplate this.
Our national GDP has always been based on the fact we create energy products (oil, gas, coal, renewable etc.), but we have also needed to import energy (traditionally oil). The import aspect reduces the overall economic value of a fully functional GDP. We shipped dollars overseas to pay for energy. Those dollars come from your pocket (gas prices mostly).
The national security angle of this entire issue is transparent, ie. war for oil etc., and we have always been hostage to OPEC pricing, regardless of which political ideology was in power and the relationship therein. In short we’ve always been a customer. No-more.
Dakota Access is approved. Keystone is approved. Multiple new coastal oil refineries are coming on line (Louisiana, Texas), and we are exporting fuel and LNG (Liquified Natural Gas). Light-Sweet Crude is stable at low market value, and U.S. gas prices are at their lowest point in decades with even lower prices yet to come. Oh, and the coal business, driven mostly by export, is up over 7% in less than 3 months.
Hat Tip \robert_g
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“President Trump’s economic team is now selling energy as an economic export product. … and the coal business, driven mostly by export, is up over 7% in less than 3 months”
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to fight for free trade…”
I don’t see why there should be a problem then.
Yeah.
For many people, it’s only free trade when their country is winning.
“…German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered some rather strongly worded remarks in advance of the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg Germany. Reuters frames the Merkel statements as a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump….”
Dear Frau Merkel – how do you propose to fight him? The G20 just gutted the “global climate accord” so as to not give Herr Trump any angst. You’ve been a disaster in so many ways. He’s winning on all fronts at this time. I suggest you stifle yourself or get lambasted in a way that could finally jolt sleepwalking Germans awake to “discover” the awful mess you’ve made.
(And I would suggest to all those potentates meeting there in Hamburg, there are enough tight, mature, frackable siltstones/limestones/sands in the European stratigraphy for all of you to shed your Russian/Muslim yoke for a long time.)
“Inasmuch as you inherently care for the guardianship of your child, likewise does Donald Trump view the United States with such a disposition of care, concern and stewardship”
Oh spare us! Matthew 7:11? Trump considered as God?
He’s doing more to quash dangerous climate change driven by ~3% of ~400ppm/v CO2 fear than you.
Over react much?
No. Just as POTUS. I can’t see anything wrong with it. Care, concern and stewardship is by far better than neglect, disinterest and selfishness.
I don’t think readers here appreciate how climate is central at the G20 and that Merkel is serious about opposing Trump – as are other European leaders.
The US is really out on a limb here…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/angela-merkel-donald-trump-g20-summit-climate-change-germany-chancellor-us-president-trade-wilbur-a7813716.html
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU is “more determined than ever” to make the Paris accord against climate change a success following the US decision to withdraw from the agreement, and insisted she would not “overlook tensions” with America on Donald Trump’s first attendance at the G20.
Ms Merkel stressed in a speech to the German parliament that the EU stands fully behind its commitment to the agreement.
“We cannot expect easy discussions on climate change at the G20 summit,” she said. “Our differences with the US are clear.””
“The US is really out on a limb here…”
Absolutely – your Donald is gonna feel a chill wind a-blowing – however hot it will actually be.
He’ll deserve every minute of discomfort he gets.
Griff,
Do you have a naïve, two-part view on relations between nations, with Peace perfect peace most of the time, with an occasional tipping point pushing parties into warfare?
We are seeing a continuum between these 2 end members, with the US calling out that it is leaning near the hostility end. Gloves are off.
There is little importance now given to the nice conventions and diplomatic nospeak. The US has departed from that end. Who cares what Merkel threatens, it has no importance any more. Germany has lost.
Geoff
Germany has lost what?
All you are saying is Trump threatens louder than Merkel?
Trump is the leader, not Merkel.
Expect to see Trump get a very warm welcome when he visits Poland tomorrow. And he would get a very warm welcome in Ukraine, and all the other Eastern European nations, too.
I heard yesterday that Free Syrian fighters who are about to take Raqqa away from the Islamic Terror Army burst out in cheers at the mention of Trump’s name. They like having Trump as an ally. Having Trump as an ally is giving them victory in this fight. Iraqis also have a good opinion of Trump and say they are gratified that Trump is making efforts to minimize civilian casualties in the fight for Mosul, which is also almost over. Trump is on a roll.
Trump is doing so many important things, and the MSM is solely concentrated on trying to assassinate his character. But Trump keeps chugging right along despite their attempts at undermining him.
Well he won’t in the UK, if he sneaks in (his official visit having mysteriously been cancelled)
Nor will he in Paris.
Griff
Do really think these G20 meetings are that important ? They are just talk fests and you are dreaming if you think climate is central to it all. These politicians know where climate issues sit on the long list of concerns of voters —down near the bottom.
