DV Journal

Before President Joe Biden dropped out and made her the party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris opposed fracking and supported the Green New Deal. Now her campaign claims she will allow fracking to continue if she becomes president.

They also say she no longer supports a national socialized medicine plan (“Medicare For All”), and she’s flipped on whether illegal immigration should be illegal (she now says yes.)

During a press availability on Tuesday, DVJournal asked Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick if Pennsylvania’s swing state voters should trust Harris on important issues like fracking now that she’s changed her mind and now claims to favor it.

“I don’t think so,” said McCormick.

The Republican candidate referenced one of his own campaign ads about Harris’s record, which has garnered more than 4 million views.

“The ad has Sen. Casey saying ‘she’s ready to be president. You’re going to love her when you get to know her.’ And it had a minute of her in her own words…She says, ‘I want to ban fracking. And I want to want to transition energy workers. I want to legalize illegal immigration. I want to be sure illegal immigrants get federal benefits.’ She said, ‘I want to have mandatory buybacks of guns. I want to eliminate private healthcare insurance.’ All in her own words. You can see the ad. And she said she wanted the government to get involved in reducing meat consumption. Red meat.”

“So listen, the Pennsylvania I grew up in and know well, that agenda isn’t resonating,” added McCormick.

“And on the fracking, she has said time and time again she embraced the green agenda, which meant huge, heavy subsidization of solar and wind at the expense of fossil fuels and the EPA mandate that happened when she was vice president, that 80 percent of all light vehicles will be electric vehicles by 2032. Even Elon Musk doesn’t support that.”

McCormick noted his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey Jr., voted with the Biden-Harris administration 98 percent of the time.

“So Pennsylvania has 600,000 people that are in the energy industry or have jobs that are derived from there. No, I don’t think they should trust that she or Sen. Casey are going to be strong advocates of unlocking our potential natural gas reserves, in particular in Pennsylvania.

“And the reason I think that’s such a big issue is it’s critical to our national security, it’s critical to Pennsylvania’s economic wellbeing,” McCormick said. “And it’s great for the environment. I’m an environmentalist. I believe in climate change. The way to reduce carbon emissions is to export our natural gas, where replaces coal-fired plants in India and China. None of those things are going to happen under Harris-Casey. The reason you should know that is they’ve proven it.”

Another reporter asked Harris’s sudden support for a policy promoted by her opponent, Donald Trump: eliminating the tax on tip income. McCormick said he favors it but hasn’t studied it closely. And, he added, Harris’s willingness to seize on a Trump policy she had never mentioned before is yet another sign she’s simply saying whatever it takes to get elected.

“I think it was interesting that Kamala Harris embraced that,” said McCormick. “If you’re going to embrace something, you should say, ‘It’s a good idea that President Trump had.’ That you would simply just grab that idea and then not acknowledge where it came from when she was part of an administration that was expressly saying they wanted to enforce through 80,000 new IRS agents the fact that people in the service industry should be taxed on tips.

“That turnaround is exactly like the fracking,” McCormick added. “You don’t get to say, ‘I’m for a new thing’ without explaining how your position’s changed, why it’s changed and why the voters should trust you. I don’t think the voters should trust her on banning fracking, and I don’t think they should trust her on that.”

Asked about President Joe Biden’s ideas to impose term limits and congressional oversight on the U.S. Supreme Court, McCormick said, “I’m by and large opposed to those proposals.  The reason is we have a situation here where I think expressly President Biden and Vice President Harris were embracing an agenda that would pack the Supreme Court.”

And that’s because they “don’t like [its] composition,” he said.

A former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, he also pushed back on attack ads Casey is running saying McCormick invested in a Chinese company that manufactured fentanyl. It turned out that Casey also had shares in that company through a mutual fund.

“Sen. Casey lied about it,” McCormick said. “Most Americans who own 401(k)s own some exposure to global stocks. And those global stocks are represented in countries around the world, usually China because China is such a big part of the economy. That’s essentially what Bridgewater did. It had an index that included global stocks. So, Bob Casey and Bridgewater — not Dave McCormick — Bridgewater owned part of a pharmaceutical company that sold to China a legal painkiller, which is fentanyl.

“It was an accusation which was an absolute lie. It’s not illegal fentanyl. And then Bob Casey, the ultimate liar and hypocrite, we discovered owns the same thing in his personal portfolio.”

“This guy’s lying, and he’s a hypocrite because he doesn’t have a record to run on,” said McCormick.

The Casey campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

(For an alternate point of view, see, “Counterpoint: Politicians Should Focus on Issues, not Gothca Moments”)

Watching the coup going on in the Democrat Party these last two weeks, unseating Joe Biden and installing Kamala Harris with middle-of-the-night phone calls and agreements, sleight of hand to keep campaign money intact and every day a new development as they skirt the ever-more vague rules and seem to think that the world is not going to notice that Democrats have had no say in their new candidate for president.

