“Red” State

Who Could Be Running Mate For Kamala Harris?

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If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for President in 2024, a heavy favorite to replace him would be Vice President Kamala Harris, although other Democrats might decide to contest her nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

If Harris is the Presidential nominee, the question is who would be a good choice for Vice President?

It would seem to this author and blogger that either a “swing state” Governor or someone who has proved ability to win office in a “Red” state would make the most sense.

So this author and blogger proposes one of the following two individuals:

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, age 51

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, age 46

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state with 19 electoral votes, and Shapiro, who is Jewish, has had years of state experience as Attorney General of his state before being elected Governor by a solid margin, and is very popular, and seen as a future Presidential contender.

Kentucky is a “Red” state, but Beshear has been able to win the Governorship twice, and is highly popular, and could, in theory, put Kentucky’s 8 electoral votes in play, which would be a welcome potential addition to the Electoral College total for the Democrats.

Joe Trippi, Campaign Manager For Many Democrats, Able To Promote Great Victory For Doug Jones In Alabama, A Turning Point For 2018

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One of the key figures who brought about the election of Doug Jones in Alabama was his masterful campaign manager, Joe Trippi.

Trippi managed to run a campaign that was brilliant in execution.

Trippi is well versed in Democratic campaigns for office, not successful on a regular basis as with Jones, but he is well regarded for his campaign strategies.

Among those he assisted in various campaigns for public office are:

Minnesota Senator and Vice President Walter Mondale and his Presidential campaign in 1984.

Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and his Presidential campaign in 1980.

Colorado Senator Gary Hart and his Presidential campaign in 1988.

California Governor Jerry Brown and his Presidential campaign in 1992 and gubernatorial campaign in 2010.

North Carolina Senator John Edwards and his 2008 Presidential campaign.

Missouri House Minority Leader and Congressman Dick Gephardt and his Presidential campaign in 1988 after Gary Hart dropped out.

Trippi also was campaign manager for Vermont Governor and 2004 Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean.

Additionally, he assisted Senate elections of California Senator Alan Cranston, Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, and Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

Hopefully, the Doug Jones election in a “Red” state will be a turning point nationwide in the midterm Congressional Elections of 2018.

Evan Bayh Guarantees Indiana Will Go To The Democratic Presidential Nominee, Hillary Clinton!

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Former Indiana Senator Evan Byah, the son of former Senator Birch Bayh, chose not to run for reelection in 2010 after 12 years in the Senate.

But now, six years later, he has decided to come back and run for his seat, and will likely take it away from whomever the Republicans run to succeed retiring Senator Dan Coats, who also gave up his seat and then came back to run again for it in 2010.

We can chalk this up as a certain Democratic gain toward their hoped for majority in the US Senate, which will be crucial in so many ways, including the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices.

Bayh is a moderate centrist Democrat, the kind who can help Hillary Clinton win Indiana, which Barack Obama won in 2008 but lost in 2012.

So at least one “Red” state can be considered a gain for the Democrats, insuring even more that Hillary will be elected the 45th President of the United States in November.

Right Wing Hysteria Over Obama, Proved Wrong Again And Again!

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When Barack Obama was reelected President in 2012, the right wing went nuts, claiming all kinds of disasters for the nation, and they continued to state that in 2014, as well as 2013.

Gasoline was supposed to rise to over $5 a gallon, but instead it is half of that or less.

Unemployment was supposed to stay at 8 percent, but instead it is under 6 percent.

The stock market was going to crash, but instead it is at an all time high.

The American economy was going to go belly up, and instead, we have the strongest growth in many years, and a 5 percent growth rate in the third quarter of 2014.

Nearly eleven million jobs have been created, the most since Bill Clinton was President.

Ebola was supposed to decimate America, and it has, instead, turned out to be a major scare based on hysteria and panic, encouraged by the right wing.

California was going to go bankrupt, and instead has a four billion dollar surplus, a tremendous revival, despite projections that this “blue” state was going down the wrong path, and instead it is Kansas, a “red” state, that is in dire condition because, unlike California, which raised taxes, Kansas cut them dramatically.

Barack Obama was accused of undermining Israel, but it was our Iron Dome system which saved Israel in the recent Mideast conflict, and despite petty differences between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama remains a strong supporter of the Jewish state, without necessarily having to agree on every detail and request of the Israeli government.

Obama was accused of having one scandal after another, but every so called scandal has collapsed on its own weight of no substance, including the attack on Benghazi, Libya, that led to the death of four diplomats and support staff, including the US Ambassador to Libya.

It was said that Barack Obama was going to declare martial law, and that he was lawless and dictatorial, while also being accused of being weak and unwilling to use American military power, but both accusations have been proved ridiculous, and Obama is doing an excellent job of dealing with terrorism in the Middle East and Africa, without putting boots on the ground.

The right wing, whether Fox News Channel, Talk Radio, the Republicans in Congress, or the conservative think tanks, have been proved wrong and hysterical so often, one wonders how any intelligent person could take anything that they claim to be legitimate!

The Odyssey Of Charlie Crist

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Former Republican Governor Charlie Crist of Florida is attempting a comeback to the Governorship, this time as a Democrat, after having left the GOP in 2010, running as an Independent for the US Senate, which he also ran for as a Republican in 1998.

