secession

Presidential-Vice Presidential Relationships Rarely Warm

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When one looks at the relationships between Presidents and Vice Presidents historically, it is clear that most Presidents look at their Vice Presidents and see their own mortality; often see the Vice President as a rival; often have disdain for the Vice President; and often do not support the Vice President in his Presidential ambitions to follow the President in office.

Examples of the above abound:

George Washington ignored John Adams, and Adams lamented that he was in an office that had no influence or respect.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were at constant odds, being of different political parties, and elected together by the early quirks of the Electoral College, later resolved by the 12th Amendment to the Constitution in 1804.

Thomas Jefferson literally refused to recognize Aaron Burr, after Burr tried to steal the Presidency from him in 1800, with Burr’s contention that he and Jefferson had ended up in a “tie” vote in the Electoral College, forcing Alexander Hamilton, a rival of both Jefferson and Burr to intervene and call for support of Jefferson, which led to the gun duel between Hamilton and Burr in 1804, and Hamilton’s tragic death.

John Quincy Adams discovered that John C. Calhoun was undermining him, and Calhoun switched sides and ran with Andrew Jackson in 1828.

However, Jackson and Calhoun became bitter rivals, and the Nullification Crisis over the protective tariff, with Calhoun enunciating the doctrine of states rights, nullification, interposition, and secession almost led to civil war, prevented by the intervention of Henry Clay, but only after Jackson threatened to hang Calhoun, a threat that could not be ignored, since Jackson had killed several opponents in gun duels.

Abraham Lincoln hardly dealt with his first term Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, and then “dumped” him, for Andrew Johnson, someone he hardly knew.

When Theodore Roosevelt decided not to run for another term in 1908, he ignored his own Vice President, Charles Fairbanks, and backed his Secretary of War, William Howard Taft.

Woodrow Wilson gave little concern to the role of his Vice President, Thomas Marshall, and when Wilson suffered a stroke in 1919, he did not intervene to prevent his wife from preventing Marshall from visiting him, and ascertaining the state of his health, or allow him to take over Presidential authority.

Franklin D. Roosevelt ignored his three Vice Presidents—John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, and Harry Truman. This led Garner to say the Vice Presidency was not worth a pitcher of “warm spit”. Wallace was allowed to “hang in the wind” over his public statements on civil rights, and be “dumped” on the demand of Southern Democrats in 1944. Harry Truman was not informed of anything, including the atomic bomb project, in his brief Vice Presidency.

Dwight D. Eisenhower had a strong dislike for his Vice President, Richard Nixon, as shown by his original plan to “dump” Nixon in 1956; his lukewarm support of Nixon in 1960; and his having problems remembering Nixon as a potential future nominee in 1964. At the end, however, Ike witnessed his grandson, David, marry Nixon’s younger daughter, Julie, and was supportive of Nixon in his last year of life, the first year of the Nixon Presidency.

John F. Kennedy failed to use the talents of Lyndon B. Johnson, his Vice President, to a great extent due to the hatred of his brother, Robert Kennedy, for LBJ. Robert Kennedy went out of his way to embarrass and humiliate Johnson in every way possible.

Johnson abused his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, once he realized that Humphrey was critical of his Vietnam War policies. He threatened to leave Humphrey out of his cabinet meetings, and forced him to speak up for the war, which undermined Humphrey’s own Presidential campaign in 1968. And secretly, because Humphrey started to veer from support of the administration policies late in the campaign, Johnson hoped for a victory of Richard Nixon.

Richard Nixon utilized his Vice President, Spiro Agnew for political gain, but showed little respect for him, and let him “hang in the wind” when Agnew was forced out of the Vice Presidency in 1973. And Nixon picked Gerald Ford as his successor Vice President under the 25th Amendment, thinking that this insured that Nixon would not be impeached and be removed from office.

Gerald Ford had a strong respect for Nelson Rockefeller, who he selected as his Vice President, but yet “dumped” him for Bob Dole in the 1976 Presidential race.

Ronald Reagan was never close to George H. W. Bush, who had been his chief rival for the 1980 Presidential nomination, and never invited the Bushes to a private dinner at the White House, although he utilized Bush’s expertise in foreign policy and intelligence, as Bush had been head of the CIA.