Just a few months ago, they were assured that Biden was cognitively and physically capable enough to continue for another four years. Then, all of a sudden, he’s not.

And that the voters will not realize that she takes no responsibility for a failed  three and a half years, which has practically destroyed the country, and that this cognitively impaired president is still in the White House. And that we won’t notice or care that Harris was complicit in it all.

Having had the honor of representing Bucks County at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month as one of our three elected delegates, I’m noticing the glaring differences between the Republicans’ and the Democrats’ political process.

How did we do it? The RNC, which followed an above-board and honest process, was a sparkling, electric, loud, proud, joyous, patriotic event with the absolute “who’s who” in Republican politics and supporters who spoke about and modeled our RNC focus as we rolled out the GOP platform to take this country back and frankly save it. Four full days of speakers and experiences, one after the other – at the Pennsylvania delegation’s private breakfasts or in the arena each evening.

Donald Trump received enough votes throughout the months-long primary process to ensure he received the delegates he needed to be our nominee. We then pledged each state’s delegates to him. Nikki Haley, his challenger, pledged support and her delegates to him. Trump then selected JD Vance as his running mate.

Those procedures were closely followed, and the Republican voters can rely on them.

Seeing Vance in Philadelphia, himself a child of addiction, as he came to provide comfort and hope to area families who have lost children in the fentanyl crisis that is destroying the city under Democrat mismanagement and negligence brought to mind Harris, the “Border Czar” though she’s distancing herself from that title as she has yet to visit the border, had laughed about it,  and has overseen an invasion of an estimated 8 million people from 175 countries with an estimated 100 individuals let in from the terror watchlist while we’re losing Americans to crime and fentanyl. We’re losing our children.

Harris has been “basement campaigning.” As of this writing, she still has not held a press conference, but Vance showed up and invited unplanned questions from the press. He knocked it out of the park. No preparation. Just experience and truth.

I was proud to be an American and proud to be a Republican. And proud of Vance: Veteran. Senator. Dad. Husband. American.

Across the city, a few hours later, Harris announced Gov. Tim Walz as her nominee. Just as questionable as her sudden replacement of Biden via social media after he won his primaries and the delegates that no one else challenged him for. Isn’t it strange that she would pick Philadelphia as the location for this? What an odd location for the pair of California and Minnesota Leftists.

My bet is that, she had indeed chosen Gov. Josh Shapiro in this critically important swing state, but at the last minute, she decided against him because of antisemitic factions in her party.  She needed someone who wouldn’t mind being in her cackling shadow. Then, with Vance already scheduled to be here, she needed to keep her Philadelphia location.  He showed up and showed her up in more ways than one.

Republicans and Democrats are not the same.

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(For an alternate point of view, see: Point: Republican Transparency Trumps Democratic Party Bosses’ Machinations)

The 2024 Democratic United States presidential and vice presidential candidates are being called the most liberal in election history by some news media outlets. Voters must choose our current Vice President Kamala Harris or former 45th President Donald Trump.

Each side has to decide to make changes for our country. Voters across America do want a change for the better. For example, having less violent crime, excessive protests, bringing down inflation, and no wars are key issues. There’s concern about our joining wars in parts of the world, such as what is sadly still occurring in the Middle East.

Fixing our country’s culture as a whole is the common goal.

There is no side that is right or wrong in this election. Both Harris-Walz and Trump-Vance political party teams have to focus on a stronger, less problematic America for our future economic government.

When our presidential candidates hold rallies and campaign events and are interviewed on a national news program, it would be nice to see less of the going back and forth, such as practically insulting each other as opponents and competitors and the “I got you moment.”

It seems that sometimes it is more for clickbait and viral content, such as when the news media bring up the presidential candidates’ past on what policies and actions they passed through. It is not helpful to keep repeating their decision-making from a previous political perspective, especially if it is not going to happen for the current governmental system administration.

Understandably, a candidate wants to be entertaining to all voters, including all age groups and not just being wholly standard but in our current political environment that we are all in. However, it is best to stay completely focused on the pressing issues that America has.

The way some media news sets the narrative is by complaining about each candidate almost as if it is on a personal agenda, not steering towards only the problems that need addressing. According to the U.S. Department of State website, our main global policy issue concerns are listed as anti-corruption and transparency, arms control and nonproliferation, climate and environment, the climate crisis, combating drugs and crime, countering terrorism, cyber issues, economic prosperity and trade policy, energy, global health, global women’s issues, human rights and democracy, refugee and humanitarian assistance, human trafficking, the ocean and polar affairs, science, technology and innovation, treaties and international agreements.

