The John Batchelor Show

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Air Date: 
November 10, 2020

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 1, Block A:  Bill McGurn, @wjmcgurn, @WSJOpinion, WSJ editorial page & Main Street column, in re:  The remains of the election day: 71 million-plus votes for Donald Trump.  Main media still saying that Trump was never a legitimate president; derogation. Mueller investigation led to naught.  Extreme Democratic language.  Can’t decree reconciliation; you have to persuade people on the other side to do that correctly is hard work. Even Joe Biden last year said he agreed that Trump wasn’t legitimate; also Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, John Lewis. All accused Trump of subsequently disproven misdeeds. These contributed to the poisonous atmosphere. Right now, the onus will be on Biden.  He needs to take the hard step to do it; AOC demanded a blacklist.  There’s no cheap reconciliation. Leadership is hard.  The over-the-top call to smearing people or denying them jobs . . .  [as AOC did].  You have to acknowledge your responsibility in things. Not a coincidence that the Trump opposition defined themselves not as opposition but as “the resistance.”  Do the Democrats cease the dergogation ofGOP voters?   https://spacenews.com/biden-administration-expected-to-emphasize-climate-science-over-lunar-exploration-at-nasa/
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 1, Block B:  Lee E. Ohanian,  @lee_ohanian, UCLA economics; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; in re: Proposal to convert an extended-stay motel (usually about $70/night) of 130 units into housing for homeless: at a cost of $700,000, at $725/sq foot. This is insane. These are California’s taxpayer dollars. Sta Clara w0uld need a billion dollars.  Is this all about regulations? We haven't found a detailed breakdown; the whole property has recently sold for $14 million.  Doesn't need major renovation. Is “a flipping opportunity.” It’s also the bureaucracy woven in.   A builder who works for profit, builds housing, said, “I’d need about $300 thousand for the total job. Why are they putting in a community kitchen?”  This happens again and again California.  Similar story when they converted 8x10 storage sheds to “housing,” without plumbing.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 1, Block C: Gregory R Copley: Defense and Foreign Affairs; Gregory R Copley, The New Total War of the Twenty-first Century and the Trigger of the Fear Pandemic, in re:  The Red Sea and Indian Ocean Basin.  Critical shipping region. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian PM, has lost Europeans’s favor (The Economist) because he’s declared military action against the Tigre Liberation Front.  Take The Economist with a grain of salt: it’s just got a big investment from China.  TPLF took over the country in the Nineties, represented a small fraction of Trigreans, who all together are 6% of the  Ethiopian population.   When Tigreans were out, an Oromo took over—that is, half-Oromo, half-Amhara. Current effort of Tigreans to secede is basically sour grapes.  They refuse to negotiate. Were significantly armed by Obama administration.   Oromo Liberation Front is a guerrilla force engaging in genocidal operations against Eritreans. What other great powers are involved?  Egypt and Turkey. Turkey pretends to be friendly but is supporting the Oromo Islamist group. Abiy was pro-American, tried to move away from China; Chinese reacted very negatively.
Europe turns negative on the Ethiopian PM Abiy fight to hold the country together  https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/04/ethiopia-lurches-towards-civil-war
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 1, Block D: Gregory R Copley: Defense and Foreign Affairs; Gregory R Copley, The New Total War of the Twenty-first Century and the Trigger of the Fear Pandemic, in re: What of the presumptive Biden Administration in the Indian Ocean Basin?
Red Sea–Arabian Sea–Indian Ocean. Is the Quad (India, Australia, Japan, US) in doubt in the Biden administration? Yes. Containment of PRC is central to the Quad.  China has been taking over ports in the Mediterranean [and elsewhere].  Incoming Biden administration will not play well with Egypt, as Biden is almost guaranteed to return to Obama’s support for Turkey.  Canada-Australia-NZ-UK (CaNZUK): will send strike groups into the Indo-Pacific.  Does Europe see its future is with China?  The Economist does, but Abiy has no choice but to fight this war, or else lose the whole c0untry.
 
