Andrew Johnson

Donald Trump, The Miserable And Wretched Human Being: Very UnPresidential!

Ronald 24 Comments

President Donald Trump is demonstrating every day his true character.

A self centered, selfish person who only thinks and cares about himself;

has no compassion, empathy, concern about the plight of others;

worships money above all;

lies incessantly;

is totally ignorant of all fields of knowledge while claiming to be an expert on all;

constantly portrays himself as a victim, despite the fact that he was born to wealth and has never known what it is to struggle in life;

spends much of his waking time insulting others with all kinds of names, including his few Republican critics being called “human scum” this week;

gives not any concern to the harm he has done to millions of Americans and also people from other nations by his utterances and actions;

and sees others as dispensable when they are no longer useful to his greed and ambitions.

Donald Trump is the most unPresidential President we have ever had, far surpassing even Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Andrew Jackson in that regard. He is not someone any sane person would truly want as a friend.

He is a miserable human being who will be reviled in history by all sensible people!

Historic Moment As First Impeachment Investigation In 21 Years Commences

Ronald 13 Comments

After months and a few years of speculation about an impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, the die has been cast, and is proceeding forward.

This is only the fourth such case in American history, preceded by Andrew Johnson in 1868; Richard Nixon in 1974; and Bill Clinton in 1998.

Johnson and Clinton were impeached, and then found not guilty by the US Senate, although Johnson was only saved by one vote short of the two thirds needed to convict and remove him.

Clinton had votes in favor of conviction of 55-45 and 50-50, way short of the 67 votes needed.

Nixon resigned after the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach him on three counts, but before a vote of the whole House of Representatives, which was ready to impeach him. And Nixon had been informed by top leaders of his Republican Party that there was no way for him to gain 34 Republican Senate votes to avoid conviction and removal by a two thirds vote.

This is an historic moment in American history, and how it will exactly play itself out is uncertain, but at least, finally, the Democratic House of Representatives is taking action against the flagrant abuse of power by Donald Trump.

Time For Republican Senators To Be Held To Account: Are They For Good Of Nation And Constitution Or Party And Self Interest?

Ronald 7 Comments

The series of escalating events surrounding Donald Trump’s abuse of power and a legion of impeachable offenses is ever worse now with the revelation that Trump was pressuring the government of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who was involved in business dealings with a Ukrainian company.

The push for impeachment is ever greater, as it is another example of collusion with a foreign government, this time Ukraine, while in 2016, it was Russian collusion that helped Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton for the White House.

So an impeachment inquiry was inevitable, with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announcing, finally, an impeachment inquiry this afternoon.

Many say there is no point to impeachment, as there will be no conviction and removal by the two thirds majority needed in the Senate.

But that was not a factor in the Andrew Johnson impeachment, nor the Bill Clinton impeachment, with the case against both Johnson and Clinton very weak, as compared to Richard Nixon, and now Donald Trump.

The point is that in 1974, courageous Republicans let Nixon know they would not support him in an impeachment trial, and he resigned.

This is now what Republicans need to do when an impeachment trial comes to the Senate. The message must be that if you vote to support a lawless President, public outrage will work to defeat you in the next election for your seat, and your reputation in history will be in tatters, as you are endorsing the destruction of the checks and balances and separation of powers that make the American Constitution work.

Republicans’ feet must be held to the fire, and no excuses will be accepted.

So Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Susan Collins, and others who like themselves to be seen as moderate conservatives need to show courage and guts and do the right thing.

And those who cater to Donald Trump, and know better, such as Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, John Thune, and a multitude of others, the wrath visited against all of you will be massive, and you will regret supporting a man who has no ethics, no morals, no scruples, and is out to destroy the Constitution of rule of law.

It is time for a Profile in Courage on a massive scale!

Donald Trump Self Destructing By His Maniacal Statements And Policies: Signs Of A Seriously Mentally Ill And Dangerous President

Ronald 1 Comment

Every day of his Presidency, Donald Trump has demonstrated signs of being a seriously mentally ill and dangerous President.

He is self destructing by his maniacal statements and policies, in a way that no past President has done so consistently.

Yes, Andrew Jackson made statements and took actions that he has been roundly condemned for in history.

Yes, Andrew Johnson was extremely nasty and confrontational and undermined his own Presidency, having long range effects on the office and worsening the racial situation long term in America.

Yes, Richard Nixon was a very dangerous and corrupt President, who abused power and brought upon himself the impeachment process, which led to his resignation.

But none of these three Presidents with major faults ever reached the pinnacle of instability and corruption of Donald Trump.

The difference is that there was a strong political opposition to Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and Richard Nixon, that kept them under a semblance of control and accountability.

