Month: September 2019

Imagine A Female President And Vice President? It Is Possible!

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The thought that in the centennial year of the 19th Amendment (woman suffrage), we might elect a woman President and a woman Vice President, seems impossible, but indeed, it could happen.

Such a combination would be either Elizabeth Warren for President and Amy Klobuchar for Vice President, or Kamala Harris running for President with Klobuchar as her running mate.

All three women are much more qualified than many men who have in the past run for the nomination for President, and it would be inspirational to have two women, with real convictions and common decency and empathy, operating the executive branch of government.

It would also make up for the loss of Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, and imagine Warren or Harris in debate with Donald Trump, and Klobuchar in debate with Mike Pence. Do not forget that both Harris and Klobuchar were prosecutors in California and Minnesota, and that Warren is no wallflower and would come out in full combat against Donald Trump, as much as either of the other two women candidates.

And realize that all three of the women candidates, were they to lose, would still keep their seats in the United States Senate.

It would be very refreshing to have a different perspective, and two honest, decent, qualified women cleaning up the mess created by men over recent years!

A Massive Loss With The Passing Of Brilliant Journalist Cokie Roberts

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It was a total shock when the news came two days ago that NPR and ABC journalist Cokie Roberts had died of breast cancer at the age of 75.

This author and blogger loved Cokie Roberts, her reporting, her personality, her humanity, her decency, and to imagine her dying at an age when many others still thrive, was hard to take emotionally.

Roberts was one of the earliest female journalists, and a major contributor to the success of National Public Radio. She was on the Sunday morning news show on ABC for decades, and made the news much more palatable.

She was a creature of Washington, DC and the political establishment, as her father and mother, Hale Boggs and Lindy Boggs, were important figures in the House of Representatives.

She also published six books about women in American history, and was someone you knew you could rely on for accuracy and honesty in commentary.

She also warned us of the danger of Donald Trump, and she was so right on that, with Trump unable to say anything nice about her after her death, because everything is always all about himself, the malignant narcissist.

At the same time, Barack Obama and George W. Bush had commendable statements about Cokie Roberts, as both are men of dignity and class, whether or not one agrees with either President’s personality or policies.

Rest in Peace, Cokie Roberts, as you have made a major contribution to American journalism, and the equality and advancement of women, and the progressive cause!

New York Times: 168th Anniversary Worthy Of Celebration

Ronald 28 Comments

Today, September 18, is the 168th anniversary of the New York Times, the best newspaper in America, and maybe in the world at large.

Founded in 1851, it became famous as the newspaper with the slogan: “All the News That’s Fit to Print”.

The newspaper has had its ups and downs, and has made mistakes, and been controversial, as they are presently for their revelation about Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh and sexual harassment, based on a lack of clear cut reporting on a new book on the Justice.

But despite that, there is still a recognition in the journalism profession that the New York Times has been in the forefront of so much important news in detail, and revelations that might not have occurred otherwise.

Despite its lack of perfection, the New York Times is still more to be trusted and revered than any politician, who does not like the willingness of the New York Times to be attacked for mostly telling the truth.

So Donald Trump attacks the news media, and particularly the New York Times and Washington Post, the two best newspapers who have held his administration to the fire in an appropriate manner to preserve our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

No President, no Senator, no Congressman, no public personality in any endeavor can rest, knowing that the New York Times will do what it must do to preserve freedom and democracy for the long run.

So when one might occasionally be angry or irritated by some article in the New York Times, remember they are not here to be popular, but to be our guardian, and so one should always be glad that the New York Times does well, because to imagine the paper’s demise would be a sign of the downfall of the American Republic,

And every scholar, including this one, is indebted to the New York Times, for having been of great assistance in the publication of books and articles. My two books could not have been published without using the New York Times Index, and being amazed at the unbelievable depth of reporting provided in the pages of the New York Times for so long a time frame.

The New York Times has survived many demagogues in the world, and will survive Donald Trump, for certain!

Constitution Day: A Day To Commemorate, And A Warning Of Our Potential Future

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Today, September 17, is Constitution Day, the day that the Constitution was signed by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

It has survived 230 years since it went into effect in 1789, and has weathered the crises of the Civil War, the Great Depression, the two World Wars, the Cold War, Watergate, and now the Donald Trump threat to the enforcement of the Constitution.