Bush did not care for Dan Quayle very much, and considered “dumping” him in 1992 over Quayle’s embarrassing flubs. Quayle was given less involvement in the administration than his recent predecessors, and when he tried for the Presidential nomination in 1996, Bush did not back him in any way.

Bill Clinton was closer to Al Gore, but their friendship and collaboration suffered greatly during the scandal over Monica Lewinsky, and the pursuant impeachment trial. Gore decided not to ask Clinton, who remained popular, to work for him in the last days of the 2000 Presidential campaign. After his defeat, there were recriminations between Gore and Clinton over who had been responsible for Gore’s defeat.

George W. Bush relied on his Vice President, Dick Cheney, a lot in the first term, but became estranged from Cheney in the second term over the Scooter Libby scandal and in other ways, as Bush asserted himself much more, making clear he did not need Cheney as much as in the first term.

With all of the above examples of estrangement, or lack of closeness of Presidents with their Vice Presidents, there are two shining examples of very close, warm relationships between two Presidents and their Vice Presidents.

These would be Jimmy Carter with Walter Mondale, and Barack Obama with Joe Biden.

Carter and Mondale were the closest team in American history, with Carter allowing Mondale to share just about every decision in a way no Vice President, before or since, was able to do, and they remained close personal friends, for what is now the all time record of 32 PLUS years out of the Presidency, the longest lasting team in American history, with Carter now 88 plus and Mondale just passing 85, and both still in good health. No sense of any rift has ever existed between the two men, and their relationship was the smoothest ever, a lot of it due to Carter’s lack of insecurity about his Vice President, a testimonial to the former President!

Also, every indication is that Obama and Biden have as close a relationship, but with Biden nearly a generation older, while Carter and Mondale are less than four years apart in age. It seems as if there might be some issues between Obama and Biden, but that will have to be left to the future to find out. Also, a question arises as to how Obama will handle a possible competition for the next Presidential nomination between Biden and Hillary Clinton, both of whom have been crucial to his Presidency’s success so far.

So the Presidential-Vice Presidential relationships have been almost always far from warm and close, with only the two exceptions mentioned above.

This would be an excellent topic for a future scholarly study!

Good Question: Would Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, And Dwight D. Eisenhower Be Republicans In 2012? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Ronald 2 Comments

When one looks at the sad state of the Republican Party in 2012, having lost the popular vote FIVE times in the past six elections, and when one analyzes the kinds of groups and viewpoints of their base—right wing social and religious extremists, neoconservatives, Grover Norquist inspired economic viewpoints, Wall Street elitists, and the Old Confederacy view on racial matters, the feeling that develops is that the Republican Party has lost its moorings, and will not reach national power in the Senate and the White House until they change radically, and back toward the moderate center.

But one has to wonder, would three of the icons of the Republican past even wish to be associated with the present mess that is the GOP?

Would Abraham Lincoln be a Republican today? Clearly, the answer is no, as his views would not conform with today’s GOP, including the racism, the movement toward secession by extremist elements, and the religious foothold in the party.

But neither would Teddy Roosevelt, with his belief in regulation of big business, trust in national government, promotion of the environment, and dislike of wealthy corporate leaders who exploited labor.

And neither would Dwight D. Eisenhower, affectionately known as “Ike”, who was basically nonpartisan, who could have just as easily become a Democrat in 1948, when offered a chance to run for President, but turned it down. With his ultimate election as a Republican, he ended the debate among conservatives in the party about attempting to repeal the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and announced acceptance of what it had done.

Imagine: the three most respected and honored leaders of the party, if alive today, would have broken with the Republicans, and would have found the Democratic Party much more to their liking, with its platform of change, reform, and progress!

And all three would have been proud of a nation that not only elected the first African American President, Barack Obama, but went ahead and reelected him as well!

The Right Wing Starts A Move To Impeach Barack Obama: Further Proof That There Is A Lunatic Fringe Which Refuses To Accept The Choice Of The American People For Their President!

Ronald 2 Comments

The lunatic right wing is going off the deep end, into total insanity!

First, there has been a movement to have states secede from the Union, and if these mostly Southern States were to leave, it would solve a lot of the national debt and deficit problem, as the North and West and Upper Midwest, heavily “blue” areas, and also the most prosperous, would no longer have to worry about supporting the poor, backward, socially regressive “red” states who take a large portion of federal dollars to keep themselves going,, since their state governments are so atrociously inferior and inadequate!

