Month: March 2024

The Ten Best And Ten Worst US Senators In The 118th Congress

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Creating a list of the ten best and ten worst US Senators in the 118th Congress is based on their viewpoints and utterances over their careers.

Of course, it is subjective in nature, but based on careful consideration and analysis.

The rankings below are not in numbered order, but simply the Senators considered by the author to be the best and the worst in the upper chamber of Congress.

TEN BEST US SENATORS

Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
Chris Murphy (Connecticut)
Jon Ossoff (Georgia)
Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts)
Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
Cory Booker (New Jersey)
Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
Jeff Merkley (Oregon)
Ron Wyden (Oregon)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island)

TEN WORST US SENATORS

Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
Rick Scott (Florida)
Rand Paul (Kentucky)
Josh Hawley (Missouri)
JD Vance (Ohio)
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
Ted Cruz (Texas)
Mike Lee (Utah)
Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)

If one was asked which five Senators were the “best” and the “worst”, this author and blogger would say the following:

BEST—Chris Murphy, Jon Osoff, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse

WORST—Tommy Tuberville, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson

“Battleground” States Should Be Expanded By Democrats!

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With an expected very close race for the Presidency between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and with three independent or third party challengers being an additional threat to take away votes from the major party candidates, it is urgent that the list of “battleground” states be expanded by Democrats!

The usual belief is that the following states are the “battlegrounds”:

Pennsylvania (19)
Michigan (15)
Wisconsin (10)
Georgia (16)
Arizona (11)
Nevada (6)

Total 77 Electoral Votes

But in addition, the following states need to be considered potentials for extra attention financially and through campaign appearances by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and numerous Democratic supporters in public office:

New Hampshire (4)
Virginia (13)
North Carolina (16)
Florida (30)
Minnesota (10)
New Mexico (5)

Total 78 Electoral Votes

Additionally, the Second District of Maine which has gone Republican in the past (2016 and 2020) should be focused on, as well as retaining the Second District of Nebraska, which has gone Democratic two times in the past (2008 and 2020), with both states allowing divided electoral votes for President.

So a total of 12 states and one Congressional District in Nebraska and Maine should be focused on to insure a Democratic victory in November!

So out of 538 Electoral Votes total, 157 are in play!

Crucial Senate Battles In November

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Thirty three Senate seats will be up in November, with Democrats having to defend 23 seats and Republicans only 10 seats, so a major struggle for Democrats to keep control of the Senate, which right now is divided 51-49 with three Independents helping the Democrats keep the majority.

The major battles to take Republican seats will be in Texas (Ted Cruz); Florida (Rick Scott); and Missouri (Josh Hawley).

The most dangerous Democratic seats are Arizona, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

It would seem certain that West Virginia, with the retirement of Joe Manchin, will go to the Republicans, and Maryland, normally a strong blue state, has the problem of popular former Governor Larry Hogan running for the Senate, which makes it seem likely that the state will flip to the Republicans.

Ohio with Sherrod Brown, and Montanea, with Jon Tester, are also in danger, while Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin more likely to remain Democratic.

So assuming West Virginia and Maryland go Republican, that would mean a 51-49 Republican controlled Senate, unless the Democrats can win at least one seat from the three Republicans who are contestable–Texas, Florida, and Missouri.

And this is assuming Joe Biden wins a second term, and Kamala Harris is there to break a possible 50-50 tie in the Senate.

A Magnificent, Fiery, Combative Speech As Joe Biden Begins The Fight Against Donald Trump And Maga Republicans!

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Last night’s State Of The Union Address by Joe Biden was a magnificant, fiery, combative speech as Joe Biden begins the fight against Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans!

Anyone watching who is objective must admit that Joe Biden did a “tour de force”, and showed vigor and energy for a man who is 81 years old!

Biden has demonstrated perfect capability and knowledge to lead our nation in a difficult national and international climate, but also to care about and promote what is good for the vast number of Americans, not just the wealthy!

