Vice Presidency

Kamala Harris Main Arguments To Use Against Mike Pence In VP Debate On Wednesday Evening

Ronald 1 Comment

Arguably the most important Vice Presidential debate since the first one in 1976 is taking place this Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, when Vice President Mike Pence confronts California Senator Kamala Harris.

The possibility of a female Vice President in the next Presidential term heightens interest in this debate between a Vice President who has been unwilling to express his own views with his President, by every measure we have; and a Senator, who headed the Justice system of the state with one eighth of the American people residing, in California.

Kamala Harris needs to address major issues with Mike Pence, and if necessary, be persistent!

These include:

Why are you NOT asserting yourself in this COVID 19 crisis, and allowing Trump family members to run rampant over your responsibility to the nation to invoke the 25th Amendment?

Why are you not emphasizing masks, social distancing, and avoiding large rallies on your own part?

Why have you not condemned white nationalism groups, including QAnon and “Proud Boys”?

Why do you refuse to resist the policy of favoritism toward Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and other dictators, and the worsening relations of the nation with NATO, Canada, Japan, and South Korea?

Why do you show no concern about the immediate loss of health care for 20 million or more people, especially in the midst of a world wide pandemic?

How do you explain all of the failures of Trump, including on;

the Mexico wall:

no health care alternative and plans to gut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security;

the inhumane treatment of immigrant children and their parents at the border;

the widespread corruption of Trump Cabinet officers and others;

Trump’s failure to match Barack Obama’s economic recovery; Trump’s constant attacks on veterans, Muslims, the disabled, and those who have died, including John McCain, and lack of respect for Ruth Bader Ginsburg;

and so many other shortcomings?

Harris will perform very well, with compassion, concern, empathy, decency, ethics, morality and persistence in asserting herself, and this will make her an excellent and principled Vice President under a President Joe Biden, who has the same character traits as she does.

And if circumstance puts Kamala Harris into the Oval Office, the nation will be well served and be in competent hands!

Tonight’s First Presidential Debate: The Middle Class Guy Vs The Phony Billionaire And Bully

Ronald 14 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden enters tonight’s first Presidential debate in Cleveland against President Donald Trump in a position of strength. He is far ahead in most state polls, including in the Midwest where Hillary Clinton lost the election in 2016.

Biden is the middle class guy who has had struggles and tragedies in his life, much like the vast majority of Americans. He possesses naturally great compassion, empathy, decency, and tons of government experience as US Senator for 36 years and as one of the two best Vice Presidents in American history, alongside Walter Mondale.

Biden comes in with public opinion polls showing great strength for him among college educated voters of both genders; suburban women; African Americans; Latinos except for Cubans; Asian Americans; Jews; Social Justice Catholics; mainline Protestants; moderates; Independents; young voters; and a small sliver of Trump voters in 2016 who realize Donald Trump is a phony billionaire and bully!

Putting Biden in the Oval Office will give us a President with more background knowledge and expertise than any President when he entered the Presidency—more than Lyndon B. Johnson or George H. W. Bush.

Biden knows world leaders and can restore US foreign policy so that foreign allies can against trust our government.

Biden can restore much of the damage done to our domestic infrastructure and our government agencies that are so necessary to continue the advancements of the New Deal, Great Society, and the later accomplishments of Presidents of both parties from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama!

We will have a President who does not lie 20,000 times in three and a half years;

who will not ignore medicine and science;

who will pay his fair share of taxes;

who will not cheat on his wife with other women;

who will pick judges who understand that originalism is the wrong approach to law;

who will work to cross the aisle when possible, instead of constant insults and bullying of opponents and critics;

who will have a Vice President, Kamala Harris, who gives us confidence should there ever be an emergency;

who will restore faith in our basic values of democracy and freedom;

who will bring back honor and decency to the Oval Office;

and who will support total exposure of all crimes committed by the present incumbent of the White House!

Third Night Of Republican Convention: Mike Pence Strikes Out As Potential President!

Ronald 10 Comments

The third night of the Republican National Convention continued the massive dip in TV audience, as compared to the Democratic National Convention last week.

There were more speakers who were absolutely horrible in their messages, and lots of lies and distortions by so many speakers.

