Spiro Agnew

Early Estimation Of Potential Republican Presidential Nominees In 2028

Ronald 1 Comment

The Washington Post just published an article on ten potential Republican Presidential contenders to succeed Donald Trump in 2028.

It is a literal horror list!

At the top of the list are Vice President JD Vance, and Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr.

Vance, already, in six weeks, has compiled a public persona that has not gone over well in public opinion polls, and makes earlier Republican Vice Presidents look better by comparison, including not only broadly respected Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, but also far less impressive Vice Presidents, including Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, and Mike Pence. Only Spiro Agnew, at this point, would rate lower than Vance.

Trump Jr. is not a very smart or impressive individual, who clearly has been harmed over his life by the parental abuses his father visited upon him, with many stories of their difficult relationship.

Once we go beyond these two top contenders, we have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as number 4; and Kristi Noem, former South Dakota Governor and now Homeland Security Secretary as number 8—both having many negatives in their public record.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (formerly Senator from Florida) as number 5 and Nikki Haley (former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador) as number 6, are comparatively more palatable, but one cannot accept that either really has a great chance for the future. Rubio surving in the Cabinet for four years seems unlikely, and Haley has aliented Trump supporters by her fierce campaign against Trump in 2024.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at number 3 was a major Trump critic in the past, and outgoing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin at number 7 did not meet the expectations of many that he was a major player.

Finally, at the bottom two slots of ten listed are former Fox host Tucker Carlson at number 10, and enterpreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (who is running for Ohio Governor in 2026) at number 9. Needless to say, they are both obnoxious beyond the pale, and make everyone else on the list comparatively palatable.

This is an indication of how horrendous the future of the Trump dominated Republican Party looks at this moment in 2025.

But the question is can the Democratic Party recover and offer a real alternative in the future?

Any chance of the survival of the American Republic beyond Donald Trump is a real question, without a clear-cut answer!

Comparing Republican And Democratic Vice Presidents Since 1961!

Ronald Leave a comment

America has had a total of 50 Vice Presidents in its history since 1789.

Fourteen of those Vice Presidents have served since 1961, with eight being Republicans, and six being Democrats.

Asssessing their significance, and perceptions of their performances, there is no comparison that would rate the Republicans as superior to the Democrats, and in fact, the differences are massive!

The eight Republican Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Spiro Agnew
Gerald Ford
Nelson Rockefeller
George H W Bush
Dan Quayle
Dick Cheney
Mike Pence
JD Vance

The six Democratic Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Lyndon B. Johnson
Hubert Humphrey
Walter Mondale
Al Gore
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris

Nobody in their right mind would claim that the Republicans come anywhere close in background, image, and significance to the Democrats.

Only Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and George H W Bush are looked upon in a positive way, while all six Democrats “shine”, and particularly Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and Joe Biden.

LBJ and Humphrey do not look as “good” as Vice Presidents because their Presidents chose not to utilize their talents adequately, which is a criticism of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Harris had the extra disadvantage of being unique, as a woman and mixed race Vice President, in a country where there is still misogyny and racism, sad to say.

But the remaining five Republican Vice Presidents are really horrendous, with Spiro Agnew and Dan Quayle clearly so, and with Dick Cheney, while certainly competent, perceived as “Darth Vader”, overly autocratic and seen in a negative light.

And Donald Trump’s two Vice Presidents are perceived in a negative light, but already, JD Vance in just six weeks appears far worse than Mike Pence!

In any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the top three Vice Presidents in history would be in order–Walter Mondale, Joe Biden, and Al Gore.

And in any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the bottom three would include in order—Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and likely JD Vance!

The fact that Dick Cheney and Mike Pence would be rated above these three disastrous Vice Presidents, is quite a testimony to how horrendous Agnew, Quayle, and Vance have been to the office, with Vance “accomplishing” this failure in six weeks and by his statements and viewpoints expressed making the possibility of his succeeding Trump in the future as quite scary, to say the least!

Shocking Confrontation Of Trump And Vance With Zelenskyy In Oval Office Indicates “Sellout” Of Ukraine And Europe!