The 18 listed policy issues should be the main focus.

Things in America must get better sorted for all citizens, excluding their economic and financial status. Talking about taxes is getting repetitive. In future debates, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Tim Walz, and JD Vance hopefully can make an effort to put their personal feelings about one another aside and keep it civil for us as voters.

Whoever is elected on Tuesday, Nov. 5, as our 47th president of the United States will bring a new, fresh change for the betterment of our country because we need it progressively and aggressively.

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Thousands of people filled Temple University’s Liacouras Center to watch Vice President Kamala Harris introduce her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Harris noted she had just received her party’s nomination the evening before.

Both Harris and Walz attacked their Republican opponents, former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), saying they were too rich, in Trump’s case, and too weird, in Vance’s.

Harris got the loudest applause when she said she would protect a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion. Democrats have made abortion their top issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Harris highlighted the issue Tuesday night, as well as Walz’s record on the issue as Minnesota governor.

In 2023, Walz signed a bill into law establishing a “fundamental right” to abortion at any point throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy.

Before the rally began, several attendees expressed disappointment that Harris did not choose Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her vice-presidential pick, but said they were willing to back Walz.

Philadelphia resident Sylvester Walker said he was “surprised and upset,” when he heard Tuesday morning Walz had gotten the nod instead of Shapiro. But he said he’s still supporting the ticket.

“It’s not what I want. It’s what she wants,” said Walker. “She’s young. Josh Shapiro is young. I’m from the South. You send out an old mule with a young mule. The Democrats are very smart.”

Cheltenham resident Jordyn Kelman said, “I think she made a smart decision not picking Shapiro. I don’t think the country is ready for a Black president and a Jewish vice president.”

Stacy St. Yves of Fort Washington said, “I like the policies of the last last four years. I want to keep that going, and I like her stands to protect women’s reproductive rights.”

As for Walz, St. Yves said, “He’s a great choice. I’m real excited about it.” She said she’s just learning about him and “I’m impressed.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker called for unity.

“They are going to use divide and conquer,” said Parker, warning the Democrats not to “take your eyes off the prize.” She also praised President Joe Biden who dropped his campaign in favor of Harris, while continuing to serve as president. “Trump’s a trickster,” said Parker. “Don’t forget we are Democrats. We are for the working class. We are for labor.”

Shapiro said Harris is “battle-tested and ready to go.” He got the crowd chanting, “We are not going back!”

“We’re not going into the future with Donald Trump,” Shapiro said, perhaps a poor choice of words given the former president was nearly assassinated in Pennsylvania just two weeks ago.

Shapiro also praised Walz as “a great man” and “a dear friend.”

He also appeared to address the fact that his name would not be appearing on the national ballot when he talked about his faith.

“My faith teaches me that no one, no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. That means that each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, to get in the game, and to do our part.”

Before Harris took the podium, the song “My Girl” played.

She introduced Walz, a former teacher, who represented Minnesota in Congress before being elected its governor. Walz is a husband, father, and Army National Guard veteran, she said.

Walz taught social studies and coached the high school football team.

“Coach Walz motivated his players to believe they could achieve anything, and together, they surprised (their opponents), going from a winless record to the school’s first-ever state championship.”

When a student wanted to start a Gay Straight Alliance, Harris said, “Tim knew the signal it would send to have a football coach, so he signed up to be the group’s faculty advisor,” Harris said. “In the high school yearbook, the students voted Coach Walz ‘the most inspiring faculty member.’”

“After Roe was overturned, he was the first governor to sign a new law protecting reproductive freedom,” said Harris.  She promised to pass a bill to restore “reproductive freedom.”

Although Walz is a hunter and “was one of Capitol Hill’s best marksmen,” he believes in “sensible gun safety,” Harris said.  He expanded background checks and increased penalties for illegal firearm sales.

If she’s president “we’re finally going to pass universal background checks.”

Walz has executive experience and “will be ready on Day One,” she said.

“When you compare his resume with Trump’s running mate,” she said, calling it “a match-up between the varsity team and the JV quad.”

Walz, who has a folksy speaking style, called Shapiro “a treasure.”

“Everybody in America knows, when you need a bridge fixed, call that guy,” he quipped. “I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket to help Vice President Harris become the next president of the United States.”

He praised Harris’ career as a prosecutor and in the Senate.

He criticized Trump for “sowing chaos and division” and for having a criminal record.

The crowd chanted, “Lock him up, lock him up.”

Walz said when Republicans talk about freedom, “they mean the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office.”

India TV sent a team of three people to cover the rally. People in India are “very excited” about Harris’ campaign for president,” said reporter Dr. Sumita SenGupta. “They’re very excited that an Indian-origin person can have the opportunity to become president of the United States.” Harris’ mother immigrated from India and her father from Jamaica.

