New Hampshire

Sad, But Essential That Joe Biden Step Aside!

As a strong and loyal supporter of Joe Biden for many years, it is a sad moment that now this blogger and author strongly believes that Biden must step aside and endorse Kamala Harris as his successor.

Biden should finish his term, but give all his efforts to the promotion of Harris to be the 47th President of the United States.

Harris has been a loyal and dedicated Vice President, and the criticisms of her are primarily racist, sexist, and misogynistic, as she is, clearly, perfectly qualified to be the next President of the United States.

The latest public opinion polls demonstrate that Biden is behind Donald Trump in every “swing state”, as well as in trouble in states that should not be in play, including Virginia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, and Minnesota, and the Second District in Nebraska.

The thought of Donald Trump and JD Vance as the next President and Vice President is horrifying, but it could be even worse with the Democrats losing the US Senate and failing to regain the House of Representatives majority, which otherwise seemed likely.

No one man can be seen to be allowed to use his ego over the needs of his nation, his party, and all of the American people.

So by Sunday night, Biden needs to address the nation and announce his withdrawal, and endorsement of Kamala Harris.

It is only a bit more than 100 days to the election, and six months to the inauguration, and the nation needs to see a unified Democratic Party fighting for a decent future, and preventing an extremist right wing government under Trump, and long term, the much more dangerous JD Vance!

“Battleground” States Should Be Expanded By Democrats!

With an expected very close race for the Presidency between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and with three independent or third party challengers being an additional threat to take away votes from the major party candidates, it is urgent that the list of “battleground” states be expanded by Democrats!

The usual belief is that the following states are the “battlegrounds”:

Pennsylvania (19)
Michigan (15)
Wisconsin (10)
Georgia (16)
Arizona (11)
Nevada (6)

Total 77 Electoral Votes

But in addition, the following states need to be considered potentials for extra attention financially and through campaign appearances by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and numerous Democratic supporters in public office:

New Hampshire (4)
Virginia (13)
North Carolina (16)
Florida (30)
Minnesota (10)
New Mexico (5)

Total 78 Electoral Votes

Additionally, the Second District of Maine which has gone Republican in the past (2016 and 2020) should be focused on, as well as retaining the Second District of Nebraska, which has gone Democratic two times in the past (2008 and 2020), with both states allowing divided electoral votes for President.

So a total of 12 states and one Congressional District in Nebraska and Maine should be focused on to insure a Democratic victory in November!

So out of 538 Electoral Votes total, 157 are in play!

Nikki Haley Emerges As Final Challenger To Donald Trump

It seems clear that former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is the sole final challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024.

She has moved up in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is faltering.

If former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were to drop out in New Hampshire, it would give Haley a fighting chance, in theory, to catch up to Trump.

The problem, however, is that Haley has been unwilling to directly challenge Trump, and some observers think she is angling for the Vice Presidential nomination with Trump.

Ultimately, the primary in South Carolina, Haley’s home state, will be the crucial factor in Haley’s candidacy, as if she cannot win there, then the nomination clearly is in the hands of Donald Trump.

Changing The Primary System For The Presidency Makes Total Sense!

After years of the Presidential primary system every four years being controlled by Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden are promoting a massive change to reflect reality about states and influence.

The plan proposed by Joe Biden would put South Carolina first, followed by a joint date for Nevada and New Hampshire, and then Georgia and Michigan, with Iowa left out of the equation with its outdated caucus system.

Of course, Iowa is upset, and New Hampshire is also unhappy, as they wish to go first, and might still arrange for a primary, due to state law, a week before the beginning of the primary season, but that could lead to refusal to seat delegates chosen in an unauthorized earlier primary.

No plan will please everyone, but this sounds like an excellent reorganization, although Republicans may not follow the same plan.

Reality: If Biden Wins Florida, He Only Needs To Win One More Trump State Of 2016!

The odds of Donald Trump being able to pull out a win in November is very poor, particularly if Florida, third in electoral votes with 29, goes to Joe Biden.

The Democratic states of 2016 all seem solid for Joe Biden, although the Republicans are trying to win New Hampshire, Minnesota, Nevada and New Mexico, but the odds are very long against that occurring.

With Florida being won by Biden, all that the Democratic Presidential nominee needs to hit the 270 mark is win one of the following:

Pennsylvania 20 electoral votes

Michigan 16 electoral votes

Wisconsin 10 electoral votes

North Carolina 15 electoral votes

Arizona 11 electoral votes

Ohio 18 electoral votes

Georgia 16 electoral votes

Right now, in public opinion polls, Biden is ahead of Donald Trump in all but the last two states, and one must remember that in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Trump only won by a combination of 78,000 votes combined in 2016!

Florida is prime territory for Democrats, with the growing Puerto Rican population, enhanced by the hurricane which hit that island in 2017, and by senior citizens notably turning against Donald Trump in the midst of the CoronaVirus Pandemic. Since Trump did not win by very much in Florida in 2016, and with the enhanced Democratic campaign that will be mounted in Florida, the likelihood of Florida going Democratic, along with at least one of the above seven states is, seemingly, not all that difficult.

Also, Florida could end up trending “Blue” on Election Night, throwing the plot of Trump to declare victory that evening out of possibility.

It would be fitting and ironic that the state that Donald Trump has now made his official residence could put the nail in the coffin of Donald Trump staying on as President!

Tonight’s South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate A Turning Point

It is clear that Tuesday night’s CBS South Carolina Democratic Presidential debate is a turning point, as Senator Bernie Sanders will have the tremendous advantage if he wins the South Carolina Primary this Saturday.

