MORNING JOE

Donald Trump Promoting Long Term Racism And Nativism In Children: What A Tumultuous Future For America!

Ronald 23 Comments

The saddest and most tragic effect of the Donald Trump candidacy for President is how he is promoting long term racism and nativism in children, which guarantees a long term tumultuous future for American race relations.

White children are taunting their Hispanic-Latino and Muslim school mates,that they will be deported and barred from America, and that is cannon fodder for the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups to recruit teenagers and young men and women in their 20s to incite racial violence and persecution over the long haul.

A third grade boy in North Carolina has written, as part of a class assignment, to Donald Trump, deploring his racism, nativism, and other prejudiced statements, that harm children, and shows a very perceptive young man who is ashamed of what Trump is doing as an adult, who is supposed to be a role model, but is anything but that.

It is infuriating that Trump accused Cokie Roberts, the PBS journalist formerly with ABC News,  who was on Morning Joe this morning, of being “nasty”, by bringing up the effect Trump is having on children.  And for Trump to claim he has not “heard” or “seen” that, is aggravating, as just because he, personally, has not heard or seen it, is just an indication of how ignorant he is, and his attempt to deny reality as a result!

Trump is already damaging America in a long term manner, long after he leaves the scene, and that is a sin beyond redemption!

Town Hall Meetings, Senator Tom Coburn Et Al, And Pandering To The Mob Mentality!

Ronald 4 Comments

Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, who this author has very little respect for, including regarding him as one of the worst Senators in American history, actually was starting to make me think that maybe I had misjudged him. He had begun to sound rational and reasonable on issues that he discussed on MORNING JOE on MSNBC, and I have always thought that his fellow Senator James Inhofe, who denies climate change, was far worse.

But lo and behold, Coburn has gone off the deep end, lost all credibility he had gained in my eyes, as a result of pandering to a mob mentality at a Town Hall meeting in Oklahoma, and this is not the only Republican to have done so this month!

Coburn is now claiming that Barack Obama, who has been very nice to him, and had meetings with him, is “perilously close” to meeting the standards for impeachment! And other Republicans are saying that they think they have the votes to impeach Obama, and one wishes that he could author the bill to impeach Obama, as if this is a laughing matter, a light matter, an action that if taken is no big deal, when it is INDEED a big deal!

The problem is that there is ABSOLUTELY NO BASIS for impeachment, as Republican strategist Nicole Wallace, who worked for John McCain in his 2008 Presidential campaign, has clearly stated, and any rational Republican, with the number diminishing, KNOWS this to be a fact!

These town halls are becoming an example of democracy gone amuck, where racists, nutcakes, whackos, lunatics, show up and demonstrate the worst elements of ignorant people thinking they know what should be done in government. And disturbingly, it is often women who spew forth hatred and venom and poison unbecoming a decent lady, let alone gentlemen!

Where is this going to stop? When are we going to have Republicans recognize that appealing to the ignorant mob rule is dangerous, and that responsible political leaders must take a stand against such craziness, even if, by so doing, they lose their coveted seats, which should not matter more than doing what is right and moral?

And if Colin Powell, the esteemed former General in the Persian Gulf War, and Secretary of State, can, rightfully, condemn the North Carolina Voter ID law as counterproductive and outrageous, and right in front of North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, who signed the despicable legislation, just one of the many discriminatory Republican laws on voting rights, it is time for decent Republican voters who are dismayed by what has happened to their party, to make clear that they are abandoning any Republican such as Tom Coburn who speaks and talks in a reckless, irresponsible manner about our President and our government!

Do the Republicans look to promote anarchy and chaos, and follow the lead of demagogues Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and their ilk?

If so, they should be denounced and repudiated by all sane Americans!

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin: A True “Profile In Courage” And Model For Public Service!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is extremely frustrating to see politicians who sell their soul to hold on to their jobs as Congressmen and Senators, unwilling to take a principled stand on anything!

