Barack Obama

Murder Of United Health Care Insurance Executive Screams For Total National Health Care By Government!

The sad, tragic murder of a United Health Care executive by a disgruntled young man is a cry in the night for massive reform of health care insurance.

Unfortunately, the health care industry, being so profit driven, does not do well by millions upon millions of consumers.

The Republican Party and Donald Trump are so oriented toward “unbridled capitalism” that they will not take action.

The Democrats, who were the party that promoted Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and similar legislation, are instead, constantly attacked, as Republicans and conservatives continue to wish to destroy the great accomplishments of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barack Obama.

The argument that the United States is “better” than most European countries and Japan on health care is a massive lie, but all that needs to be said is that the nation does not want “socialism”, even though it works, and there is a more humane system in many industrial nations around the world.

The profit motive should not be the dominant factor it is in deciding who gets health care, and how they receive it!

Democratic Party Positives In 2024 Elections

The Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2024 produced some significant positives for the Democratic Party, despite Donald Trump’s close victory for the Presidency, and gaining of 53 seats in the US Senate and about the same tiny margin in the US House of Representatives that the Republicans already had.

Trump’s margin of victory was smaller than that of Joe Biden or Barack Obama, and Trump’s victory was less impressive than any election since the late 19th century Gilded Age. He was NOT anywhere near the landslides of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972 or Ronald Reagan in 1984, but Trump is trying to claim otherwise.

Also, each of these landslide victories led to a loss of seats in the following midterm elections for the President’s party, so there is hope for the future of the Democratic Party in 2026 and 2028.

Also, Democrats were able to retain control of Senate seats in four “swing” states that Trump won–Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin, while losing the Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

North Carolina, despite going to Trump, elected an entire Democratic state government team, including Josh Stein, who is Jewish, as Governor.

Also, Matt Meyer, who is Jewish, was elected Governor of Delaware.

And despite attacks by Republicans on “diversity”, the Democrats were able to win or hold Senate seats with other than white straight Christians, as witness the following:

Arizona–Ruben Gallego–Hispanic male–elected to open Senate seat

Nevada–Jacky Rosen, Jewish female, reelected

Michigan–Elissa Slotkin, Jewish female, elected to open Senate seat

California–Adam Schiff, Jewish male, elected to open Senate seat

Wisconsin–Tammy Baldwin, Lesbian, reelected

New Jersey–Andy Kim–Korean American male–elected to open Senate seat

Delaware–Lisa Blunt Rochester–African American female–elected to open Senate seat

Maryland–Angela Alsobrooks–African American female–elected to open Senate seat

Democrats Have Cleaned Up Republican Economic Messes Since 1953!

It is amazing how Republicans have lied incessantly for the past 70 years about the economy under Democratic Presidents, when it is such Democratic Presidents who have revived the economy after Republican Presidents managed to preside over economic recessions.

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson presided over economic prosperity in the 1960s, after three recessions under Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Jimmy Carter presided over an economic recovery from the Recession of 1974-1975 under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, but sadly had to deal with another short lived, six months, recession in 1980, which was one of the factors, but not the most important, in his defeat, as the only Democratic President who had an economic decline since 1953.

Bill Clinton presided over an economic recovery from the recession under George H. W. Bush in the early 1990s, having a long period of economic prosperity.

Barack Obama presided over a long economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2008-2009 under George W. Bush, over 75 months from 2010-2017.

Joe Biden presided over revival of the American economy, from a great economic recession in office in 2020 under Donald Trump, a time of dramatic economic loss due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

While there were moments of high inflation under Joe Biden due to the aftermath of the Pandemic, as with all Democratic Presidents, there was job growth, with most jobs created under them, and the percentage under Republican Presidents being very few under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the Bushes, and a massive job loss under Donald Trump.

These are economic facts, no matter what Donald Trump and Republicans claim to be the truth!