These “red” states are becoming the laughing stock of civilized, intelligent, educated people, and they are sore losers! So if they cannot win at the ballot box, they want to take their marbles and go home, in this case to some other mystical “wonderful nation” that speaks English and will not be as “leftist” as our government supposedly is, which it is, most certainly not! And they would discover that no such nation exists, as we are the most backward nation in social reform on this earth among developed nations!

But now, some right wing whackos, joined in encouragement by Fox News Channel, is moving to impeach President Barack Obama on “high crimes and misdemeanors”, except they cannot figure out on what these crimes and misdemeanors are, other than claiming that the President is not a citizen, and has a fake birth certificate, a continuation of the “birther” movement!

These nutty extremists are so pitiful in their prejudice, their stupidity, their ignorance of the world of reality and the Constitution, and get this! Even if somehow, the smaller majority Republican House of Representatives were to draw up articles of impeachment, there is absolutely no chance in hell that two thirds of the Senate would agree to remove Obama from office, with a 55-45 Democratic majority in the upper chamber.

The whole purpose of this impeachment movement would be to besmirch the reputation of Barack Obama , which would fail, much like what happened to President Bill Clinton in 1998-1999.

And the ultimate irony is that IF Obama were to be removed, he would be replaced in the Presidency by Vice President Joe Biden, a reality that would drive the whacky right wing to become even more insane!

Fox News Channel and the whacky right wing should “get a life”!

Texas, Louisiana, Florida, And Other States Have Secessionists Petitioning For Separation From The Union: Adjust, Or Seek Out Better Pastures Which Do Not Exist!

Ronald 1 Comment

This is the whacko season, and suddenly, as a result of the Presidential Election Of 2012, we have petitions from thousands of people in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and 17 other states, mostly the Red states, demanding secession from the Union, because they are unhappy with Barack Obama as President.

The answer to these people is to remind them that the Civil War, 150 years ago, settled this issue.

But if these Americans are that unhappy, they are welcome to leave the country and find better pastures!

However, if they go to any other English speaking nation, such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, they will discover that all of them have much more advanced social programs, have much better health care systems, and all prevent religion from having as much of a foothold in politics as we allow in this country!

And if they choose to move to other advanced industrial nations that do not speak English, such as France, Germany, the Scandinavian nations, Italy, Japan, or Israel, they will find out quickly that they also are way beyond our concept of social justice, religious freedom and separation, and regulation of business.

So, instead of acting like spoiled children, these secessionists should adjust and work to make America a better place for all, not just the rich and privileged!

Conservatives, Republicans, And Basic Knowledge: Science, Mathematics, History, Economics, Spelling And Grammar, World Diplomacy

Ronald 1 Comment

Many Republicans and conservatives, whether in Congress, the news media, think tanks, or just ordinary citizens, have a real and fundamental problem with basic knowledge. It makes one wonder where they were when they were young, and supposedly being educated, and the indications that they have learned nothing new as adults.

Consider the field of Science, with many of the Republicans and conservatives believing in creationism, the BIble theory of creation, that claims the earth is maybe 10,000 years old at the most, and that dinosaurs walked with man, with a Creationist Museum open to the public in Kentucky, near the border with Cincinnati, Ohio. There is complete denial of Charles Darwin, to the point of total craziness.

Also, there is the failure of these people to accept that there is global warming and climate change, despite so much evidence that there is a problem, and refusal to plan for the future on the basis that we are facing a long range threat, with Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma being the political leader of the “deniers”.

But also, many Republicans and conservatives seem to have their own version of the process of pregnancy and what is a rape, as for instance, defeated Senate nominees Todd Akin and Richard Mouroick.

But let’s move on from Science to Mathematics, and we are talking here about basic math, arithmetic, not geometry, trigonometry, or calculus. Many members of the GOP, including Paul Ryan, claim a magical system of numbers to come up with their budget plans, but as Joe Biden said to Paul Ryan in the Vice Presidential debate, it does not add up!