We are in a constitutional crisis, the greatest since Richard Nixon, but in many ways, far more massive, and all efforts must be taken to insure that Donald Trump does not destroy our Constitution, which he is so intimately involved in trying to do as we go about our business every day of supporting our families, and trying to insure a long term future for our children and their children.

The Constitution is not perfect, and needs reform over time, but the idea of calling for a new Constitutional Convention is horrifying, as it would open up the possibility of abolishing the Bill of Rights and transforming the nation into a full scale Fascist dictatorship, with right wing forces wishing to destroy all of the reforms that have made America a more equitable and decent society within the last century from Theodore Roosevelt onward through Barack Obama.

Pete Buttigieg A Fascinating Presidential Candidate In So Many Ways

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South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg would be the youngest President in history if he won the Presidential election in 2020, and he would be succeeding a President twice his age.

Mayor Pete, as he is called by most, is a highly intellectual man, who can speak seven languages, while Donald Trump is poor even in speaking and writing English.

Mayor Pete is a gay man, who hid his sexuality until a few years ago, as he wished to pursue a life with someone, and realized he had to “come out”, and he is now married to Chasten Glezman, who has taken his last name, and is seven and a half years younger at age 30, and has been a middle school drama teacher.

Mayor Pete is an Afghanistan War veteran, a Naval Reserve Officer, and an intelligence officer from 2009-2017, reaching the rank of Lieutenant, and who also graduated from Harvard Magna Cum Laude, and went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom on a Rhodes Scholarship. He was also valedictorian of his high school class in South Bend, Indiana. He also won the JFK Profiles in Courage award and met Caroline Kennedy and other family members at the JFK Presidential Library in 2000, having written his essay on Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who now, ironically, is one of his opponents for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

In his two terms as Mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg won 74 and 80 percent of the vote, and was first mayor at age 29. He also gained notice as a contender to head the Democratic National Committee in 2017.

Buttigieg is also a regular church goer at a local Episcopal Church in South Bend, and more “religious” than most recent Presidents in his public display of attendance, probably the most since Jimmy Carter.

Buttigieg is also interesting in that he is left handed, a common trait among many recent Presidents, including Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, while only James A. Garfield and Herbert Hoover among earlier Presidents, was left handed.

He also would be the first President to be an only child, while four earlier Presidents had half siblings–Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

In so many ways, Mayor Pete is far superior to Donald Trump, and it would be an inspiration if he could win the Presidency in 2020.

The Likely Long Term Result Of The Third Democratic Presidential Debate: Probably Seven Of The Ten Are Still Viable

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Upon further reflection about the Houston Democratic Presidential debate last Thursday, it would seem that three candidates have lost the likelihood of having a real chance to be the nominee of the party in 2020.

Those would be:

Andrew Yang, who offered ten families $1,000 a month for the next year as part of his promotion of $1,000 a month for all adults over the age of 18, which drew some attention when he said it, but is seen as a death knell for his candidacy, even though Republican President Richard Nixon suggested a similar plan of $500 a month nearly fifty years ago.

Julian Castro, who by, seemingly, bringing up ageism as an issue about Joe Biden, made many enemies, and it is likely to derail his campaign, and probably kills any chance of him being the Vice Presidential nominee.

Beto O’Rourke, who by calling for mandatory buyback of AR 15s and AK 47s gave great propaganda to gun enthusiasts and the National Rifle Association, who will use what he said against Democrats to scare gun owners to vote Republican, not an insubstantial number. While one can understand O’Rourke’s sincere emotions after the El Paso and Odessa-Midland shootings in August, it is a guaranteed defeat for any Democrat to follow through as O’Rourke has, not because it is wrong, but because it is not winnable in a national election, despite all of the mass murders that have occurred in recent years.

Additionally, since the ageism issue has been brought up, it could be that the two oldest potential nominees–Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden–who would reach 80 early in the next term, might find that their candidacies might worry and concern voters, especially at a time when Donald Trump is showing signs of mental decline, even though he is four and five years younger than Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, respectively.

So more attention will likely be paid to other candidates—Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris.

With 141 days to the Iowa Caucuses, it is far from certain what will happen in the battle for the Democratic nomination for President.

Did Julian Castro Destroy Himself With His Criticism Of Joe Biden? That Should NOT Be So!

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The biggest story coming out of the Houston Democratic Presidential debate was Julian Castro criticizing Joe Biden for contradicting what he had just said earlier about his health care plan.