Ronald 14 Comments

In an event that will reverberate for the long term future, Donald Trump and JD Vance had a shocking public confrontation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office yesterday, repudiating US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began with a massive invasion by Vladimir Putin’s military forces three years ago.

Nothing like this incident has ever occurred before, and certainly, not in the public eye for all to witness.

It made clear that Trump is abandoning the close relationship the US has had with European democracies since World War II, and instead is embracing a close friendship with the aggressor, and major threat to world peace, Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation.

This presents a threat to the survival and viability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has keep peace and stability for 75 years since 1949.

Shockingly, most Republicans are backing Trump and Vance in their “ambush” of Zelenskyy, and the idea that Vice President Vance would interject himself in the confrontation so directly, was beyond the pale, clearly designed to promote his own Presidential candidacy to succeed Trump in 2028.

Vance has now made himself the most despicable Vice President in modern times, surpassing Spiro Agnew and Dick Cheney in being a confrontational second in command.

All good, decent people will support Zelenskyy and Ukraine, and reputiate the despicable, corrupt, and authoritarian orientation of both Trump and Vance, and of their sycophants in the Cabinet and elsewhere in the US government.

And already, people who had been strongly anti Russian for good reason historically and contemporarily, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and others have clearly decided that they will advance their own agendas, and give up their principles.

If Rubio in particular had any guts or ethics, he would resign, but that clearly is NOT going to happen.

America is in a very dangerous time in so many ways, and this after less than six weeks in office in the second Trump Presidency.

There is a lot of “buyer’s remorse” apparent among voters, who allowed themselves to be bamboozled by a man who was already impeached twice, had 86 indictment charges in four cases, and was convicted on 34 felony charges of those counts for falsifying business records in New York State.

The anarchy and chaos being promoted in both domestic and foreign policy is mind-blowing, and puts the US in a very dangerous condition for the future under Donald Trump!

Another Disastrous Republican Vice President In A Long Line!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party has had an amazing ability to find a group of horrendous, often unqualified, Vice Presidential nominees, many of them becoming Vice President of the United States, in the past six decades since 1964.

Barry Goldwater in 1964, himself a highly controversial Presidential nominee, selected New York Congressman William E. Miller, totally unqualified to be a heartbeat away, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Thank goodness Goldwater lost to Lyndon B. Johnson and his highly qualified Vice President, Hubert Humphrey.

In 1968 and again in 1972, Richard Nixon had Spiro Agnew as his Vice President, until he was forced out due to scandal and resignation in October 1973. Agnew was a true nightmare, and the thought that had he not been forced out, that he would have been President in 1974, was a literal nightmare scenario!

Fortunately, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as his Vice President to replace Agnew, a blessing, and Ford selected Nelson Rockefeller, former NY Governor and three time Republican Presidential contender as his Vice President, both appointed under the 25th Amendment.

When Ford selected Senator Bob Dole as his Vice Presidential running mate in 1976, while controversial for his utterances, Dole was at least qualified for the Vice Presidency, as was George H. W. Bush for the eight years of Ronald Reagan.

But then came Dan Quayle as Vice President under George H. W. Bush, a man who came across as not very bright and a bit terrifying to imagine him succeeding to the Presidency, when Bush had a heart issue, that thankfully was resolved successfully, and lived on to 2018.

In 1996, losing nominee Bob Dole had former Congressman and Housing Secretary Jack Kemp as his running mate, not horrible but not preferable to Al Gore, Bill Clinton’s two term Vice President.

Then, George W. Bush had Dick Cheney of Wyoming as his Vice President, certainly competent, and actually having a great impact in the first term of Bush, but seen as very arrogant, nasty, and corrupt, and having great responsibility for the Iraq War, based on false information.

Then, an all time low was Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate in 2008, the most scary and incompetent running mate in modern history, making even Dan Quayle look better.

This was followed by Mitt Romney in 2012 having Paul Ryan, later Speaker of the House, but seen as similar in right wing extremism to Cheney.

And then we had Mike Pence under Donald Trump, dutiful and obedient, but seen by many as a religious extremist, and yet repudiated by Trump, who endangered him at the time of the January 6 Insurrection for failing to stop the Electoral College Vote Count, and by Trump not calling off the mob attack that was threatening Pence’s life.