But the most important speech was by Vice President Mike Pence, officially accepting the nomination for a second term in office.

Hopefully, that will not happen, as Mike Pence has been a disgrace in office, not in the same way as his boss, Donald Trump, such as not using Twitter as an attack dog.

But he demonstrated no guts, courage, or ability to challenge Trump on his horrific policies and decisions, keeping his mouth shut because the thought of succeeding Trump as President is all encompassing, and to hell with what harm and damage has been done to the American people!

Last night, Mike Pence lied, lied, lied, and distorted the reality of events, and acted as if the CoronaVIrus Pandemic is over.

For a person who claims to be a “good Christian” to lie and sin as much as Mike Pence, only adds to the hypocrisy of anyone who claims to be “religious”, while having no concern about the effect of the damage Donald Trump has perpetrated on America!

A Sense Of Excitement And Expectation About The Biden-Harris Ticket!

Ronald 29 Comments

It has been a wonderful 24 hours since Joe Biden announced he was selecting Senator Kamala Harris of California as his Vice Presidential running mate.

We will have a Vice President who is a female, of immigrant parents from India (her mother) and Jamaica (her father), and is married to a Jewish lawyer, Douglas Emhoff, who would be the first Jewish “Second Gentleman” and, of course, the first spouse of either the President or Vice President who would be male.

Also, Emhoff is exactly one week older than Harris, both born in October 1964, and Emhoff has two adult children, one son and one daughter, who are very close to their “second mother”, and with good relations between Emhoff and his former wife, and also between the former wife and Harris.

Harris has had 17 years in public office in California, seven as District Attorney of San Francisco; six years as California Attorney General (representing one out of every eight Americans, a greater jurisdiction than any other state attorney general, and with only the appointed Attorney General of the United States having impact over more people); and four years now as US Senator.

Harris is also only the second black woman elected to the US Senate, after Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun in the 1990s.

The likelihood is that Kamala Harris will eventually be President, either possibly by succession (as is the possibility of every Vice President), or by election following Joe Biden’s time in office.

Harris is a woman of great empathy and compassion, and in that regard, is the same as Joe Biden, and it is a blessing to have such traits in what will, hopefully be the next President and Vice President of the United States.

They are a great team, and give America hope in a time of unparalleled challenges with the CoronaVirus Pandemic, the Second Great Depression, and racial turmoil.

The Best Candidates To Be Vice President For Joe Biden

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Within the next few weeks, Joe Biden will be selecting his Vice Presidential running mate, with the strong possibility that the woman he chooses could be the next President after Biden, whether by succession, as Biden would be the oldest first term President on Inauguration Day, or by election after Biden has left the Presidency.

There has been much speculation about a very large number of potential choices, but this author believes that three candidates stand out above all others in their credentials.

My first choice, and preferred, is former National Security Adviser and earlier Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice. She has more foreign policy experience than any other potential candidate. She would be 56 on Inauguration Day, the precise average age of all Presidents when combined together, and she has worked for many years with Joe Biden, and gets along very well with him.

The two together would be a fantastic team on foreign policy and national security, an area badly damaged by Donald Trump, and an area not as much paid attention to by many, but really significant. Her major liability may be that she has never been elected to any political office, but she has tons of experience under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

My second choice, which is speculated about as a “dream”, would be former First Lady Michelle Obama, who would be 57 by Inauguration Day. Many observers feel that if she was the choice of Joe Biden, it would guarantee victory in November.

Michelle Obama is much admired and respected, is very intelligent, and knows a lot from being the wife of the 44th President, but she also has never been elected to office, although that is not a requirement. However, she has given no hint of interest, and it highly unlikely that she would accept the Vice Presidency, but she would be a fantastic choice.

My third choice is California Senator Kamala Harris, who would be 56 on Inauguration Day, with the interesting point that all three ladies in this group were born in 1964, with Obama in January, Harris in October, and Rice in November.

Harris has been a Senator for four years, and earlier was District Attorney of San Francisco for seven years, and California Attorney General for six years, before being elected to the Senate in 2016. Being an elected official who campaigned for President, she has more controversies about her career in law enforcement and her votes and viewpoints as a US Senator than does Rice or Obama, but she would be an inspiring choice, often called the “female Barack Obama”.

