LARRY KUDLOW: Kamala Harris will likely continue the war on fossil fuels if elected

No matter what her campaign claims, Kamala Harris can't ban her fracking ban and that's the subject of the riff. 

Over the weekend, a spokesperson for Kamala Harris attacked Donald Trump over his criticism that Ms. Harris supports a ban on fracking. The spokesperson claims Ms. Harris no longer supports a ban on fracking. Or that she never supported one, but wait a minute, when she ran for president in 2019, here's what she said: 

KAMALA HARRIS: "There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking//"And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands, right?" 

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That sounds a lot like no fracking, and perhaps even no leasing on public lands. So, now she's changed her position, but hang on a moment, Madam Vice President, you haven't actually publicly said you've changed your position. Spokespersons don't count. You have got to say it. 

Now, whether this is literally true about a fracking ban or just supporting the Biden-Harris administration, which killed the Keystone XL Pipeline and in fact stopped fracking in ANWR or Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, or greatly scaled-back offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico -- those policies might as well be a ban on fracking. Same difference. 

I don't mean to be personal, Madam Vice President. This is a policy issue, but whatever you may say, your war against fossil fuels policy is likely to be continued should you become president. 

Your foreign policy has essentially dropped the oil sanctions on Iran, but you have imposed strict oil sanctions on Alaska and elsewhere. The U.S. is producing about 13 million barrels of oil per day right now, roughly where we were at the end of 2019 pre-pandemic. 

Were it not for your war against fossils and your multi-trillion-dollar various Green New Deal spending, U.S. oil production today would be 15 to 16 million barrels per day. At that rate, world oil would be closer to $40 a barrel than around $85. If that were the case, Iran wouldn't be financing the Hamas-Hezbollah war against Israel, nor would Russia have invaded Ukraine. 

If that were the case, gasoline prices would be closer to $2 a gallon instead of $3.50. If that were the case, then the cumulative rise of inflation during your term would've been closer to 10% instead of 20%. If that were the case, then real wages of a typical working family would be over 5% higher during your term instead of 4% lower. If that were the case, then there would be no affordability crisis. 

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So, you see Madam, even though you may not now be in favor of a ban on fracking whereas such a ban dots every I, crosses every T, stops every rig, cancels every lease, postpones every investment, halts every single gas-powered car, I'd say you've come pretty close to that aforementioned fracking ban. 

In view of the unpopularity of your inflation, economic, and foreign war policies over the past nearly four years, don't you wish you had banned that fracking ban? 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the July 29, 2024, edition of "Kudlow."