Month: August 2020

Hooray! 12 Year Anniversary, And 6,800 Articles On “The Progressive Professor”!

Ronald 5 Comments

Today, August 11, is the 12th Anniversary of “The Progressive Professor”, and with this posting, exactly 6,800 articles have been published!

Along with the articles, there have been exactly 21,000 comments by readers and myself as I post this, and I wish to thank all those who have contributed to this blog with their insights!

This author and blogger has been passionate about this blog, and hopes to continue for the long haul, shooting first for 15 years, then 20, and hopefully, 25 years!

I want to thank my son, David Feinman, for inspiring me to begin this blog back in 2008. It keeps me intellectually engaged, along with my writings on my additional blog on History News Network, and my radio engagements, along with my lectures to various groups, and my continued teaching on the American Presidency at Florida Atlantic University.

Hopefully, the progressive cause will be advanced in the upcoming years, after setbacks on a regular basis in the past 40 years, from the election of Ronald Reagan to the disaster of the Presidency of Donald Trump.

It is hoped that Joe Biden will restore and improve upon the Barack Obama legacy, and that whoever his running mate is, may eventually become the 47th President to follow Joe Biden!

Centennial Of 19th Amendment On August 18, 2020: Time For A Woman VP And Eventually President!

Ronald 3 Comments

On August 18, 2020, we will be celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, giving all women the right to vote.

The battle for women suffrage was a long, hard fought struggle for 72 years, since the first national call for the right to vote for women occurred at the Seneca Falls, New York Equal Rights Convention in 1848.

It took fifty years after the 15th Amendment, giving African American men the right to vote in 1870, before the battle for women, white and nonwhite, to gain that similar right was accomplished, as it was thought to be too extreme and radical after the Civil War, crazy as that is, when one looks back!

It was the work of Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the convention, and over the next 72 years, Stanton continued her activism, and was joined in it by such figures as Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul.

And the final push for the 19th Amendment came from the first woman to serve in Congress, in the House of Representatives, Republican Jeanette Rankin of Montana.

Now, we will have a woman Vice Presidential nominee, to be announced soon by Joe Biden, and a strong chance that whoever is selected will become the first woman Vice President, and possibly, a future President!

Attacks On Mental Acuity Of Joe Biden By Jewish Conservative Talk Show Hosts Only Undermining Their Credibility

Ronald 13 Comments

It is very disillusioning that a number of Jewish Conservative Talk show hosts are becoming notorious for their vicious attacks on Joe Biden’s mental acuity and fitness, ridiculing him in a shocking manner.

These same characters would never attack Ronald Reagan, who clearly was mentally impaired, and of course, they overlook the constant evidence of the mental decline of Donald Trump.

Who are these disgraceful talk shows hosts who have no dignity, ethics, or morals?

David Horowitz

Dennis Prager

Michael Savage

Mark Levin

Ben Shapiro

All five have been involved over the years in all kinds of controversies, demonstrating a total lack of ethics, and undermining their reputations to anyone who believes in common decency.

The two thirds to three fourths of American Jews who believe in common decency, and have compassion and empathy about issues and personalities in public affairs, are appalled by the willingness of these characters to defend a lawless, immoral, dangerous President, who has demonstrated every day how he is willing to destroy American democracy in his desire to destroy the Constitution and the rule of law.

Just the fact that they fail to see that Trump consorts with and justifies antisemites, such as David Duke and Richard Spencer, and that he promotes racism, nativism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and misogyny is an insult to all who are Jewish who believe in the basic teachings of the faith.

They actually are promoting antisemitism, and endangering American Jews in the process, without any moral compass or concern.

46 Years Since Richard Nixon Resigned, And Nation Would Benefit If Donald Trump Did The Same, But He Is No Richard Nixon!

Ronald 2 Comments

In 1974, on this day, August 9, the 37th President of the United States resigned from office, succeeded by Gerald Ford.