And then we have West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, former Governor of the state, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, who fought for a “background checks” bill, which failed to overcome a filibuster, because of fear of Senators to alienate the NRA and its monstrous leadership, that does not give a damn about the thousand or more people killed by firearms each month. These cowardly Senators, and also Congressmen, are afraid of Wayne La Pierre and the NRA, and care more about keeping their seats and power than anything else!

But Manchin fought against the NRA, and continues to defy them, and this morning on MORNING JOE, after the NRA put out commercials against him, he responded with his own commercial, and made it clear that IF the people of West Virginia were unwilling to back “background checks” on firearms, and wished to send him home by defeating him in the next election, so be it!

And if that happened, he said, he would be blessed to spend his life in the state he loved, instead of Washington, DC!

What a refreshing way to look at it, as NO ONE who serves in Congress is poor, struggling, and NEEDS the job as most Americans need their job!

This is what we need—members of Congress who are there to promote what they believe in, and do NOT allow any pressure group to sway them, and willing to give up their position and power on principle, rather than kowtow to corrupt influences!

If only there were more Joe Manchins, and he is, indeed, a true “Profile In Courage”, and a model for public service!

The Republican Whom Hillary Clinton And Other Potential Democratic Presidential Nominees In 2016 Should Most Fear: Jon Huntsman!

Ronald 41 Comments

Former Utah Governor, former Ambassador to China, and former GOP Presidential contender Jon Huntsman is on MORNING JOE as I write, and thinking ahead to 2016, one realizes that this is the Republican whom Hillary Clinton and other potential Democratic Presidential nominees in 2016 should most fear as a rival!

Huntsman is so SUPER qualified, it is a no brainer, as compared to ANY other potential GOP nominee for President! He walks all over Jeb Bush; has foreign policy experience which NO other potential nominee has; and has NEVER said or done anything to make him look ridiculous or looney, which cannot be said of any other potential nominee, including Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and the other wing nuts who are seen as potential nominees!

This man had a fantastic record as Governor of Utah, and is a foreign policy genius, and other Republicans show their total ignorance of the world out there, and seem to think that the only answer is either to send troops (a la Lindsey Graham and John McCain), or turn off the outside world (a la Rand Paul)!

If the GOP had their druthers, they would see that Huntsman is their best shot for the Presidency, and would give Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden or any other Democrat a real run for their money!

And if, by chance, Huntsman were to win, we would have a sane, decent, mainstream Republican inheriting the Oval Office, and we could sleep at night, secure that our nation was in safe, experienced hands!

Jeb Bush’s Changed Immigration Plans: Undermining Potential Presidential Candidacy In 2016!

Ronald 8 Comments

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, thought to be a likely Presidential contender for 2016, just published a book in which he declared his opposition to promotion of a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants, the vast majority being Mexican, as his wife is.

But now, 24 hours later, on MSNBC’s MORNING JOE, he backed off on this, taking a stand similar to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Senator John McCain of Arizona, and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. In do doing, he has totally confused people, flip flopping more often than even Mitt Romney!

It comes down to this—the vast majority of undocumented immigrants are Mexican heritage, as are the numbers of legal Mexican Americans in the nation. Nothing that Bush, Rubio, McCain or Graham say or do is going to convince the legal citizens to vote Republican in 2016. With 71 percent support among all Hispanics and Latinos, as well as 73 percent support among Asian Americans, the Democratic Party is insured of defeating any Republican nominee for President in 2016, even if Bush or Rubio is the nominee.

And if the GOP continues to follow the Tea Party and oppose any reform on immigration, the defeat for any candidate will be a landslide of majestic proportions!

Gun Supporters Joe Scarborough, Harry Reid, Joe Manchin, Mark Warner Have Second Thoughts

Ronald Leave a comment

In a sign of potential significance, we have seen in the past two days that a number of gun supporters, backers of the Second Amendment, finally realize that something needs to be done to promote regulation in the public interest.

This includes MORNING JOE host Joe Scarborough of MSNBC, former Florida Republican Congressman; and three Democrats–Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia.