But there is no counter reaction by Donald Trump’s Republican Party to hold him in any sense of control, and every day his utterances and his actions endanger both domestic and foreign policy, and his behavior gets regularly worse by the week.

The thought of a second term of President Donald Trump threatens American democracy and international peace, and must be prevented!

What Is Nancy Pelosi Waiting For? The Need For Impeachment For Historical Reasons!

Ronald 8 Comments

The time has come for the impeachment inquiry regarding Donald Trump go move forward.

After the Special Counsel Robert Mueller testimony at the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, there is no reason to wait anymore.

Some might say that Trump will not be convicted by the US Senate, so it is a waste of time.

But even though Trump will not be removed by the Senate, it is important to impeach for historical reasons, to make the record clear for all time that Donald Trump deserves to be impeached.

If Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton could be impeached for far less reasoning, then Donald Trump, with his multitude of sins as President, deserve to be impeached, and have his future obituary highlight the impeachment, as it has for Andrew Johnson and will do so for Bill Clinton in the future.

It is time for Nancy Pelosi to move ahead on impeachment.

New York City Mayors, Other Mayors And The Presidency

Ronald Leave a comment

New York City has had Mayors who have sought the Presidency, but never has a NYC Mayor reached the White House.

With the announcement by present NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio of him becoming number 23 to run for the White House, this is a good time to look back at failed runs for the White House by NYC Mayors, and the history of other Mayors who have run for President.

DeWitt Clinton was the Federalist nominee for President in 1812 against President James Madison, but lost.

John Lindsay switched from the Republican to Democratic Party in 1972, but lost early in the process and withdrew his candidacy by April.

Rudy Giuliani was leading in polls in 2007 as a potential Republican nominee, but flopped badly and withdrew in January 2008.

Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, then an Independent, then a Democrat, considered announcing in 2016 and 2020, but decided not to at the present time, due to Joe Biden entering the race with similar views.

Additionally, a future President ran for Mayor of NYC in 1886 as a Republican, and ended up third, and yet went on to the White House, and that was Theodore Roosevelt.

Additionally, we have former Buffalo, New York Mayor and New York Governor Grover Cleveland who went on to the Presidency in 1884.

Other Mayors who ran for the Presidency include:

Hubert Humphrey of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who went on to the Senate and Vice Presidency, but lost the Presidential election of 1968 to Richard Nixon.

Sam Yorty of Los Angeles, who ran for the Democratic nomination unsuccessfully in 1972.

Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland, Ohio, who also served in Congress, and was a Democratic candidate unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2008.

Martin O’Malley of Baltimore, Maryland, who also served as Maryland Governor, and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

Additionally, two Presidents who succeeded after the death of the incumbent President, had served as Mayors of small cities–Andrew Johnson as Greeneville, Tennessee Mayor; and Calvin Coolidge as Northampton, Massachusetts Mayor, and was successful in winning his own term as President in 1924.

And now, of course, we have four former Mayors running in the Democratic Presidential competition:

Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey

Julian Castro of San Antonio, Texas

John Hickenlooper of Denver, Colorado

Bernie Sanders of Burlington, Vermont

We also have three sitting Mayors now running for the Democratic nomination:

Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana

Bill de Blasio of New York City

Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida

Barack Obama Fortunate For History That He Is Between George W. Bush And Donald Trump In The Order Of Presidents In Office

Ronald Leave a comment

In the long run of history, where a President is in the order of attaining the Presidency really matters.

So, for instance, John Adams is between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and while Adams ranks around the middle in ranking of Presidents by historians and political scientists, he is rated much lower than the two Presidents before and after him, who are in the top ten of any listing.

The same goes for William Howard Taft, who is between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, both of whom are in the top quarter of Presidents, while Taft is rated in the mid 20s.

And the same is true for George H. W. Bush, who is between Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, both of whom are rated higher than Bush, who is rated in the later teens as President.

On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln comes between the two men usually rated the two worst Presidents, James Buchanan before him and Andrew Johnson after him.

And it is now clear that Barack Obama, rated 11th in one poll, 8th in another poll, and 17th in a third poll, all within the two years he has been out of the Presidency, is fortunate to have George W. Bush, rated in the 30s, and Donald Trump rated either at the bottom under Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, or at most just above them, insuring he will, like Lincoln, always be rated much better.

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg: A New Rising Star In The Presidential Race

Ronald Leave a comment

A new rising star in the Democratic Presidential race is South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (pronounced Buddhajudge) who has been the mayor of this mid sized city/ college town since 2012, and has won both four year terms handily with 74 and 80 percent of the vote in his two races.

We have never had a small city mayor elected President directly, and only three Presidents have been mayors, including Andrew Johnson of Greeneville, Tennessee; Grover Cleveland of Buffalo, New York; and Calvin Coolidge of Northampton, Massachusetts, but with Johnson and Coolidge succeeding to the Presidency upon the death of Abraham Lincoln and Warren G. Harding, and none of them in office as mayor for what is now seven years for Buttigieg.

