Month: February 2024

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024: Significant Rises In Rankings

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The American Political Science Association 2024 Presidential Greatness Survey reveals dramatic rises in rankings for a few Presidents, from earlier APSA surveys in 2015 and 2018.
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The most dramatic rise is Barack Obama, up 9 in rankings to number 7 since 2015; and an equal rise up 9 of Ulysses S. Grant to number 17 over the same period.

The next most dramatic rise is up 4 in rankings for John F. Kennedy from 14 to 10; and an equal rise up 4 for Jimmy Carter from 26 to 22.

Also, up 3 in rankings is Lyndon B. Johnson from 12 to 9.

Note that all of these 5 Presidents mentioned, except for Grant, are Democrats!

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024–The Bottom 10 Presidents

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The American Political Science Association Presidential Greatness Poll 2024 makes clear that Donald Trump is the absolute bottom of all 45 Presidents, below James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison, and Warren G. Harding, all with very low total scores, but Trump with a final score of 10.92 as compared to Buchanan’s 16.71, Johnson’s 21.56, Pierce’s 24.6, Harrison’s 26.01, and Harding with 27.76.

The other four at the bottom, numbers 36 to 39 in order, are Herbert Hoover, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore.

Notice that of these 10 Presidents at the bottom, four are the Presidents preceding Abraham Lincoln and one following him.

The others are Harding and Hoover from the 1920s; and one month President William Henry Harrison and his successor John Tyler in the early 1840s, when the Presidency came under attack due to the first Vice President succeeding the President due to death of the incumbent.

And then there is Donald Trump, who ranks last for those participants in the poll who are identified as Democrats, Independents, Liberals, and Moderates; and even for those who identify themselves as Republicans or Conservatives, Trump only rises to number 43, with Buchanan and Johnson rated below Trump by Republicans, and Buchanan and Pierce rated below Trump by Conservatives.

Also note that the only Presidents of this group who served a full term were Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump.

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll: Top 10 Presidents In 2024 Survey

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The American Political Science Association Presidential Greatness project has published its findings, just in time for Presidents’ Day today.

This is the first in a number of days of discussion of the results.

The top 10 Presidents in the Survey demonstrates the rise of Democratic Presidents, who now number five of the group—with Franklin D. Roosevelt as number 2, behind Abraham Lincoln, surpassing George Washington who is now number 3; Harry Truman remaining number 6; Barack Obama amazingly rising to number 7, the highest he has been on any Presidential scholarly survey; and Lyndon B. Johnson surpassing John F. Kennedy, with Johnson number 9 and Kennedy number 10.

Additionally in the top ten is Truman successor Dwight D. Eisenhower as number 8, making five presidents in a row from FDR through LBJ part of the top ten.

Theodore Roosevelt as number 4 and Thomas Jefferson as number 5 remain consistently in their positions in the top 10.

So besides five Democrats in the top 10, there are three Republicans (Lincoln, TR, Ike), along with Federalist George Washington and Democratic-Republican Jefferson.

New Presidential Rankings Survey 2024 For Presidents’ Day: Food For Thought!

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The celebration of Presidents’ Day 2024 brings an updated Presidential Rankings survey conducted by the Presidents and Executive Politics Section Of the American Political Science Association, the third such survey by this group, following earlier such surveys in 2015 and 2018.

Approximately two hundred respondents participated in this poll in the last month and a half of 2023, with them self identifying as Republican, Democratic, Independent, Conservative, Liberal, and Moderate.

For the next few days, this author and blogger will analyze the results of this very revealing assessment, which demonstrates the dramatic differences in scholarly views of the Presidency and the men who have held that position over 235 years of our national history, as compared to past surveys over the years.

This survey was conducted by University of Houston Political Science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus and Coastal Carolina University Political Science Professor Justin Vaughn, and is based on research and analysis of scholars across multiple disciplines whose work engages presidential politics.

Passing Of Russian Critic Alexei Navalny Should Lead To Widespread Condemnation Of Trump And Maga Republican Support Of Putin, And Expanded Aid To Ukraine!

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The tragic death of Russian critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony, another indication of the brutality of the Russian government under Vladimir Putin, is a clarion call for Putin supporters in the Republican Party (Donald Trump and most Republicans in Congress, and hangers on who are MAGA supporters) to be held accountable in speeches and debates over the next nine months!

The idea that Donald Trump and his crazy minions, who bow to him, can back and support such a monster as Putin, needs to be a top issue constantly over the coming months!

ANY decent person should be outraged, and ready to hold Trump and his seditionists and traitors accountable in every way and means possible!

Notice that neither Donald Trump nor any of his seditionist, treasonous Republicans have condemned the death of Navalny, and in particular, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is a disgrace to his state! This moron football coach defeated the best Alabama Senator in Doug Jones in 2020, a crime against common decency!

But where is Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, and all of those who in the past believed in a hard line against Putin and Russia, including the now two year old war against Ukraine?

Now than ever before, more military aid to Ukraine is urgent, as they are the first line of defense for NATO!

Voting Patterns For Presidential Election Of 2024 Hard To Predict

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Indications are that the Democratic Party has been gaining in suburban areas among well educated voters with a college education and more in recent years, a massive change from long term trends that such voters were usually voting Republican.

At the same time, rural voters, often less educated, are becoming much more oriented toward Republicans than they have been, leaving the role of racial minorities as being crucial in national elections.