Do it without the U. S. , good for the EU. The U.S. isn’t needed, good for the U.S.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indeed changed the climate in europe with her open border policy.The question is not if europe will change in a hell hole but how soon.
Soon the beneficial co2 will no longer be our biggest ‘problem’ and freedom and cheap energy will be things of the past.
soon we will be an Islamic state governed from Saudi.
Too right, and they are fearful for *the* simplest and most basic of reasons.
Donald Doesn’t Drink (alcohol)
He therefore has a clear head at all times, a quick wit, a good memory for all things (people, places, things he and they have said), a GSOH, can take a position and defend it.
(Girls love that – see how he was engulfed in all those harassment claims/charges, Yeah. From bitter ittle cows who, attracted to those qualities and while ‘a bit tipsy’ at parties a long time ago, sat on his knee and made ‘the first approach’ They were rejected, all of them. But several years down the line they ‘remember it’ all wrong yet how, as the song goes ‘It Should Have Been Me’. No. They Magically Thought it should have been them.)
And he can defend his position without being surrounded by legions of ‘advisers’, without tele-prompters, without folks whispering in ear. Even worse for the folks attacking him, he has the guts (yes it takes guts a-la Don’t Feed The Troll) to say No, to mean it and to walk away.
We see endlessly here just how hard it is NOT to feed the troll. It really does take guts NOT to do something – to go against The Consensus.
Donald has exactly those sorts of guts.
And Merkel and the rest of them don’t like that because the are simply not in the same mental/intellectual league on that most basic level.
Look at Merkel. Fat, sour faced old frump. Sorry peeps but First Impressions count.
So you immediately see consumes a lot of sugar – in its manifold forms and being European, plenty grog as well. See that grey face, no amount of make-up or anything can hide it.
She is chronically depressed. There is *nothing else* she can be.
Hence Donald is a real threat to the cosy little bubble of Magical Thinking she exists in.
How can anyone say she is not guilty of magical thinking? She has swallowed the entire CO2 heat trapping guff and couldn’t explain it to save her own life.
If called on to do so, and Donald being the wild-card, the maverick, might just do exactly that, she will be made to look a total fool and she knows it
As attack is the best form of defence, that is exactly what you see here
Take on a debate with a drunk in a bar any old time you like to experience it first hand. (Not while drunk yourself obviously)
Meanwhile there goes serial womaniser Hawking raving about ‘stuff’ and generally inflating his own willy. Lot like Mick Jagger isn’t he?
But that’s all he’s doing now. He’s swallowed enough Snake Oil to refloat The friggin Titanic.
At least it saved him from swallowing too much sugar and grog so, obviously, he actually does have that GSOH and why women flock to him.
But what (professionally) has he spent his life searching for and what Einstein and legions of others looked for – if not A Grand Unifying Theory Of Everything.
It exists all around us. It is so common and pervasive no-one sees it.
It is called sugar (poisoning)
Peta – I bet you feel better for that!
“Look at Merkel. Fat, sour faced old frump.”
Yep – you’ve been taking Trump’s teaching to heart alright. If no amount of makeup will cover, maybe Donald could lend her some of his orange stuff – perhaps she could use what he forgets to spread around his eyes.
Typical Trump hater remark, nothing constructive, just pointless Ad Homs.
Just a data point – the enlarged Panama Canal locks have transited over 1600 large ships so far – more than double what was expected. 30% of them have been LNG tankers shipping US not gas to where? China? Japan? Looks like the energy export boom is already under way.
“not gas”?
At those pressures it is more of a liquid.
First I’ve heard that new refineries are being built. Source please.
Actually, America transitioned from an energy importer to an energy exporter several years ago. That’s not Trump’s doing.
“That’s not Trump’s doing.”
It’s not Obama’s doing, either.
The “free trade” Merkel & gang promote is actually not free at all. This gang’s immigration policy is a suicidal and feckless betrayal of European culture. And their energy/climate policy is destroying the environment, impoverishing their people and doing nothing to Chang the climate. How dare President Trump not join such group think.
“The “free trade” Merkel & gang promote is actually not free at all.”
What the U.S. and Trump want is FAIR trade. Free trade can lead to huge deficits for those on one side of the agreement, whereas Fair Trade does not result in huge deficits for either partner in the deal. We want Fair, no-trade-deficit agreements.
News just in – Germany raised the proportion of its power produced by renewable energy to 35 percent in the first half of 2017 from 33 percent the previous year
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-green-technology-record-power-generation-35-per-cent-renewables-solar-wind-turbines-a7820156.html
“News just in – Germany raised the proportion of its power produced by renewable energy to 35 percent in the first half of 2017 from 33 percent the previous year”
Think of all the dead and dying birds. I don’t see an increase in their destruction as being a good thing.
Except there aren’t any: the EU has regulations about turbine siting which prevent the sort of thing seen at a few old design wind farms like Altamont Pass in the US.
