The first state dinner of the Biden administration is being held tonight. The guests of honor are the French president and his wife. Two years into his administration, the Biden White House is making the same choice the Trump White House made with France being given the honor. It makes sense. France is our oldest ally and the Biden administration got off to a very rocky start when they came into office. Biden has some kissing up to do.

Biden fancies himself a foreign policy expert (ahem!) and assured voters that a Biden administration would be a professional and experienced one. America’s back, baby! So, with the very first big multi-national deal, he stabbed France in the back, or at least that is what Macron said at the time. The “Aukus pact”, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, was agreed upon in September 2021. France was left out of the deal, much to that country’s surprise, and Macron was so angered that he recalled the French ambassador to the U.S. Nice work, Joe. Hurt feelings were smoothed over eventually. But, it was a clumsy start to the relationship.

Democrat Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District noticed what is on the menu for Biden’s first state dinner. The White House ordered 200 live Maine lobsters for the dinner. Nice. However, there’s a lobster war going on and Golden is weighing in. Rep. Golden, a moderate Democrat, warns that new fishing regulations may put lobstermen out of business. And, he called the state dinner just “a fancy dinner.” Sacré bleu!

The red-white-and-blue theme looks to be showcasing the best in American fare, with wine sourced from California’s Napa Valley and cheeses from Wisconsin and Oregon.

Among the glamorous dinner’s marquee items is butter-poached Maine lobster – a delicacy both in the US and France, but one that is set to become much more difficult for regular Americans to acquire.

‘If the Biden White House can prioritize purchasing 200 Maine lobsters for a fancy dinner,’ Golden said on Wednesday night, he ‘should also take the time to meet with the Maine lobstermen his administration is currently regulating out of business.’

If the Biden White House can prioritize purchasing 200 Maine lobsters for a fancy dinner, @POTUS should also take the time to meet with the Maine lobstermen his administration is currently regulating out of business. https://t.co/PLiGGopsid

— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) December 1, 2022

Golden, a champion of Maine’s lobster industry, wrote to Biden in October urging him to speak out against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) regulatory crackdown. In order to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales, there are new fishing rules that include having less fishing lines in the water and weaker ropes to reduce the potential harm to the right whales, who become entrapped in the fishing equipment.

Needless to say, the lobstermen are angry about the new rules. Environmental groups are supporting NOAA in order to protect the right whales. A federal judge delayed the implementation of the rules for two years to allow more time to prepare. Some watchdog groups claim that fishing for lobster and eating lobster is unsustainable.

Golden rightly criticizes Biden’s lack of constructive attention to the lobstermen while feasting on the rewards of their labor, especially given that Biden criticized Trump for also allegedly mishandling the lobstermen’s livelihood.

‘Maine’s congressional delegation has repeatedly raised our concerns about these regulations and have requested to meet with you directly to discuss the plight of our lobster industry. It is unfortunate that to date, you have refused to accept our invitation,’ Golden wrote.

‘I cannot comprehend how you can stand idly by and not oppose in the strongest terms a proposal that has the potential to destroy thousands of livelihoods, hundreds of coastal communities, and the economic backbone of our state and the New England region.’

He said Biden’s silence while his administration implements further sustainability rules is a ‘slap in the face.’

‘You cannot espouse being a president for working people while simultaneously overseeing the destruction of an entire blue-collar fishery and its community’s heritage and way of life,’ Golden said.

I think Biden’s claim as a president for working people was already laid to rest this week. He chose to side with a Congressional action to end a standoff between the rail workers unions and management.