Mitch McConnell

The Aging Of Leadership A Major Problem With Presidential Succession And Otherwise!

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The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 has now set up a situation where the present Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Patrick Leahy, are both 82 years old, born five days apart in March 1940.

Next year, Dianne Feinstein could be the President Pro Tempore at past 89, as she was born in June 1933, and there are signs of her seemingly having dementia interfering with her ability to do her work.

This presents the problem of aging leadership, which has to include in discussion President Joe Biden, who will be 80 in November, but also senior Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who will be 89 in September, and would be President Pro Tempore of the Senate, if the Republicans regain control this fall.

We have never had such an aging leadership in American history, as so many others in leadership are in their late 70s or nearing 80 and over.

The second and third House leaders are in their 80s–House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who will be 83 in June, and James Clyburn, the House Majority Whip, who will be 82 in July.

And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 80 years old.

It is time for a new generation of leadership!

Horrendous Trump Endorsed Nominees For Senate: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio

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Donald Trump has been endorsing Senate nominees, trying to have an impact on the upcoming Senate races, with the US Senate presently evenly divided 50-50.

With this unusual tie situation, even one Democratic seat switching with Trump support would put the Senate into Republican hands, and the horrors of Mitch McConnell again becoming Senate Majority Leader.

Trump has chosen horrendous nominees, as in Pennsylvania with Dr. Mehmet Oz; in Georgia with former football player Herschel Walker; and in Ohio with author JD Vance.

All three are lacking in decent credentials, and all three would be an embarrassment if elected to the US Senate.

Democrats need to work hard to defeat these three nominees, and keep the Georgia seat, and gain the Pennsylvania and Ohio seats.

Georgia has the Reverend Raphael Warnock trying to keep his seat; while in Pennsylvania, there are three contending Democrats running for the open seat; and in Ohio, Congressman Tim Ryan is the favored Democrat.

Republican Party Divides Over Ukraine: Bad News For Donald Trump

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The Ukraine Crisis, with the horrific invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin, has put the issue of Donald Trump’s “love affair” with Russia on the forefront of American politics, and is causing a Republican Party division of massive significance.

Trump, Mike Pompeo, and other Trump lackeys have good things to say about the “genius” of Putin, which is a total joke, as Russian military is suffering massive losses, and NATO and world reaction has done great damage to the Russian economy through harsh reaction in every economic way to the Ukraine invasion.

It has led many Republicans, particularly in the US Senate, to come to support of all actions being taken by Joe Biden and the international community to the tragic events.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell; Senator Lindsey Graham; Senator Mitt Romney; Senator Ben Sasse; and many others are united against Russia.

In the House of Representatives, we have Putin apologists, including Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina; Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Matt Gaetz of Florida; Chip Roy of Texas; and others showing they are traitors to American interests and the concept of democracy, as for instance, Cawthorn condemned Volodymyr Zelensky as a “thug”.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has criticized Cawthorn, but refuses generally to condemn such seditionists, and there is a clearcut split in the Republican Party between Senate and House membership.

So the appeal of Donald Trump to run for President is declining rapidly, as there is no way that Trump could possibly unite the party or its remnants in a campaign for the Presidency.

So Civil War is evident in the Republican Party, and Senate apologists such as Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rand Paul of Kentucky face repudiation by sane Republicans as they plan to run for President in 2024.

And Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have tremendous state controversies facing them, without even getting into the fray on the Ukraine Crisis, and how to handle Donald Trump and their own selfish personal ambitions!

US Senate Races Crucial For Both Democrats And Republicans In 2022

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As in every even year, the US Senate faces one third of its membership facing election contests this November.

Six Senators are retiring, five Republican (Richard Shelby of Alabama, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), and one Democrat (Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

Besides these six open seats, 28 other Senators are running for reelection, with a total of 20 Republican seats up, and 14 Democrats.

This should give the Democrats the advantage in gaining seats, and if even one seat is added, the Democrats will have control, and if two seats are gained, the unreliability of Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia will not have as much impact and influence in holding up Democratic Party goals for legislation.

On the other hand, if the Republicans gain just one seat, Mitch McConnell becomes Majority Leader, and this will hamper the remainder of the Joe Biden Presidency in this term.

The best hopes for the Democrats are to win Ohio with Congressman Tim Ryan, who was a Presidential contender in 2020; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Wisconsin; and Florida, where Marco Rubio faces challenge from Congresswoman Val Demings.

THe best hopes for the Republicans are to win Arizona, where Mark Kelly faces a tough fight; Georgia, where Reverend Ralphael Warnock has a serious challenge; Nevada, where Catherine Cortez Masto has a close race; and New Hampshire, where Maggie Hassan has a challenging race.

Republicans Divided Over January 6 Insurrection Defense By Republican National Committee!

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It is interesting how Republicans are splitting around the January 6 Insurrection defense (legitimate political discourse) of the Republican National Committee!

Mitch McConnell being critical, along with Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Larry Hogan, and others on one side are challenged by Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and a multitude of others on the crazy side!

Whether one agrees with the former group on every issue, they are the only hope for the Republican Party to survive, and the lifeline is getting weaker!

There must be a serious uprising against Donald Trump soon, or else there IS no future for the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan!

The best bet is that the “dark side” will win out, and a new “Conservative” Party will have to form as an alternative to the Democratic Party in the future!