All the stats on bird deaths are based on that one site… If you believe the figures on Eagle deaths, then all US Eagles have been made extinct more than once.
In the UK more birds of prey are illegally shot than are killed by wind farms (illegal shooting/poisoning is in the low dozens, thankfully)
The U.S. Interior Department head said just the other day that between 650,000 and 750,000 birds are killed by windmills annually. I think I posted a link about it at the time. You probably read it.
That Donald Trump would lie is also always asserted on one side. But never proved. Except in crude constructions from unnamed (unknown) sources as it CNN so gladly produced. You can also receive CNN in Germany (in English) and there I sometimes turn around the stomach. Ninety percent of the domestic political stories are negative about President Trump.
What I see as a German citizen is the fact that Trump is perhaps implementing 80 percent of his electoral promises, compared to 20 percent from other politicians in the world. This is already a difference and a truth for itself.
One might say that this truth does not please the normal liar. For nothing hated liars as much as the truth
“That Donald Trump would lie is also always asserted on one side. But never proved.”
That is correct, sir. The lie is that Donald Trump has lied while in Office.
The announcements last week are tectonic in consequence though seemingly lost amid the chafe of media reporting over twitter spats
He does seem to have developed this to the level of an art form.
One can just imagine him arriving at the podium for a press briefing …
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, we all have a busy day and I’ll be brief”
(Trump uncaps a flare and rolls it to the far corner of the room … the horde chase after it pushing and shoving to get a good look)
“I would like to talk first about our progress in re-writing The Constitution. Secretary Farage has been duly sworn in and assures me that we are on schedule to meet our August deadline ..”
(flare fizzles out and the horde slowly drift back puzzled at the knowing grin that greets them)
” … Food labels are, of course, a matter for the respective departments of state and I will make no attempt to color their choice. Early this afternoon I have a face to face with the Gambian Ambassador … “
“I would like to talk first about our progress in re-writing The Constitution. Secretary Farage . . .”
That’s funny! 🙂
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/03/12/game-changer-huge-alaskan-oil-find/comment-page-1/#comment-2449438
Merkel is from East Germany, correct?
Her loonie-green energy policies also favour Russia and hurt the German people, correct?
Maybe she is not so crazy; maybe her energy policies reflect her loyalties, which also lie to the East.
She’s also doing her damnedest to flood the East with third world Muslims which kind of argues against any noble Eastern loyalty.
I’m sorry, but that is complete nonsense.
A interesting and detailed account of her early life:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-19/angela-merkels-early-years-in-east-germany-shaped-her-crisis-politics
Did she rat on her neighbors and family?.
The Stasi was big on that.
If you read it Rob you’ll see she refused to join the Stasi
@Griff
I do assume that you do not speak German. If you had enough proficiency of that language, you’d check this:
https://menschenrechtsverfahren.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/im-erika-neues-foto-der-genossin-angela-merkel-aufgetaucht/
http://marialourdesblog.com/merkel-und-gauck-als-stasi-agenten-tatig-im-erika-und-im-larve/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328536/Angela-Merkel-Communist-links-new-image-uniform-released.html
There is quite a lot of evidence and many more clues that the allegations of Merkel being IM Erika are true. Check the German sources.
Happy Glorious 4th of July to all my American friends!
Reprise from before your election – when almost nobody in the press said Trump could win.:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/08/14/president-obama-begs-america-not-to-tear-up-the-paris-agreement/comment-page-1/#comment-2277845
[excerpt of my post on August 14, 2016]
As a Canadian, I think I have the right to make a brief comment on your election – my justification is the War of 1812, where you burned Toronto and we burned the White House. Nobody here likes Toronto, so we still think we got the better of that deal. 🙂
For most countries, I suggest that the question of a Hillary vs a Donald would come down to “who gets energy right (Donald), and who gets it utterly wrong (Hillary).”
Cheap, reliable abundant energy is the lifeblood of society, and our very cheap fossil fuel energy should provide our two countries with an overwhelming economic advantage, IF the greens would stop sabotaging our economies.
Since the USA is a global power, there are more issues than just the domestic economy – I don’t think you need any more foreign wars for a long while, except to exterminate terrorist gangs. So you might ask yourself who is more likely to start a needless foreign war that will further bankrupt your treasury.
The USA should stick to token “weekender” invasions like Grenada. You might consider Quebec – they’re nearby, they’ve been acting up for quite a while, and you’ve already done Toronto.
Best regards, Allan
For what it’s worth, the War of 1812 was against the British, and at the time Canada was still considered part of the British Empire.
Technically correct Mark.
But many of the battles were fought with our Canadian militia and our native allies complimenting the British regulars. This included The Battle of Queenston Heights, The Battle of the Chateauguay, and The Battle of Crysler’s Farm.