We shall see if one of these three is the nominee, but this author and blogger feels all three are way above the competition, and whoever is selected will play a major role in the future of American government!

Crucial Vice Presidential Choices In American History, Good And Bad

Ronald 3 Comments

As Joe Biden decides soon who will be his Vice Presidential running mate, this is a good time to look at crucial Vice Presidential choices in American history, both good and bad.

There is a myth that the Vice Presidential choice does not matter, but it most certainly does.

Abraham Lincoln, in order to help his reelection chances in 1864, dropped Vice President Hannibal Hamlin in favor of Andrew Johnson. Johnson would go on to be the worst blunder of Lincoln, as he succeeded Lincoln after only six weeks in office, divided the country, and was impeached.

William McKinley lost his Vice President, Garret Hobart, in 1899, due to heart disease. If Hobart had not died, he would have become President in 1901, but instead, it was Theodore Roosevelt, who transformed the office of the Presidency.

Franklin D. Roosevelt dropped third term Vice President Henry A. Wallace in 1944 in favor of Harry Truman, who succeeded him after 82 days as Vice President, and most scholars believe Wallace would have been a terrible choice to be President.

John F. Kennedy could not have won in 1960 without Lyndon B. Johnson, who would carry along to success the domestic goals of JFK, and expand beyond it in the “Great Society” programs in the mid 1960s.

Jimmy Carter had a perfect match for Vice President in Walter Mondale, who became the most active and engaged Vice President, practically a co-President.

Ronald Reagan had no foreign policy experience, and George H. W. Bush was a great asset to him in the 1980s.

Bush made a terrible choice in Dan Quayle as his Vice President, and made everyone pray for his health when he had an “atrial fibrillation” in office.

Bill Clinton was fortunate to have Al Gore as his VP, as Gore helped to direct Clinton on the environment, an issue Clinton had performed poorly as Arkansas Governor.

George W. Bush had a smart, intelligent, capable Vice President in Dick Cheney, except for the reality that he “ran the show” in the first term, and pushed us into unwise wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and managed to make millions of personal wealth from Halliburton.

He is often called the most powerful Vice President in American history, in the sense of his impact and powerful influence in policy under Bush, although somewhat less so in the second term, as Bush separated himself to some extent from Cheney.

The Barack Obama-Joe Biden “Bromance” was extremely close and influential, only matched by the Carter-Mondale partnership.

The relationship between Donald Trump and Mike Pence has been one of total sycophancy by Pence, as he hopes to become President at some point in the future. The evangelical Christian Right has been a major factor in the total degradation, and lack of ethics and morals of the Trump Presidency.

So for good or for bad, the Vice Presidency has made a difference!

Joe Biden Measured Up To Presidency In CNN Debate, And Inspires With Pledge To Choose Woman VP And Black Woman Supreme Court Justice!

Ronald 7 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden measured up to the Presidency in last night’s CNN debate, while Senator Bernie Sanders performed well, too, but Biden demonstrated that he has no signs of dementia, certainly far more stable than President Donald Trump!

Biden also inspired us with his pledge to choose a woman for Vice President, and an African American woman for the Supreme Court.

Most likely, the VP choice will be Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and the choice for the Supreme Court will be Senator Kamala Harris of California, although there are other possible choices.

But as things stand at the moment, these choices seem like the best possible selections!

Joe Biden Needs To Agree That He Would Step Aside If Unable To Handle The Presidency, Unlike Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, And Ronald Reagan

Ronald 6 Comments

We have had three circumstances where a President was unable to handle the job due to health issues, but refused to step aside.

Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke in the fall of 1919, and was basically incapacitated for the remaining year and a half of his Presidency, but refused to resign, and his wife conducted cabinet meetings.

Franklin D. Roosevelt had congestive heart failure in 1944, and should not have run for a fourth term, but did anyway.,

Ronald Reagan had clear cut dementia, noticed by 1986-1987, but his wife Nancy and his top advisers covered for him in his last years in office.

Also, Donald Trump clearly has signs of mental deterioration for anyone who wishes to be honest.