A Republican at the Vance rally in Philadelphia held earlier on Tuesday, believes Harris should have chosen Shapiro.

“I think she made a big mistake,” said Perry Petrongola, of South Philadelphia. “I guess the Obamas told her who to pick and she just followed suit.”

Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz attended the Harris-Walz rally.

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz resonated deeply with the audience, embodying the values and aspirations shared by many Americans. They articulated a vision that includes the freedom to make personal healthcare decisions, fostering community unity, ensuring affordable childcare, prioritizing education, and making housing more accessible. Their discussions centered on the everyday challenges people face.

“While I initially hoped Gov. Shapiro would join the ticket as the vice-presidential candidate, I am confident that Tim Walz brings a valuable perspective to the team. He comprehends the struggles of our farmers and, as a gun owner, upholds the Second Amendment while advocating for sensible background checks. His diverse experience and pragmatic approach will undoubtedly strengthen the Democratic platform,” she said.

She said the “enthusiasm” was “electrifying.”

“Not since Obama have I witnessed such excitement among Democrats.”

Nearly 2,000 people filled the gym at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pa. on Monday to hear Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer make the case for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

The audience’s energy and enthusiasm mirrored some Trump rallies.

And if vice presidents are supposed to be the president’s attack dogs, Shapiro bared his teeth for this potential audition to share the ticket with Harris.

In remarks greeted by cheers, applause and whistles, Shapiro fired broadsides at Trump while Whitmer lambasted Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the Republicans’ vice-presidential nominee.

Gretchen Whitmer (Credit: Harris for Pennsylvania)

“Vice President Harris has been battle-tested,” Shapiro said, touting her background as “a tough-as-nails prosecutor.”

“She is ready to be not just the standard-bearer of our party, but to be the 47th president of the United States. She’s not only ready. She’s damn ready. You know who else knows she’s ready? Donald Trump knows she’s ready.”

“He’s afraid to debate her now…He’s afraid to debate her because he can’t defend his record.”

“He’s got a record of failure,” Shapiro claimed.

“He packed the Supreme Court. He ended Roe v. Wade. Donald Trump did that,” Shapiro said.  “He did that when he had no earthly idea of how to be president. He didn’t know what he was doing and there were a whole lot of guardrails around Donald Trump when he was president.”

He told the crowd to “be extra scared” because the U.S. Supreme Court “just ruled that the rule of law doesn’t apply to Donald Trump,” a reference to a ruling defining the scope of presidential immunity.

“He is dangerous. He is destructive, and the guardrails are off.”

Shapiro also attacked the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” alleging it was “Trump’s Project 2025,” though Trump played no role in creating this conservative wish list compiled by a D.C. think tank.

“I’ve got a message to Donald Trump: Stop sh*t-talking America,” Shapiro added. “While he’s hugging the flag, he’s ripping away our freedoms. It’s not freedom to tell our children what books they’re allowed to read…It’s not freedom to tell women what they’re allowed what they’re do with their bodies.”

Whitmer turned her sights on Vance. “He’s made his values clear. He does not see women as equals. He does not want everyone to have a seat at the table. He’s scared of us because Democrats want everyone to have a seat at the table, even cat lovers and dog lovers alike.”

“He is efficient. In one sentence, he insulted women, Black people, and Jewish people,” said Whitmer.

The people who DVJournal spoke to were fans of both Harris and Shapiro.

Robert Arnold of Doylestown said Shapiro is “clearly thoughtful, intelligent, not reactionary.” He met Shapiro once, and “he was very pleasant and approachable. I agree with a lot of his policies.”

Ekins Park resident Roz Weiss called Harris “brilliant.”

“She’s got the energy we need,” said Weiss. “She’s a person that comes from the heart like Joe Biden. She cares about people. She’s got a lot of courage.”

“In America, we’re a tapestry of people,” added Weiss, who was one of the White women supporters on a two-hour Zoom call for Harris last week. “We’ve got to celebrate that not denigrate it.”

She believes Shapiro is “a man of integrity and honesty.”

Her daughter, Amy Martin, of Abington, said she supports the Democratic candidates because she has a transgender child and a 12-year-old daughter.

“I want her to be able to choose what to do with her body,” she said.

Oreland resident Paul Halpern said he “loves” Shapiro’s policies as a governor.

“He’s highly capable,” said Halpern. “He’s got a lot of government experience. He started at the bottom and worked his way up.”

As for Harris, “I think she’s battle-tested.”

“She’ll rip [Trump’s] liver out and serve it with a nice chianti during the debate,” Halpern said, quoting “Silence of the Lambs.” “I think she can win,” he added.

