What both of you are trying to do is turn this into a moralistic argument because the fundamental material aspects of this gambit are becoming increasingly clear, even to normies.
Example:
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Europe-Faces-An-Exodus-Of-Energy-Intensive-Industries.htmlQuote
Soaring energy costs in Europe are shutting down businesses and threatening a bloc-wide recession. Yet not everyone accepts this fate. Some companies are moving to cheaper locations: the U.S. Steel giant ArcelorMittal said earlier this month that it would slash by half production at a steel mill in Germany and a unit at another plant, also in Germany. The company said it had based the decision on high gas prices.
Separately, ArcelorMittal more recently warned it expected its steel output for the fourth quarter of the year to be 1.5 million tons lower than it was in the final quarter of 2023, again citing excessive prices along with slumping demand.
At the same time, ArcelorMittal earlier this year announced it had plans to expand a Texas operation, describing the state as a “region that offers highly competitive energy and, ultimately, competitive hydrogen.” It is just one of the Europe-based companies that are beginning to see the benefits of growing in the United States, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal’s David Uberti.
Quote
Plans are to collect some 140 billion euros—almost equal to the same sum in dollars—to distribute among households and struggling businesses. Critics, however, note that this will not be enough to save companies from going under. European Aluminium, the industry association, even said energy costs could result in the breakdown of the aluminum industry in Europe.
Or this:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/economy/arid-40968869.htmlQuote
Europe’s industrial giants have fretted for months that gas shortages this winter will cripple production. But even with fuel available, companies are discovering they can’t afford it.
“It’s not about shutdowns. It’s pricing, it’s cost,” said Christian Levin, chief executive officer of Traton, the truckmaking unit of Volkswagen.
Europe is paying seven times as much for gas as the US, underscoring a dramatic erosion of the continent’s industrial competitiveness that threatens to cause lasting damage to its economy.
Quote
Plastics maker Covestro won’t make growth investments in Europe if the crisis persists and instead look to Asia, where Chief Executive Officer Markus Steilemann said the company can secure energy at prices 20 times cheaper than in the German and European spot market. Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, warned last week that it could reallocate production out of Germany and eastern Europe if energy prices don’t come down.
Quote
“Our companies can no longer cope with any further burdens,” said Wolfgang Grosse Entrup, President of the chemical association VCI, an organization that represents the likes of BASF and Evonik Industries AG, key suppliers to Germany’s carmaking sector. “The situation is becoming more and more drastic.”
Or this (machine translation):
https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/it-internet/wirtschaftspolitik-immer-mehr-deutsche-firmen-bauen-ihre-standorte-in-den-usa-aus/28697464.htmlQuote
In the course of the Ukraine war and the energy crisis in Germany , the USA intensified their courtship for German companies. In addition to cheap energy, numerous US states also offer tax breaks and other aids. This is especially true for the southern states.
Given that we're witnessing the exodus of major European industries from the EU, given that we're seeing the US nearly-openly engage in the physical destruction of joint German-RF infrastructure projects that could mitigate this, of course apologists for this behaviour must shift away from the material and towards talking about fake things no one cares about like 'democracy'.