Presidential Election Of 2016

61st Anniversary Of JFK Assassination: It Still Hurts!

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As I write this blog entry, the time of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy arrives, the most tragic event of my lifetime until September 11, 2001!

A young, vibrant, charismatic, good looking young President, murdered at a time when there was hope and optimism about the future of America.

This is very different than the present sense of pessimism and dread that millions of Americans feel after the nation has put into the White House a man who represents the worst elements of the American experience.

The fact that two women–Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris–who represented the sense of hope and change that Kennedy represented six decades ago, lost to Trump is very much a source of disappointment.

It is not as if John F. Kennedy was perfect or had a perfect rcord in office, but he inspired millions by being the youngest elected President in American history.

And the fact that his nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has so damaged the historical memory of both his father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was also taken from the nation by assassination, and his uncle, by his horrendous and lunatic conspiracy theories about health and medicine, is tragic.

And the fact that RFK Jr. is about to work with Donald Trump in undermining the health care system, makes the anniversary of the JFK Assassination more depressing than ever before.

More Defections From Republican Party And Trump Than Ever Since 1964 And Barry Goldwater!

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The nation is witnessing more Republican Party defections from Donald Trump than from any Republican Presidential nominee in the past 60 years, since Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Goldwater, the most right wing Republican nominee ever, by comparison, is now seen belatedly as a libertarian. While definitely a right wing conservative who alienated the eastern liberal wing of the Republican Party, led by Nelson Rockeller, William Scranton, George Romney, and others, in retrospect, he was not as threatening as Donald Trump is.

Golcwater attacked the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and spoke of defeating Communism and the Soviet Union, including escalating the Vietnam War, but he did not call for the end of the Constitution, or prosecuting critics, or deporting millions of people as Donald Trump is advocating.

And in later times, Goldwater supported Abortion Rights and Gay Rights, so clearly, dramatically different than the present MAGA Republicans who swear by tyrant Donald Trump.

Goldwater was not personally corrupt as Trump is; did not have multiple marriages and divorces; did not promote the idea of overthrowing the results of an election; and did not personally promote character assassination of his opponent, Lyndon B. Johnson.

And most importantly, in 1974, ten years after his massive Presidential defeat, as again a sitting US Senator, he went to the White House and told Richard Nixon he should resign, or would face conviction on impeachment charges.

So Barry Goldwater was a decent loyal American, unlike Donald Trump, who makes Richard Nixon look like a “choir boy” by comparison!

One can be certain that he would repudiate Donald Trump, and would not have backed him in 2016 or 2020, as well as 2024!

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!

Professor Allan Lichtman Prediction On Presidential Election Of 2024!

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American University History Professor Allan Lichtman has become famous in his predictions about Presidential elections since 1984, being correct every time, except 2000, when he predicted Al Gore would win the popular vote, but saw George W. Bush win the Electoral College that year. He was correct in his prediction that Donald Trump would win in 2016, despite losing the popular vote.

Now, Lichtman predicts Kamala Harris will win the Presidency over Donald Trump, with Harris winning 8 of the 13 “keys” that Lichtman utilizes in deciding his predictions.

Only the fact that the incumbent President is not running; that the party in the White House did not gain seats in the midterm elections; and that the incumbent has charisma not applicable gives Trump 3 keys, with the final judgment on foreign and military success or failure undecided, but that would only make for 5 “keys” for Trump.

It will be fascinating to see if Lichtman is accurate in his projections!

The Obamas Stir And Motivate Democrats For The Upcoming Presidential Campaign!

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On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Barack and Michelle Obama gave rousing speeches, stirring and motivating Democrats for the upcoming 11 week battle until Election Day 2024.

The Obamas are, without doubt, the most popular and stirring Presidential couple in modern times, and they speak with authenticity and passion of the reality of the threat of Donald Trump and his minions on the future of the nation, if he is returned to the Presidency.

Both made a strong case for Kamala Harria and Tim Walz.

Additionally, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who may end up as First Gentleman, gave a heart warming personal speech about his wife.

And Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also gave his typical rousing speech, amazing when one considers that he is about to turn 83 next month.