Former state Sen. Daylin Leach, who lives in Upper Merion, said he likes and admires Harris.

“She’s peaking at just the right time,” said Leach.  He also praised Shapiro as someone who is in politics to help people.

“He cares a lot about people,” said Leach. “He cares about his community.” And Shapiro listens to others’ perspectives. “He’s a rare person in politics.”

Darby Township Commissioner Racquel Holman said the rally was “great.”

“It was energizing,” said Holman. As for Shapiro, “I think he’d make a great running mate for Vice President Harris.”

Kush Desai, a Republican National Committee spokesman, dismissed the criticisms.

Harris, Shapiro, and Whitmer were beating “the dead horse that is Project 2025,” Desai said.

He cited Harris’ record of open borders, inflation, an anti-energy crusade, “capitulating to the far-left on Israel,” and “embracing defund the police radicals.”

Shapiro had his own message.

“I want a future where I can look the 47th president in the eye, and say, ‘Hello, Madame President.’”

(For an alternative point of view, see: Counterpoint: Bad Policies, Not Gender Will Cost Harris the Presidency.)

Gender shouldn’t matter when choosing a president — but after nearly 250 years of American democracy and zero women presidents, it clearly has. Now, if we want to save democracy, something has to change.

The question isn’t whether voters are ready for a woman leader. Vice President Harris has already passed that milestone.

She has more than proved her integrity, leadership and effectiveness. Every time this sexist trope is used against Kamala Harris, voters see it for what it is — a cheap shot intended to keep her from shattering that last glass ceiling over the White House.

A better question is whether voters are ready to support that proven leader, stand behind her when she’s viciously attacked, and be her allies on the campaign trail, and, once elected, in governing.

Women know they are “ready to lead, and leading” every day — there isn’t a challenge they can’t meet or an obstacle too daunting to tackle. And they know that to win in November, Harris will have to overcome centuries of sexism and decades of extremist politics that led to Donald Trump’s rise and return.

To succeed as the first woman president, Harris must depend on a broad coalition of support, one built on shared values and fundamental rights, not partisan bickering.

As the first woman president — and the first Black and Asian-American woman — Harris has firsthand experience unlike any other occupant of the White House — and it’s about time!

But as a candidate, Harris will face what may be the last stand of systemic sexism in our presidential politics.

Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official, used a racist phrase from the 1950s when he said this about Harris: “She’s a DEI hire, right? She’s a woman. She’s colored. Therefore, she’s got to be good.”

Less than a year ago, Pew Research surveyed voter attitudes toward women and political leadership, especially on the importance of electing a woman president and the likelihood voters saw of that happening.

Only one in four said they thought it was extremely or very likely that the U.S. would elect a woman president in their lifetime. When asked why there are fewer women than men in office, more than half (54 percent) said women need to do more to prove themselves, and 46 percent said many Americans aren’t ready to elect a woman to high office.

That’s the result of that history of sexism baked into our politics — a history we can and must change to defend our democracy.

Gender will matter in this election, just as it has in so many others — but maybe in a different way.

In 2016, 53 percent of White women voted for Trump, while 94 percent of African-American women and 69 percent of Latinas voted for Hillary Clinton.  A repeat of that result could mean defeat for Harris.

Of course, the historic nature of Harris’s candidacy will make gender a central issue in this campaign. Her opponents will try to put her on the defensive and make her explain why her gender isn’t an obstacle. Voters will see through that one, too.

The issue of women in politics shouldn’t be an issue — it should just be a fact.  And it certainly shouldn’t be a weapon to diminish and weaken our democracy.

We can’t accept a campaign system where men have a head start and the finish line is placed out of reach for many women.

More and more, today’s voters — especially younger voters — are motivated not by partisanship or personal attacks but by their values, such as the right to vote, reproductive rights, gender equality, pay fairness, and safety in school and the workplace.

Those are the cornerstones of our democracy; women can be just as vigorous defenders of democracy as anyone. If we say that democracy is the “government of the people, by the people and for the people,” then that must include all the people. All of us. Not just, as the Founders believed, other White men like themselves.

These are different times, and we are a different nation, one that we’re still creating and improving. Harris’s presidential candidacy will show how blasting gender bias in politics, along with that last glass ceiling, is a long overdue fix.

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New research shows wastewater from fracking operations in the Marcellus Shale could hold a goldmine of a mineral critical to America’s green energy future.

A PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) found Marcellus Shale wastewater contained amounts of lithium similar to that found in brine ponds in Chile, which is one of the top producers of the mineral in the world.

Without lithium, electric cars don’t have batteries, nor do the myriad devices that are integral to U.S. society and its economy. U.S. consumption of lithium has skyrocketed over the last decade as the push to shift away from coal and natural gas and into electrification of the nation’s grid has taken hold.