Hour Two
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 2, Block A:  Joseph Sternberg:  @josephsternberg, @WSJOpinion; Political Economics column; WSJ editorial board; in re:  The Overton Window. House of Lords awoke and pummeled Boris Johnson about Brexit. BoJo in hot water all directions, with six weeks left to solve all problems.  Used an inaccurate graph, which displeased everyone. Boris doesn’t quite have control. In a pandemic and Brexit crisis, this is not favored by the electorate. Mr Biden on the open Irish border: “BBC: I’m Irish.”
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 2, Block B:  Joseph Sternberg:  @josephsternberg, @WSJOpinion; Political Economics column; WSJ editorial board; in re:  UK retail sales number. This lockdown is a weird animal: if you’re just out walking, the lockdown isn’t evident, but there’s nowhere to shop. This is the Christmas shopping season.  Many jobs at stake.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 2, Block C: New World Report. Joseph Humire @jmhumire, @securefreesoc, in re: Luis Arce sworn in as Bolivian president, a proxy for Evo Morales, who maintains much control. Terrifies many Bolivians.  Unasur [Union of South American Nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru—joined in forming the Lima Group], developed by Chavez, may be revived now to be not just an economic but also a military bloc. In Guatemala . . .  As VP, Joe Biden funded $1 billion to Latin America to fight corruption; not much result.  Brazil: Bolsonaro congratulated Biden despite their having quite opposite views and policies.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 2, Block D:  New World Report. Joseph Humire @jmhumire, @securefreesoc, and Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal @MariaFdaCabal, in re: Obama policies in Latin America.  Peace accord despite plebiscite.  Inauguration of Bolivian president:  arrival of the president of Colombia was surprising. He was strong against Maduro, but . . .
FARC guerrillas.  A Democratic administration in the US means we have to keep close watch on the ex FARC and the other narcoterror gangs. 
 
Hour Three
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 3, Block A:  Elizabeth Peek, @LizPeek, Fox News and TheHill; in re:  Surprisingly good jobs number, better than any economist predicted.  Small business  optimism index is over 100.  Half of those who lost work in the pandemic are now working again, even though the entire hospitality industry is [laid low].  Are job openings a sign of growth? Yes. Large number of Help Wanted signs in shop windows. Surprisingly resilient consumer demand. This is all despite both California and New York still being closed.
Georgia Senate races: presume that the GOP holds the Senate and we don't see an immediate tax hike, we’re poised for growth, organic growth in our economy.  Surge in energy industry. Banks are doing well.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 3, Block B:  Elizabeth Peek, @LizPeek, Fox News and TheHill; in re:  Joe Biden presents that he wants to unite the nation. Is this credible?  Biden spoke nicely on bringing the country together—as did Trump; problem is, the Democratic party has moved so far to the left that it’s really offended a lot of Americans. Biden owe his success to AOC, Bernie Sanders, and their crew; they’ll expect payback.  Very rude comments, even from Michelle Obama: the status quo [Trump] is racist.  Trump is the most potent force in the Republican party.  I do not see this enmity going away soon.  How  does he GOP prepare for the 2022 elections? Will primary a lot of Democrats.  I the left Democrats stay noisy, GOP will air “defund the police” and all the other policies that’ll horrify most Americans.   Pelosi may not have the votes to stay Speaker. She’s made one blunder after another.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 3, Block C:  Bill Whalen: @Hooverwhalen, @HooverInst, Area 45 blog, and Forbes; in re:  An untraditional indoor inaugural?   Biden is rail and fragile the cold of Washington is not a good idea. Also—Covid. Avoid the ceremonial parties.   . . . Republicans are angry that Hunter Biden wasn’t properly vetted. . . .  The vaccine.  Portfolio for the VP: race relations, California, and fundraisers.
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 3, Block D: Bruce Thornton @HooverInst,  @BruceThornton;  Hoover; in re: Shutting down the fossil fuel industry.
 
Hour Four
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 4, Block A:  The Journeys of Trees: A Story about Forests, People, and the Future, by Zach St. George
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 4, Block B:  The Journeys of Trees: A Story about Forests, People, and the Future, by Zach St. George
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 4, Block C:  The Journeys of Trees: A Story about Forests, People, and the Future, by Zach St. George
Tuesday 10 November 2020 / Hour 4, Block D:  The Journeys of Trees: A Story about Forests, People, and the Future, by Zach St. George
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