Additionally, Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, who will turn 100 years of age on October 1, spoke about his grandfather’s excitement to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Also, Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, gave a speech in support, at the same time that his uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undermining the Democrats, by his consorting with Donald Trump, including the possibility of supporting him, due to his own flailing third party campaign

There is an electricity in the convention, a sense that the Democrats are, hopefully, on the way to victory in November, but much work is ahead, as it is likely that the election will be very close in the “swing states”, as they were in 2016 and 2020!

Kamala Harris Utilizing Barack Obama Team In Her Presidential Campaign

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Kamala Harris is utilizing the people who helped Barack Obama in his election campaign in 2008, and helped him in his Presidency.

This includes David Plouffe, Stephanie Cutter, Mitch Stewart, and David Binder, and with Jennifer Palmieri becoming an adviser to Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, who would become “First Gentleman”, if his wife is elected President.

Additionally, some staff who worked in the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign in 2016 will join the team in an effort to bolster the Harris Presidential effort.

These are promising steps forward in the Harris Presidential campaign!

JD Vance: Another Horrendous Republican Vice Presidential Nominee!

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The Republican Party, historically, has often selected horrendous Vice Presidential nominees, and unfortunately, some of them end up as Vice President, making one concerned even more than normally, about the health and safety of the Republican President.

JD Vance of Ohio adds to a list of such nominees, including:

William E. Miller, running mate of Barry Goldwater in 1964
Spiro Agnew, running mate of Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972
Dan Quayle, running mate of George H. W. Bush in 1988 and 1992
Sarah Palin, running mate of John McCain in 2008

Also, others, such as Jack Kemp, running mate of Bob Dole in 1996; Dick Cheney, running mate of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004; Paul Ryan, running mate of Mitt Romney in 2012; and Mike Pence, running mate of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, while all “qualified” and experienced, had many negative aspects to their candidacies.

The only exceptions one could claim were fully qualified and acceptable were Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President to Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, and also Bob Dole as running mate of Gerald Ford in 1976.

And now we have JD Vance, who has only served 18 months as a Senator from Ohio, and who has completely changed his views on Donald Trump from what they were in 2016. And Vance comes across as a MAGA extremist who is unwilling to support Ukraine in its war with Russia; wants no exceptions for rape or incest with a total ban on abortion; and is clearly perceived as a “mini Trump”, who could carry on the Trump views in the future Republican Party.

And realize Vance called Trump a potential Adolf Hitler eight years ago, and now embraces him! If that is not a danger sign to voters, then such voters have no principles or conscience!

Mike Johnson, The Religious Hypocrite And Underminer Of The Rule Of Law!

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America is, unfortunately, saddled with a Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who is both a religious hypocrite and an underminer of the rule of law.

This is a man who claims to be a “good Christian”, and he and his son monitor each other on avoidance of pornography online.

But at the same time, he shows up at the trial of Donald Trump, who has been engaged in illicit sex affairs with multiple women, and arranged a payment with two such women to keep the American people from learning about the affairs before the Presidential Election of 2016.

Trump has had three marriages, and cheated on all three wives, including just after his youngest son was born in 2006, and yet, Mike Johnson comes to his defense.

Johnson and all of the other Republicans who have shown up at the trial of Trump are out to defend a person engaged in illicit and criminal activity, and are undermining the rule of law, common decency, and morality and ethics.

The thought that Johnson is two heartbeats away from the Presidency under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is horrifying and just another reason to insure that the Democrats win the House of Representatives in the upcoming Presidential Election of 2024.

Imagine if past Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi intervened to defend Democrats facing trial, such as Hunter Biden or Senator Bob Menendez. What an outrageous reaction there would be, but such an event would never occur.

And think back to the Bill Clinton sex scandal, when Republicans were so moral and ethical, but now have switched gears completely!

Trump Support Declining In Latest Polls!

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The Donald Trump Criminal trial in New York City is undermining his support, which already was never the majority of Americans.

Recent polls also indicate that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking away Trump supporters more than Joe Biden supporters in his crazy third party bid!

The information about payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to cover up their affairs with Donald Trump, and the renewal of the information about the Access Hollywood tape of 2016, which almost destroyed Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign, now has “reared its ugly head” once again!

As more women look at the facts about Trump’s disrespect for women, and the fact that he has caused the end of abortion rights through Roe V Wade being reversed in Dobbs V Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022 by the Supreme Court, and has bragged about it, seems certain to insure his defeat in November, beyond many other issues and factors!

“Battleground” States Should Be Expanded By Democrats!

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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!