Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania

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!

Pennsylvania Gains More Campaign Events, Crucial To Harris Victory!

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Pennsylvania, the Keystone State, is gaining more campaign events and attention than any other “Swing” or “Battleground” state.

That is because Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral votes, offers more than any other of those states.

The indication is that Pennsylvania is likely to go to Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, but there is growing trepidation about that matter.

If, by some chance, Harris does not win Pennsylvania on November 5, there will be plenty of “Monday Morning Quarterbacking”, that will say that the fatal mistake was Harris passing by extremely popular and charismatic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her Vice Presidential running mate.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is inspiring and has done an excellent job, but the fear of failure is still omnipresent!

Should Kamala Harris Go “Radical”, Or Stay Safe In VP Selection?

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With the controversial JD Vance making waves in a negative way, and undermining Donald Trump, the question arises, with about a week until the decision on the Vice Presidential nominee for Kamala Harris, whether Harris should go “radical”, or stay safe in her selection.

If Harris were to choose to go “radical”, then Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan or Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, will be selected, as choosing a woman or a gay male would be seen as “radical”.

A less “radical choice” would be Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, or JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, as both are Jewish, and already with a potential Jewish First Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.

If Harris chooses to go traditionally, then the choice would be among Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina; Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky; Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota; or Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona.

There is also the issue of age, as Kelly, Walz, and Cooper are older than Harris, and Pritzker is only months younger, while Buttigieg, Beshear, Shapiro, and Whitmer are much younger, so any of them could be Presidential material after serving as VP under Harris.

Kamala Harris Begins Her Presidential Campaign Against Evil Of Donald Trump And JD Vance

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It is a bit more than 24 hours since Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race, but already his Vice President, Kamala Harris, is gaining widespread support for the nomination, and there has been a great surge in campaign contributions of nearly $81 million in one day!

Harris seems highly likely to have no real competition for the nomination a month from now, so the question of who should be her running mate will be most important.

There are a wealth of possible alternatives, with six candidates discussed by this author and blogger two days ago.

At this moment, speculation is centering around Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, but with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear also being mentioned.

One thing for sure: A younger, new generation of leadership is challenging the opponent, Donald Trump, who is elderly, clearly mentally deranged in his statements, including nastiness toward Joe Biden, rather than grace as he leaves the fray.

His running mate, JD Vance, is a threat to the nation long term with his connection to Project 2025, which would destroy American democracy and the rule of law!

So the battle has begun for the future of the nation, and it cannot afford to be lost, anymore than the case with Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940!

Potential Vice Presidential Nominees With Kamala Harris If She Replaces Joe Biden

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Discussion has begun of potential Vice Presidential nominees who would join Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic Party ticket, if President Joe Biden decided to withdraw from the race, which seems more likely by the day.

Speculation has that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer might make for a “dynamite” ticket with Harris, making it an all female competition against two Republicans, Donald Trump and JD Vance, who could clearly be called male chauvinists at the least.

What an exciting race that would be, but the question is whether it would be a winning race. Whitmer, being from Michigan, a crucial swing state, could be a dynamic addition to the race, but it would seem a major gamble to have an all female ticket.

Other possibilities of running mates for Harris include:

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly

Shapiro is Jewish, while Buttigieg is gay, either being a step forward on those factors. Shapiro is also from a “swing state” and Buttigieg now lives in Michigan, a “swing state” after earlier being Mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Beshear and Cooper have been successful as Governors in Republican states, and North Carolina could be in play in the upcoming election.

Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords, was a victim of an assassination attempt in 2011 when a member of Congress and has recovered quite well, is a former astronaut and from another “swing state”.

The potential Vice Presidential list is very impressive, and any of the list of six individuals would add to a ticket headed by Harris! All are younger than Harris, except Kelly who is eight months older than Harris, and Cooper who is nearly seven years older at age 67.

Who Could Be Running Mate For Kamala Harris?

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If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for President in 2024, a heavy favorite to replace him would be Vice President Kamala Harris, although other Democrats might decide to contest her nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

If Harris is the Presidential nominee, the question is who would be a good choice for Vice President?

It would seem to this author and blogger that either a “swing state” Governor or someone who has proved ability to win office in a “Red” state would make the most sense.

So this author and blogger proposes one of the following two individuals:

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, age 51

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, age 46

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state with 19 electoral votes, and Shapiro, who is Jewish, has had years of state experience as Attorney General of his state before being elected Governor by a solid margin, and is very popular, and seen as a future Presidential contender.

Kentucky is a “Red” state, but Beshear has been able to win the Governorship twice, and is highly popular, and could, in theory, put Kentucky’s 8 electoral votes in play, which would be a welcome potential addition to the Electoral College total for the Democrats.

