Lyndon B. Johnson

Kamala Harris Being Judged Differently Due To Race And Gender

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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!

Republican Attacks On Joe Biden Totally Disingenuous!

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With President Joe Biden having withdrawn from the Presidential campaign, opposition Republicans have displayed a total lack of respect, and being totally disingenuous about his time in office.

It is understandable that for political reasons, Republicans would be critical of Biden, but they are going beyond the pale, and asserting totally ridiculous and preposterous comments about Biden.

We see Donald Trump, but also many other Republicans, asserting that Joe Biden is the worst President in American history, which demonstrates not only the horrible character of all concerned, but also, a total lack of knowledge of Presidential history!

It is a fact that no reputable Presidential scholar or expert would rate Joe Biden at the bottom of the 45 Presidents America has had, while many have made it clear that, indeed, it is Donald Trump who is the worst ever occupant of the Presidency.

So for Donald Trump to make such a stupid, moronic statement, is again an example of the psychological definition of “projection”!

But beyond that reality, how can any intelligent person say Biden is the worst, when he is rated as the “best” domestic achieving President in 60 years, since the time of Lyndon B. Johnson?

Biden was rated number 14 in the recent assessment of the American Political Science Association!

And what about such Presidents as Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Pierce, Herbert Hoover and a multitude of other Presidents who have been correctly rated as “disasters” or “tragedies” in office?

Time For Pause, Calming Spirit, And Careful Consideration Of Future Tactics!

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Having read a number of opinions, and calming down from the shock of last evening’s Presidential debate, this author and blogger is taking a deep breath and reflecting that it is not a good idea to panic, although many decent people are doing so.

One must remember that Joe Biden has always been underestimated his whole life, and has always recovered from disappointments and tragedies.

Joe Biden is one of the most decent, humane public figures in my lifetime, and in the mind of this author and blogger, he became the new Hubert Humphrey, after the tragic passing of Humphrey in 1978 at the early age of 66.

Biden, like Humphrey, and only a small list of other political leaders in my lifetime, exudes decency, compassion, and sincerity, and his Presidency has been the best, most accomplished in domestic affairs since Lyndon B. Johnson.

And Biden has shown courage and principle in foreign affairs, dealing with very complex international problems in a measured way, and has great respect and admiration from world leaders, who fear the return of the most massive liar and most crooked President in American history, Donald Trump!

No wonder experts and scholars agree overwhelmingly that Donald Trump is the worst President, raising the stature of those two Presidents, James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, that have been the bottom rankings for many years. This is demonstrated in the C Span Presidential Survey of 2021 and the Siena College Research Institute Survey of 2022, as well as the American Political Science Association Survey of 2024!

The struggle to stop Donald Trump requires commitment and truth, and Joe Biden deserves a chance to prove that what happened yesterday is not the norm. His rally in North Carolina this afternoon was inspiring, so give it a few days to a week for reflection, and then it might be time for action, but let us all pray for the best for Joe Biden and the nation he loves!

Mitch McConnell, Longest Serving Senate Leader, To Leave, After Tremendous Damage Done Over The Years! :(

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Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who has served longer in party and Senate leadership than anyone in American history, will leave his role in the Senate after the Presidential Election of 2024.

Arguably the single most important Senate leader since Lyndon B. Johnson was Majority Leader from 1955-1961 before his rise to the Vice Presidency and Presidency, McConnell single handedly caused tremendous damage in so many ways.

Among them was his refusal to allow a Supreme Court nominee by Barack Obama in 2016 after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia; McConnell’s ramming through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in the Fall of 2020 before the election after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; his promotion of a massive number of right wing judges onto the federal courts; and his unwillingness to vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges in the days before the end of the Presidential term after the horrendous events of January 6, 2021.

The extremist right wing tilt of the Supreme Court, and its moves against abortion, affirmative action, and promotion of lack of regulation of guns, is primarily due to this man, and he will not look good in the annals of history, for having helped emboldened Donald Trump, even though Trump does not appreciate what McConnell did!

Nikki Haley 40 Percent Reminds Us Of Eugene McCarthy 42 Percent In 1968!

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Although Donald Trump won nearly 60 percent of the vote in the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday over the 40 percent won by Nikki Haley, the fact that Haley did as well as that number, when supposedly, Trump was leading in polls by 30 percent, is a sign of dissatisfaction among Republicans and Independents, who gave Haley 40 percent.

This brings back memories of the New Hampshire primary for the Democratic Party in 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson won just 50 percent, with Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy winning 42 percent!

This surprisingly close vote did not lead to McCarthy being the Democratic Presidential nominee, but it helped to lead to Johnson backing out of the race.

No one is saying that Trump will back out, but it is clear that his support is not as great as one would expect, and Haley staying in the race indicates problems for Trump in the Fall campaign against Joe Biden.

The Negativism About Kamala Harris As Potential President Is Unwarranted!

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The propaganda being spewed against Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential successor to Joe Biden at some point in the next five years is totally unwarranted.

Vice Presidents, historically, have been panned as not acceptable alternatives, but that is simply political propaganda by the other side of the political spectrum.

John Tyler was the first Vice President to suffer from ridicule and criticism, when William Henry Harrison died after one month in office in 1841, and he was called “His Accidency” by critics who refused to accept that his succession to the Presidency was legitimate.

