George HW Bush

Total Ignorance About American History: Michele Bachmann, Pat Buchanan And Other Republicans! :(

Ronald 2 Comments

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is demonstrating her total ignorance of American history and the history of her Republican party, based on the text of her speech to be delivered tonight after President Obama’s State of the Union Address!

She says slavery was ended by the Founding Fathers, showing she is unaware of the role of her Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War in ending slavery. She is, as always, demonstrating her total lack of knowledge of the American past and the American Constitution, joining many other Republicans, including Sarah Palin, in this regard! 🙁

But now, Pat Buchanan, former challenger for the Presidency against George HW Bush in 1992, and running for President as a third party party candidate in 2000, has also demonstrated his lack of knowledge, by asserting there were more slaves in the Union states that had slaves (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri) than in any of the Confederate States that broke away from the Union! He also said incorrectly that George Washington freed his slaves after his wife died, but the reality is that his wife outlived him by over two years! 🙁

The ignorance and lack of knowledge of these and other Republican leaders is shocking and reprehensible! 🙁

The Founding Fathers (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin) and the statesmen of the pre Civil War era (Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas, William Seward, Charles Sumner, Abraham Lincoln) would be shocked and mortified if they came back today and witnessed the TOTAL STUPIDITY AND IGNORANCE of many GOP leaders, and Republicans of the Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower era would also be ashamed of what their party has become: a party without legitimacy, ethics, character, and morality! 🙁

20th Anniversary Of The Gulf War And Operation Desert Storm!

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It is hard to believe, but it is now 20 years since Operation Desert Storm, the six week Gulf War of the United Nations, President George HW Bush, and General Norman Schwarzkopf, dislodging Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

The war was justified, and thankfully, caused few casualties, with 148 deaths and 467 wounded, and about half a million Americans serving in the war, but many other nations participating as well.

This period of the first Bush Administration was a shining moment of leadership, and Bush rightfully has been commended for his courage and principle at this moment of history.

Since the war had limited purposes, criticism that Bush should have had US troops go to Baghdad is unfounded, but conservatives attacked him for keeping to the UN resolution, which Bush believed was inviolable.

Certainly, in the long run of history, George HW Bush will be best remembered for this moment, and plaudits go out to Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, and imagine this, even Dick Cheney, all of whom handled their responsibilities with perfection!

So this is a time to celebrate that war and thank those who sacrificed for America and the world at that point of history!

Another Potential GOP Presidential Candidate: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Of Minnesota, An Absurd Candidate! :(

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As the new year has begun, we are getting more hints or rumors of possible Republican Presidential candidates for the 2012 election.

First, we added former Utah Governor and present Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman to the list of possibilities, arguably one of the better people on the long list.

Jeb Bush’s name has come up again, although he denies any interest, at least for 2012, but leaving open the possibility for 2016, which would be when Barack Obama would no longer be running for the position. It would also be precisely eight years after his brother’s term ended, while George W. ran exactly eight years after his father’s term was completed. This actually makes a lot of sense, as bad memories of George W. would be gone by then, and Jeb might have an advantage at that time, if his party failed to win the White House in 2012.

But now, an absurd and scary candidate is hinting at her interest in running, and the author is not referring to Sarah Palin!

Rather, it is the extremely controversial Congresswoman from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann, who has made a name for herself by her extreme right wing ideas and loony statements in the four years she has served in the House of Representatives. Now she is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, by choice of Speaker of the House John Boehner, and has announced she will be going to Iowa to speak to various GOP groups in the first Presidential caucus state.

Compared to Sarah Palin, she actually has advantages, including a law degree, four years and counting of congressional experience, a lot of press coverage already (although much of it negative in tone), and a very attractive personal presence. She certainly makes Sarah Palin look less appealing by comparison, but still she is a very scary proposition. The thought that such an extremist, who has no problem with distortion and manipulation of the truth on anything, could actually be the Republican nominee for the Presidency of the United States, is enough to give one nightmares! 🙁

So much of the potential list for President on the Republican side is so horrific, that it certainly makes people such as Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and even Jeb Bush look far better by comparison!

What If The Republicans Had Won The Presidency And Control Of Both Houses Of Congress In 2008? :(

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Let’s just imagine for a moment that the Republican Party had won back both houses of Congress in 2008, and that John McCain and Sarah Palin had become President and Vice President on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009.

How would the United States be different?