The Democrats have seen alienation by Latinos and African Americans from the very high percentages that usually vote for them, and Asian Americans are also unpredictable in their voting patterns.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has become an issue that is causing division among racial minorities, including the growing influence of Muslim Americans and Arab Americans, as well.

Also, Jewish Americans, usually two thirds Democrats, are in play for this upcoming election.

At the same time, the abortion issue is gravitating more women toward the Democrats than is usually the case.

And the growing number of young voters, particularly Generation Z, is also a factor hard to predict the extent of their participation and where it will go.

So there are so many strands of voters competed for by both Democrats and Republicans, making predictions on the upcoming Presidential Election of 2024 even more confusing and hard to project.

Republican Party, Alarmingly, Going Along With Donald Trump On Russia!

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It is mind boggling that large numbers of Republicans in Congress, along with MAGA supporters, are demonstrating a strong pro Russian, pro Putin stance, in alignment with Donald Trump, who has basically invited Vladimir Putin to invade NATO nations that Trump says are not paying enough for their defense!

The refusal of House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, to consider aid to Ukraine in its heroic battle for its sovereignty in the war provoked by Russia two years ago, is outrageous!

But even in the Senate, only 22 Republicans are willing to support Ukraine aid!

Among those who did so are:

Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
John Cornyn of Texas
Joni Ernst of Iowa
Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Mitt Romney of Utah
John Thune of South Dakota
Thom Tillis of North Carolina

Among the nearly 30 Republican Senators who refused to support national security interests, including continued support for Ukraine are:

John Barrasso of Wyoming
Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Ted Cruz of Texas
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
James Lankford of Oklahoma
Mike Lee of Utah
Rand Paul of Kentucky
Marco Rubio of Florida
Rick Scott of Florida
Tim Scott of South Carolina
Tommy Tuberville of Alabama
J D Vance of Ohio

Notice how many of the second list are among the most outrageous, obnoxious members of the Senate, but also including a traditional supporter of national security legislation in Graham, who is now a turncoat, and Tim Scott, who clearly is angling to be the potential Vice Presidential nominee for Donald Trump!

These Senators in the second group are those who have surrendered their ethics, morals, and scruples to cater to Donald Trump, and in so doing, along with the Republican House, they are repudiating the Republican past of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and even the infamous Joseph McCarthy!

The Republican Party, except for a select few, has gone stark raving mad,and repudiated the heritage and traditions of the party started 170 years ago this year!

The need is clear for all sane, principled people to unite in the dissolution of the Republican Party, which has now been infested with MAGA Lunacy that cannot be reversed, and must be overcome by the decent majority of the American population!

Republican House Majority In 118th Congress A Total Disaster, On Its Way To Defeat In November!

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The Republican House majority in the 118th Congress is a total disaster, and has managed to produce the fewest legislative actions of any Congress going back a century and more!

Their move to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the first sitting cabinet officer to be so impeached, is a purely political disaster, as it comes after they have agreed not to consider a border security bill, due to the intervention of Donald Trump, who wants to use immigration as a campaign issue for the upcoming Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2024, nine months from now!

It is stunning that every one of the 17 Biden District Republicans went along with the impeachment, which will go nowhere in the Senate, and that even the so called “moderate” Republicans, led by Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, went along, causing a total loss of respect and common decency.

It is clear that there has to be total attack on all House Republicans, as well as all but a small handful of Republican Senators, and the goal must be to end the control of Congress by a party that has no principles, other than to obey and follow a Fascist, authoritarian, Donald Trump, who supports a Russian invasion of our NATO allies!

Donald Trump “A Clear And Present Danger” To American National Security And World Stability!

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Donald Trump has gone off the deep end more than ever, now stating that if a NATO nation has not paid its portion of defense, that he would welcome Russian invasion and war against such nation.

When first hearing this, one has to say, let me hear that again, as it is beyond belief!

And yet, most Republicans in Congress are either supporting what Trump said, or are remaining silent. To see that Senators Roger Marshall of Kansas and Marco Rubio of Florida have no issue with Trump’s statement is shocking!

This is the revival of the ugly isolationist movement in the 1930s that made us not ready when Pearl Harbor occurred in 1941, and a long World War II to overcome the threat of not just Imperial Japan, but Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy!

If America goes into isolationism, it will have no allies or friends, and the national security of the nation would be at stake!

There is no way that this nation can allow this maniac Donald Trump, a truly evil man, to regain power, as he is clearly an unadulterated evil force we have never seen in the nearly 250 years of the American Republic!

Being supportive of Russia is being a traitor, a seditionist, a evil force that must be held accountable, and the Republican Party must be reorganized, as it is now a cancer on the body politic!

Tough Election Races In 2024 For Democrats In US Senate

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The US Senate races for 2024 are likely to be tough times for Democrats, who have to defend 23 seats, while Republicans have to defend only 10 seats.

Four Democratic seats–in Maryland, Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia—are greatly endangered, and with only a 51-49 majority in the US Senate, including three Independents (Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Angus King of Maine, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona), who ally with the Democrats, but Sinema’s seat also in play if she decides to run again as an Independent after breaking her ties with the Democrats, as it would create a three way race in that state.

Only three Republican seats out of 10 are in some danger, but likely to remain Republican—Florida with Rick Scott, Missouri with Josh Hawley, and Texas with Ted Cruz.

So while it seems highly likely that the House of Representatives will switch from Republican control to Democratic control, with 17 Republican controlled seats being Joe Biden districts won in 2020, it is highly likely that we will still see divided Congressional government with a possible Republican controlled Senate, and continued gridlock and stalemate operating in the legislative branch of government in 2025-2026!