Bugged by ‘Operation Fly Formula’; Biden operation becomes punchline

NEWS AND OPINION:

Some are pondering the White House decision to name the vital and important mission to restock the nation’s supply of infant formula “Operation Fly Formula.”

The name quickly earned its own hashtag — social media became a perfect showcase for those many wags who circulated images of Jeff Goldblum, who played the titular lead role in the Hollywood 1986 sci-fi film “The Fly.”

Complaints, puns and comparisons prevailed.

“Good they are doing something to address this issue and all. But ‘Operation Fly Formula’ was the best name they could come up with?” asked one annoyed observer.

“Is anybody else creeped out by the name?” demanded another.

Others claimed the name sounded like a new fishing lure.

“It’s painfully obvious that the dude who makes up operation names is on vacation,” concluded one critic.

“We’re at the ‘fly infant formula in from other countries before babies starve’ stage of Build Back Better,” another noted.

“Operation Fly Formula? OMG that’s awesome! I wanna name one called ‘operation huh?!’” tweeted one more.

BIDEN IN HIDING

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has an astonishing little tale about trying to get in touch with President Biden in recent days as the nation’s serious problems continue to escalate. The president has not been available to Republicans.

“He hasn’t been working with us. I’ve only seen the president a couple times. He’s never called to ask. I’ve reached out numerous times,” Mr. McCarthy told Fox News on Thursday.

“Do you know when he decided to pull out of Afghanistan, I called the basic public switchboard to ask to talk to the president. The White House didn’t call to wonder whether it was really me calling. That was the one time the president actually took my call,” he said.

“I would love to work with him — look, he is sitting as president of the United States. We want the best for this country, we want to work together. I requested to meet with him, because he’s never been to the border,” the California lawmaker continued.

Mr. McCarthy cited a cross section of problems that he says the White House appears to be ignoring — including the baby formula shortage, the upcoming expiration of Title 42 and the impact on border security, the fentanyl crisis, inflation, crime and energy.

“Everything this president has touched, he has failed at. But he has made America weaker in that process,” Mr. McCarthy said.

But the GOP leader is prepared should Mr. Biden evade Republicans seeking to collaborate with Democrats for the sake of the nation.
“If he’s going to stop working with us, it’s no different than he’s done the entire time he’s been president,” Mr. McCarthy advised.

THE DREADED R-WORD

Well, one seasoned observer has addressed an unwanted byproduct of President Biden’s energy policy.

“Biden’s road to record-high gas prices may soon lead to rationing,” writes Steven F. Hayward in an op-ed for the New York Post.

He is a contributor to the Powerline blog, a commentator and a policy scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Mr. Hayward recalls the days of the 39th president.

“Democrats on Capitol Hill are dusting off Jimmy Carter’s playbook and calling for an ‘excess-profits tax’ on energy companies as well as price controls on gasoline and diesel. Plans for rationing will come as night follows day. These are the same people who just a few years ago said we couldn’t ‘drill our way out’ of our domestic oil supply shortage only to see the nation do exactly that under President Donald Trump. President Biden, who was in office during the 1970s energy crisis, obviously learned nothing from the experience of the last 40 years,” the author concludes.

‘OUT OF TOUCH’ WHITE HOUSE

Vice President Kamala Harris met with Planned Parenthood and similar groups this week as the Supreme Court explores the idea of overturning Roe v. Wade.

Some say that the meeting is evidence that the White House is out of touch with Americans on the abortion issue — and also seeks to “cater to the pro-abortion lobby.”

“Long gone is the Democratic Party’s ‘safe, legal, and rare’ position on abortion,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a national network of 900,000 pro-life Americans.

She points out that “pro-abortion” groups plan to spend $150 million on the midterm elections, supporting those candidates who align with their beliefs on this year’s midterms.

“The good news is that the Democrats’ pro-abortion agenda is radically out of step with the American people, especially in key 2022 battleground states,” Mrs. Dannenfelser said, noting that members from her organization’s Women Speak Out PAC have already visited over 1.5 million voters at their doorsteps — seeking to “expose this abortion extremism.”

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POLL DU JOUR

• 56% of U.S. adults disapprove of the job President Biden is doing; 90% of Republicans, 61% of independents and 16% of Democrats agree.

• 63% of men, 48% of women, 60% of whites and 48% of nonwhites also agree.

• 39% overall approve of the job Mr. Biden is doing as president; 9% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 78% of Democrats agree.

• 33% of men, 44% of women, 37% of whites and 43% of nonwhites also agree.

• 6% overall are unsure how they feel; 1% of Republicans, 5% of independents and 6% of Democrats agree.

• 4% of men, 7% of women, 3% of whites and 9% of nonwhites also agree.

SOURCE: An NPR/PBS News House/Marist poll of 1,304 U.S. adults conducted May 9-13.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com