The NETL study estimated there’s enough lithium that could be extracted from the Marcellus Shale wastewater to provide nearly 40 percent of the domestic demand for the mineral.

In 2010, the U.S. consumed 1,100 metric tons of lithium, according to Statista. By 2022, that was up to more than 3,000 metric tons being used to power rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles.

“NETL is searching for unconventional sources (non-typical sources such as a traditional mine) for lithium and other critical minerals,” lead researcher Justin Mackey told DVJournal. “This study highlights the potential from one type of lithium source, in one area of the U.S. So, this study shows that given the right extraction method, Marcellus wastewater can make significant contributions to the growing US lithium demand, and we anticipate an even broader impact when we incorporate other unconventional sources.”

In the 1990s, the U.S. was the largest producer of lithium. Today, that has shifted to Australia, Chile, and China, according to the World Economic Forum. Those three countries now account for more than 90 percent of all lithium. In 2010, one of the world’s richest lithium brine deposits was discovered in Salar de Atacama, Chile.

While the U.S. maintains strong relationships with Australia and Chile, the relationship with China is much more delicate. China also holds a near monopoly on processing rare earth minerals, an area also critical for cell phones, computer hard drives, electric vehicles and modern TVs.

The U.S. also relies on Russia for lithium, a nation that’s both an unreliable source and a national security threat.

Americans hoping U.S. mining will meet the demand may be disappointed without a change in policy, says National Mining Association president Rich Nolan. According to the NMA,  it takes an average of 29 years in America to bring a new mine online.

“To say that the U.S. is underperforming when it comes to domestic mineral production is putting it kindly,” Nolan said. “We have the proven reserves to be a global leader in producing the full range of minerals needed for our manufacturing and energy future, but our permitting and legal systems have imposed an unacceptable three decades – on average – of impediments to that potential.

“Given the urgent global mineral demand, and China’s determination to only tighten its stranglehold on mineral supply chains, we must do better.”

Lithium from fracking offers an opportunity for the U.S. to “do better,” advocates say, but there may be a new obstacle on the political horizon:

Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris, who is almost certain to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, is a vocal opponent of fracking.

“There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said during a 2019 CNN town hall. She was also an initial sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation that would end fracking entirely.

Dave Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, highlighted the importance of a stable, steady stream of lithium.

“In addition to assuring a domestic supply of a much-needed mineral resource, NETL’s research further demonstrates the importance of investing in hydrocarbon resource development and utilization for economic and environmental progress,” he said. “Electric power, motor fuels, plastics and petrochemicals, hydrogen and now lithium are a few of the many benefits of domestic natural gas development and its ever-expanding role in providing for a more sustainable and secure energy future for our country.”

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Republicans say that, with or without lithium mining, a fracking ban would be a fiasco.

“A fracking ban would be disastrous for workers and families, and extreme Democrats’ mission to force Biden to step aside and replace him with San Francisco radical Kamala Harris shows exactly how out of touch they are with their voters,” Republican state Rep. Rob Mercuri, who is challenging first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio in western Pennsylvania, told Fox News.

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick linked Harris’s anti-fracking stance to his Democratic opponent, Sen. Bob Casey, who has endorsed her.

“Their radical anti-fossil fuel agenda would be disastrous for commonwealth families, hurt the environment, and endanger our national security,” McCormick told DVJournal.

But there are still technological hurdles ahead, Mackey said.

“It’s safe to say this is still in the early stage of this type of lithium ‘mining’ and the technologies are continuously being improved and developed to meet the specific need,” Mackey said. “These methods are fairly complicated and need to be tailored to the specific chemistry of the water to be treated. As such, their effectiveness needs to be rigorously tested to make valid claims.”

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Not since LBJ in 1968, who faced public anger over his handling of the Vietnam War, has a sitting president decided not to seek a second term.

But Sunday, with pressure growing from dozens of congressional Democrats in the wake of his disastrous June debate against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden announced he’s dropping out of the race.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” the 81-year-old Biden wrote in a letter posted on X.

Congresswomen Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) praised Biden’s decision to withdraw. He “prioritized everyday Americans, guided the United States into pandemic recovery and enacted some of the most consequential legislation in a generation,” Dean wrote.

“The country, and in fact, the world, is a better place because of him,” Houlahan said.

After announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Harris, 59, thanked Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and “decades of service to our country.”

“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said in a statement.

Harris promptly announced she would be seeking her party’s nomination, and she’s already been endorsed by one of the most frequently-mentioned potential Biden replacements: Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro posted on X.

Shapiro is widely reported to be on the short list as a potential Harris running mate.

Chester County Democratic Committee chair Charlotte Valyo is also on board.