Then we move on to history, and the image that America is the greatest nation in history, and has never made a mistake, never needs to apologize, has no faults or shortcomings that anyone needs to learn about. And our exceptionalism is enough to wave in the faces of all nations around the world. Why should we teach or learn about slavery, mass murder of native Americans, discrimination against Jews and Catholics and other immigrants, the exploitation of labor by corporations, the destruction of our environment, the corruption of many politicians over our history, the war crimes committed by our troops in many wars, and so on? NO, that is unpatriotic, and instead we must sanitize all historical learning!

And the field of economics is another area of believing that the best system is NO regulation, and the promotion of Adam Smith’s Laissez Faire economics, expressed in the Wealth Of Nations, and if there is poverty or other human suffering, that is the way it was intended by God, so the promotion of Social Darwinism, the one time Darwin is utilized by these KNOW NOTHINGS!

Spelling and grammar do not matter, as many Tea Party radicals who hold rallies show their total ignorance of all subject matter, and cannot express themselves appropriately, and in a respectable manner! They march with signs that are misspelled, as with the Secession signs now being brandished by many of these characters, who are upset with the Obama victory last week!

World Diplomacy, the whole idea of trying to relate to other countries in a respectful manner, is also insignificant to many, who believe the answer is to BOMB everyone you do not agree with, throw our weight around, and not give a damn about how the world perceives us!

This ignorance and stupidity is totally unacceptable, and the Republican Party and the conservative movement needs to purge itself, or go into the dustbin of history!

Good Riddance, Rick Perry! Don’t Let The Swinging Door Hit You On The Way Out!

Ronald 1 Comment

So Rick Perry has exited the GOP Presidential nomination race, and not too soon!

An embarrassment to himself and his state, he made one start to admire another former Texas Governor, George W. Bush, which demonstrates just how mediocre Rick Perry proved to be.

Here is a man who:

1. Suggested that his state might secede from the Union.
2. Said South Carolina was at “war” with the federal government.
3. Called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” and a “monstrous lie”, knowing that he was lying through his teeth.
4. Proposed re-invasion of Iraq.
5. Said Medicare is unconstitutional.
6. Said President Barack Obama is a socialist, knowing that was a lie too.
7. Could not remember the cabinet agencies he wanted to eliminate.
8. Allowed a likely innocent man to be executed, rather than investigate the issue further, in order to show how tough he was.
9. Had miserable debate performances, showing lack of knowledge and details.
10. Has the thought that he might reconsider running for President in 2016, the ultimate example of narcissism and egotism.

Rick Perry, don’t let the swinging door hit you on the way out! Good riddance!

Why Did National Government Grow? Because Of Crises State And Local Governments Could Not Cope With!

Ronald Leave a comment

In the midst of constant debate about the validity and size and scope of national government in America, one truth shines out!

In time of crisis, it is the fact and the leadership of federal government that has saved us from disaster!

It was the recognition that state and local governments were unable to deal with anarchy and chaos during the period of the Articles of Confederation in the 1780s, which led to the Constitutional Convention and the establishment of a strong national government.

It was the reality that the Union was being dissolved by the secession of the Southern states, determined to protect their evil institution of slavery at all costs, that forced the growth of national government to keep the Union together, promote economic growth, expand the concept of human rights to all groups, and put America on the road to being a world leader.

It was the threat presented by foreign powers in World War I and World War II which required the growth of national government to protect our national security.

It was the national government which came to the rescue at the heights of the Great Depression, when the nation was in danger of chaos and possible turn toward dictatorship of the left or the right, triumphant elsewhere, but prevented by our national government.

It was our national government which had the ability to protect us during the period of the Cold War with the Soviet Union from 1945-1991.

Despite complaints about tactics, it was our national government which was looked to after the horrific attack on September 11, 2001, and has prevented any further attack.

Try to imagine leaving all of these crises to state and local governments, which so often have proved their incompetence, their inadequacy, their shallow nature, their narrow mindedness. We would not have had the history we have experienced, and would, most certainly, be under the control and dominance of foreign powers!

State and local governments have legitimate roles in our federal system, but it is the national government which has been the “hero” in our history, saving us from harm, chaos, and a future that would have been much more difficult than our national experience has proved to be!

Rick Perry Attacked From The Right: How No GOP Candidate Can Please The Lunatic Fringe!

Ronald 2 Comments

Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to many like the ideal conservative Republican, except he isn’t!

