AZL General Discussion, page-9968

The lithium needed for a Tesla battery now costs about US $750 if bought on the spot market, which it isn’t (Tesla is paying much less under long-term contracts). This may be $600 more than a couple years ago. Meanwhile, an average American driving an ICE vehicle may buy 500 US gallons of fuel each year, and its cost has gone up more than $1,000. Do you really think Americans, and their political leaders, are worried about the price of lithium?

The question about the November election now is whether the dominant factor will be the price of ICE fuel, or the risk of further erosion of rights by the Supreme Court. I make no predictions. I’ll wait four months.

Australian concern about its biggest trading partner is understandable. American voters don’t give a rat’s rear end about China. Most can’t place Taiwan on a map. American politics these days begins and ends with the breakdown of the Republican party, between the pro-Trump faction and the traditional conservatives who want to stop the bleeding. Trump probably can’t locate Taiwan either, but he’s been to North Korea and his supporters know that he’s a friend of the people there who are also China’s friends.

Foreign policy is never an election issue in the US, nor is foreign trade except among the most dedicated members of trade unions, now only 10% of workers.