But except for Scarborough, who has been out of office for a decade, the Republicans in Congress, particularly in the Senate, have remained silent, as has the leadership of the National Rifle Association, which makes too much money out of being in the leadership, to have the guts and the ethics and morality to recognize that they are wrong, and that there needs to be regulation to prevent future Sandy Hook Massacres.

So the Republican Party is again on the wrong side of another issue, and this just makes them move closer to extinction as a major party with a chance to hold national power in the White House and in the US Senate, and only able to keep the House of Representatives by gerrymandering of Republican state legislatures!

Please, Joe Scarborough! Stop Telling Us How Great A Family Man Mitt Romney Is! Totally Irrelevant!

Ronald Leave a comment

This author watches MORNING JOE each morning during the week, and finds the three hour show really outstanding.

BUT Joe Scarborough, the former Florida Republican Congressman, who has made this show a success with Mika Brzezinski and the others that contribute to it, has made clear that he can only give faint praise to Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Scarborough makes clear that Mitt Romney is a terrible politician who manages to hurt himself on a regular basis with his utterances.

BUT Scarborough constantly says that Mitt Romney is a wonderful husband and father, a great family man!

So, who cares? That is NOT a qualification to be President of the United States!

And how good a family man is Romney, really, when he has absolutely no concern for any family but his own and some close friends?

Mitt Romney is selfish, greedy, obsessed with money, constantly lies, is untrustworthy on his word, and looks down on people who are poor or middle class!

This is a “family man”?

Give me a break, and Joe, PLEASE stop telling us how great a “family man” Romney is, as it makes you, Joe Scarborough, look totally ridiculous!

A Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore And A Conservative Mount Rushmore: Who Would Be On Such Mount Rushmores?

Ronald 9 Comments

Last Friday, Joe Scarborough and MORNING JOE on MSNBC had distinguished historians assess which Presidents might be on a new, second Mount Rushmore, if such a monument were ever built.

This brought to mind the idea of who might be on a Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore, and who would be on a Conservative Mount Rushmore, if such were ever constructed anywhere in America.

This is mostly just interesting scholarly speculation, but here goes my suggestions for such honoring on both sides of the political spectrum.

LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Robert La Follette, Sr.–Republican Governor (1900-1906) and Senator (1906-1925) of Wisconsin–Mr. Progressive of the early 20th century and 1924 Progressive Party nominee for President.

George Norris–Republican Congressman (1902-1912) and Senator (1912-1942) of Nebraska–the most creative reform figure and longevity of the first half of the 20th century, a bridge between the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hubert H. Humphrey–Democratic Mayor Of Minneapolis (1945-1949), Senator (1949-1964, 1970-1978) of Minnesota, and Vice President of the United States (1965-1969) and Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968, who had the most creative record of promoting reform in the years after World War II throughout the 1960s.

Ted Kennedy–Democratic Senator (1962-2009) of Massachusetts, the fourth longest serving US Senator in American history, and the most creative reformer in the years from the 1970s until his death in 2009.

A possible alternative would be Democratic Senator George McGovern of
South Dakota (1922-2012), who ran for President in 1972, and was a major critic of the Vietnam War, one of the most decent men ever in American politics, serving in the Senate from 1963-1981.

CONSERVATIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Arthur Vandenberg–Republican Senator (1928-1951) of Michigan, who opposed the New Deal and was an isolationist in foreign policy through World War II, but then became an internationalist in support of the United Nations and President Harry Truman’s Cold War policy against the Soviet Union after World War II, and potential Presidential candidate twice.

Robert Taft–Republican Senator (1939-1953) of Ohio, son of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, promoted the anti labor union Taft-Hartley Act, promoted an isolationist foreign policy, and considered Mr. Conservative by his party, and a potential Presidential candidate numerous times.