If Buttigieg were to become President, he would be the second Indianan after Benjamin Harrison to become President, but with six Indianans being Vice President (four Republicans and two Democrats)—Schuyler Colfax under Ulysses S. Grant; Charles Fairbanks under Theodore Roosevelt; Dan Quayle under George H. W. Bush; Mike Pence under Donald Trump; Thomas Hendricks under Grover Cleveland, first term; and Thomas Marshall under Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, William English ran with Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock in 1880, and John Kern ran with William Jennings Bryan in 1908.

Also, if Buttigieg were to become President, he would be the first gay President, and also have a husband, who would become First Gentleman, instead of Bill Clinton, who would have had that title if his wife, Hillary Clinton, had won the White House in 2016.

Additionally, he would be, by far, the youngest President at age 39 and one day old on Inauguration Day, 2021, making him about three years and ten and a half months younger than Theodore Roosevelt, and four years and seven and a half months younger than John F. Kennedy.

Buttigieg is impressive as a successful and popular Mayor of South Bend, who has improved the city during his mayoralty; and as a graduate of Harvard University, he went on to be a Rhodes Scholar at Pembroke College of Oxford University in Great Britain. He also served in the US Navy at the rank of Lieutenant, and was a Naval Intelligence Officer who served in the war in Afghanistan, and is still in the Naval Reserve.

Also of note is that Buttigieg won the competition for the “JFK Profiles In Courage Essay Contest” in 2000, writing about the integrity and courage of then Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders, and traveled to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to accept the award from Caroline Kennedy, and met other members of the Kennedy family. Buttigieg had been valedictorian of his high school class, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard University, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature.

Jimmy Carter Becomes Longest Lived President! Hooray! And His Legacy Will Be Remembered In History!

Ronald 1 Comment

President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, became this morning the longest lived President of the United States, surpassing George H. W. Bush, who passed away last November 30 at the age of 94. After 111 more days, Carter is now longer surviving than Bush, who broke the record of Gerald Ford, who broke the record of Ronald Reagan, with all four having reached 93, and Bush and Carter becoming 94 last year.

On October 1, Carter will reach the age of 95, and on October 17, Carter and his beloved wife Rosalynn, will have had a longer marriage than George H. W. and Barbara Bush, with 73 years and about three months duration.

Carter, much vilified, and not appreciated in his time in office, has become much more respected and honored with his longest retired Presidency of 38 years, two months and two days as of today. And his Vice President, Walter Mondale, still survives as well, and they are the longest surviving team in American history, with Mondale past the age of 91, and no other Presidential and Vice Presidential team reaching that age except for Reagan and H. W. Bush.

Carter may have the possibility to reach 100, as he has combated brain cancer for three and a half years, and continued to do good deeds. He is the model of what a President should be like in his conduct in retirement, as well as his basic behavior in office.

He is diametrically opposite of Donald Trump, who is the most horrendous President in his behavior, or at most, ties with Andrew Johnson.

Carter is a truly religious man in his words and actions, while Trump only worships himself, although he has the gall to sign Bibles and appeal to people by literally wrapping himself in the flag at a recent event, taking advantage of the hypocrisy of right wing evangelical Christians who have no issue with his conduct or behavior, while they condemned the moral behavior of Bill Clinton.

Nancy Pelosi Is Wrong On Impeachment, And It Will Likely Occur Anyway, As History Justifies It, Even With Reality That Trump Would Not Be Convicted By US Senate

Ronald 2 Comments

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has come out against moving toward impeachment of Donald Trump, saying it is NOT worth it to do so, unless the evidence is overwhelming, conclusive, and has bipartisan backing.

That was NOT the viewpoint of Republicans in 1868 when they impeached Andrew Johnson, or Republicans in 1999 when they impeached Bill Clinton.

The case against both Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton was weak, and both avoided conviction in the US Senate.

But the case against Donald Trump is very strong, as clearly, he has abused power, obstructed justice, has had the most corrupt administration in American history, and has had more of the people associated with him indicted, convicted, and sentenced than any other President, and after only two years in office, with the first legal actions starting months into his term.

Donald Trump will not be convicted in the US Senate, unless something shocking occurs, which finally moves Republicans to abandon him, as they eventually did in the case of Richard Nixon.

For the record of history, Donald Trump needs to be punished by being impeached, based on the facts, and for his eventual obituary to report that fact in an early paragraph, as it did for Andrew Johnson, and will for Bill Clinton, both impeached on flimsy grounds. And as it is reported on Richard Nixon, that he was impeached by the House Judiciary Committee, and resigned shortly after.