At the decisive Battle of Crysler’s Farm in 1813, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Militias, the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, the Canadian Voltigeurs and the Tyendinaga Mohawks played a significant role.
If you are interested in history, Glengarry County is of particular importance in Canada. The explorers David Thompson, Simon Fraser and Alexander Mackenzie all lived at times in Glengarry, the oldest County in Upper Canada (now Ontario). Major rivers in western and northern Canada are named after these three intrepid gentlemen.
Lewis and Clark had copies of Thompson’s maps of their destination on the West Coast.
Trump seems to be handling our current wars well. The Islamist Terror Army is on the run, about to be kicked out of their central headquarters, Raqqa, and they are also about to be kicked out of Mosul, Iraq.
All this took to accomplish was a few tweaks to the policy, and Trump made those tweaks, like arming the Kurds, and instituting more coordination with the Free Syrian forces. Trump has also defended these troops with American firepower when necessary, and they love Trump for it.
This success is part Trump understanding the situations he is faced with, and part because he has appointed some of our most accomplished generals to do the military operations planning. Trump does not micromanage. He allows the military to decide which way is the best way to go after Trump gives them his goal. The good results are obvious.
Trump is well on his way to shutting down the Caliphate of the terrorists in Syria and Iraq. One of his campaign promises.
The big problem is going to be North Korea. We may have to go to war to fix this problem. We cannot allow ourselves to be put at the mercy of Kim Jung un, a person who has no mercy. We cannot allow him to develop the capability to strike us with nuclear weapons.
Kim Jung un is real close to developing this capability. The decision-making time is short.
Obama handed Trump a lot of very serious problems. The good news is we have Trump, not Hillary, dealing with these problems now.
It just got worse…
“North Korea claims to have test-launched its first ICBM”
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/07/04/north-korea-claims-to-have-test-launched-its-first-icbm.html
The big emerging problem is China in the South China Sea. They are building military bases with air fields throughout the area, heavily fortified and with air defenses.
Look for them to declare the entire ocean an international no-go zone, except by their permission, some time in the 2020’s. It might be a causus belli, of the hot sort.
Yes, North Korea is a problem. Seems that China has good reasons to end this nonsense. Beijing is close to North Korea, less than a day’s drive away.
Remember the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia? One day they were there, and then they were gone.
It doesn’t look like China is helping much with North Korea. Trump says Chinese trade with North Korea *increased* by 40 percent in the first quarter of this year.
The Chinese may need a bigger incentive.
The Chinese should take note that even some liberals in the U.S. are very unhappy with these developments in North Korea, actually very fearful of this, as they should be, and they are not making anti-war noises right now. They are not promoting war with North Korea, but they are not throwing cold water on the idea, either. China should consider that as being significant.
A U.S. war with North Korea is definitely not in China’s interests. China should stop playing games, and get real and do something to rein in this North Korean madman, or they may have a huge problem on their hands in the near future, when Trump and the U.S. have to rein him in ourselves.
It’s time for China to pick a side.
@TA
After Kim Jung the Un-person now has launched his first ICBM, the Chinese are completey within range of North Korean warheads. They will have to decide quickly how to handle that nasty problem, caused by an incalculable dicatator. In their very own interest, they will stop him. I excpect they’ll manage it in a quiet way that saves the face of all powers concerned.
Given that the EU is a protectionist, as opposed to free trade, customs union it is a bit rich that Merkel claims she will fight for free trade.
“Trump faces delicate diplomatic dance with Putin meeting, on G-20 sidelines”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/07/04/trump-faces-delicate-diplomatic-dance-with-putin-meeting-on-g20-sidelines.html
OCD kicking: One tab, one space, never more in the same place. (The tripled-spaces stand out like strobe lights to me.)
ChasTheModerator says, “President Trump has put a jaw-dropping U.S. energy platform solidly into place. You can learn more about them HERE and HERE.”
Many thanks for those links. I got busy and had not watched the Energy Dominance speech.
— Total transformation of domestic energy production, and “liberating” towns from MS thirteen too!
http://i51.tinypic.com/15ewhud.jpg
I thought that would work.
Gasoline prices are not the lowest in decades, either by purchasing power parity or absolute cost.
Natural gas is, but that was well before the Trump onset.
“Gasoline prices are not the lowest in decades, either by purchasing power parity or absolute cost.”
I remember when Obama first came into Office, the price of gasoline was about $1.80 per gallon. Then, over the course of time, the price went up to over $4.00 per gallon.
The last time I filled up my car, a couple of days ago, I paid $1.83 per gallon. I’m loving it! 🙂 And everyone who has to buy gasoline loves it.
Hit Girl, go play with the EU climate mafia. My little girlfriend likes playing with her guns 🙂
There’s a post on the Paris Accord and Trump here:
https://internationalaw.wordpress.com/