And now, we have JD Vance, who quickly is demonstrating how right wing extremist and undiplomatic he is on his first involvement in international affairs, along with his divisive domestic comments. His connection with powerful technology executives, including Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk, is totally horrifying!

The thought that Vance, at age 40, is a heartbeat away from the Presidency is terrifying!

JD Vance: Another Horrendous Republican Vice Presidential Nominee!

admin 39 Comments

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!

Kamala Harris Would Be Favored, If Joe Biden Decided To Withdraw: So What?

admin 9 Comments

If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as a candidate, after the disastrous CNN Presidential debate five days ago, it is clear that Vice President Kamala Harris would be favored to be the Democratic Presidential nominee against Donald Trump.

So what is this author’s and blogger’s response, as Harris is perfectly capable of being President, and arguably more so than a number of recent Vice Presidents or Vice Presidential candidates.

Would any rational observer say that Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, or Mike Pence were better qualified, or that Dick Cheney, with his authoritarian qualities, would have been a preferable choice? And what about Sarah Palin, who was a potential threat to be Vice President?

Most of the opposition from the right wing about Harris is based on her gender and race, as she proved to be perfectly qualified as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and California US Senator.

While there would be those who would prefer alternatives, Harris is a hearbeat away from the Presidency already for three and a half years, and is perfectly capable of being President, and doing a good job of upholding the Constitution, American democracy, and the rule of law, and certainly far better than Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump!

Harris would unify African American women, racial minorities in general, and white progressives and moderates who would see Donald Trump as “a clear and present danger”. She would perform very well against Trump in a debate format, as well.

Her Vice Presidential running mate could be Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who has proved he could win a “Red” State more than once; or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, leader of a crucial “swing state”.

The Negativism About Kamala Harris As Potential President Is Unwarranted!

admin Leave a comment

The propaganda being spewed against Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential successor to Joe Biden at some point in the next five years is totally unwarranted.

Vice Presidents, historically, have been panned as not acceptable alternatives, but that is simply political propaganda by the other side of the political spectrum.

John Tyler was the first Vice President to suffer from ridicule and criticism, when William Henry Harrison died after one month in office in 1841, and he was called “His Accidency” by critics who refused to accept that his succession to the Presidency was legitimate.

There was great trepidation when Harry Truman succeeded to the Presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, but Truman, despite bitter attacks, is now regarded as one of the top six Presidents.

No one wanted to imagine Lyndon B. Johnson as President in 1960, but he succeeded John F. Kennedy in 1963, and ended up being the best domestic President since FDR.

Gerald Ford is seen as having saved the nation by his leadership after the Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

Kamala Harris has excellent credentials in her career of being San Francisco District Attorney from 2004-2011; California Attorney General from 2011-2017; US Senator from 2017-2021; and now Vice President for the past three plus years.

She has been a strong support for President Joe Biden, and is clearly more competent and experienced than many earlier Vice Presidents have been, including Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and Mike Pence were.

Most of the opposition is sexist and racist against Harris, and it is disgusting that the right wing issues vicious attacks against her with no factual basis or justification.

If the need arose for Kamala Harris to become President, the nation would be in good hands, and would be well served!

Kamala Harris Starting To Demonstrate Her Strengths As Vice President, And Potential Future President!

Ronald Leave a comment

Kamala Harris has been Vice President for two and a half years now, and she has had a poor public image, being often portrayed as weak and ineffective, in public opinion polls.

A lot of this is pure right wing propaganda, with heavy elements of misogyny and racism.

If one examines earlier Vice Presidents of the Republican variety, one realizes how horrendous they were:

Mike Pence, unwilling even now to stand up to Donald Trump for his transgressions, including the threat to the lives of Pence and his family on January 6, 2021.

Dick Cheney, technically qualified, but a miserable wretch of a human being.

Dan Quayle, a total disaster and embarrassment as Vice President.

Spiro Agnew, a crooked felon, forced out of office.

And then the Republican Vice Presidential nominees who, thankfully, never were in that role:

Sarah Palin 2008

Paul Ryan 2012

Jack Kemp 1996

William E Miller 1964

And then, the potential Vice Presidential list for Donald Trump, if he became the Presidential nominee again, a total nightmare of lunacy and insanity!