It seems that Castro had, somehow, misinterpreted what Biden said, but many thought it was Castro trying to draw attention to the fact that Biden seems to many NOT to be as mentally alert as he has been in the past.

The charge of “Ageism” has been lodged against Castro, but it seems to this blogger to be unfair, as many around the Democratic Party establishment have been saying such thoughts privately.

This blogger has always admired Joe Biden, but is also concerned about his mental acuity and memory, as he and Bernie Sanders would both reach 80 years of age early in the term.

So even if Castro was a bit unfair, the issue of mental acuity of people reaching their 80s in the Presidency IS an issue that needs to be addressed.

We need a totally competent person with no slip ups to challenge Donald Trump in 2020, and it is very worrisome to have the oldest potential Presidential candidates in history who might not be up to the task under the pressures and stress of a campaign, and then of four to eight years of the most difficult job in the world, the American Presidency.

So I say give Julian Castro a pass, and be happy that he has, at least, addressed the age issue, which needs to be resolved before the nomination process is finished, as it could be crucial to the future of the nation!

The Third Democratic Presidential Debate In Houston: First Impressions

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Early impressions are as follows:

Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, and Elizabeth Warren come across as the best.

Expect that Castro, Buttigieg, Booker, and O’Rourke will rise in polls, and Warren will continue to gain on Joe Biden.

Biden is not doing as well as one would expect, and neither is Bernie Sanders.

Kamala Harris has likely not gained by this debate, and the same for Andrew Yang.

Amy Klobuchar might gain, but is not shining as much as this blogger thought she would.

Overall, the ABC debate is much better than the two earlier debates sponsored by MSNBC and CNN.

The candidates are avoiding attacking each other, and clearly, any one of the group would be far better than Donald Trump!

The Insult Of Considering Inviting The Taliban Terrorists To Camp David Around The September 11 Commemoration Anniversary

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Just as the 18th anniversary of the September 11th attacks was about to be reached, Donald Trump decided he would invite the Taliban terrorist group which harbored Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda to peace negotiations at Camp David.

Camp David, where Dwight D. Eisenhower invited Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union.

Camp David, where Jimmy Carter invited Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt.

Inviting the Taliban, who have no intention of making peace, and only want to suppress women and deny music and other modern ideas of civilization, is an insult to all those who died on September 11.

Thankfully, after an American soldier was killed by the Taliban, Trump abruptly changed his plans, but it led to a breach with National Security Adviser John Bolton, leading to his either being fired or resigning.

No one is trying to defend Bolton, who is a serial hawk responsible to a great extent for the Iraq War, and wants to go to war with Iran and North Korea without any thought.

But on this issue of the Taliban, for once, John Bolton was correct, and what the President has done by even considering dealing with the Taliban, is an insult to the nearly 3,000 victims of September 11, and the 2,500 military who have died in Afghanistan since 2001, along with about 20,000 wounded!

The Growing Threat To Mike Pence On The 2020 Trump Ticket

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It has been fascinating to watch Vice President Mike Pence squirm and try to keep a poker face every time he is seen behind President Donald Trump.

It is clear to any perceptive observer that the Trump-Pence team is a “shot gun marriage” of convenience, with the evangelical right wing loving the overly puritanical Mike Pence and his wife Karen, who promote anti gay prejudice, and show no compassion or empathy toward those less fortunate. This fits perfectly with the Christian Right, which is only interested in making money and promoting hypocrisy, as they go after gay rights and women’s rights with a viciousness totally unlike the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Pence has kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself, as far as we can discern, but the news that Pence apparently sided with former National Security Adviser John Bolton, just fired, in his opposition to the crazy idea to invite the terrorist Taliban of Afghanistan, who harbored Al Qaeda before the September 11, 2001 attacks, to Camp David for a peace accord, is astounding.

So there is apparently a breach between the President and the Vice President, rarely public news in the history of the relationship of Presidents with Vice Presidents.

And just this week, rumors that Ivanka Trump, the President’s daughter, and Jared Kushner, his son in law, were lobbying for Pence to be replaced on the 2020 Presidential ticket by a woman, now seems to make more sense that Pence is starting to resist the craziness of his boss.

Of course, Pence denies he disagreed on the Taliban and Camp David, but since Pence is such a good liar, manipulator, and total religious hypocrite, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next year between Trump and Pence, and the odds of some news of a breach getting out to the public, seems quite likely.