1. There would be no movement toward health care coverage for more than 30 million Americans.
2. Credit Card reform would not have occurred.
3. Student Loan reform would not have become law.
4. Wall Street reform would not have been passed in any form.
5. The domestic auto industry would be gone, except for Ford Motor Company, causing miilions of job losses, both direct and indirect.
6. Unemployment would be closer to 17 percent, instead of 9.8 percent, as there would not have been any economic stimulus.
7. Two Supreme Court nominees, much more like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, would be sitting on the bench.
8. Major Food Safety legislation would not have become law.
9. The end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” for gays in the military would not have happened.
10. John McCain would have been hostile and antagonistic toward the news media to a greater extent than even Richard Nixon, displaying his anger and fury on a regular basis.
11. Sarah Palin would have made so many errors in statements and actions that people would have longed for the days of Dan Quayle as Vice President.
12. There would be growing concern about the possibility of Sarah Palin as President, were John McCain to have a health crisis, reminding many of the fear of Dan Quayle when George H W Bush had a health crisis in office.
13. Relations with the rest of the world would be far more confrontational, nationalistic, and belligerent.
14. Open war with Iran and Pakistan, adding to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, would have been likely.

There are other scenarios to imagine and to discuss, but is not the above enough to make one want to wake up from this NIGHTMARE? 🙁

The Roberts Supreme Court: Back To The Gilded Age And The 1920s! :(

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New evidence is now available indicating that the Supreme Court headed by John Roberts, the 17th Chief Justice, since 2005, has become the most pro business Supreme Court since the 1920s and the earlier Gilded Age, both periods in which corporations were given license to run amuck over small business, labor, and consumers in their mad dash for maximum profits and exploitation! 🙁

The Citizens United case in January, allowing unlimited corporate contributions in political campaigns, upending a century of regulatory laws on that subject, is just the most obvious case.

But with a five member majority, with two appointments by Ronald Reagan, one by father George H W Bush and two by son George W. Bush, the Supreme Court now has demonstrated that 61 percent of the time, they favor big business, as compared to 46 percent in the last five years under Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and 42 percent in all the years since Earl Warren became Chief Justice in 1953.

The Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have been able to get a sympathetic ear from the Supreme Court in greater percentages as the years go by, and this is another troubling piece of evidence, shown by many legal scholarly analyses, that the concept of “an equal day in court” for everyone is really a myth! 🙁

What is emerging is the disturbing reality of a growing oligarchy which wins the day in the courts and in the Congress so often that the idea of a “land of opportunity” and the “American dream” is more than ever, for almost everyone, except a small elite, a total distortion of reality! 🙁

Vice President Joe Biden On Way To Becoming Most Influential Vice Presidency In History! :)

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The Vice Presidency has been growing in authority and influence since the days of Richard Nixon in that office, the first Vice President to have a great impact on a Presidency.

After Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George H W Bush, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney added to the office in so many ways.

But it looks likely now that Joe Biden may eventually be seen as the most influential and powerful Vice President, even surpassing the role of Dick Cheney under President George W. Bush.

Originally a rival of Barack Obama for the Presidency, Biden is rapidly becoming more significant, particularly now that the Congress will be divided for the first time since 1987.

Biden, with his contacts on Capitol Hill, and good relations with members and leaders of both political parties, is the perfect person to negotiate for the administration, and comes across as a more “affable fellow” than Rahm Emanuel was, or really, any other person around President Obama.

Biden has been involved in the negotiations over the tax package, and also is working hard on the START Treaty that is soon coming up for a vote, and requires GOP support to pass with a two thirds vote.

Biden and Obama have truly bonded over time, and while Biden might not win every battle, as with Afghanistan policy, who can say that Obama will not eventually go Biden’s direction and lower our involvement in that forsaken nation?

Biden is totally loyal to Obama and a great team player, and he is proving to be a tremendous asset in so many ways.

And his big plus is everyone likes Joe, while many detested Dick Cheney.

Personality can get one far in politics, and Joe Biden has always been a “nice guy” who can get things done, and proves that it is not always true that “nice guys finish last”.

Speculation About A Primary Challenge To Barack Obama: Would Such A Move Be Worthwhile?

Ronald 1 Comment

Discontent with President Obama has been growing among principled liberals and progressives who do not wish for the President to accept compromises with the opposition Republicans.

It is understandable that there can be outrage and upset, but when the question arises that someone might challenge Obama in the 2012 Democratic Presidential primaries, one has to wonder whether that would indeed be a smart move, and who would mount such a challenge!

It seems to the author of this blog that challenging Obama would be extremely unwise, as it would weaken the President and give the GOP extra ammunition after he won the nomination over his critic. History tells us that when a sitting President is challenged for renomination, he invariably wins the nomination, but is so weakened that he loses to the opposition party’s Presidential nominee in the Fall campaign! This happened to William Howard Taft after Theodore Roosevelt challenged him, and the same with Gerald Ford after Ronald Reagan opposed him, Jimmy Carter after Ted Kennedy and Jerry Brown ran against him, and George HW Bush after Pat Buchanan competed against him!