This is further proof that NO ONE can ever fully satisfy the extreme Right Tea Party Movement, and that the Republican Party needs to tell the Tea Party Movement to go to hell in a hand basket!

Rick Perry is a horror to most sane people, what with his secession comments, his record on capital punishment, his attacks on the Obama Health Care Plan, his criticism of the Federal Reserve, his calling Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme”, and other outrageous statements.

But on two issues, he is correct: that the children of illegal immigrants, who are not responsible for being in America, should be given the same opportunity to in state tuition for a college education as children of Texas citizens, as long as they have been in the state for at least three years; and the decision to promote HPV vaccine for young girls in Texas, to avoid the danger of cervical cancer.

Perry has been vilified on these matters, and now has slipped in the latest Fox News Poll from the lead to number two behind Mitt Romney, but Romney should not sell his soul to the right wing, or it will also destroy him, and were he to win, his Presidency, as a captive of these nuts on the right!

The fact that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are now bitterly attacking Rick Perry is actually a reason to promote sympathy for Perry, but not too much. It just demonstrates why the Republican Party is not the alternative to Barack Obama, if one is sane and believes in having a “heart”, something that Perry was attacked for, but something we need more of in America if we are going to have a future we wish to be proud of!

Rick Perry, The Democrat: The Ultimate Phoniness, Exploiting For His Own Ambition!

Ronald Leave a comment

The author has never really understood how adults, who should have their political and philosophical views settled by the mid to late 20s at the latest, can suddenly have an “epiphany” in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond and change their views 180 degrees!

This has happened to many former Democrats who will claim that the party “left them”, an easy but ridiculous excuse, since if one believes the basic values of the Democratic Party, then to switch to the Republican Party is purely opportunism, cynicism, naked ambition, and willingness to exploit people’s fears and insecurities!

So enter Texas Governor Rick Perry, a former Democrat, who was Texas state director of the Al Gore Presidential campaign in 1988!

And enter Rick Perry, who in 1993, wrote an extremely supportive letter to First Lady Hillary Clinton, supporting, with great enthusiasm, the Clinton Health Care Plan, which failed of passage in 1994!

And enter Rick Perry, who now cannot have a decent word for ANY federal social safety net program, including Medicare and Social Security, and has proposed Texas secede from the Union! He has also condemned the whole 20th century series of social and economic reforms, and wants the 16th Amendment, the Federal income tax, to be repealed!

Does Rick Perry have any principles? If you believe that, the author will offer up a bridge that he is willing to sell to you–the old joke about the Brooklyn Bridge!

The Escalating Extremist Rhetoric Of Rick Perry: Reckless And Irresponsible!

Ronald Leave a comment

Texas Governor Rick Perry has only been in the Republican Presidential nomination race for less than 72 hours, and already, we are witnessing escalating extremist rhetoric that makes him the most dangerous and reckless potential nominee of the GOP since Barry Goldwater!

Wait until Perry begins his vicious attacks on Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and even Michele Bachmann!

This man has displayed already, while Governor of Texas, that he has no limits to irresponsible statements, as witness his threat two years ago that Texas might secede from the Union, even though that is an illegal, unpatriotic, and treasonous statement to make 150 years after the Civil War!

Perry has the gall to suggest that the Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke, trying to deal with the Great Recession, is promoting treason by trying to stimulate the economy and promote investment and job growth. It is part of his desire to strip the federal government of any control over the destinies of the American people, and instead promote the old, outworn doctrine of states rights, despite the fact that Texas and almost all other states have done a horrible job of dealing with the needs and problems of their citizenry!

Perry also has a lot of nerve to suggest that Barack Obama does not love his country, when he has suggested Texas leave the Union. He is promoting a continuation of the “Birther” myth, that Obama is not out to defend his country’s interest, even though Obama has been much more successful than George W. Bush in his pursuit of terrorists, including the massive use of drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the removal of more terrorist leaders of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, including the greatest accomplishment of all, Osama Bin Laden, in two and a half years, than Bush and Dick Cheney could bring about in eight years!

Rick Perry will stop at nothing in the politics of personal destruction of Barack Obama, and soon, his GOP opponents will discover the viciousness of this man who makes George W. Bush look like a moderate!