That was a great day, as a lawless, corrupt President, Richard Nixon, pressured by Republican leaders in both houses of Congress, willingly left, still a believer that he had been wronged, but ending a constitutional crisis, and giving us a President, Gerald Ford, who was certainly not without faults. But Ford was far better than the horror if Vice President Spiro Agnew had not been discovered for his corruption and forced to resign in October 1973, as Agnew would have been even worse than Nixon, so America was saved.

Now we have a President, even more lawless and corrupt than Richard Nixon, a willing accomplice of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a scenario that never would have crossed the mind of Richard Nixon. Donald Trump is working to destroy our whole constitutional system of government, and manipulates and distorts and lies, willing to do anything to gain absolute power by being reelected this November.

Richard Nixon had real accomplishments, despite his evil nature, and some of his greatest accomplishments are being destroyed by Donald Trump, who wishes to undo all good done under both Democratic and Republican Presidents in the ninety years since Franklin D. Roosevelt came to the Presidency during the First Great Depression.

Now, Donald Trump is presiding over a Second Great Depression, even more heartless and lacking in empathy or concern than Herbert Hoover.

And his Vice President, Mike Pence, is a religious extremist, with no principles, and hoping to impose his and his wife’s evil, narrow minded views about women’s rights and gay rights upon the nation in the future. He wishes to promote the extreme right wing views of disgraceful hypocrites, such as Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jr, Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, and others who want a theocracy in America.

So on the 46th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s resignation, the nation is faced with a crisis that may become worse, with the US Postal Service being politically manipulated to attempt to undermine mail voting. This is occurring in a time of a massive CoronaVirus Pandemic that the government on the national level and in many Republican states, including my resident state of Florida, are failing to deal with. This is creating an even greater health crisis that makes America the embarrassment of the entire world community!

Best Strategy For Joe Biden: Emphasize Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, Under Attack By Donald Trump And Republicans, To Working Class And Senior Citizens

Ronald 10 Comments

There are many issues that need to be discussed and emphasized by Joe Biden and his running mate, and Democrats in general, during the upcoming Presidential and Congressional Election campaigns of 2020.

Certainly, these include the CoronaVirus Pandemic, the racial turmoil that has arisen anew since the George Floyd murder, and the economic Great Depression that have gained the most attention in these past six months.

Also, the need to discuss the issue of climate change and global warming, and the dangers to American foreign policy presented by Donald Trump’s reckless attacks on our intelligence agencies and foreign policy establishment, which has undermined our relations with our NATO allies and other democratic nations around the globe, must be discussed. Trump’s flirtation with authoritarian leaders, including Russia, China, North Korea, Turkey, Egypt, the Philippines, Brazil and elsewhere is also a major threat to global security.

But despite these and many other issues, ultimately, the major message that will gain more working class and senior citizen support is to emphasize what Democrats have supported, and have battled to preserve—programs passed by generations of Democrats, and widespread attacked by Republicans, and particularly Donald Trump in the last four years.

That is, the social justice programs that matter the most:

Social Security, passed under FDR in 1935, the lifeline for millions of people.

Medicare and Medicaid, passed under LBJ in 1965-1966, which has been a literal lifesaver for millions of Americans.

The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, passed under Obama in 2010, and constantly under attack by Republicans who have no alternative plan, and which has been a blessing to thirty million Americans.

None of these programs were perfect or are perfect, but if left up to the Republicans of the past, and even more in the present, they would never have existed, or would have died over the years!

So Democrats need to emphasize this, that all these programs are scheduled for ultimate undermining and destruction, if, God forbid, Trump won a second term, and had a Republican controlled House of Representatives and Senate!

Explaining this reality to the working class and senior citizens is the best way to get them out to vote, not sit on the sidelines, or believe the lies and propaganda of the evil Republican Party!

The Battle For The Republican Future After Trump

Ronald 4 Comments

The Republican Party seems likely to collapse in the Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2020, suffering their worst defeat since 1964.