Kamala Harris Has Much Republican Support, While Trump Has RFK Jr. And Tulsi Gabbard!

Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has much Republican support from those who have served under Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and even Donald Trump, along with those who were involved in the John McCain and Mitt Romney Presidential campaigns.

Also, many former Republican Senators and Representatives have endorsed Harris, but sadly the vast majority of present office holders in Congress, and sitting Republican governors, have been unwilling to abandon Donald Trump.

At the same time, if one looks for Democrats who are supporting Donald Trump, the list is very short, including:

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who ran for President as an Independent, and then withdrew and endorsed Trump.

Tulsi Gabbard, former Hawaii Congresswoman who was a contender in Democratic Presidential primaries in 2020.

Rod Blagojevich, former Illinois Governor who served time in prison for trying to “sell” the appointment of a US Senator to replace Barack Obama, when he became President. Donald Trump pardoned him after he had served eight years in prison.

Peter Deutsch, former South Florida Congressman, but out of office for the past 20 years.

Kamala Harris Being Judged Differently Due To Race And Gender

This entry is being revised from the original entry, which accidentally was deleted by the author, for which I apologize. I will be brief in summarizing my ideas on this entry with the same title, and anyone who had commented on the original entry, I would ask to submit a similar comment, and again, my apologies for the blunder, which has never happened before today, and will not happen again!

John F. Kennedy (Catholic); Barack Obama (African American); and Hillary Clinton (female), all faced discrimination and bias due to their uniqueness as Presidential candidates in 1960, 2008, and 2016, respectively.

In the first two cases, the issue of Catholicism and of race were overcome, while Clinton, although winning the popular vote by 2.85 million, was unable to win the Electoral College.

Now, Kamala Harris who is the second woman to seek the Presidency and has Asian Indian and African-Jamaican heritage, is facing critics who are claiming she is unqualified on intelligence and on abilities and knowledge, to occupy the Oval Office.

Harris has had more government experience than most Presidents, more than all Presidents since 1900, except for Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Joe Biden.

Harris is also much more intelligent than some Presidents, including Warren G. Harding, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump since 1900; and also more qualified to be President than some Vice Presidents who succeeded to the Oval Office, including Andrew Johnson and Calvin Coolidge.

So the negativism around Harris in some circles should be seen as not worthy of being considered, and hopefully, she will break the barrier as the first woman President in American history!

One Month To Election Day: Are Polls To Be Believed?

With one month until Election Day, polls indicate Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has a slight edge over Donald Trump, but all the seven “Battleground” or “Swing” states are within the margin of error, so anything can happen in the next month to tip the result.

Allan Lichtman of American University has predicted Harris will defeat Trump, but no one can consider any prediction to be certain. Lichtman says the concept of an “October Surprise” is overrated as a factor, but certainly one cannot predict events that could sway voters who have not yet made up their minds.

So Harris is gaining the campaigning support of Barack Obama in particular, but also a host of other public celebrities, plus the support of hundreds of Republicans who worked under Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and even in the Donald Trump Presidency, along with those who worked for John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Harris Has Promoted Idea Of Prominent Republican For Her Cabinet If She Wins Presidency

Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris stated in her joint CNN interview with Tim Walz last week that she intended to select a prominent Republican to be part of her Cabinet if she is elected President.

As this author and blogger indicated a couple of days ago, this has been a common trend in Presidents, with every President since the 1960s doing so.

The most common decision has been for Democratic Presidents to select Republicans to be Secretary of Defense, as national security is a prime issue at all times.

So John F. Kennedy selected Robert McNamara; Bill Clinton picked William Cohen; and Barack Obama chose Robert Gates and then Chuck Hagel–all to be Secretary of Defense.

So therefore, it would seem appropriate for Kamala Harris to select Adam Kinzinger to be her Secretary of Defense if she enters the Oval Office!

Having Opposition Party In A President’s Administration A Tradition!

It is quite common for a President of one party to select a leading figure of the other party to be part of his Administration.