“Now we will unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the candidate President Biden has endorsed and elect the first woman president. This is our focus and the goal for which we will work for the next 106 days and nights,” Valyo said.

Biden’s decision caught many Pennsylvania Democrats by surprise. Just hours before he withdrew from the race, Pennsylvania state Democratic Party chair Sharif Street signed a letter declaring his support for Biden’s reelection. And Sen. John Fetterman continued to promote another four years of a Biden presidency.

However, some Delaware Valley political observers claimed they saw Biden’s departure as inevitable.

“It was absolutely the right thing to do. I wish he had done it three weeks ago,” said Neil Oxman, Democratic strategist with The Campaign Group.

“The Biden announcement comes as no surprise. His own party abandoned him. Now they are saddled with the prospect of putting ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris at the top of their ticket,” was the take from GOP strategist Charlie Gerow.

Jeff Jubelirer, vice president with the Bellevue Communications Group, said that while Biden’s decision was “no surprise,” he hasn’t left his party much time to mount a national campaign for a new nominee.

Biden “finally saw the writing on the wall about no path to victory, especially without full support of Democratic legislators, donors and most importantly, voters in swing states.”

Can Kamala Harris carry Pennsylvania?

As of Sunday afternoon, one Delaware Valley congressional Democrat, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlan, had already endorsed her.

Veteran Democrat public relations pro Larry Ceisler says not only can she win, “I doubt Trump will even debate her.’

“Of course, she can win Pennsylvania,” Ceisler said. Democrats have won the state a majority of the time [in the recent presidential elections]. You’ve got to believe that a state that’s elected Democrats is in a very good position.”

In 2016, Trump became the first Republican to win Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Trump lost to Biden in 2020.

While local Democrats are hopeful about Harris’ candidacy, Republicans note that Trump has consistently led in the Keystone State for months and they don’t see that changing.

While Republicans are “totally united behind our candidates,” said Bucks County GOP Chair Pat Poprik, “the Democrats are in such disarray that they are going to be battling among themselves as they decide who their presidential candidate should be.

“Even though President Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, I don’t know that their party will accept her, knowing all the mistakes that she has made, how she’s been so unsuccessful as the ‘Border Czar’ and how she’s terrible at public speaking.”

“On the other hand, the Republican party, after its hugely successful convention, is totally united behind our strong candidates, President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance. I am looking forward to the great victories we will have in November with this great slate, including Dave McCormick for Senate and, in Bucks County, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick,” she said.

Local Republican operative Guy Ciarrocchi agrees.

“Kamala Harris owns the Biden record—plus, she failed at her only assigned duty: securing our border. The politics of 2024 haven’t changed one bit.”

Fetterman responded to the news of Biden’s announcement with an expression of frustration–and irony.

“People pushed out an honorable man, loving father, and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was convicted on corruption charges last week.

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With Democratic politicians and now actor George Clooney, a major fundraiser, calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name has been mentioned as a viable presidential or vice presidential candidate.

And if the octogenarian president were to bow out, Vice President Kamala Harris would be next in line. Harris is slated to speak at an Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday.

And if Harris moves to the top of the ticket, various wags have said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 51, as her vice-presidential running mate would enhance the Democrats’ chances of winning Pennsylvania, which is now trending toward Trump.

The latest Emerson poll has Trump at 46 percent and Biden at 43 percent nationwide and shows Trump at 47 percent to 45 percent for Biden in Pennsylvania. The 538, which averages polls, has Trump at 44.3 percent and Biden at 41 percent in the Keystone State as of July 11.

Biden released a letter on Tuesday saying he will stay in the race for reelection.

“This type of baseless speculation is just a distraction – and it is unhelpful to accomplishing what we need to do this November: defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box,” said Shapiro’s spokesman Manuel Bonder.

Shapiro, who grew up in Abington, has risen steadily through Pennsylvania political offices. He started as an assistant to former Montgomery County Congressman Joe Hoeffel (D-Montgomery), then successfully ran for state representative. After that, he served as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, then served two terms as attorney general. Shapiro was elected governor in 2022.

Republican Bruce L. Castor Jr. served as a Montgomery County commissioner with Shapiro and praises him, although they had and have policy differences.

“Josh was a tremendous county commissioner,” said Castor. “A master at the organization, excellent at arriving at a consensus and one of the best administrators I have ever seen.”

“In fact, I used to tell people, I thought he was a better commissioner than me,” said Castor. One of Shapiro’s trademarks is being “well-prepared.”

Which is why Castor believes it’s unlikely that Shapiro would suddenly agree to run for president or vice president.

“It’s unlike the man I know to do anything without carefully planning,” said Castor. “And putting an organization together and having his ducks in a row.”

Shapiro planned his run for attorney general a year in advance “so this would be inconsistent with the man I know,” said Castor.

