Berl Falbaum
Now that we can breathe a little bit easier given the election results, we should not forget that we still have one U.S. Senate race that needs to be decided.
That race, in Georgia, pits incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock against his Republican challenger Herschel Walker, in a runoff December 6.
Thus, we thought it was important to reflect on that contest given that Walker has just made another major policy recommendation involving automobile emissions.
But first, in order to judge his analysis in context, we might revisit some of his pronouncements in the campaign.
First, he confused a college diploma with a child. He remembered earning a college degree which he did not, but forgot about fathering a son which he did.
Then, you may recall, Walker told us that we suffer from air pollution because our good air “decided” -- on its own -- to move to China. To make room for the good air, China sent us its bad air.
When we heard this analysis, our intrepid reporters dug behind the scenes and learned exclusively that in his discussions recently with China’s President Xi Jinping, President Biden asked Xi if he would send back our good air. Biden added he would escort the air on his way back to the U.S. on Air Force One.
Xi reportedly told Biden he certainly sympathized with the president’s request but it was really a matter to be decided by the good air. There was a limit, he said, to his authoritarian rule.
Then Walker took on the theory of evolution and posed a question for which Darwin did not provide a response. Walker asked:
“At one time, science said man came from apes. Did it not? If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.”
He asked that question in the Sugar Hill Church and its pastor, Chuck Hill, thought about it a lot, finally responding, “You’re getting too smart for us.” Then, we assume, Hill said a prayer for Walker.
Now Walker explains to us why he opposes a so-called green agenda that would reduce toxic emissions from cars. Specifically, he advised:
“If we were ready for the green agenda, I’d raise my hand right now. But we’re not ready right now. So don’t let them fool you like this is a new agenda. This is not a new agenda. We’re not prepared. We’re not ready right now. What we need to do is keep having those gas-guzzling cars, ’cause we got the good emissions under those cars. We’re doing the best thing that we can.”
It's difficult to unravel all of that but we concluded that he is worried our good emissions from gas guzzlers would decide to move to China and China’s bad emissions would join the bad air that China sent to us previously.
That is only true, of course, if the emissions from China’s gas guzzlers are bad. If that is a fact, then the Chinese need a green agenda more than we do.
Walker’s environmental policy concerns on gas guzzlers came, sadly, too late for Biden to discuss this issue with Xi. Xi breathed easier -- and he breathed good air, of course.
The automobile industry is delighted by Walker not blaming gas-guzzlers for our bad air and may give him substantial financial support. Indeed, Walker’s reference to “good emissions” coming from “under those cars” would make a snappy punch line in TV ads.
Walker also opposes other green proposals, once asking, “Don’t we have enough trees around here?” We probably have enough because none of them decided to uproot themselves and move to China.
We also looked into some of the claims about his career beside carrying a football.
Here are some of our favorites:
--He was valedictorian in his class, in the top 1 percent of his class, he said. That’s probably at the college from which he did not graduate. His claim to scholarly success came before he told Georgians, “I’m not that smart” while seeking their vote.
--He did “a lot of things in the military.” That’s in the military in which he did not serve
--He supervised six hospitals in the U.S. That’s in addition to being the captain of a nuclear submarine, and was the key NASA official responsible for the Rover Mission to Mars.
We feel a little sorry for Warnock if, in a debate, he is asked to respond to Walker’s public policy positions.
Does he believe we can pressure China to return our good air? Does he agree we descended from apes? Does he support gas guzzlers with good emissions? Do we have enough trees around here?
I, for one, am torn on whether Georgians should vote for Warnock or Walker. I know this: If Walker loses, I am sure gonna’ miss the guy.
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Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