Just as the party collapsed in 1912, and again in 1964, now in 2020, four years late–that is, 56 years, not 52 years—a major regeneration of the party in Congress and the competition for the Presidency seems likely.

It looks right now as if the Democrats will win a lot more than the three to four seats needed to win the majority in the Senate, and that the Republicans will lose another minimum ten seats in the House of Representatives, after losing 42 seats in the 2018 midterm Congressional elections.

And the issue arises, who in the party has a likelihood of competing for President in 2024, with of course, always the possibility someone not yet elected or noticed will enter the fray if successful in this upcoming election.

Youth seems likely to triumph, and there are people in the Senate who can be seen as rivals for the future nomination for President, as well as some not in the Senate.

In the Senate, we have some “old timers”, meaning those who have already run for President, including Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Marco Rubio of Florida. All of them are quite horrific as thoughts as future Presidents, particularly the first two, but really, all three.

Then, we have three others, who clearly, plan to run for President—Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska—and all but Sasse are seen as equally totally horrific.

We also have Nikki Haley, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor, and for awhile, thought to be “somewhat appealing”, but no more, after her recent total loyalty to Donald Trump, and the halo she once had is gone.

We also have the horror of the possibility of Donald Trump Jr. or Ivanka Trump considering a run!

And we have the disgrace of Florida Senator Rick Scott, who should have been in federal prison for Medicare-Medicaid fraud from years ago, and instead went on to two terms as Florida Governor, and now Florida Senator, winning all three races by about one percent, and all three races very suspect as to vote total manipulation. Just looking at him is enough to make one vomit!

And if one looks to have regular vomiting, think of the disgrace of Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson, a true Know Nothing moron, with no ethical or moral compass at all!

Then, there is also Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who both have handled the CoronaVirus Pandemic responsibly, and are perceived as moderates.

And another Governor, who has handled the crisis horribly, Ron DeSantis of Florida, will probably be angling as well for the Presidency, and makes a Floridian like myself disgusted as to the three state wide office holders in the third largest state, being as obnoxious as Rubio, Scott, and DeSantis!

Of course, if Trump is reelected, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo might also enter the race, but it is assumed for this article that Trump will lose!

As an “outsider”, a progressive such as myself, if asked, who could one imagine “accepting” as a future President, and with this progressive hiding his eyes behind a total mask, it would have to be Ben Sasse, Larry Hogan, or Charlie Baker, as the rest of the group totally sickens me.

Likely, one of these sixteen will be the Republican nominee for President in 2024, and the odds will be against Sasse, Hogan or Baker, realistically!

” Alternative Facts”: Denial Of Science, History, Economics, And Reality, By President Becoming More Incompetent By The Day

Ronald 8 Comments

It is becoming more scary and horrifying by the day, as Donald Trump shows more mental incompetence .

He promotes “alternative facts”, which means lies, and denial of science, history, economics, and basic reality!

He says children going to school is not an issue or danger, and that the CoronaVirus Pandemic will go away soon, magically.

It is now clear, if not earlier, that our President is totally unhinged, insane, dangerous, and will likely be more so if he loses the election, and refuses to concede, or face the reality that he has to leave the Oval Office on January 20, 2021.

Anyone who tries to say that Joe Biden is showing signs of dementia, needs to think of all the evidence that it is Donald Trump who has shown dangerous levels of dementia, not Joe Biden.

Trump cannot pronounce words correctly, and recently, he was referring to Yosemite National Park in California, and called it YO SEMITE!

He is constantly slurring his words and making a fool of himself, as well as repeating statements over and over, and demonstrating a vocabulary that is high on extreme words, but showing no understanding of reality.

The thought that this man has the nuclear codes becomes ever more terrifying, as Trump starts to show evidence of total mental deterioration under the stress of realizing he is way behind Joe Biden in the states that gave him the electoral vote victory in 2016.

The Five Words Which Will Sink Donald Trump In November: “It Is What It Is”, Regarding CoronaVirus Pandemic Deaths!