Meanwhile, Democratic Vice Presidents and nominees were superior by far:

Hubert Humphrey 1964
Edmund Muskie 1968
Sargent Shriver 1972
Walter Mondale 1976, 1980
Lloyd Bentsen 1988
Al Gore 1992, 1996
Joe Lieberman 2000
Joe Biden 2008, 2012
Tim Kaine 2016

The only terrible choices were Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and John Edwards in 2004.

Harris has had an impressive career in California Government, and has been, by necessity, the most active Vice President, due to the narrow division of the Senate, necessitating that she break more tie votes in the Senate than any Vice President, surpassing John C. Calhoun under President Andrew Jackson from 1829-1832, recently!

Harris is now becoming significant, as she makes the issues of women’s rights and civil rights the center of attention, including attacking the end of abortion rights, and the promotion of outrageous interference with the teaching of American history and slavery, as advocated by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and spreading nationwide in Republican states!

This is raising her profile, as she would certainly be the frontrunner to be President after Joe Biden, either when he leaves office, or if he was unable to finish his time in office!

Nikki Haley Goes Low, And It Clinches Her Doom In Presidential Race!

Ronald 12 Comments

Former Republican Governor of South Carolina and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley once had great promise and a future in American politics.

But now, that is totally gone, as she has revealed herself to be rude, nasty, and lacking sensitivity on the issue of age and race!

To claim that electing Joe Biden in 2024 insures that Kamala Harris will be President is clearly a disgusting attack on both the age and race fronts!

Why would anyone who was decent claim that Joe Biden almost certainly will not be alive to finish a second term at age 86, when no one can possibly know the age longevity of anyone?

Just because Joe Biden “flubs” every once in awhile is not proof of lack of mental agility, and his half century experience in government is invaluable, and the lack of respect for him is atrocious!

Donald Trump is only three and a half years younger, so who can say, with him being in poor physical shape, and his clear mental and emotional disorders, would live for five years. And he is, of course a threat and danger to American democracy, as he has already proved that to be so in his incitement of the January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, and his assertion that he wants revenge and retribution, which motivates him to run in 2024!

The elderly population over 65 is not going to take kindly to such ageism on Haley’s part!

And it is clear that Haley, herself of South Asian heritage, is using the race card, that the world will collapse if a black mixed race woman, who has superb credentials, possibly might succeed to the White House if Biden were to pass away!

This is the same hysteria that was visited upon Barack Obama, as racism continues to be promoted and encouraged by Republicans!

Kamala Harris is better qualified to be President than any Republican woman who might be in the mix as a Vice Presidential running mate for the Republicans, with or without Donald Trump as the Presidential nominee!

Would Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake, Kristi Noem, or even Nikki Haley herself come with better credentials than Kamala Harris?

The answer is clearly “NO”, as Harris has proved herself in many years of experience in California state government, as a US Senator, and now Vice President, and is certainly better in “performance” than past Vice Presidents for the Republican Party, including Mike Pence, Dan Quayle, Spiro Agnew, or failed Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin!

Commemoration Of January 6, And Condemnation Of Mike Pence For His Lack Of Appreciation!

Ronald Leave a comment

The nation is coming up to the anniversary of the most dangerous attack on the US Capitol since the War of 1812, and the most dangerous threat to our nation’s survival since the Civil War.

The January 6, 2021 Insurrection will be commemorated this coming week by the Congress and the White House, but Donald Trump is planning an event to disrupt and further create instability in order to destroy American democracy.

And former Vice President Mike Pence has shown no apprecation for the sacrifices of US Capitol Police Officers who helped to save his life from likely hanging and death on that horrific day in Washington, DC.

Pence was a total toady on that day, making him the worst Vice President since Spiro Agnew, worse than even Dan Quayle, and on a short list of Vice Presidents who have disgraced the office, including Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun.

For Pence to think he has a real opportunity to be President indicates how seriously morally corrupt he is, or how mentally deranged he is.

Imagine that Pence had to have Dan Quayle convince him to do his duty, and count the legitimate Electoral College votes, when he clearly was morally weak and considering caving in, and being part of the unconstitutional Insurrection to destroy American democracy.