Barry Goldwater–Senator (1952-1964, 1968-1986) of Arizona, succeeding Robert Taft as Mr. Conservative, and 1964 Republican nominee for President, becoming the hero of conservatives long term, and having an effect on President Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan–Republican Governor of California (1966-1974), and President of the United States (1981-1989), after a career as a movie actor, influenced by the principles and ideas of Barry Goldwater, who he publicly backed in a famous speech in 1964.

The author welcomes commentary on these selections!

Which Presidents Would Belong On A Second Mount Rushmore?

Ronald 7 Comments

This morning, on MORNING JOE on MSNBC, there was a fascinating three hour discussion on the American Presidency, to commemorate the Fourth of July national holiday.

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski had many distinguished guests, journalists and historians, to analyze the office and the 43 men who have held that position.

Three distinguished historians–Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jon Meacham, and Evan Thomas–gave their view of which Presidents would be appropriate for a second Mount Rushmore, if such a momument were ever to be built in South Dakota or elsewhere.

Their selections were certainly fascinating, controversial, and highly debatable.

Goodwin’s list was Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan.

Meacham’s list was Andrew Jackson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy,and Ronald Reagan.

Thomas’s list included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

So FDR and Reagan are on all three lists, and would certainly please progressives and Democrats on the one hand, and conservatives and Republicans on the other hand.

But there the disagreements begin, and lead to a total of six other Presidents being listed–Jackson, Truman, Ike, JFK, LBJ, and Bush No. 41.

One wonders if there has been disrespect shown toward Woodrow Wilson, who had such a long range impact on the office of the Presidency, although there has been a lot of criticism directed toward him over the years.

One also wonders about the famous “obscure” President, James K. Polk, who gained more territory in his one term than anyone other than Thomas Jefferson.

Also, the question arises whether Bill Clinton will see his historical stock rise as the years go by, to the point of possibly being a candidate for a second Mount Rushmore.

If this author and blogger were queried about his choices, the Presidents he would select would be to agree totally with Doris Kearns Goodwin: FDR, Truman, LBJ, and Reagan!

But now the reader can chime in with his or her views about a second Mount Rushmore, and the more the merrier!

Republicans, Women And Hispanics: Antagonism Self Induced And Irretrievable!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party has been suicidal in this Presidential campaign, and likely nominee Mitt Romney, as well as Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, have all effectively killed off the chances of the party wooing large percentages of two key voting groups–women and Hispanics.

Joe Scarborough, former Florida Congressman and host of Morning Joe on MSNBC has warned the party of the self induced damage they are doing, but the party leadership and candidates have been tone deaf to it.

And now a new series of polls show Mitt Romney way down in percentage with both women and Hispanics, and with seven months to go, no one, realistically, can see how the former Massachusetts Governor is going to turn the tide in his favor.

Trying to appeal to the right wing has harmed Romney in the nation, while not convincing the right wing to like him.

In the South and Midwest, in more rural and evangelical Christian areas, Romney has been unable to win, or promote loyalty for his candidacy. It is still doubtful that large numbers of these voters will come out for Romney in the Fall campaign.

So the story goes that he must pick a very conservative running mate for the Vice Presidency to appeal to these right wingers, but if so, it will only guarantee that Romney will lose the middle, the center of the population–including women, Hispanics, and also the all important Independents.

Without women, Hispanics, and Independents, how is Romney going to win the all important “swing states” in the South, the Midwest, and the Mountain States, as well as New Hampshire?

The answer is that the election is effectively over, as Romney cannot appeal to the “swing states” adequately, and cannot count on strong right wing support either.

What it comes down to is that Romney, by being a person who one cannot trust as to his views and beliefs, has effectively alienated the middle, while not being trusted even now by the right wing of his party.

And if, by some miracle, Romney won, he would see his dark hair turn grey quickly, as he would have no natural constituency to support him!

The Democrats would fight to weaken him, and the Republicans would feel no loyalty, and would work to move him to the extreme right, making it impossible to get anything done!

If one thinks Barack Obama has had troubles getting things done, imagine a President Romney trying to get things done, whether with Democratic or Republican control of the Congress!