Time Magazine

Carl Levin Of Michigan, A Giant In The Senate, Dies At 87!

Ronald Leave a comment

Former Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, a true giant of the Senate, has passed away at age 87.

Levin had a distinguished 36 year career in the Senate from 1978 to 2014.

He was rated one of the top ten US Senators in a Time Magazine article in 2006.

He was the fourth longest serving incumbent at his retirement in 2015, and was the longest serving Senator in Michigan history.

He served alongside his Congressman brother Sander Levin, both of them outstanding Senators of the Jewish faith, and both had a great impact on Michigan and the nation.

Carl Levin was Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, and served alongside Republicans and worked well across the aisle with them, promoting civil dialogue.

He supported the revival of the auto industry, and supported efforts to address pollution and other environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes.

He promoted a crackdown on offshore tax havens, and was an advocate for stem cell research and gun control laws.

He gained respect for his attention to detail and deep knowledge of policy.

Levin came across as a “regular guy”, who was unassuming and unpretentious.

His kind will not be easily found in the future, as he was, in many ways, one of a kind.

Rest in Peace, Carl Levin, you will be well remembered in the annals of history!

The “Ups And Downs” Of Ranking Presidents Over Time

Ronald Leave a comment

Historically, many Presidents have gone through periods of low esteem, and then, suddenly, high esteem in the minds of public opinion and also, Presidential scholars.

Abraham Lincoln had a very divided nation in response after his assassination, and only in the early 20th century, did the nation decide to honor Lincoln with the construction of the Lincoln Memorial, dedicated in 1922. He has been rated Number One by just about every Presidential scholar and poll, except those right wing Confederate sympathizers and white supremacists

Harry Truman left office in 1953 with a very low public opinion rating, and was regarded poorly in assessments of Presidents, until after he passed away in 1972. In the next five years, as TIME Magazine termed it in the late 1970s, we had “Truman Mania”, as massive research and writing on Truman caused his rise in stature to as high as Number 5 in scholarly polls on Presidents.

Dwight D. Eisenhower left office with an image of a passive, lazy President, and the vitality and youth of his successor, John F. Kennedy, did not improve his image, and he was seen as not an outstanding President. But his historical reputation has risen dramatically to the point that in many scholarly assessments, he is now seen as number 5 or 6 among all Presidents.

Lyndon B. Johnson suffered mightily in assessments due to the Vietnam War, despite his amazing domestic accomplishments of the “Great Society”, and was poorly rated for 20 years. But now, he is somewhere between number 9 and 11 in rankings of Presidents.

Jimmy Carter has never risen from the mid to low 20s in rankings and popularity, but it seems possible to imagine that when the longest lived President eventually passes away, that his rating may go up much more than many might now imagine.

Celebration, As This “Progressive Professor” Blog Reaches Its 6,000th Posting, After Nearly Ten Years!

Ronald 6 Comments

Today, June 8, 2018 is a day to celebrate, as this posting you are now reading is the 6,000th posting since the author began this expression of his beliefs and of important historical and political events nearly ten years ago.

In two months and three days (August 11), it will be exactly ten years since my son, David Feinman, knowing my strong knowledge of history, and passion for politics, suggested that I start a blog.

Now, nearly ten years later, my blog not only includes the 6,000 postings, but also many intelligent and contributory comments by my readers and supporters.

It also includes a wide variety of web sites on the right side, as well as all of my History News Network articles, and those reproduced on Time and Newsweek, as well as articles on The Hill website.

Additionally, my C Span events on my Assassinations book, and a wide multitude of radio appearances are included, especially those on WWGH 107.1 FM, Marion, Ohio, over the past year, as well as others on Blog Talk Radio and other sites, and also relevant newspaper articles, and several videos of lectures on Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson at Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning in Jupiter, Florida.

This has been a fascinating and enriching nearly ten years, and I hope to continue to do this blog for many more years.