This is the most important race for the Governorship, as Florida is the largest state to have a truly competitive race for Governor or Senator, as California and New York are “Blue”, and Texas is “Red”.

This is also a rare case of a Governor switching parties and winning on the other party line, only five times before in American history, and also a rare race of a former Governor against the sitting Governor who replaced  him, with Rick Scott being his opponent.

Crist is seen by many as a chameleon, a person who is untrustworthy and slick and good at manipulation, but also he is extremely charismatic, a great orator, very handsome with his white hair, and someone hard not to like on a personal level, while Scott is none of these attributes, and is seen by many as totally crooked, with his Medicare scams that he paid millions of dollars in fines, but avoided prison time, which many think he should have served!

It is ironic that Charlie Crist was on the short list of Senator John McCain for Vice President in 2008, and now, if he wins the Governorship of the fourth largest state, and a crucial swing state for 2016, it is conceivable that he could be the Vice Presidential running mate of Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, or really, almost any Democratic Presidential nominee.

And of course, were something to go wrong, he could be President of the United States by succession, or even being the nominee in four to eight years after 2016 for the Presidency, after having served as Vice President of the United States!

What an interesting odyssey for Charlie Crist, and the future is there for much more, if he is able to come back as Florida Governor!

Texas And Florida: Two States With Two Competing Presidential Candidates For The GOP!

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Texas is the second largest state in population, and Florida is soon to be the third largest state.

Texas is “red”, but seen as turning “purple” and eventually “blue” by 2020 or after.

Florida is “purple”, strongly Republican, but won by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Both are extremely important battlegrounds for the future of the Presidency, with a total population of about 45 million combined, and becoming more Hispanic and Latino annually.

And both have two competing Presidential candidates for the Republican nomination for President in 2016.

Texas has outgoing Governor Rick Perry and freshman Senator Ted Cruz, while Florida has former Governor Jeb Bush (whose brother and father were elected to public office from Texas), and freshman Senator Marco Rubio.

Cruz and Rubio are the new generation, while Perry is the longest serving Governor of Texas, and one of the longest serving Governors in American history, and Jeb Bush was last in public office eight years ago, and last competed in an election 12 years ago.

Bush and Perry both have ties to George W. Bush, one his brother, and the other his Lieutenant Governor, who succeeded him when he was elected President.

One would have to say that Bush and Rubio seem far more likely contenders than Perry and Cruz, with both ranked higher on lists by political prognosticators.

It seems clear that Rubio is unlikely to run if Bush does, while Perry and Cruz will both compete, neither one wishing to give in to the other.

As far as becoming President, it will be very difficult for any Republican, but the best betting money is on Jeb Bush if he announces, as his overall image, despite his last name, puts him near the top of the potential list of nominees for the White House!

The “Evil” Dick Cheney Influence To Divide Wyoming Republicans: Civil War To Be Waged For Daughter Liz!

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Dick Cheney, arguably the most powerful Vice President in American history, and also in so many ways the most evil, due to his lying, deception, manipulations, and promotion of war in Iraq on false pretenses, has refused to be quiet as a former Vice President.

The man who once had a decent reputation, as Chief of Staff to President Gerald Ford; Wyoming Congressman and Congressional leader, and Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush, is seen by many as having gone berserk after September 11, and used his dominating personality to manipulate George W. Bush, and in unison with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, undermined the influence of Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, convincing Bush to start a war in Iraq that had no justification, and was based on lies. Cheney also endorsed torture against terrorism suspects, and has been totally on the war path against President Barack Obama, and is loved by the far right of his party, including the Tea Party activists.

Cheney has also graced us with his daughter, Liz Cheney, an overly aggressive, abrasive, and caustic commentator on Fox News Channel, who is now considering running for the US Senate in Wyoming, against a fellow conservative Republican, Mike Enzi, whose “crime” is that he is low key, and actually had the “temerity” to work across the aisle sometimes with Democratic Senators, although he is a reliable conservative when it comes to his votes.

Cheney, his daughter, and his wife Lynne Cheney, also a very aggressive, caustic individual in her own right in her past public career, are ready to split the GOP in Wyoming, by trying to force Enzi to retire when he wishes to run again, or compete in a contested, divisive primary, due to Liz Cheney’s ambitions and Dick Cheney’s willingness to play “hard ball”, even against a fellow Republican and former friend.

In other words, what the Cheneys want, they intend to get, no matter what the cost! And realize that it is clear to anyone who watches Liz Cheney, that if she were to win the Senate seat, she would become a thorn in the side of Barack Obama and any other Democrat, would refuse to cooperate on anything,and would have long range ambitions to become the first woman Republican Presidential candidate, if not the first woman President.

No one should be under the illusion that Liz Cheney would wait patiently to run for President. Do not be surprised that she might run as a brand new Senator from the smallest state in population in 2016, and could not be ignored as a factor! This woman would be as aggressive, nasty, and confrontational as her infamous parents!

If the Cheneys want, they go to “war” against the opposition, even if a fellow Republican Senator who has done nothing wrong, except to avoid unnecessary confrontation!

The one good thing is the possibility that a Republican “civil war” in a state as “red” as Wyoming could actually give the Democrats the chance to win that seat, if they can come up with a solid opponent. That would be the ultimate slap in the face of the Cheneys and their party, if they caused a loss that would otherwise not happen, were it not for Liz Cheney’s personality and ambitions!