Kamala Harris Would Be Favored, If Joe Biden Decided To Withdraw: So What?

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If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as a candidate, after the disastrous CNN Presidential debate five days ago, it is clear that Vice President Kamala Harris would be favored to be the Democratic Presidential nominee against Donald Trump.

So what is this author’s and blogger’s response, as Harris is perfectly capable of being President, and arguably more so than a number of recent Vice Presidents or Vice Presidential candidates.

Would any rational observer say that Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, or Mike Pence were better qualified, or that Dick Cheney, with his authoritarian qualities, would have been a preferable choice? And what about Sarah Palin, who was a potential threat to be Vice President?

Most of the opposition from the right wing about Harris is based on her gender and race, as she proved to be perfectly qualified as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and California US Senator.

While there would be those who would prefer alternatives, Harris is a hearbeat away from the Presidency already for three and a half years, and is perfectly capable of being President, and doing a good job of upholding the Constitution, American democracy, and the rule of law, and certainly far better than Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump!

Harris would unify African American women, racial minorities in general, and white progressives and moderates who would see Donald Trump as “a clear and present danger”. She would perform very well against Trump in a debate format, as well.

Her Vice Presidential running mate could be Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who has proved he could win a “Red” State more than once; or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, leader of a crucial “swing state”.

Time For Reality: Joe Biden MUST Step Aside, And “Swing State” Governors Are Best Combination To Stop Trump! :(

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This author and blogger is shell shocked from the disastrous performance of Joe Biden last evening in his debate with Donald Trump.

Biden was clearly not well physically, having a cold and a raspy voice, but also, mentally, not “with it”, and sadly, as much as I have “loved” Biden and have been proud of him and his record, it is time for him to announce that he will not run for President.

However, the best alternative is NOT a Californian, such as Vice President Kamala Harris or California Governor Gavin Newsom, but rather two young “swing state” Governors!

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (age 51) and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (age 53) is a perfect combination that can rally all Democratic groups of voters, and attract independents and sane Republicans who do not want Donald Trump back in the White House!

Much more analysis and discussion will occur, but the Democratic National Convention should unite around Shapiro and Whitmer as the best combination to defeat Donald Trump and his authoritarian Fascist threat to American democracy and rule of law!

Governorship Term Limits Likely To Affect Future Presidential Campaigns

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The American Presidency was limited in allowable terms of office by the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution in 1951, after passage by Congress in 1947, two years after Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected to a fourth term in the White House, died 82 days into that fourth term.

So even popular Presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s, Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, and Barack Obama in the 2010s, could not have returned to the Presidency at any point after their two terms in office.

The issue of term limits also affects state governorships, as 23 states limit governors to two terms maximum consecutive terms. Three other states allow a return after one four year term away from the governorship, and one allows a return after two four year terms away from the governorship. And nine states have a lifetime limit of two terms.

So a total of 36 states limit gubernatorial terms in some form. And one state (Virginia) limits any governor to one term.

So only 13 states have no term limits, including Vermont and New Hampshire, which have terms of two years, not four years!

So when one analyzes these realities, it means governors such as the following, would have to be considered potential Presidential contenders in the future!

Ron DeSantis of Florida
Jared Polis of Colorado
Gavin Newsom of California
Brian Kemp of Georgia
Andy Beshear of Kentucky
Wes Moore of Maryland
Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
Phil Murphy of New Jersey
Roy Cooper of North Carolina
Doub Burgum of North Dakota
Mike DeWine of Ohio
Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

All of the above 14, 6 Republicans and 8 Democrats, would be out of the governorship, or finishing a second term by the time of the Presidential Election of 2028.

Besides Republicans DeSantis and Burgum, who are already seeking the Presidency, there are strong rumors that other Republican Governors, Youngkin and Noem, might enter the race belatedly, and Kemp and DeWine are long shots for now or 2028!

And certainly, Democrats on this list are not running in 2024, due to Joe Biden, but certainly, it would seem likely that Polis, Newsom, Moore, Whitmer, Murphy, and Shapiro are all likely to plan to run in 2028. Less likely would be Beshear and Cooper, but being from states that Democrats have more difficulty winning, who can say they would not enter the race for President in 2028?

Four Really Likeable Democratic Politicians: Potential Future Presidential Contenders!

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When one examines the members of Congress and the governorships, it is clear that only a small number are really likeable human beings.

Many politicians are effective, but do not make one feel close to them, as compassion and empathy are rare commodities.

If asked who does this author and blogger see as having compassion and empathy, and coming across as warm personalities that enthuse him, this would be the list in no special order, all Democrats!

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy (age 50)

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (age 36)

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (age 44)

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (age 50)

All four of the above are young, potential future leaders and candidates for the Presidency.

Thoughts about this list, and suggestions for modifications are welcome!