Month: February 2020

The Number Of Democratic Contenders Will Drop After Super Tuesday

Ronald 4 Comments

Once the South Carolina Primary today, and the 14 Super Tuesday Primaries on Tuesday have taken place, the number of Democratic contenders will drop dramatically.

Without knowing the results at this writing of what will happen between today and Tuesday, the expectations are that the following candidates will drop out:

Elizabeth Warren

Amy Klobuchar

Tom Steyer

Tulsi Gabbard

The four finalists seem likely to be:

Bernie Sanders

Joe Biden

Pete Buttigieg

Michael Bloomberg

It is likely that Warren and Klobuchar will win no primaries nor end up at least third in any of them, other than their home states of Massachusetts and Minnesota, with doubts they will even win their states.

Steyer has spent a lot of funds in South Carolina, but seems unlikely to do well, and while he has the financial means to stay on, it seems likely he will give up.

As far as Tulsi Gabbard, a truly weird candidate, if she had any sense, she would get out as she has zero credibility, but even if she stays in the race, she is a pure joke!

It seems likely that Joe Biden will win South Carolina and some other primaries, and that Pete Buttigieg will do well enough to stay in the race. And Bloomberg, with his financial assets, has pledged to remain in the race until the bitter end.

And finally, Sanders, with his lead, is not going anywhere!

So the four likely finalists are three old men nearing 80; a fourth candidate half their age and gay and has a husband; and two Jewish finalists.

Who could have predicted this? No one!

Is Bernie Sanders Suicidal, By Praising Education Under Fidel Castro, And Criticizing Israeli Jewish Pressure Group, AIPAC?

Ronald 10 Comments

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders seems to be suicidal politically, as he reminds us of the great promotion of education under Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba, insuring that he has no chance to win the state of Florida. He alienates the Cuban American community in South Florida, in a state that has the third largest number of electoral votes, and while it is true that most Cuban Americans vote Republican, Barack Obama did win Florida twice in 2008 and 2012.

Also, Sanders alienates much of the Jewish community in his criticism of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, which has support of a large percentage of American Jews.

The Jewish community usually votes at least 70 percent for Democrats, but now it is seen as possible that Sanders would gain a smaller percentage of Jewish support than any Democrat in many decades. His being Jewish does not help him, as many Jews see him as a traitor to Israel.

Sanders is making clear just how much of a rebel he is, and putting many Democratic members of Congress in an awkward position, as to whether they can support him.

Sanders comes across as someone who is not willing to compromise, and while that may be appealing to his supporters, heavily young idealists, it puts not only him, if he is the nominee, but the party from top to bottom, in a position where they could see a massive destruction electorally of the Democratic Party!

Will South Carolina Be Joe Biden’s Last Hurrah?

Ronald 2 Comments

Indications are, based on recent public opinion polls, that former Vice President Joe Biden is likely to win the South Carolina Presidential Primary this Saturday, by a substantial margin.

The endorsement by African American Congressman and House Majority Whip James Clyburn of Biden is a real boost to Biden’s candidacy.

But the question is whether the upcoming vote is the last Hurrah for Biden, as he lacks adequate financial resources, and is not showing up well in Super Tuesday primaries next Tuesday, when 14 states, including California, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Colorado as the most significant states, conduct their elections. Senator Bernie Sanders is favored to win most of those primaries.

Winning South Carolina might help, but it is only three days to those Super Tuesday primaries, so if Biden does poorly on Tuesday, March 3, it likely will be the end of his dream of becoming the 46th President of the United States!

Pete Buttigieg Winner Of Debate, A Voice Of Reason And Common Sense

Ronald 12 Comments

Last night’s South Carolina CBS Democratic Presidential debate was often a shouting match more than a debate, as Bernie Sanders demonstrated his grouchy disposition and inflexibility.

Coming out of the debate experience, the steadiness of Pete Buttigieg showed through, as he was more the adult in the room at age 38 than all of his rivals much older than himself.

Pete was a voice of reason and common sense, and I renew my endorsement of the former South Bend, Indiana Mayor as the best choice for the Democratic Party to challenge Donald Trump.

The fact that he accepts the help of some billionaires is not a big deal, and the concept that Bernie Sanders would refuse the help of Michael Bloomberg, when all financial help is needed to have a shot at defeating Donald Trump, is a stunning sign of his inability to see reality through his ideological lens.

Sadly, Super Tuesday might be the end of many candidacies, if Sanders does well, but with such a result, we will likely see the demise of any chance of a Democratic takeover of the White House and the US Senate, barring a miracle. And even control of the House of Representatives is likely to be lost if Sanders is the nominee!

Tonight’s South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate A Turning Point

Ronald 26 Comments

It is clear that Tuesday night’s CBS South Carolina Democratic Presidential debate is a turning point, as Senator Bernie Sanders will have the tremendous advantage if he wins the South Carolina Primary this Saturday.

Sanders is self destructing, however, with his inability to stop praising Cuba under Fidel Castro, and the Chinese government of President Xi Jinping, ignoring their violations of human rights, while improving education and health care.

Sanders seems totally deaf to warnings that he must repudiate his past extreme leftist views on Nicaragua and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, as that is a guarantee to cause the loss of Florida at the least, and likely cause the industrial Midwest and the Southwest to run away from his candidacy, if he is the Democratic nominee for President.

How Sanders could win states that Hillary Clinton lost by small margins, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, is impossible to conceive.

Also, any hope of winning Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, and come within striking distance of Texas, would be totally gone with a Sanders Presidential candidacy.

And Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada could be in danger, as well as New Hampshire and Virginia, all won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

And this is without addressing the “democratic Socialism” label that Sanders embraces, and his unwillingness to fully explain how all of his ambitious programs, which sound great on paper, could possibly be achieved through Congressional action.

The importance of the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court is at stake, and the nation cannot afford more right wing judges and Justices if Donald Trump is reelected.

Hopefully, we will see moderates unite around one candidate to oppose Sanders after Super Tuesday next week, with the best bet now seeming to be Pete Buttigieg, unless Joe Biden has a major rehabilitation by voters in South Carolina and the 14 states of Super Tuesday.

Bernie Sanders A Potential Threat To Democratic Control Of The House Of Representatives, And Gaining Control Of The Senate

Ronald 1 Comment

Bernie Sanders may have won the Nevada Caucuses, and might go on to win the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, but he is a potential threat to Democratic control of the House of Representatives, and the goal of gaining control of the US Senate in 2020 and beyond.

If Sanders hopes to accomplish anything, he needs a Democratic Congress, but his extreme stands on domestic and foreign policy threaten a total destruction of the Democratic Party in the short term.

And if the Democrats cannot keep control of the House and gain the majority in the Senate, then nothing that progressives want will be accomplished, and the judicial branch, already corrupted by Donald Trump, will become so right wing that it will create a constitutional crisis for the future when American becomes majority non white by 2040.

We could have a court system and a Supreme Court that will promote white supremacy and create the conditions for a future civil war, and this is no joke!

Measured change is the only answer, not extreme change, which the American people will not agree to en masse!

Is Bernie Sanders An Unstoppable Juggernaut? Not So Fast!

Ronald 14 Comments

Senator Bernie Sanders’ impressive win in Nevada is a warning sign to many mainstream Democrats that he is unstoppable.

Not so fast, as one cannot judge the battle for the Democratic Presidential nomination based on three small states.

Super Tuesday will be the decisive moment, if any candidate can win the vast number of delegates from the 14 states having primaries on that date, including California, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Massachusetts.

After Nevada, however, the candidates that still have a chance to stop Bernie are likely Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden, with the bet being that Pete is more likely.

The debate on CBS this coming Tuesday, followed by the South Carolina Primary on Saturday, will be the stepping stone for Tuesday, March 3!

News Of Russians Promoting Bernie Sanders A Delicate Issue That Requires A Lot Of Thought

Ronald 14 Comments

The news of the Russian government promoting Bernie Sanders as the alternative to Donald Trump is a delicate issue that requires a lot of thought.

This blogger and author is NOT claiming that Sanders is collaborating with Vladimir Putin, far from that, and any statement that Sanders is a Communist is totally preposterous! It demonstrates total ignorance of Sanders’ record, and of what Communism really is!

But it seems to make clear that Russia wants the person considered easiest to defeat to oppose Donald Trump.

And many intelligent progressives feel that Sanders is precisely that person!

So this is just further reason to prefer Elizabeth Warren or Pete Buttigieg as the best alternative for the Democratic Presidential nomination, unless Joe Biden has a total revival, which seems highly unlikely!

Further Reflection On Elizabeth Warren: Improved Prospects For Nomination

Ronald Leave a comment

The performance of Elizabeth Warren in the Las Vegas Democratic Presidential debate has sunk in, along with interviews she has had on CNN and MSNBC since her devastating criticism of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

It now looks as if Warren might very well be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, despite his calling her Pocahontas, as she has the support of many people who see her genuine nature and law school professor expertise as appealing. She has a very appealing personality and character, and grows on you as you watch her statements in interviews, and respect her intelligence and energy.

Warren would be a great debater against Donald Trump, who is not good at debates, as he is far better in appealing to partisan audiences who worship him.

This blogger and author now think that while he supports Pete Buttigieg for the nomination, that an alternative of Warren for President and Pete for Vice President would be a good team against Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Imagine Warren against Trump and Buttigieg against Pence, scenarios which would definitely favor the Democrats!

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders would carry the burden of being a “Socialist”, which this author knows is no threat, but would be seen as so by many Americans.

This, along with Sanders’ age, his recent heart attack (which he has recovered from so well), and his grouchiness, make him not the ideal choice for the Presidency. The reality is that what he wants to do would never make it through the next Congress, unless it was an FDR or LBJ Congress, meaning 60 percent or more Democratic, which will not happen!

The Las Vegas MSNBC Democratic Presidential Debate: Combative, Confrontational, And Fascinating, All At The Same Time!

Ronald 3 Comments

Yesterday’s Las Vegas MSNBC Democratic Presidential debate can be described as combative, confrontational, and fascinating, all at the same time!

The six way debate, adding former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the mix, clearly made Elizabeth Warren look much better, as she challenged Bloomberg, and made him look weak and befuddled.

It seems clear that Bloomberg has lost his image of invincibility gained by spending nearly $400 million in advertising.

Bernie Sanders also did well, and clearly is the front runner, but the question remains if he can overcome the “Socialist” label, which is misunderstood by millions of Americans, who think it is the same as Communism, which it most certainly is not.

The fear is that Sanders will lose the election due to the “Socialist” label, and that greatly concerns this author and blogger.

Joe Biden showed improvement in the debate, but the question remains if he is capable of the challenge ahead, as he seems to many to be a bit slower in response and debate skills, from what he was in 2008 and 2012, when he debated Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan.

Pete Buttigieg put in another good performance, and helped to promote an image of Amy Klobuchar as temperamental in her reaction to his challenges to her about failing to know who was the President of Mexico.

Overall, the loser of the night was Bloomberg, and the major winner was Warren.

We shall see what effect this debate has on the upcoming Nevada Caucuses and South Carolina Primary.