Bernie Sanders

A Multitude Of Qualified Democrats For 2028, As Party Assesses The Future!

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A week after the disturbing defeat of Kamala Harris, causing great distress and dismay among Democrats, including this author and blogger, it is important to learn from the disappointment and plan for the future.

The Democratic Party cannot move toward the center Right, if it means ever to offer a reasonable alternative.

However, that does not mean that it should adopt Bernie Sanders Left Wing type progressivism, which, despite what some say, would never be accepted by voters at large as an alternative in the future.

The party needs to continue to promote mainstream progressivism and liberalism, including labor rights, protection of the environment, and enforcement of basic civil rights for the growing Latino minority, African Americans, Asian Americans, gays and lesbians, and women, along with promotion of more voter education as to the details and effects of government policies.

The idea that Latino males, young people, and white women would think of Donald Trump as the better alternative is shocking, so therefore the need for greater voter education is essential.

And as the Democrats ponder their future, it is blessed with a multitude of qualified Presidential contenders!

This includes the following Governors:

Gavin Newsom, California
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania
Wes Moore, Maryland
Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan
Andy Beshear, Kentucky
J D Pritzker, Illinois
Jared Polis, Colorado
Tim Walz, Minnesota
Josh Stein, North Carolina

Additionally, there are US Senators in the mix, including

Christoper Murphy, Connecticut
Jon Ossoff, Georgia
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Cory Booker, New Jersey

Also, present Transportation Secretary and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is rumored to be planning to run for Michigan Governor, to succeed Gretchen Whitmer, who is term limited from running for reelection in 2026.

To assume that Donald Trump and his party will be able to keep public opinion on his side over the next four years is failing to realize that it is certain there will be a major negative reaction to the agenda that is now being imposed on America by aggressive and extreme Right wing forces!

Democrats must be optimistic and willing to work hard for the future of common decency and empathy as part of American principles!

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

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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!

Best Result For 2024 Would Be Different Candidates For The Presidency

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This author and blogger is a lifetime fan of Joe Biden, and think he has not received enough backing and endorsement, considering the challenges he has faced being President in a very difficult time.

Having said that, this author and blogger really believes the best situation for 2024 would be different candidates for the Presidency than Joe Biden in the Democratic Party, and especially, Donald Trump in the Republican Party.

It is time to move toward younger candidates, not people in their 70s and nearing or reaching their 80s!

So despite a lot of support, the thought of Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, and others for the Democrats born in the 1940s and early 1950s running again for President seems totally unwise! And the same applies to the Republican Party, and such as Mitt Romney!

There are enough candidates in both parties who are younger, and it seems time to move on!

Having stated that, of course, if Joe Biden ends up as the nominee, this author and blogger would support him, but there is a strong feeling of the need for change!

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy Will Retire At End Of 2022, After Serving As Third Longest Serving Senator!

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Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy will retire at the end of his 8th Senate term at the end of 2022, after an amazing 48 years in the upper body of Congress!

He will leave office as the third longest serving US Senator in the 234 years of that historic institution, only behind Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who served 51.5 years, and Democrat Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who served just short of 50 years.

At the moment, he is fourth longest serving, behind Republican Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who served 47 years and a bit more than 5 months, which Leahy will pass in June 2022.

Leahy just passed Democrat Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts in total service in late October 2021.

Leahy is the last member of Congress elected in 1974, and the only sitting Senator to have served while Gerald Ford was President, and also to have served while Jimmy Carter was President.

Leahy is the only Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Vermont, as Bernie Sanders always ran as an Independent. Leahy is easily the longest serving Vermont Senator as well.

Leahy has been, in his long career, Chairman of the Agriculture, Judiciary, and Appropriations Committees, and is President Pro Tempore of the Senate, third in line of Presidential succession.

Leahy also presided over the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in 2021.

Had Leahy chosen to run for an unprecedented 9th term, he would easily have been reelected and in 2026, would have become the longest serving US Senator ever!