The number of examples abound, as follows:

John F. Kennedy appointed Republicans including:

Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense
C. Douglas Dillon as Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to South Vietnam

Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Republicans including:

John W. Gardner as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to West Germany

Richard Nixon appointed Democrats including:

Sargent Shriver as Ambassador to France
John Connally as Secretary of the Treasury

Gerald Ford appointed Democrats including:

Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Ambassador to the United Nations

Jimmy Carter appointed Republicans including:

James Schlesinger as Secretary of Energy
William H. Webster as Director of the FBI

Ronald Reagan appointed Democrats including:

Mike Mansfield as Ambassador to Japan
Jeane Kirkpatrick as Ambassador to the United Nations
William Bennett as Secretary of Education

George H W Bush appointed Democrats including:

Robert Strauss as Ambassador to the Soviet Union/Russia

Bill Clinton appointed Republicans including:

William Cohen as Secretary of Defense

George W. Bush appointed Democrats including:

Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation

Barack Obama appointed Republicans including:

Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense
Jon Huntsman Jr. as Ambassador to China
Robert Mueller as Director of the FBI
Ray Lahood as Secretary of Transportation
Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Donald Trump appointed Democrats including:

Gary Cohn as Director of the National Economic Council

Joe Biden appointed Republicans, including:

Christopher Wray as Director of the FBI
Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Jeff Flake as Ambassador to Turkey
Meg Whitman as Ambassador to Kenya

If Kamala Harris Wins Presidency, She Would Be 16th Vice President To Become President!

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the Presidency in November 2024, she would become the 16th Vice President to succeed to the Presidency.

There have been 49 Vice Presidents, so only about 30 percent have made it to the White House.

Four, before Harris, have made it by election (Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren, H W Bush); eight by death of the President; one by resignation (Ford); and two winning the Presidency later than the next term (Nixon and Biden)

The list includes:

John Adams after George Washington 1797–Election
Thomas Jefferson after John Adams 1801–Election
Martin Van Buren after Andrew Jackson 1837–Election
John Tyler after William Henry Harrison 1841–Death
Millard Fillmore after Zachary Taylor 1850–Death
Andrew Johnson after Abraham Lincoln 1865–Death
Chester Alan Arthur after James Garfield 1881–Death
Theodore Roosevelt after William McKinley 1901–Death
Calvin Coolidge after Warren G. Harding 1923–Death
Harry Truman after Franklin D. Roosevelt 1945–Death
Lyndon B. Johnson after John F. Kennedy 1963–Death
Richard Nixon 8 years after Dwight D. Eisenhower 1969
Gerald Ford after Richard Nixon 1974–Resignation
George H. W. Bush after Ronald Reagan 1989–Election
Joe Biden 4 years after Barack Obama 2021

The Obamas Stir And Motivate Democrats For The Upcoming Presidential Campaign!

On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Barack and Michelle Obama gave rousing speeches, stirring and motivating Democrats for the upcoming 11 week battle until Election Day 2024.

The Obamas are, without doubt, the most popular and stirring Presidential couple in modern times, and they speak with authenticity and passion of the reality of the threat of Donald Trump and his minions on the future of the nation, if he is returned to the Presidency.

Both made a strong case for Kamala Harria and Tim Walz.

Additionally, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who may end up as First Gentleman, gave a heart warming personal speech about his wife.

And Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also gave his typical rousing speech, amazing when one considers that he is about to turn 83 next month.

Additionally, Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, who will turn 100 years of age on October 1, spoke about his grandfather’s excitement to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Also, Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, gave a speech in support, at the same time that his uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undermining the Democrats, by his consorting with Donald Trump, including the possibility of supporting him, due to his own flailing third party campaign

There is an electricity in the convention, a sense that the Democrats are, hopefully, on the way to victory in November, but much work is ahead, as it is likely that the election will be very close in the “swing states”, as they were in 2016 and 2020!