It was unbelievable how Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who did NOT do the usual introduction of the President, was constantly frowning and rolling his eyes, to the point that he looked totally ridiculous. Johnson refused to applaud on almost every issue, because he is the captive, as are 95 percent of Republicans in Congress, to the evil Donald Trump!

It was sad seeing conservative Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, a cosponsor of an immigration bill approved by the Chambers of Commerce and the Wall Street Journal, but rejected by House Republicans, mouthing his agreement with President Biden on the value of the proposed legislation.

It was disgraceful how Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled and gestured in a disgusting manner, showing total lack of respect for the President.

The Republicans in the House chamber just sat on their hands, but knowing Joe Biden has become like Harry Truman in 1948, ready and willing to “Give Them Hell” over the next eight months!

Decency and compassion and vision and competence will ultimately win out over the evil and threat to the Constitution and rule of law represented by Donald Trump.

And anyone who chooses to vote for a third party, and most particularly the embarrassing and unstable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, who is no match for his father or the family name, is undermining the struggle to sustain American democracy.

And if by some fluke, Trump wins and establishes a dictatorship, such voters will go to their graves knowing they contributed to the destruction of the American nation as we have known it!

The 6th Date Of Four Months: The Story Of The Presidential Election Of 2024

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It is ironic that the 6th day of four months sets up the Presidential Election of 2024.

January 6, 2021–the US Capitol Insurrection led by and incited by Donald Trump, which has led to four indictments and 91 counts, in process in a court system which has faced constant delays, but eventually will lead to justice.

March 6, 2024–three years and two months since the Insurrection, and the election is set between Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the Super Tuesday primaries.

November 6, 2024–the day after the Presidential Election of 2024, exactly eight months, and the decision as to whether democracy survives or autocracy destroys the Constitution and rule of law

January 6, 2025–the counting of the Electoral Votes in a joint session of Congress, exactly two months after the election, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, in the same position and responsibility that Mike Pence faced on this date in 2021.

Super Tuesday Results In Vermont, Arizona And North Carolina Positives For Democrats In Upcoming National Elections In November!

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The Super Tuesday election results were predictable, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump performing well.

But Trump has some major negatives moving forward, including:

Nikki Haley winning Vermont and DC, and taking about a third of all votes in a number of other state primaries, a sign of Republicans who are not likely to support Trump in November. Since Trump did not ever have a majority of popular votes in 2016 or 2020, he can ill afford to lose the Haley votes, but it will be hard for him to gain that, while facing 91 indictment counts!

The decision of Independent Kyrsten Sinema to give up reelection to the Senate in Arizona makes the Senate race a direct battle between MAGA Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, with Lake being a flawed candidate who already lost the gubernatorial race in 2022 to Governor Katie Hobbs.

The nomination of MAGA Republican Mark Robinson to oppose state Attorney General Josh Stein in North Carolina for the Governorship is another burden for Republicans to bear, realizing that Stein won two races for Attorney General in 2016 and 2020 when Trump was on the ballot in the state in his two Presidential runs.

Both Arizona and North Carolina are crucial states in the Presidential Election of 2024, and Democrats have just gained an edge in both states!

Trump V Anderson Supreme Court Case Demonstrates A Bitterly Divided Court!

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The right wing Supreme Court has determined that Donald Trump cannot be barred from Presidential primary ballots, despite many conservatives, including former Circuit Court Judge J. Michael Luttig among many others, stating that his inciting of the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021 violated the 14th Amendment, Section Three.

The decision was that it is up to Congress to bar anyone from running for President, not individual state governments.

In so doing, the decision demonstrated a bitterly divided Court, as the four women on the Court, three Democrats and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, while part of an unanimous vote, made clear their discomfort with the issue of Donald Trump being able to avoid responsibility for his actions on January 6.

If Trump had been removed from the ballot in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, it would have led to further incitement by Trump on the basis that he was being denied the right to be judged by the American people.

So the understanding is that ultimately it is up to the American people and their voting to repudiate this Insurrectionist by reelecting Joe Biden in November!

The Supreme Court has lost all credibility, and its public opinion rating is an all time low, with particularly two of its members—Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—being seen as corrupt and personally obnoxious—and the Court being the most right wing since the early 1930s.