Leahy is a premier liberal and progressive throughout his career, and will be nearing the age of 83 when he retires at the beginning of 2023.

Leahy is a great figure in the history of the Senate, and will be missed when he leaves office!

A Need For An Age Limit In Congress!

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The news that Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley at age 88 has announced for an eighth term which would take him to age 95 is a sign of the craziness of members of Congress, having no concept of retirement!

Senator Diane Feinstein of California is also 88, and will serve until past age 91. It has been noted that her short term memory is faltering, and that rumors have it that she yells at staff because she is not fully aware of what she is doing, or what she has been told about regarding her ability to do her job.

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe just won a new term at age 86, and will serve what he calls his last term to 2026, when he will be 92!

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy plans to run again in 2022 when he will be 82, meaning he would be in office until age 88 in 2028.

The other Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders is now 80, and likely would run for reelection in 2024, meaning he would reach age 89 in 2030.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky would be 80 by February 2022, and will be in office until at least 84 plus in 2026.

Idaho Senator Jim Risch, just reelected in 2020, will be past age 83 at the end of 2026.

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, reelected in 2018, will be 81 by 2024.

Independent Senator Angus King of Maine will be 80 by the end of his present term in 2024.

Only Alabama Senator Richard Shelby is retiring in 2022, at age 88 plus, the only Senator deciding it is time to leave.

Additionally, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin will be 82 at the end of his present Senate term in 2026.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, expected to run for another term in 2022, would be nearing age 83 in 2028.

And there are six other Senators who would be 80 or past 80 by 2026, so a theoretical total of 17 Senators will be octogenarians (with two over 90) by that year!

Additionally, there are close to 50 House members who will be past 80 by 2026, and among the ten oldest are the three Democratic House leaders–Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Nancy Pelosi of California, and James Clyburn of South Carolina, all over 80 at this stage!

There needs to be some kind of age limit with a range of 80-85 at the most, but the problem is that Congress would have to enact such legislation or have a constitutional amendment, but it is highly unlikely that will ever occur!

The Reagan Era Is Over, And An Age Of Progressive Reform Is Upon Us!

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One Hundred Days of Joe Biden, and there has been no leaks from the White House, and no scandals in the White House!

What a refreshing time, with competent, experienced, decent people working with the man everyone has underrated!

Joe Biden has surprised progressives, such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and he has shocked Fox News Channel and other right wing media, and the Republican Party, who have no real alternative to what he is doing, so are creating false stories and demonstrating pettiness, as they realize the age of Ronald Reagan is over.

Government is good, not evil, and the Reagan Era demonstrated how much we need MORE federal government, as states governments, overall, are a horror of incompetence, particularly in Republican governed states that are undermining democracy!

The petty attacks on Joe Biden over his age are part of ageism, pure and simple, as it is not only Joe Biden who is in his 70s, but indeed many members of Congress of both parties, and what it comes down to is the sincerity and commitment to the public good of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and other older Democrats, as compared to the mean spiritedness and lack of concern of many Republicans of older age, including Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley.

Is Joe Biden Promoting A New “Progressive Era?” It Sure Seems So!

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There is a growing sentiment that President Joe Biden is promoting a new “Progressive Era”, and he has gained support from former skeptics, including Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and also, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!

On Wednesday night, he will speak to a joint session of Congress, the equivalent of a State of the Union Address, although that does not occur in the first months of a Presidency, for no clear reason.

Joe Biden has had a great start, and has promoted activist government on a level not seen since Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

And his popularity and support among the American people is high after almost one hundred days in office.

Whether this can be sustained over the long haul is of course the big mystery!

Joe Manchin And Bernie Sanders: Polar Opposites Complicating The Ability For Legislation

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The Democratic Party is a “wide tent” party, unlike the Republicans, but being a “wide tent” creates its own issues, particularly when we have a 50-50 Senate.

On the Left we have Bernie Sanders, who is really a Socialist more than a Democrat, and does not work well with others.

