Tom Perez

Maryland On The Way To Electing The Third African American Governor, Wes Moore!

Ronald 1 Comment

In the midst of an election year where there is some fear and trepidation for the Democratic Party, the state of Maryland is a complete alternative.

Maryland is on the way to electing the third African American governor in American history, Wes Moore, who is far ahead of his Republican opponent, Dan Cox.

Moore defeated former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez for the nomination, a surprise to many observers.

Only Douglas Wilder in Virginia in 1989 and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts in 2006 have succeeded as African American gubernatorial candidates before Wes Moore.

Wes Moore has had an interesting career, with military service for eight years in the US Army, including service in Afghanistan and the 82nd Airborne Division, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University, and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

Moore worked in several government positions; became an investment banker; founded a television production company; and then was CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization to help alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City. He is the author of several books, and is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Some observers think he is someone to watch for national office at some point in the future.

Donald Trump’s Alternate Reality And Inability To Tell The Truth Undermining America Today And In The Future

Ronald Leave a comment

Donald Trump is clearly a very sick man, mentally unbalanced, and unable to see reality or tell the truth about anything.

We are living through a nightmare, that every morning, we wake up, and want to imagine it is over, but it is NOT over, and after 45 days in the White House, we are living through a tumultuous time which is undermining any possibility of unity, or optimism about the future.

Trump lives in an alternate reality, and is the LIAR IN CHIEF, and anyone with any common sense, can clearly notice that his behavior is far outside the norm, and that he stands out as the worst possible example of Presidential leadership.

Many observers seem to think that somehow Trump can make it through a four year term, but this author and blogger does not see it that way, and believes that if he were to do so, this nation would be so damaged in domestic and foreign policy, that it would take many decades to recover.

Why, oh why, did this nightmare have to occur, and undermine all of the progress in the past century and more under both Democratic and Republican Presidents?

All progressives have to commit themselves to active efforts to end this nightmare by stopping their divisive tactics, as with the Democratic National Chairman election, where some came out of the situation disgruntled.

The fact that Tom Perez asked Keith Ellison to be his deputy should be the first example of cooperation among progressives for the future, or else, progressivism is doomed long term.

Analyzing Hillary Clinton’s Choice For Vice President: Most Likely To Be A Sitting US Senator

Ronald 30 Comments

It is two days until Democrat Hillary Clinton announces her Vice Presidential running mate, and it is almost certain, looking at history, that it will be a sitting United States Senator.

If one looks back historically from 1944 onward, every VP nominee except one and a half times (to be explained in next paragraph) was a sitting Senator.

The only exceptions were Sargent Shriver (second choice after Senator Thomas Eagleton withdrew over his mental shock treatments being revealed) in 1972, and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and those were the two worst Democratic defeats ever in their history.

So 16 out of 18 elections, a US Senator ran for Vice President:

Harry Truman 1944
Alben Barkley 1948
John Sparkman 1952
Estes Kefavuer 1956
Lyndon B. Johnson 1960
Hubert Humphrey 1964
Edmund Muskie 1968
Walter Mondale 1976 and 1980
Lloyd Bentsen 1988
Al Gore 1992 and 1996
Joe Lieberman 2000
John Edwards 2004
Joe Biden 2008 and 2012

Notice that 8 of the above 13 Senators who ran for VP were from the South or Border states, and two were from Minnesota–and keep this in mind as you read further down on this entry.

So it would seem to this blogger that, based on history, one can assume that three cabinet officers—Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (a recent name added to the mix), would be unlikely to be chosen.

So that would leave the following as possible choices, all US Senators:

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Cory Booker of New Jersey
Tim Kaine of Virginia
Sherrod Brown of Ohio
Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Al Franken of Minnesota

The problem is that Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Ohio have Republican Governors, so at least temporarily, a seat would be lost by Republican appointment, which could be crucial to organization of the US Senate next year.

So it would seem to this blogger that Tim Kaine is the most likely choice, followed by Amy Klobuchar (bringing a woman to the ticket, but not the highly controversial Elizabeth Warren).

In two days, we shall see!

The Reality Of Terrorism Worldwide Requires A President With Knowledge And Experience, NOT Slogans And Braggadocio!

Ronald Leave a comment

The reality of terrorism worldwide presents a massive challenge to the next President of the United States, as it did to George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

We cannot afford to have an ignoramus, or a mercurial personality, to sit in the White House, such as Donald Trump.

We need a person of vast experience and knowledge, and a cool, measured handling of stress, and Hillary Clinton demonstrated that as Barack Obama’s first term Secretary of State from 2009-2013.

And Hillary Clinton needs a Vice President who has demonstrated similar traits, and the more one looks at the various Vice Presidential possibilities for Hillary, the more Virginia Senator Tim Kaine looks in many ways as the best choice.

He serves on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committee, and has had vast government experience as Richmond Mayor, Governor of Virginia, and now Senator from Virginia.

While he is not exciting or dynamic, he has a cool, balanced personality, and were an emergency to arise, Tim Kaine could certainly fill the shoes of the Presidency.

This is not to downgrade Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Tom Perez, Cory Booker, Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, and Tom Vilsack, among others.

But on further reflection, it just might be wise for Hillary to select Tim Kaine!

After So Much Vice Presidential Speculation, New Names Show Up!

Ronald 5 Comments

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are busy keeping us guessing as to who will be their Vice Presidential choices.

After so much speculation, it turns out, according to latest hints, that others not originally considered likely choices, are surging ahead.

So for the Republicans, Indiana Governor and former Congressman Mike Pence seems like the front runner, with Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions also becoming part of the discussion.

And for the Democrats, suddenly, Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack seems like a possible choice, with Secretary of Labor Tom Perez of Maryland and Virginia Senator, former Governor, and former Mayor of Richmond Tim Kaine as other possible choices.

Compared to bigger names, such as Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie on the Republican side, or Elizabeth Warren or Julian Castro on the Democratic side, these potential choices seem less exciting and dramatic, but that does not mean that there is not an argument for them.

Pence is less controversial than other VP choices for the Republicans, although he signed a bill against the civil rights of gays and lesbians in public accommodations that had to be changed under protest, and with many businesses canceling plans to expand into Indiana, and with him concerned about a gubernatorial race that looks very difficult to win. He is a hard right wing conservative Republican who the Christian right loves, which makes him unable to expand the base of the Republican Party. But Pence does not have a big mouth, and is not considered a bully, as Gingrich and Christie are.

Sessions is the typical Southern conservative very similar to past Southern Democrats up to the 1960s, very hard line on immigration, but the first US Senator to endorse Trump. He is not appealing personally as Pence is.

Tom Vilsack was actually considered on the short list for VP for John Kerry in 2004 and for Hillary Clinton, had she won the nomination of the Democrats in 2008, and is a pleasant enough fellow, and is from a “swing” state.

Tom Perez is Hispanic, Dominican heritage, and also very well liked by Hillary Clinton, and a very effective Secretary of Labor for Barack Obama.

Both Vilsack and Perez as cabinet members do not endanger any Senate seats, which is a plus for both of them.

Kaine was on the short list for VP in 2008, and is well liked, and has been Mayor of Richmond, as well as Governor and Senator, and also Democratic National Chairman, and also well liked by Hillary Clinton. Fortunately, with a Democratic governor in Virginia, an appointment to replace him would be a Democrat. And to top it off, Kaine speaks perfect Spanish, as this blogger has seen on the news reports, a very impressive plus, considering that 55 million Americans, out of 320 million speak or are od Spanish origin.

Trying to guess the ultimate choices for Vice President has become more complex and difficult, so we shall have to wait and see, but it will be interesting to witness what transpires!

British Betting Odds On Democratic Vice Presidential Nominees

Ronald Leave a comment

If one goes by British betting odds, the list of potential Democratic Vice Presidential nominees is as follows:

In front is Julian Castro, former San Antonio Mayor, who is presently Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; followed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren; Virginia Senator Tim Kaine; Secretary of Labor Tom Perez (from Maryland); and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (who was in the Democratic Presidential race).

After those five, the odds on others, in their order, are New Jersey Senator Cory Booker; Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown; and then Minnesota Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar.

Looking at the list, the “safest” choices to make are Castro, Perez, O’Malley, Franken, and Klobuchar, as the first two are cabinet members and not potentially giving up a Senate seat; O’Malley is out of office; and Franken and Klobucar come from a solidly “blue” state that has a Democratic Governor able to appoint a Democratic replacement were either to be elected Vice President.

Warren and Booker come from states with Republican Governors, who would be able to appoint a Republican temporarily as their replacement, while Kaine and Brown comes from “swing states” with a Republican governor in Ohio, and a Democratic Governor in Virginia now under federal investigation in a state which would be Republican if not for northern Virginia’s strong Democratic bent.

The Likelihood Of An Historic Vice Presidential Nomination For The Democrats: A Woman Or A Person Of Minority Heritage

Ronald Leave a comment

Speculation has begun about who Democrat Hillary Clinton’s potential choices for Vice President might be, but it seems more and more likely that it will be an historic choice, likely NOT to be a white male, but rather a woman or a leader of minority heritage.

It is true that Democrat Walter Mondale selected New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and that Republican John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in 2008, but this time around, the possible candidates for a woman are much stronger choices.

If one is considering a woman, which some think is “radical” to do, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is seen as the most likely choice, but her fame and her age work against her, and it would make more sense to pick a woman who is substantially younger, and could be a potential successor eight years from now–such as Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota or Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State.

If Hillary wants to select someone from a minority heritage, the best would be Latinos, such as former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, presently Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; or Secretary of Labor Tom Perez of Maryland; and if African American, the best would be New Jersey Senator Cory Booker or former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

In another blog entry forthcoming tomorrow, we will consider white males as potential Vice Presidential nominees, with quite a long list of such candidates!