Ronald 6 Comments

When the history of the Presidential Election of 2020 is written in the future, it will be clear that the ultimate turning point of the election, of so many controversial moments and statements, will be the five word utterance of President Donald Trump to Jonathan Swan, the young Australian journalist who works for Axios, revealed to the world on HBO two days ago:

“It is what it is”, which regards the CoronaVirus Pandemic Deaths, a total of 157,000 and rising rapidly, as I write this.

It is clear this number will be likely double what it is now by November 3, Election Day, so a total of 300,000 or more deaths!

This will mean in nine months, more than combat deaths in World War II!

Or it will mean more than total combat deaths in World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq combined!

Or it will be 100 September 11ths!

And while Donald Trump played politics and ignored science and medicine, Americans died in tragic numbers, with Trump vilifying and ridiculing Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx and other health experts!

This is the greatest bumbling and failure to react to a major crisis since World War II, far greater than any of the wars waged by the United States since then, and will doom Donald Trump in history to last place among rankings of Presidents, where he will stay for all time, below James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Pierce, who all, by comparison, look better!

It is now sadly clear that until Joe Biden is sworn in, nothing substantial will be done to deal with the CoronaVirus Pandemic, and there is no magical solution that can take place in a few months, so even with active utilization of science and new strategies and different personnel engaged in the crisis, the likely number of deaths will continue to grow throughout 2021.

Likely, the number of deaths by January 20 will hit 400,000, and with the hope that a vaccine will be created and be available during 2021, hopefully by the end of the first year of the new administration, we will see real progress on ending the pandemic.

But the number of deaths meanwhile will likely likely rise, at best estimate, to 750,000, and could reach one million at the most pessimistic levels!

And the one thing that stands out as worse than any of this, is that Donald Trump has demonstrated that he has no ability to show or express compassion or empathy, and is only concerned about himself!

“It is what it is” will reverberate throughout history as the judgment of the horror of the Presidency of Donald Trump!

Presidential Debates Are Worthless, Unless Donald Trump Agrees To Two Conditions: Taxes Revealed, And Fact Checker For Trump Lies!

Ronald 11 Comments

There is no point to Joe Biden agreeing to debate with Donald Trump, unless Trump agrees to reveal his tax records, as Joe Biden has done, AND it is also agreed that there will be a fact checking team approved by both candidates to be hired by the non partisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

That team would report with ten minutes left in the debate any misleading statements, phony numbers, or outright lies uttered by either candidate.

Trump lies as he breathes, as Thomas Friedman of the New York Times said last month, and Biden should not allow that to go unanswered by a fact checking team at the debate.

Since Biden is comfortably ahead in all polls, he gains nothing by debates, and by refusing to debate, will infuriate Trump, who will go even more looney.

Trump knows he is losing, and Joe Biden should just continue to make public statements before small audiences with proper distancing. Biden is being helped by various Republican groups who are dedicated to Trump’s defeat as the only way to revive the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Joe Biden has been right since January on the CoronaVirus Pandemic, and should make the effort to win as many states as possible, but the debates make no sense at this point, unless Trump agrees to the two conditions mentioned above, which will not occur!

A “Blood Bath” Coming Among House Republicans After The Election!

Ronald 7 Comments

Every indication is that the Republican Party is on the way to a massive defeat in Congress in November, to match 1964 and 1974.

And it is clear that the most right wing and Tea Party types in the House of Representatives are ready to declare war on the House Republican leadership–Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, and House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the older daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Those who will lead the attack will include Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Matt Gaetz of Florida. And Devin Nunes of California may also join this group, all loyal Trumpites, who make the Republican leadership, as horrible as it is, seem moderate!

This author and blogger has just recently made clear that these four House members are among the most disgusting and disgraceful in the Republican Party!

Depending on the extent of the loss, it would seem likely that McCarthy, Scalise, and Cheney would triumph and keep leadership of a smaller caucus, but there is no way to know for sure at this point what might happen to the party that was once respectable!