Any thought that Sanders might have been President would have been a nightmare, as he does not understand Compromise.

But then, on the Right, we have Joe Manchin, who is a Democrat, but more like a Republican, and makes life difficult for Democrats, but the alternative if he joined the Republican Party or was defeated by a Republican in West Virginia, would be worse.

So Joe Biden has to do a balancing act to gain the backing of both Sanders and Manchin, and that is extremely difficult, but important, in order to accomplish the goals of his Presidency!

Happy Birthday, President Elect Biden! A True Hero Of Courage, Principle, Decency, Sincerity As You Face The Greatest Crisis Since Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Today is the 78th Birthday of President Elect Joe Biden, a true hero of courage, principle, decency and sincerity.

Joe Biden needs all of our prayers as he faces the most difficult transition and multiple crises since Franklin D. Roosevelt 88 years ago.

With President Donald Trump refusing to concede and promote the transition, the nation is in a crisis far worse than after FDR defeated Herbert Hoover in 1932.

Those two Presidents did not get along, but even Hoover conceded while being bitter over his defeat. But Trump is preventing the General Services Administration head Emily Murphy from authorizing the release of funds and access to secret intelligence information that the President Elect needs to move forward as the inauguration takes place exactly two months from today, 61 days of stress and tension that should not be occurring.

Joe Biden is handling this mess very well, and is to be commended, and he is proving every day how stable he is mentally despite all of the critics who claim he shows signs of dementia, pure propaganda!

What is true is that the nastiness of Republicans of the same age bracket demonstrates how they, not Joe Biden, have signs of dementia, and this author and blogger is referring to Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and Mitch McConnell in the forefront!

Their hatred and bigotry shows through, while Democrats who are in the same age bracket show total signs of capacity and decency just as much as Joe Biden, and this author and blogger is referring to such people as Nancy Pelosi, James Clyburn, Steny Hoyer, Bernie Sanders, and John Kerry!

“Socialism” And “Defund The Police” Killed Democratic House Numbers, Endangering Majority In 2022

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The Democratic Party needs to realize that if it goes too far to the Left, it will doom President Joe Biden’s efforts for success!

Unfortunately, the Congressional Elections of 2020 demonstrated that the nation is still very split on what is desirable to accomplish, as the Republican opposition and Donald Trump utilized fear of the word “Socialism”, as if Joe Biden and the Democrats are equivalent of Communist leaders in Cuba, China, the Russian Federation, and other left wing regimes, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua!

This shows total ignorance of the term “Socialism”, and the reality that America is a mixed Capitalist-Socialist nation, with the Socialist party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas in the first half of the 20th century contributing many ideas, which over time, were part of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, and many other progressive reform since then.

But it is clear that had Bernie Sanders somehow been the Democratic nominee for President, he would NOT have been able to win, as only a moderate centrist with a tip to the Left, as Joe Biden has been his whole life, could possibly have won back the Midwest states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, along with the Sun Belt states of Georgia and Arizona, and not lose any of the 20 states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Also, while there have been too many outrageous examples of police abuse and brutality, and particularly against African American males and Latino males, and really even females, the answer is police reform and accountability, not “Defund the Police”, as they are still essential.

Sadly, the Senate only saw two Democrats elected (Mark Kelly, John Hickenlooper), while one (Doug Jones) was defeated, gaining only one seat, to 48, although Georgia creates an opportunity in its runoff election for the chance to have a 50-50 Senate, that Vice President Kamala Harris could organize as a Democratic Senate, with Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader, instead of the horrible Mitch McConnell.

But there is danger of the House of Representatives, in a midterm election, going back to the Republicans, since they have gained at least 5-7 seats in the 117th Congress, and with the reality, that the party in the White House usually loses seats in the following midterm election.

The Senate will have, again, twice as many Republican seats up for election in 2022, but this scenario did not work out in 2020, so no assurance there either of retaining or gaining a Democratic Senate majority, which is so urgent to make Joe Biden a successful President!