Kevin McCarthy A Total Sycophant To Lawbreaker Donald Trump: Disqualifies Him For Speaker Of The House!

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has revealed himself as a a total sycophant to lawbreaker and criminal Donald Trump, and this should disqualify him to become Speaker of the House of Representatives!

McCarthy has accepted the Republican National Committee’s description of the horrors of the US Capitol January 6, 2021 Insurrection as “legitimate political discourse”, despite the reality of the death, injuries and destruction incurred that day by US Capitol Police dedicated to the protection of the pillar of American democracy, and all who work in that revered institution.

McCarthy has sold his soul for his ambition, and it will scar his name forever in history, sharing a last name already infamous with the demaogue of the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, not a relative, but forever condemned by all decent, sane people!

If the nation is so unfortunate that the Republican Party manages to win the majority for the 118th Congress, the likelihood is that despite McCarthy’s obsequiousness toward Trump, he will be challenged by others for the Speakership, who will feel that he is not obseqious enough. This includes Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, who might very well face prosecution on his own, as if anything, he is more dangerous to American democracy and the rule of law than even Kevin McCarthy!

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for all of his disgraceful public record, has taken a different tack and is NOT trying to dismiss the events of January 6, 2021, and has denounced the Republican National Committee statement of “legitimate political discourse”.

So Kevin McCarthy is going down a path of self destruction, and potentially, federal charges of undermining the Constitution of the United States!

50-50 US Senate Massive Crisis If One Democrat Is Sick Or Were To Pass Away!

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The news that New Mexico freshman Senator Ben Ray Lujan, age 49, one of the 12 youngest Senators, has suffered a stroke and will need to recover, is a shock to the reality of the massive crisis that exists if a Democrat is sick as he is, or were to pass away.

The Senate has become an older body in recent years, and with seven Senators over 80 and 30 Senators in their 70s, it is a very delicate situation if any Senator of either party is indisposed or was to die.

It means, for now, that action on even the Supreme Court nominee will likely have to be delayed as Lujan recovers, with all good wishes from everyone, but the thought that one of the older Senators in the Democratic Party could suddenly die, could lead to Mitch McConnell and the Republicans taking over the Senate before the election results of 2022 are in!

The average age of Senators is about 63 and 58 for the House of Representatives.

And the top three leaders in the House–Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn–are all in their early 80s, as is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is 80 this month of February.

And of course, Joe Biden is 79, and so many other key figures in American national government are in their 70s and 80s!

So the aging of American government is a major threat to stability!

Senator Lindsey Graham: A Toady To Donald Trump, Who John McCain Would Condemn And More!

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South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has long been controversial in so many ways, but when his good friend, former Arizona Senator John McCain, passed away in 2018, the world witnessed a man who had totally lost all credibility, after being a massive critic of Donald Trump.

It is embarrassing to see the denuncations of Graham regarding Trump, followed by total obsequiousness to Trump since McCain’s death.

Even when Trump continued to denounce John McCain in the years since his death, Graham had nothing to say.

It is clear to any intelligent person that if McCain was still alive and in the Senate, he would have, at least symbolically, been motivated to slap Graham front and back and in the head, for his traitorous behavior!

And now, Graham says unless Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky makes obedience to Trump a priority, that Graham will vote against McConnell remaining as the leader of the party, whether minority or majority status!

As much as McConnell has been a disgrace and a disaster as Republican leader, he still has enough self dignity that he will not be likely to bend to Donald Trump.

And if push comes to shove, at this time, it would seem that the Republican caucus would NOT join Graham in replacing McConnell as their Senate leader!

Joe Manchin May Have Destroyed The “Build Back Better” Legislation Altogether!

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West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin may have destroyed the “Build Back Better” legislation altogether.

Manchin went on Fox News Channel on Sunday to say that he cannot accept the legislation, after months of toying with different versions.

This caused an appropriately harsh reaction from President Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, and many members of the Democratic Party in both houses of Congress.

It is hoped that some aspects of the proposed legisation can be salvaged separately, but sadly, this is the result of having a 50-50 Senate, and if Manchin were to become a Republican, as some suggest, it would simply put the Republicans in total control under Mitch McConnell!

Desire Vs Reality: Democrats At This Point Must Settle For Half Social Infrastructure Ambitions!

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Sadly, it is now clear that Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have no choice to but accept a Social Infrastructure bill worth about half of the originally planned $3.5 trillion to help make life better for everyday Americans.

This author and scholar is furious about the impact of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, as well as some moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives.

But this is the reality when we have an evenly divided US Senate and a House of Representatives with a narrow margin of six votes.

But consider that IF Georgia had not elected two Democratic Senators in January—Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff–the first elected African American and first Jewish senators in Georgia history—the Republicans would be running the Senate under Mitch McConnell.

So the goal now is to accomplish what can be done, and try to work in the first half of 2022 for more, or make it the key campaign issue for the Congressional elections coming up next November.

Right now, celebrating what can be done, which advances the American nation, is still a major positive for Democrats, and it still will be the major domestic initiative, along with the financial assistance to deal with the COVID 19 Pandemic, that we have seen since Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society nearly sixty years ago.

So let us be happy for what can be done, and work to accomplish more Democratic Senators in the midterms, as there are more Republican seats up for election, and five Republicans are leaving, and more extreme nominees are likely, which, hopefully, will cause a major Democratic edge, despite historical trends, as this is a crisis situation for American democracy!