Sanders is self destructing, however, with his inability to stop praising Cuba under Fidel Castro, and the Chinese government of President Xi Jinping, ignoring their violations of human rights, while improving education and health care.

Sanders seems totally deaf to warnings that he must repudiate his past extreme leftist views on Nicaragua and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, as that is a guarantee to cause the loss of Florida at the least, and likely cause the industrial Midwest and the Southwest to run away from his candidacy, if he is the Democratic nominee for President.

How Sanders could win states that Hillary Clinton lost by small margins, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, is impossible to conceive.

Also, any hope of winning Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, and come within striking distance of Texas, would be totally gone with a Sanders Presidential candidacy.

And Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada could be in danger, as well as New Hampshire and Virginia, all won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

And this is without addressing the “democratic Socialism” label that Sanders embraces, and his unwillingness to fully explain how all of his ambitious programs, which sound great on paper, could possibly be achieved through Congressional action.

The importance of the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court is at stake, and the nation cannot afford more right wing judges and Justices if Donald Trump is reelected.

Hopefully, we will see moderates unite around one candidate to oppose Sanders after Super Tuesday next week, with the best bet now seeming to be Pete Buttigieg, unless Joe Biden has a major rehabilitation by voters in South Carolina and the 14 states of Super Tuesday.

All Time High Of Women Senators (25) from 19 States, And Six States Have Two Women Senators!

The 116th Congress has an all time high of 25 women Senators from a total of 19 states, and 6 states have both of their Senators being women, another all time high!

There are 17 Democrats and 8 Republicans among the women serving in the US Senate.

Arizona has Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally.

California has Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

Minnesota has Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

New Hampshire has Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen.

Nevada has Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jacklyn Rosen.

Washington has Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.

All but Martha McSally in these states with two women Senators are Democrats.

16 Months To Election: 15 States In Contention In Electoral College

With 16 months until the Presidential Election of 2020, the election is settled in 35 states, and the remaining 15 states are in contention, and will decide the Electoral College and the winner of the Presidency.

8 states were Republican last time, but are, in theory, in contention:

Arizona

Florida

Georgia

Michigan

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

Texas

Wisconsin

Additionally, Nebraska is Republican, but allows split electoral votes since 1992, and in 2008, Barack Obama won the 2nd District electoral vote, so in theory, that district, including Omaha and its suburbs, is in contention.

The Democrats won 5 states that are, in theory, in contention:

Colorado

Minnesota

Nevada

New Hampshire

Virginia.

Additionally, Maine is Democratic, but allows split electoral votes since 1972, and Donald Trump won the 2nd District electoral vote, so in theory, that district, including most of the state away from Portland, Augusta and nearby coastal areas, is in contention.

So both Nebraska and Maine have the potential to see one electoral vote go to the loser of the state, in the statewide race.

If the Hispanic-Latino vote can be magnified for the Democrats, it gives them the chance to win Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.

The close Democratic majorities in their five states in contention—Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Virginia—give the Republicans the opportunity to pick up electoral votes there.

It seems clear at this time that when and if the Hispanic-Latino vote increases enough for the Democrats, likely by 2024 and 2028, and with increased electoral votes in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas assured after the 2020 Census, then the Democrats could have a lock on the Presidency for the long term, even if the Midwest states of Michigan and Wisconsin become more Republican, and even if Minnesota and Virginia were to become more competitive for the Republicans. And Colorado and Nevada, with increased Hispanic-Latino influence over the next decade, would be more assuredly Democratic as well.

Even Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine, and Nebraska would matter far less, as well as Ohio, which now looks out of contention for the Democrats at present.

Could There Be Two Women On The Democratic Presidential Ticket In 2020?

One wonders if it is conceivable that the Democratic Party might have two women on the ticket in the Presidential Election of 2020.

Such a combination might be Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren for President and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar for Vice President, with an eleven year difference in age between Warren, who would be 71 in 2020, and Klobuchar at age 60.

Also, California Senator Kamala Harris with Amy Klobuchar is another possibility, with Harris being four years younger than Klobuchar at age 56 in 2020.

A bigger question is whether two of these women could actually cooperate and work together well enough, with the clashing egos, to be a success.

And how would the American people react to two women on the ticket?

We do know that many nations have had women leaders, and we also know that New Hampshire and Arizona have had an all women teams in top state government positions in recent years.

Two Mayors Potential 2020 Democratic Presidential Contenders: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti And Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

At least two Democrats who have served as Mayors of their cities are likely to enter the Democratic Presidential sweepstakes.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has spent his entire career in city government, serving on the LA City Council before his election as Mayor of the second largest city in 2013. He has had to deal with the issues facing nearly four million people, and has spent time in Iowa and New Hampshire, hinting of his plans to seek the Presidency. Garcetti has ties to the Jewish, Italian, and Mexican communities as he is ethnically related to all three groups.

Of course, California will also likely be the state that will contribute other potential nominees, including Senator Kamala Harris and Congressman Eric Swalwell, and potentially billionaire and liberal activist Tom Steyer, who has led the impeachment movement against Donald Trump.

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu offers the rare case of a Southerner who might be able to gain some traction, having served as Mayor from 2010-2018, after earlier service as Lieutenant Governor of the state, and as a member of the state House of Representatives. He is seen as a moderate, in the vein of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in the past, but most observers would see him as more likely to be a potential Vice Presidential running mate to help a more progressive Presidential nominee.

The odds of Garcetti lasting longer in the Presidential competition than Landrieu seems likely, but at this early point, there is no way to know what the political future holds.