And I invite all of my readers to continue to contribute their comments and ideas, as they add a lot to this blog!

A Year Of Donald Trump: A Horror And A Nightmare!

Ronald 3 Comments

I published on Sunday a summary article on the first year of Donald Trump at History News Network–historynewsnetwork.org. I have published regularly on Donald Trump on History News Network, and some of those articles have been picked up also by Time Magazine and Newsweek Magazine, and all of those articles are on the right side of my blog.

A day before the anniversary of the inauguration, I will summarize here the points that I made in that article:

Donald Trump has been a nightmare, and his unpredictability, and the refusal of the Republican Party to come to grips with it, has created a constitutional crisis greater than the Watergate Scandal under Richard Nixon 45 years ago.

Donald Trump has demonstrated clear authoritarian leanings that endanger all Americans and their basic freedoms and national security.

Donald Trump has undermined the judicial branch of government. with his attacks on an independent judiciary, and his appointments of unqualified people to lifetime positions on the federal district courts and federal circuit courts.

Donald Trump has assaulted the Bill of Rights, and is a threat to the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, women, gay and transgender Americans, and members of the news media who dare to investigate and question his white supremacist, nativist, racist, and misogynistic utterances and policies.

He has connected himself to dictators and authoritarians in nations like Russia, China, Turkey, Egypt, and the Philippines, and in the tradition of such past regimes as Nazi Germany , Fascist Italy, and the Soviet Union.

Donald Trump has pursued policies that threaten and undermine the domestic reforms of Presidents from both political parties from the time of Theodore Roosevelt onward, endangering the Social Safety Network of Social Security. Medicare, and Medicaid, and government regulation of industry and big business, and oversight of key problems involving the environment, consumer safety, labor protections, health care, and science and education.

Donald Trump has given us the most corrupt and incompetent cabinet and advisers , making the shortcomings of Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, and Richard Nixon pale in comparison. There is no sense of ethics, commitment, scruples, or compassion on the part of Trump and his team, but only with the advancement of the top one percent, over the needs of millions of ordinary people.

Trump’s family has become in one year more controversial, and lacking in ethics and morals, than any Presidential family in history, with the aim seeming to be a family dynasty with no limit on their lust for money and power.

Donald Trump has undermined foreign policy and international relations, alienating our allies, and consorting with dictators all over the world. He has declared war on the diplomatic community, the national security apparatus, and the intelligence agencies that are out to protect American national security. He has been reckless in his dealings with North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, and with the Middle East cauldron. He has alienated our allies, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea with his weird, unpredictable behavior.

Donald Trump’s narcissism, ignorance of history and science, obnoxious behavior and incessant lying make him a terrible model for the future generation of Americans, who used to be able to look up the President of the United States as someone they could respect.

These reasons are justification for action to remove Donald Trump from the Presidency, whether by impeachment, use of the 25th Amendment, or forced resignation after indictments of family members and top advisers by Robert Mueller’s investigation.

9th Anniversary of “The Progressive Professor”, And 5,700 Entries!

Ronald 4 Comments

It has been nine years since my son David, knowing how I have always had a strong desire to express myself in writing about my views of history, politics, government, and public affairs, suggested I start a blog.

And now, on this 9th anniversary, I am proud to report that there have been exactly, with this article I am now writing, 5,700 entries over the past 3,287 days, which means an average of 1.734 entries per day.

In reality, in the beginning, I did not contribute entries on a regular, every day, basis, but in recent years, there have been very few days when I did not contribute at least one entry, and many days I contributed multiple entries, so have arrived today at 5,700 articles, an average of 633 entries per year.

Along the way, I have been blessed with many readers who have contributed their comments and their articles from various sources to this blog, and I have been fully appreciative of their loyalty and passion to the progressive causes I have long committed myself to over my career and life.

And I have been fortunate, being semi-retired from college teaching for six years, but still teaching part time, to have had the extra “free time”, to have had the opportunity to write my Presidential Assassinations book, now out in paperback, which came along as a query from Rowman Littlefield, a sudden blessing four years ago this month.