There was great trepidation when Harry Truman succeeded to the Presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, but Truman, despite bitter attacks, is now regarded as one of the top six Presidents.

No one wanted to imagine Lyndon B. Johnson as President in 1960, but he succeeded John F. Kennedy in 1963, and ended up being the best domestic President since FDR.

Gerald Ford is seen as having saved the nation by his leadership after the Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

Kamala Harris has excellent credentials in her career of being San Francisco District Attorney from 2004-2011; California Attorney General from 2011-2017; US Senator from 2017-2021; and now Vice President for the past three plus years.

She has been a strong support for President Joe Biden, and is clearly more competent and experienced than many earlier Vice Presidents have been, including Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and Mike Pence were.

Most of the opposition is sexist and racist against Harris, and it is disgusting that the right wing issues vicious attacks against her with no factual basis or justification.

If the need arose for Kamala Harris to become President, the nation would be in good hands, and would be well served!

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024: Most Under-Rated And Over-Rated Presidents

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The American Political Science Association Presidential Greatness Poll 2024 also ranks “Under-Rated” and “Over-Rated” Presidents.

The most Under-Rated Presidents in the poll are judged to be Jimmy Carter, Ulysses S. Grant, George H. W. Bush, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The most Over-Rated Presidents in the poll are judged to be John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, and Thomas Jefferson.

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024: Significant Rises In Rankings

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The American Political Science Association 2024 Presidential Greatness Survey reveals dramatic rises in rankings for a few Presidents, from earlier APSA surveys in 2015 and 2018.
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The most dramatic rise is Barack Obama, up 9 in rankings to number 7 since 2015; and an equal rise up 9 of Ulysses S. Grant to number 17 over the same period.

The next most dramatic rise is up 4 in rankings for John F. Kennedy from 14 to 10; and an equal rise up 4 for Jimmy Carter from 26 to 22.

Also, up 3 in rankings is Lyndon B. Johnson from 12 to 9.

Note that all of these 5 Presidents mentioned, except for Grant, are Democrats!

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll: Top 10 Presidents In 2024 Survey

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The American Political Science Association Presidential Greatness project has published its findings, just in time for Presidents’ Day today.

This is the first in a number of days of discussion of the results.

The top 10 Presidents in the Survey demonstrates the rise of Democratic Presidents, who now number five of the group—with Franklin D. Roosevelt as number 2, behind Abraham Lincoln, surpassing George Washington who is now number 3; Harry Truman remaining number 6; Barack Obama amazingly rising to number 7, the highest he has been on any Presidential scholarly survey; and Lyndon B. Johnson surpassing John F. Kennedy, with Johnson number 9 and Kennedy number 10.

Additionally in the top ten is Truman successor Dwight D. Eisenhower as number 8, making five presidents in a row from FDR through LBJ part of the top ten.

Theodore Roosevelt as number 4 and Thomas Jefferson as number 5 remain consistently in their positions in the top 10.

So besides five Democrats in the top 10, there are three Republicans (Lincoln, TR, Ike), along with Federalist George Washington and Democratic-Republican Jefferson.

2024 Presidential Election Crucial As Were 1864 And 1964 Elections, And They Were Election Landslides!

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One could argue that every Presidential Election is significant in some shape or form, but certain elections stand out as turning points in the promotion of American democracy.

Such are the Presidential Elections of 1864 and 1964, and now moving forward, 2024!

In all three, the sustaining of American democracy was crucial, and in the first two cases, the results, after much concern, were massive landslides, hopefully setting the scene for 2024!

In 1864, Republican Abraham Lincoln was running for reelection in the midst of the American Civil War, with his opponent being General George McClellan, who was resentful of his firing for poor performance from Union Army leadership, and represented to many the Confederate hope of pulling out victory late in the Civil War.

Lincoln was so concerned that victory was unattainable, that he decided to replace Vice President Hannibal Hamlin with a Southern Loyalist Democrat Andrew Johnson, and the Republicans invited War Democrats into the party by changing their name to the National Union Party.

The end result was a landslide with Lincoln winning all but three states, winning 55 percent of the vote, and an Electoral College majority of 212-21!

A century later, President Lyndon B. Johnson, having succeeded to the Presidency after the assassination of John F. Kennedy less than a year earlier, faced the most right wing Republican contender for the Presidency in modern times, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who advocated ending the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, including Social Security, and also opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Johnson went on to a landslide victory, winning 61.1 percent of the popular vote, the all time high, and 44 of 50 states and 486-52 in the Electoral College, but with five Southern states going to Goldwater, the beginning of the political realignment that has made the South solidly Republican ever since, with only a few exceptions when Democrats nominated Southerners for the Presidency, including Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Johnson went on to promote the Great Society, a massive increase in government programs, way beyond the New Deal of FDR.

Now in 2024, with the Republican Party being the most extreme right wing since Goldwater, and arguably more so, Joe Biden faces a challenge not only on a personal level, but also on overcoming the menace of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans, who have repudiated the original basis of the Republican Party’s founding, opposing slavery and its expansion, and instead promoting racism and nativism 170 years after the origins of the party in Michigan and Wisconsin in 1854!