“I think the Democrats are playing with fire trying to swap out Biden this late in the game,” said political consultant Albert Eisenberg, principal with BlueStateRed. “The downside of Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket could be lower than sticking with the guy they’ve got, however enfeebled he obviously is. A hypothetical Harris-Shapiro ticket could be a strong one in Pennsylvania, theoretically, but with so many factors in play this late in the game, and voters gobsmacked by Biden’s performance and the Democrats’ covering for him, I don’t think there’s an easy path to winning or even a guaranteed way to stop the bleeding at this point.”

Guy Ciarrocchi, a political commentator who writes for Broad +Liberty, said, “It says a lot about today’s Democrat Party. The president is old and confused—and, now abandoned. They fear the vice president isn’t able to actually be president. So, they’re left considering the most unsuccessful governor in California’s history and Pennsylvania’s freshman governor who’s yet to actually achieve any policy goal.”

While Castor believes Shapiro is unlikely to jump into the race, he added, “There is the caveat to that. When the president asks you, it is very hard to say no. And having had that happen to me, I can attest to that, directly. So that would be the only thing that I think might tip the scale, if President Biden asked him to do it, otherwise I don’t see the carefully prepared, thoughtful man that I know, doing something so spontaneous.”

“He’s a thinker and a planner and he doesn’t go off half-cocked,” said Castor, who added he’s seen very few people like Shapiro in his 40 years in public life.

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President Joe Biden fired a salvo this week, releasing a new 2024 campaign ad.

Called “For You,” it’s part of a $30 million campaign targeting voters in battleground states, including Pennsylvania. The spot begins with Biden talking directly to viewers and touting his accomplishments as president. In the ad, Biden seems like a friendly father or grandfather.  He talks about what he’s done and claims former President Donald Trump lacked achievements during his term.

In the commercial, the 81-year-old Democrat highlights his age and experience as helping him get things done in Washington.

“Y’all want to talk about age? Let’s talk about age,” said Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden-Harris campaign. “At 77, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. At 78, he led us through the COVID crisis, put us on a path to creating nearly 15 million new jobs since the day he took office, and passed the bipartisan infrastructure law to repair our roads and bridges and expand access to broadband internet to every community.

“At 79, he got us the most significant gun safety legislation in a generation and became the first president to beat Big Pharma and cap the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors. At the same time, he made the single largest investment in history to combat climate change – all before his 80th birthday. Meanwhile, the only helpful thing Donald Trump did for the American people in four years was lose the 2020 election to Joe Biden – and it’s the one thing he won’t take credit for,” said Tyler.

“Now, Joe Biden is 81, and he’s going to beat Donald Trump again because he wakes up every single day fighting for the American people while Trump wages a campaign of revenge and retribution focused on himself. Trump may be four years younger than Joe Biden, but his ideas are old as hell, and they’ve already been rejected by the American people. Joe Biden is running to make sure we reject them for good.”

An Axis/Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance poll from Feb. 25 to 27 had Biden ahead with Pennsylvania voters by 1 point. The poll had Biden at 40 percent, Donald Trump at 39 percent, Robert Kennedy Jr. at 8 percent, Jill Stein at 2 percent, and Cornell West at 1 percent.

However, a Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll taken Feb. 12 to 18 showed Biden at 36 percent, Trump at 45 percent, Kennedy at 8 percent, West at 1 percent, and Stein at 1 percent.

“Biden could put millions more behind this ad, and he’d still be missing the mark,” said GOP consultant Charlie Gerow. “He doesn’t even address the mess he’s created at the southern border, which is on every voter’s mind. Nobody is buying that we have the strongest economy in the world while they struggle to pay for their groceries. He can’t get around the age issue because it’s about much more than age. The American people can see that he’s failing. Telling them they’re wrong won’t work.”

“The close is cute, but cute doesn’t cut it,” Gerow added.

The six-week ad run will air on national and local broadcast and cable television in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina. The ad campaign will target audiences in the key markets of Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Phoenix, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Raleigh, focusing on voters of color and young voters.

The ad will be shown on popular entertainment and sports programming on stations like ESPN, TNT, FX, Adult Swim, and Comedy Central during high-viewership moments like the NCAA March Madness Tournament. It will also run digitally across platforms – heavily emphasizing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

“Joe Biden is burning cash gaslighting Pennsylvania voters, but they aren’t buying his lies,” said Rachel Lee, Republican National Committee spokeswoman. “Keystone State families and workers know that his failed agenda has driven up prices, threatened their safety, waged a war on American energy, and exacerbated the opioid crisis in the commonwealth. With Biden underwater in Pennsylvania, voters are enthusiastic to support President Donald J. Trump and restore American prosperity once again!”

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