And the book has led to increased lectures locally in South Florida; the opportunity for interviews on the book and on American politics for numerous radio stations and C Span; and the fantastic opportunity to write at this timing 68 articles on History News Network.org, with four of them being picked up by Time Magazine and three by Newsweek Magazine for republication, with all of my contributions listed on the right side of the blog.

And also, I have listed many different sources that any reader can click on and go to important websites in history, politics, government, and public affairs, which I gather have been useful to many readers.

So on this 9th anniversary, I pledge myself to a continuation of my commitment to work on this as long as I am able to do so, and welcome all my readers along for the ride!

Notice To My Followers: All Of My Interviews And Articles Are Found On Right Side Of The Blog!

Ronald Leave a comment

Having just come off two radio interviews this week, one about my Assassinations book, and one on the Trump Presidency, I wanted to make sure my readers and followers are aware that all of my interviews and published articles are on the right side of the blog.

The most recent interview today on the Trump Presidency will be up in the next few days, and I have been fortunate enough to have found a few media outlets that have given me the opportunity to be on their shows multiple times, which I greatly appreciate.

I will continue to have interviews, and plan over time to have more articles, with 66 on History News Network in the past 18 months, and reprints on Time and Newsweek of some of these articles.

I greatly appreciate those who follow me and pay attention to these great opportunities I am blessed with, to share my views, along with my work on the blog itself!

I am also on Facebook and Twitter–under my name and the blog name and Assassinations name on Facebook,and under polithist on Twitter, so feel free to follow me and become a “friend” on Facebook.

Thank you very much!

Productive Year On History News Network Concludes With 50th Article, All Posted On Right Side Of Blog

Ronald 3 Comments

The year 2016 has been an amazing year for this author and blogger, in a way one could not imagine when the year began.

I contacted Rick Shenkman of HistoryNewsNetwork.org in January about contributing to his website which gains an average of 800,000 hits per month, and publishes multiple articles on all kinds of historical and current events topics three times per week.

He agreed, and I have been fortunate enough to publish the grand total of 50 articles this year, mostly on the Presidential Election of 2016, but also some on other historical topics, and also some articles related to my Assassinations book, which came out in August 2015, and will be issued in paperback in March 2017.

The most recent article, on reassessing Jimmy Carter after a record 13,000 plus days out of the Presidency, was published on Christmas Day, and is now posted on the right side of this blog with the other articles for easy reading.

I would not expect that I will be as productive in the future, as 2016 was an unusual year, but I plan to continue to contribute articles in this coming year of 2017 and future years, as events require it, and they will be posted on the blog.

All my articles on HNN, plus two reproduced on TIME Magazine’s website, and two TheHill.com articles in late 2015 on my book, are now easily found.

Meanwhile, I continue to write regularly on this blog, and the total is now over 5,450 entries since its inception in August 2008, and I hope to continue to do this for many more years, and wish to thank those readers who have contributed their ideas and thoughts in response to my entries.

If anything, the coming of the Trump Presidency requires more vigilance and watchfulness, so we can promote the progressive cause long term. It will not be an easy struggle, but is required to fight the good fight for one’s principles.

So Happy New Year everyone, and to the health and prosperity of America, and of progressive reform ideas surviving in a difficult era!

History News Network Article On My Projection Of Electoral College Vote Coming Monday

Ronald 2 Comments

I have been fortunate enough as an historian and political pundit to gain the opportunity this year, and moving forward, to have articles published on the great History website, History News Network.

I have had 14 articles already published, and on Monday, my projection for the Presidential Election of 2016 will be published, so look at the website after Monday morning.

I want to thank Rick Shenkman of HNN for allowing me the chance to publish on his website.

Eventually, all of the articles are put on the right side of my blog under “Articles”, with all 14 of them published so far being found there.