As far as who would challenge Obama, there are not many choices, as there are fewer Democratic Senators and Governors, although a defeated office holder would have the freedom to run without a commitment to a political job!

It seems to the author that defeated Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin would probably be the strongest possible choice, as he is a great progressive voice, but his loss of his Senate seat would mark him as a loser in many people’s minds!

Trying to figure who else has the following and reputation to consider a serious challenge is a major undertaking, with no likelihood of a worthwhile, serious alternative!

Therefore, despite disillusionment with Barack Obama, the only real choice for Democrats, progressives and liberals is to fight to push Obama in their direction, but also to realize that a Republican victory in 2012 would be far worse than a “moderate, centrist” President that Barack Obama may represent by the time of the election in 2012!

Disillusionment About Barack Obama: Is He Destined To Be Jimmy Carter? :(

Ronald 2 Comments

The decision of President Obama to make a deal with the Republicans, keeping the tax cuts for all, including millionaires and billionaires for two years, but also gaining an extension of unemployment compensation for 13 months, and gaining a few other tax breaks for working Americans, has enraged many liberals and progressives. They are sorely disappointed that Obama appears to them to be weak, spineless, too willing to compromise and apologize, too wimpy, and too willing to cave in to opposition demands! 🙁

There is a growing belief that some progressive will challenge Obama for the 2012 Democratic Presidential nomination, an action which would weaken the President and his party. While the odds would be that he would win the nomination, the likelihood of defeat in the election would be enhanced, as that scenario led to defeat of Presidents William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George HW Bush! 🙁

There is great disillusionment developing, and many wonder if Obama is destined to be another Jimmy Carter, ineffective much of the time and weakened greatly by inter party opposition within the Democratic Party!

Time For Barack Obama To Stop Being A Nice Guy!

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President Barack Obama has proved to be a “nice guy” in office, and people across the nation tend to like him personally!

However, as the saying of the former baseball manager Leo Durocher was used, “nice guys finish last!”

It is time for Barack Obama to stop being a “nice guy”, and start being an aggressive leader, play “hardball” with the opposition, and appeal to the country in the manner that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman utilized in their campaigns!

He needs to attack the Republican party over the next two years for their refusal to cooperate! He needs to give them hell, as Truman did in his 1948 election campaign! He needs to attack wealthy interests who have no concern for the American people, as FDR did in 1936!

Obama must show some “cajones”, and show the people of this nation that he has guts and courage as Truman and FDR had!

Obama made a major mistake in apologizing for failing to work with the Republicans the past two years! 🙁

There is NOTHING to apologize for, as he gained a mandate in his election, and should instead have condemned the GOP leadership and demanded an apology from THEM, which of course would NOT be forthcoming! 🙁

There is concern among liberals and progressives, and a lot of disappointment too, and Obama might very well be threatened with a challenge from the left, if he does not start to assert himself in a more aggressive fashion! Such a challenge would be tragic, and would certainly insure a re-election defeat, as for instance happened to William Howard Taft in 1912, Gerald Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and George H. W. Bush in 1992!

So, Mr. President, show guts, courage and conviction, fight for the American people and what is right and moral, give the GOP hell, and then the American people will come to your defense and “throw the rascals out!”

Interesting Statistic: Obama Has Pardoned Four Turkeys, But No Human Beings Yet After 22 Months In Office!

Ronald 1 Comment

A very interesting statistic has been uncovered: President Obama has yet to pardon any human being, although he has pardoned four turkeys over two Thanksgiving holidays!

This is a bit odd, and it makes one wonder why there have been no pardons, one of the great powers a President possesses!

The question is why President Obama has not used the pardon power, with some wondering if it is because giving pardons so often is a political issue, causing new controversies for a President, making one think that giving pardons at the end of a President’s time in office may often be the best strategy, since it cannot affect the President’s agenda as he finishes his term!

But yet, other Presidents have used the pardon power extensively all through the time they are in office!

The records show the following since World War II:

Harry Truman 1913
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1110
John F. Kennedy 472
Lyndon B. Johnson 960
Richard M. Nixon 863
Gerald Ford 382
Jimmy Carter 534
Ronald Reagan 393
George H W Bush 74
Bill Clinton 396
George W Bush 189

It is interesting how the number of pardons has declined rapidly since the high point under Truman and Eisenhower, and the two Bushes together granted very few pardons, particularly the senior Bush!

According to records, a total of 1,140 pardon petitions have been received under the Obama Administration, with 247 closed without action!

Other information makes it clear that 71 requests for pardons were denied just in the last month!

It will be of great interest to see how long Obama goes without granting pardons, and how many eventually will be given over his time in the White House!