Virginia’s Youngkin Wins First Debate
Virginia Republicans last May put their faith in a first-time candidate for public office, Glenn Youngkin, as their nominee for Governor in the state’s odd-year general election on November 2nd. They chose him over more experienced political veterans such as former House Speaker Kirk Cox, State Senator Amanda Chase, and long-time GOP supporter and candidate Pete Snyder.
Choosing a novice candidate is risky, especially when running against a long-time political pro and former governor like Terry McAuliffe. But Virginia’s GOP saw in Youngkin what I did when first meeting him in December 2020 – the best natural candidate I’ve ever met. And I’ve worked in over 35 congressional and US Senate campaigns in 25 states over a quarter-century, where I’ve done my share of helping negotiate debates, coach candidates, and conduct mock debates.
So many Republicans were no doubt a little trepidatious of tonight’s gubernatorial debate at Appalachian Law School in Grundy, Virginia in the Commonwealth’s far southwest corner, bordering Kentucky and West Virginia. They need not have been. Youngkin won the contest.
Kite & Key: The Green Atom
On today’s episode of American Wonk, Avik Roy talks to FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce about juice. No, not apple juice, but the juice that powers our smartphones, our homes, and our cars. Can we keep energy affordable for all Americans while reducing carbon emissions? Listen to find out.
Watch Bryce’s new documentary, “Juice: How Electricity Explains The World,” here. Read Bryce’s new book, “A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations 1st Edition, Kindle Edition,” here.
https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/must_see/48060788/finland-s-new-generation-of-climate-heroes Play on words: Actually that is the name of a Finnish town which has achieved “zero waste” and has therefore proven that if a town of 10,ooo can do it, according to a person in the video (teacher?) we can do it globally and so we have “no more excuses.” Well, there isn’t enough […]
This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.
Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton boasted to cheering Democrats about her plans to shut down coal companies and put coal miners out of work. Unfortunately, due to the “success” of Obama Administration energy policies, that goal may be accomplished before her presidency begins. Peabody Energy Corp BTU 9.59% , the largest U.S. coal producer, said […]
This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.
Does Rooting for Human Misery Make You a Bad Guy? — Frank Soto
So asks Thomas Friedman in a recent column.
Vladimir Putin has threatened to turn off gas supplies to Ukraine if Kiev doesn’t pay its overdue bill. The Ukrainian pipelines supply 15% of the gas to Europe.
Matt Ridley Puts Gobal Warming Away, Or, May We Move Onto the Next Impending Catastrophe Now, Please?
Catching up on my reading, I just came across Matt Ridley’s article on global warming in the Wall Street Journal last week. Mr. Ridley—no, strike that; since the death of his father in 2012, Matt Ridley is more properly referred to as the Rt. Hon. the Viscount Ridley — Lord Ridley explained that, in its forthcoming report, even the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits that fears of global warming have been (forgive me) overheated. A couple of excerpts from a column in which, in my judgement, Matt Ridley simply puts global warming away:
Even with its too-high, too-fast assumptions, the recently leaked draft of the IPCC impacts report makes clear that when it comes to the effect on human welfare, “for most economic sectors, the impact of climate change will be small relative to the impacts of other drivers,” such as economic growth and technology, for the rest of this century. If temperatures change by about 1C degrees between now and 2090, as Mr. Lewis calculates, then the effects will be even smaller….
Energy From the Sea
Why, again, are we not doing this? From Japanese business publication Asahi Shimbum:
Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. plans to explore and extract methane hydrate, a potential source of domestic fuel for energy-poor Japan, in waters around the archipelago.
Magical Thinking Versus Reality — George Savage
Americans exited the 20th century the triumphant torchbearers of classical liberalism—communism on the ash heap, the era of big government officially over–yet by the teens of the third millennium we find ourselves rejecting logic and experience to embrace the politics of magical thinking. How did this happen?
First, consider some examples of the phenomenon. This headline from yesterday’s Los Angeles Times, for example: “Electric cars can go only half as far in freezing weather, AAA finds.” After untold billions showered on Obama donors far-and-wide and a $7,500 per car direct federal tax subsidy for the Master of the Universe with a yen for a new Tesla, we now find a flaw: batteries don’t do well in the cold. Who knew? Apparently, our federal masterminds never consulted any automobile mechanics or high-school chemistry students before legislating alternative-energy nirvana.