Mark Robinson, NC Republican Gubernatorial Nominee: A Major Right Wing Extremist!

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The Republican Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, who is African American, is the party nominee for Governor in November 2024, running against North Carolina State Attorney General and Democrat Josh Stein.

This upcoming election is a crisis for the state of North Carolina and the nation, as Mark Robinson is an out of control right wing extremist.

His past record and utterances demonstrate the following:

He is a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association, and spoke out against gun control legislation after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre in Parkland, Florida in February 2018.

He is vehemently anti abortion; denies climate change as reality; wants to promote charter schools and school voucher programs at the expense of public schools; and wants to remove science and social studies from the curriculum for first graders through fifth graders.

He has promoted Holocaust denial, and has made strongly antisemitic statements, alarming the Jewish community in North Carolina and nationally.

He has been harshly critical of African Americans who are Democrats, and bitterly denounces Barack Obama and has called Michelle Obama a man, and called Martin Luther King Jr a Communist, along with the Civil Rights Movement.

He has been strongly anti gay and anti transgender, and is also strongly anti Muslim, and a nativist against various immigrant groups.

He has strongly denounced the COVID 19 Pandemic as a threat, and has praised past dictators, including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Fidel Castro, while at the same time calling his critics “Communists”!

He also has a record of bankruptcies, owing back taxes, and having misused campaign funds for his 2020 campaign for Lieutenant Governor.

This character is a clear and present danger, and it is essential that Democrat Josh Stein be elected Governor, to succeed Democrat Roy Cooper, who has had to deal with the nightmare of his Lieutenant Governor being totally uncooperative and confrontational in the past four years!

Most Dangerous Time In Foreign Affairs Since World War II!

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America has been through a lot of crises in foreign affairs since World War II, with the 45 Years Cold War with the Soviet Union ending in 1991.

But now in 2024, we not only have to face the twin crises of the Russia-Ukraine War (the most massive war on the European continent since World War II), but also the Israel-Hamas War, which could spread throughout the Middle East.

And we have a former President, Donald Trump, seeking to come back to the White House, who consorts with autocratic leaders, including Vladimir Putin along with many others.

Trump promotes a return to the “America First” mentality advocated by Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and their ilk in the years before World War II, and the first two years and three months of that war, before Japan pushed America into prosecution of that war.

With eight months to go, the crisis facing America is totally horrifying, and with some public opinion polls showing Trump defeating President Joe Biden!

This cannot be allowed to happen, as it portends the end of American democracy and the rule of law, and the promotion of Fascist authoritarianism, autocracy, and the destruction of the 250th anniversary of independence in 2026!

Former Senator John Danforth’s Bad Judgment: Clarence Thomas And Josh Hawley!

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Former Republican Senator John Danforth of Missouri served in the upper body of Congress for three terms from 1976-1995, gaining a reputation as a moderate conservative who was highly respected by his party and by the opposition Democrats.

Danforth came across as a man of dignity and thoughtfulness, and retired with his reputation unchallenged.

But in retrospect, Danforth can now be shown to have had bad judgment on two individuals who have negatively affected American politics.

Danforth is the person who promoted the elevation of Clarence Thomas to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1991.

And Danforth also promoted the advancement of Josh Hawley to become a US Senator from Missouri in 2018.

Both Thomas and Hawley have been engaged in promoting a coverup of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection, with Thomas’s wife encouraging that horrendous event, and Hawley putting up his fist on that day in support of the mob that was descending on the US Capitol, but later fleeing like a coward when the situation got out of hand.

Thomas has been a disgrace on the Court for 33 years now, and Hawley is running for reelection.

Danforth himself has said his backing of Hawley was the worst mistake in his career, but refuses to say the same about the much greater long term damage wrought by Thomas.

So despite his reputable record in the US Senate for 18 years, ending 30 years ago, John Danforth will go down as having, maybe inadvertently, contributed to the Fasist threat of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans, by having fully backed and promoted both Clarence Thomas and Josh Hawley!