And now, Joe Biden has what some people think are early signs of dementia, but not clear cut at this point.

We are likely to face a situation where either Donald Trump or Joe Biden will likely be President in the next term, but might not be able to finish the term.

It is sad but reality that Donald Trump would never resign if he was incapable of doing his job, but Joe Biden needs to be willing to step aside if his early signs become more evident during a future Presidency.

Some would say we have the 25th Amendment to allow for the Vice President to be “Acting President”, but that is more useful for physical ailments than mental ailments.

Looking back, Reagan was the first President under the 25th Amendment situation, and now Trump, both of them the oldest Presidents in office.

Joe Biden, or even Bernie Sanders, would be easily the most advanced in age, and while the 25th Amendment could be used, it does not seem adeqate if mental deterioration is present.

If anything, this situation that we are now presented with is an argument for Joe Biden to pick the best possible Vice President, who could be fully ready to take the oath of office if Biden, at some point, could not handle the job of President.

The Magnificent Joe Biden Revival The Greatest In American History

Ronald 10 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden completed the greatest turnaround of political fortunes in American history in the last four days.

Thought to be a “lost cause”, he accomplished the winning of 10 of 14 primaries on Super Tuesday, after winning South Carolina last Saturday, and left Bernie Sanders in the distance.

He also caused Michael Bloomberg to withdraw today, but pledge all financial help to the Biden and Democratic Party campaign to retire Donald Trump from the Oval Office.

What Biden did is in many ways a miracle, but it could not happen to a nicer, more decent, more compassionate, more empathetic, and more genuine man than Joe Biden.

Biden has dedicated the past half century to public service, serving 36 years in the US Senate, and 8 years as the most active and engaged Vice President in American history!

His persona looks even better when compared to the Vice Presidents before and after him–Dick Cheney and Mike Pence!

Joe Biden is not perfect, and has votes and statements and silly flubs as part of his record that can be used against him.

But he KNOWS domestic and foreign policy, and would be the most experienced public official in total years ever to be President.

The man knows how to lead, as he did as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

And he knows the importance of “crossing the aisle” when possible. which is essential for any progress on any public issue.

There are some worried about his mental lapses, but my thought is that if it ever was clear that he needed to step aside and resign, he would do so, and that makes the Vice Presidential nomination more important than ever before.

He would not stay on in poor condition as Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan did, and as Donald Trump would do.

Biden needs to select a much younger person, who could be his successor, and this blogger suggests Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris as his top three choices.

We need to pray for him, that he can meet the challenge of retiring Donald Trump, and restoring faith in American government.

The Vice Presidency More Crucial Than Ever Before In The Presidential Election Of 2020

Ronald 37 Comments

The office of the Vice Presidency has become an office of real substance and significance since the time of Richard Nixon as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953-1961.

Before that, the Vice Presidency was an office ignored and forgotten, except when a President died in office.

Only three Vice Presidents, all early on in American history (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren) had been elevated to the Presidency by election, rather than succession due to death of the President.

Only when George H. W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan by election in 1988, did we again have a Vice President elected directly to the Presidency.

However, we did have Nixon lose the Presidency after Eisenhower, only to win it eight years later in 1968. And we did have Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, and Al Gore run for President and lose.

Now, we have former Vice President Joe Biden having a good chance to be the Presidential nominee of his party in 2020.

But in many ways, even more significant now than the Presidential race, is the reality that the odds of a future Vice President succeeding during the term is magnified by the fact that all four leading individuals who might be President in 2021 are old men–Donald Trump at 74, Joe Biden at 78, Michael Bloomberg at 78, and Bernie Sanders at 79, when the term begins in January 2021.

All except Bloomberg have known health issues–Trump both mentally and physically, Biden mentally, and Sanders physically. Bloomberg at this point seems free of any mental or physical health issues.

But the reality that the three Democrats will reach 80 in either the first or second year of the next term is alarming and worrisome, and magnifies the importance of choosing the right Vice Presidential choice, with the odds growing that whoever it is, he or she is likely to occupy the Oval Office before January 2025.

It is a sobering thought, but one must face reality, so the choice of a running mate is more crucial than ever before.