Five for Fighting & Pronouns Over Policies

Here's the latest dispatch.

Aug 16, 2024

Good afternoon,

For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.

If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Quick Thoughts

Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.

I’m digging Post Malone’s debut double country album F-1 Trillion.

VP Kamala Harris is pushing a communistic policy on price controls. Scary.

The Capital Beltway turned 60 years this week.

Another aurora descended over Virginia and Trakai Castle in Lithuania this week.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for the next dispatch next week!

Five for Fighting at Lincoln Theater

Gabriella Hoffman (L), John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting (M), Singer-Songwriter Madison Hughes (R)

I broke my five-year concert dry-spell attending the Five for Fighting concert this week. It took place in the very intimate Lincoln Theater in Washington, D.C.’s U Street neighborhood

I’ve been social media connected to John Ondrasik, whose stage name is Five for Fighting, for years. And it was lovely to be invited to his show and finally meet him. I also brought my good friend and musician Madison Hughes along for the event.

As I noted on social media, I’ve been a longtime fan fo his music. Like most Millennials - and slightly older Americans - I grew up listening to John’s music and heard it everywhere I went.

I first became aware of his music with “Superman (It's Not Easy)" (2001) and "100 Years" (2003). You couldn’t escape it playing on the radio and TV commercials/shows in the 2000s. And for good reason. For those of you born after 2001, John was nominated for a Grammy in 2002 for “Superman.” I’m also privy to “Chances” (2009).

Recently, his music has taken a more decidedly political tone with songs like “Blood on My Hands” (2021),“Can One Man Save the World “(2022), and “OK” (2023). They correspond with the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal (three years ago this week), Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, respectively.

I’ll be chatting with John soon in a full-length interview. Check back in the next few weeks for that!

Harris-Walz: Pronouns Over Policy

Ahead of VP Harris’ big policy reveal this afternoon, the American public got pronouns over concrete Harris-Walz policies.

The Harris for President campaign website has job listings that refer applicants to a page managed by a third-party. And oh boy, the form’s contents - let’s say - provided a lot of fodder.

Personally speaking, I’m not a fan of the pronoun game. But I have no clue what the last two rows correspond with. I’m not alone.

My tweet was so compelling, even Tesla founder Elon Musk responded to my tweet. Whoa!

But in all seriousness, I know where Kamala Harris stands on policy. I’m not buying any supposed “evolution” being touted by her campaign flak.

She’s further to the Left, mind you, than avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. Good grief!

(S/O to my Townhall colleague Rebecca Goldberg for including the aforementioned tweet in her latest write-up.)

If you want to learn about her record on energy and climate issues, I have a handy explainer at Washington Examiner. I note:

Prior to becoming vice president, then-Sen. Harris was an original backer of the Green New Deal. Harris claimed climate change is “an existential threat” to the United States worth sacrificing first-world living standards and tacking on a litany of progressive wish-list items such as free housing, universal healthcare, and free higher education.
And if you think Harris might have moderated her views, the Biden-Harris administration has been committed to a net-zero economy by 2050, an economically and environmentally unsustainable path.

I’m not buying the vibes and joy from Harris-Walz. Neither should you.