I was also fortunate enough to have one HNN article republished on Time online on April 4, already on the “Articles” list on this blog.

I appreciate it when my readers look at these articles, which are short, succinct, and timely about events and controversies in the political world!

Thanks very much!

Donald Trump And The World: How Can He Possibly Be A World Leader With His Insults And Crazy Statements?

Ronald 2 Comments

The most important job a President has is to keep his country safe, to know how to conduct diplomacy and deal with military matters.

On that subject, Donald Trump gets a big “F”, as his rhetoric, including insults and crazy statements, endangers American foreign policy!

Witness:

Trump has insulted Mexico and other Latin American nations, with his comments on building a wall at the southern border, and his anti immigrant assertions.

Trump has proposed banning all Muslim immigration, which only emboldens ISIL (ISIS) in its anti American attacks, and is, as Hillary Clinton said yesterday, a great recruitment video!

Trump has insulted German Chancellor Angela Merkel with his attacks on her governing decisions, after she beat him out for Time Magazine Person of the Year!

Trump has been so supportive of Russian President Vladamir Putin, who praised him this past week, and in so doing, makes light of Putin’s dictatorial actions, including murder of journalists, abuse of gays and lesbians, and imprisonment of dissidents.  It sounds like Trump is unwilling to accept that what Putin has done is not admirable, and to imagine the Republican Party nominating him after praise of Putin and Russia defies history!

Trump has shown lack of class, lack of judgment, lack of knowledge, and lack of awareness of how his insults and crazy statements endanger American foreign and military policy.

Trump is a danger to the security of the United States, and cannot be allowed to become our Commander in Chief!

Donald Trump’s Ignorance Of Facts And Acceptance Of Myths A Major Problem: Crisis For The Institution Of The Presidency!

Ronald Leave a comment

Donald Trump is clearly a brilliant businessman and a great parent, as his children have never had a hint of problems or scandal.

Once we get past his clear cut attributes, there is not much there, as Trump has proved again and again that he is totally ignorant of facts and is too willing to accept any myths that any extremist passes by him, including the “birther” myth about President Obama!

So he will say constantly that he is not aware of what he is told has occurred in reality, but that does not make it to be dismissed, which he readily does.

He will accept whatever he is told by ignorant, stupid people, with the latest being some moron in Iowa telling him that there are 6 million people over the age of 112!  Huh?  Over the age of 112?

How preposterous that is, but Trump goes ahead and states this as FACT!

Does Trump have any clue as to longevity?  How many people have we EVER heard about that are 112 years old world wide?  Maybe one to three people, and here the statement is that America has 6 MILLION over 112!

Government statistics show in 2010 there were about 54,000 people over the age of 100, 80 percent of them being women!  How many of those does one assume will make it to 112?  Maybe one or two, but likely NONE!

What a difference between 54,000 over the age of 100 and the six MILLION figure over the age of 112 that Trump uses because someone told him that was the fact!

And what is the point of making that moronic statement in any case?  Does Trump propose we knock off those people over 112, kill them off?  Does his stupid “informer” propose that while supporting the anti abortion movement, which is most likely of Trump supporters in Iowa who are evangelical Christians?

Instead of ingesting facts that are real from reputable sources, Trump accepts what stupid people say, who have no clue on what they are talking about!

Listening to one’s idiotic supporters who have no brains is a regular matter for Donald Trump!

Can one imagine if he became President, with no clue on foreign or domestic policy, a total ignoramus, who loves to insult and berate foreign leaders, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, because she had the gall to be named Time Magazine Person of the Year over Trump, who is insulted that he did not win the honor?

Electing a President of the United States is not a joke, and to consider election of a person with NO government experience; with a personality that is arrogant and overbearing and loves to insult others; and who accepts “facts” from fools, over facts from real sources —this is alarming, and if it happens, god help the United States of America!

We may have thought that Richard Nixon or George W. Bush were disasters, but a President Donald Trump would bring down the nation like no President, including James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce!